The problem with Gibson making a film about Chanukkah, in which the Orthodox Jews are the heroes and the Hellenized Jews are the villians, is that it was Hellenized Jews, such as Matthew, who became the first Christians.
Judah Maccabee would not have looked upon Christianity any more kindly than he looked upon Dionysus-worship.
>The problem with Gibson making a film about Chanukkah, in
>which the Orthodox Jews are the heroes and the Hellenized
>Jews are the villians, is that it was Hellenized Jews, such
>as Matthew, who became the first Christians.
If by "Hellenized" you mean "able to speak and write Greek, then yes, Matthew/Levi was Hellenized.
If by "Hellenized" you mean "not worshipping the God of Israel" then perhaps you are mistaken. When Jesus is majestically pulling miracles, calling himself the "Son of Man", calling God "Father", picking fights with the Rabbis and making them look stupid, it takes someone at least somewhat familiar with the Jewish scriptures to figure out that it is the real McCohen standing before you, and not some imposter.
Funny thing about the Gospel of Matthew, is that some of the early church mentioned it as the gospel written in the tongue of the Jews. Moreover, the Talmud seems to discuss the quandry that faced the Rabbis of the Apostles days, who wondered if scrolls that contained "the divine name" could be burned. (It was originally written in Aramaic, not Greek).
Which means . . . ? (Draw your own conclusions, folks!)
Judah Maccabee would not have looked upon Christianity any more kindly than he looked upon Dionysus-worship.
Hey, if the Nazarenes can claim Moses and David as heroes, then Yehudah HaMaqqevi can be a hero as well! (And the old pre-Vatican II, "anti-Semitic" Catholic Church used to have a feast day for "the Holy Maccabees").