The Manifestation Of Zeus

The Manifestation Of Zeus

It all happened just as the Bible said it would.

AFTER THE death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., four of his generals divided up his kingdom among themselves, with Seleucus gaining control of Syria and Ptolemy controlling Egypt. Palestine was under the rule of the Ptolemies until 198 B.C. when the Seleucid dynasty won control.

In the initial years of the Seleucid reign, the Jews enjoyed a period of brief tranquility. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus III permitted the Jewish people to worship according to their law.

In 187 B.C. Antiochus III was succeeded by his eldest son, Seleucus IV Philopater, and then by his youngest son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, in 175 B.C.

The kingdom inherited by Antiochus IV Epiphanes was unstable. Antiochus’s remedy for this was a vigorous program of Hellenization, introducing Greek culture and institutions throughout his kingdom. In his mind one of the unifying factors was religion. Therefore in about 169 B.C. he began to encourage his subjects to worship himself as the manifestation of Zeus. On coins he was called Theos Epiphanes, meaning “the manifest god.” However, his enemies changed just one Greek letter in his name, making it Epimanes, meaning “madman.”

One of the first disputes that Antiochus IV had to settle was between the Jewish high priest Onias III, who supported Egypt, and his brother Jason, who was a supporter of the Seleucids. By outbribing Onias, Jason secured the high priesthood and made Jerusalem a Greek city (1 Maccabees 1:10-15; 2 Maccabees 4:7-17). Then in 171 B.C. Menelaus, a friend of Jason, bid even more than Jason for the high priesthood. Because Antiochus needed money, he gave the position to Menelaus even though he was not a descendant of Aaron and thus was not qualified for the office. Jason fled to the territory of the Ammonites (2 Maccabees 4:23-29).

Menelaus then plundered the temple, causing the inhabitants of Jerusalem to riot. Jason returned to help the Jerusalemites avenge Menelaus’s ravaging of the temple. Hearing that his high priest was being attacked, Antiochus interpreted this as a revolt against him and so determined to subdue Jerusalem (2 Maccabees 5:11-17). Returning there with Menelaus, he robbed the temple of its remaining treasures and then left the city under the control of one of his commanders (1 Maccabees 1:20-29; 2 Maccabees 5:18-22).

Antiochus then decided to make Palestine a buffer zone between himself and Egypt. He returned to Jerusalem, broke down the city walls, and made the old City of David into a military fortress. In his self-appointed role as Zeus Manifest, he ordered vigorous Hellenization and the elimination of the Jewish religion. He forbade Jews to keep the Sabbath, to offer sacrifices, or to circumcise and ordered the destruction of all copies of the Torah. Jews were ordered to offer unclean sacrifices and to eat the flesh of pigs—all forbidden by Jewish law (2 Maccabees 6:18).

The ultimate desecration of the Jewish temple occurred on December 16, 167 B.C., when Antiochus ordered that an altar of Zeus be built on top of the altar of burnt offering, and swine’s flesh was offered there to Zeus (1 Maccabees 1:41-64; 2 Maccabees 6:1-11).

Nearly four hundred years earlier, the prophet Daniel had prophesied this exact event in Daniel 11:11-32. Antiochus fulfilled the prophecy precisely when his army took over “the Temple fortress, polluting the sanctuary, putting a stop to the daily sacrifices, and setting up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (Daniel 11:31).

Reflection

Antiochus’s act of desecration is a precursor of the final act of desecration, which according to Jesus will occur shortly before his second coming. A few days before his crucifixion, Jesus said, “ ‘The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about [in Daniel 9:27]: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place’—reader, pay attention!” (Matthew 24:15). In other words, Jesus is telling us to be watching for these signs as we await his second coming.

That day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4