Posted on 12/01/2013 2:11:47 PM PST by Texas Fossil
The little known Chanukah story of how the Hasmonean revolt started, was actually because of a very brave woman! Sometimes it takes 'the shock factor' to do what 'rationalization' smothers.
The background of the Chanukah story recalls the struggle for religious freedom from the Hellenistic Syrian-Greeks in the year, 165 B.C.E. Antiochus, who was the occupying King at those times, sought to crush our Jewish identity and passed decrees against the practice of Judaism. We were forbidden from studying the Torah, we were forbidden to keep the Shabbat (Sabbath) and we were forbidden from making a brit milah (circumcision). To do so meant the death penalty.
"Hellenistic rituals and sacrifices were instituted in the Bet HaMikdash (the holy Temple in Jerusalem), thus desecrating the sacred center of Jewish ritual life. Many Jews were impressed by the culture and power of their Greek conquerors and adopted their customs and practices. These Jews came to be known as "Hellenists". – Sound familiar to our situation today?
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
This is a very worthwhile and interesting read.
Will we learn from this history lesson?
No, because most Protestants have a "romaphobic" fear of the Apocrypha.
Oh, so now the problem is those Protestants?
Nonsense. I can assure you that the bibles are more often read in Protestant families than “some others”.
We do not need division. The enemy we face serves the father-of-lies. He seeks to divide, enslave and destroy us all.
Together, All of us need to oppose him.
Silly. Because I don’t consider an ancient text to be the inspired Word of God doesn’t mean I can’t learn from it.
I’ve learned a lot from Thucydides, Herodotus and Josephus, but none of them wrote Scripture.
Jesus participated in the Festival of Hanukkah, so He obviously considered it historical.
Great story about two brave Jewish women who played a pivotal role in freeing their nation!
The story of Judith and of the Maccabees are both included in the Catholic Bible, BTW. When I was in high school , I surprised Jewish friends by telling the story to the class at this time of year.
one does not have to be ignorant of history….the apocrypha are not the only location of these stories. you desire to ding protestants instead of wanting to stand against Baal is sad commentary.
We will learn to lesson of history if we chose to be free people and not sheep led to slaughter
I have no problem with that. Find it commendable.
I just do not like stones being thrown among fellow Christians. We are not fighting each other.
Yes, we have differences. But no pastor I have ever known has ever told me what bible to read or study.
Primae noctae, no marriages for three years, and the Seleucid King killed by the brides' brothers? Please.
Nice story/fable, but let's not pretend there's any evidence it actually happened.
A sequel to this story is the story of yet ANOTHER Jewish Heorine named Yehudit (Judith). Yehudit was a beautiful woman who single-handedly saved the Jewish town of Bethulia during the Hasmonean revolt.
Uhh, not exactly. The story of Judith took place during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, some centuries earlier.
The practice of royalty bedding prospective brides before a marriage was in fact practiced by the English against the Scotts, in more modern times.
As far as the statement of no marriages during a 3 years period? Not sure. But today, it would be no big deal, young people are generally not that quick to marry. Some live together for 30 years with no marriage. Pretty dumb, but it happens.
Are you a religious historian?
hehe
Good catch!
although it might depend on who your rebbe is:
http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/103019/jewish/Yehudit.htm
...The story was retold in different versions. According to one version, it happened during the time of the Maccabean revolt against Syrian oppression, and Yehudit was a daughter of Yochanan the high priest, father of the Hasmonean family...
And I defy you to show me where Obama is not doing everything in his power to accomplish what was suggested in the article.
Obozo is an evil little man. And his actions indicate he serves the father-of-lies. And many of the subordinates.
And yes, he has targeted both Christians & Jews.
Only in astonishingly historically inaccurate Mel Gibson movies. LOL. In fact, there is no real historical evidence that this ever took place, not in Europe after Christianization. The urban legend about it was apparently started in the mid-1500s, possibly as satire, a number of centuries after it was supposedly practiced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur
There were many times and places when a serf/villein had to pay a fee to marry, just as he did to inherit from his father. Sexual intercourse not involved.
I'm not a trained religious historian, just an interest in it. I have, however, read Josephus and he mentions nothing of the kind. And he most certainly would have. Here's his account of the events leading up to the Hasmonean Revolt.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/antiquities-jews/book-12/chapter-5.html
The precipitating factor was the prohibition of circumcision, not serial legalized rape.
I was commenting on the historicity of the stories included in the article, not their possible applicability to today’s politics. Which is of course unaffected by whether the stories actually happened or not.
I also have a copy of Josephus’s works. Have attempted to read them. Not an easy text.
But let me caution you that Josephus was not unbiased. He was once a Jewish military officer and turned to the Romans. So, don’t rely on the accuracy of that either. And yes he was a historian, but not an unbiased one.
More accurately, I should have said there does not appear to have been a “legal” right for the Lord to spend the wedding night with his serf’s bride.
It is almost certain that rape of this type occurred when the Lord so desired. During most of the Middle Ages there was little to stop him if he wanted to.
Fair enough. But his incentive was to suck up to the Romans, not the Greek Seleucids. If anything, he had an incentive to make them look bad so the Romans looked good by comparison.
When we turn away God and normalize pagan ways, we can expect the same treatment from Him. He as allowed us to be led by those we chose to represent us. Our judges are not anywhere as wise as Solomon.
Well, you two can argue the historical points of this all you want. Myself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article and found it very inspirational.
Thanks. I agree.
The article certainly does illuminate the mess we find ourselves in.
Anxient wisdom does still have value in this “modern” day.
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