Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC), was the
8th ruler of the Seleucid empire. He was violently bitter against the
Jews, and he made a furious and determined effort to exterminate them and
their religion. He devastated Jerusalem (168 BC), defiled the Temple,
offered a sow on its altar, erected an altar to Jupiter, prohibited Temple
worship, forbade circumcision on pain of death, sold thousands of Jewish
families into slavery, destroyed all copies of Scripture that could be
found, and slaughtered everyone discovered in possession of such copies,
and resorted to every conceivable torture to force Jews to renounce their
religion. This led to the Maccabaean revolt, one of the most heroic feats
in history.
"And all the people brake off the golden
earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he
received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after
he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."
- Exodus
32:3,4
"God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were
the strength of a bull."
- Numbers
23:22
"Whereupon the king took counsel, and made
two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to
Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in
Dan."
- 1 Kings
12:28-29
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