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[[File: Antiochus_IV.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|Bust of Antiochus IV, King of the Seleucid Empire (Ruled 175-164 BC)]]__NOTOC__
From 168 to 140 BC, Judaea, now known as Israel, was in full revolt against the Greek-Seleucid Dynasty that ruled over the region. The rebellion was primarily a response by the native Jews against the political and religious policies of Antiochus IV (reigned 175-164 BC), which were certainly oppressive. Still, both the Jews and the Greeks had a fair amount of misunderstanding that exacerbated the situation. The Maccabean Rebellion was a conflict that pitted Hellenism against Abrahamic monotheism, leaving several long-lasting impacts on the Near East and a few that can still be seen today.
====Hellenism versus Abrahamic Monotheism====
To understand the impacts that the Maccabean Rebellion had on the Near East, it is important to examine some of the factors that led to the rebellion and the revolt itself. After Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, his generals divided his spoils and established kingdoms whereby Macedonian-Greeks ruled over native peoples. The general Seleucus I (ruled 305-281 BC) was given Mesopotamia and most of the Levant. Other kings were Ptolemy I, who received Egypt, and Lysimachus was given Thrace.
These warrior kings carried with them aspects of Greek culture to their new kingdoms – except for democracy – such as philosophy, science, the Greek language, and gymnasiums. Entirely new cities were built and named after these kings (Alexandria, Antioch, Lysimachia, etc.), and Greeks were brought from the homeland to populate these kingdoms. This era of Greek cultural expansion became known as the Hellenistic Period, and the idea of spreading Greek culture in these ways is referred to as “Hellenism.” <ref> Price, Simon. “The History of the Hellenistic Period.” In <i>The Oxford History of Greece and the Hellenistic World.</i> Edited by John Boardman, Jasper Griffin, and Oswyn Murray. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), pgs. 368-73</ref>
====Conclusion====
The Maccabean Rebellion is often overlooked in the history of the Hellenistic world. However, it greatly impacted the Near East's geopolitical situation at the time and left a legacy that can still be seen today. The rebellion helped establish the first independent Jewish state in Judea in over 400 years and contributed to the end of the already ailing Seleucid Empire. A large part of the Maccabees’ success was the result of Roman aid, which helped expand the Roman Empire into the region, eventually to the detriment of the Maccabean Hasmonean Dynasty. Finally, the Maccabean Rebellion left a legacy that can still be seen today in Hanukkah's Jewish holiday and the Catholic and Orthodox Christian religious books of the Maccabees.
<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6FBX53ZblU</youtube>
====References====
