The Concept of Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ “unifying edict” (1 Macc 1:41–53) as an product of Jewish religious and political thought

Studies to date on the events accompanying the outbreak of the Maccabean uprising have increasingly highlighted the difficulties in interpreting the sources. The main sources on the subject—i.e. 1–2 Maccabees—place emphasis on the attitude of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who was alleged to have acted against the followers of Judaism and the cult of Yahweh. It has been pointed out previously that the biblical tradition of an edict issued against the Jews is not supported by other sources, and, most importantly, is not consistent with the practice of Hellenistic rulers who supported the various cults of their subjects. Starting from this premise, the text reconstructs events with an emphasis on actions of a political nature related to the Sixth Syrian War and its aftermath. The second part of the text presents the biblical foundations on which the narratives of Antiochus’ alleged anti-Judaic edict and his actions against the Jews were built. The thesis is posited here that the authors of the books of Maccabees were pursuing the political plans of John Hyrcanus, constructing, among other things, an image of an external threat to the religious community, for which the only “salvation” was to be found in the activities of the Maccabees—de facto usurpers in the function of high priests.