Stiffs

Jewish family which led resistance against the policy of forced hellenisation practiced by the Séleucides to second century BC.

The Macchabées (Hebrew Makabim in ) founded the dynasty of the Asmonéens. The nickname of Stiff is that of Juda, third wire of the Mattathias priest. The etymology is discussed by it. It acts is acronym “MaKaBi” formed of the first letters of the biblical verse “ M I K amo' ha B a-elim H achem ” which wants to say: “Which is like enters You the gods, Seigneur”, is word MaQaB, which means " marteau"

In the Christian tradition, the name of Macchabées is reserved for seven wire and their valorous mother, whose martyrdom is brought back to chapter 7 of the second Book of the Stiffs. The insistence of this second book on the martyrdom and the resurrection of deaths is probably at the origin of the direction derived from " cadavre" that the word Macchabée took.

The revolt of the Stiffs

The kingdom independent of the Judaea had fallen between the hands from the Babylonian in -586 or -587.

Judaea had then become a province Perse after the conquest of the Babylonian empire by Cyrus Large the, towards -540.

The province became then part of the empire of Alexandre Large the, after this one had conquered the area on the Persian empire, towards -332.

After the division of the empire of Alexandre, the Judaea became a province of the kingdom Hellénistique of Syria, a kingdom which, although populated mainly not-Greeks, was regarded as the defender of the Greek culture.

The revolt of the Stiffs was caused by the intolerant policy of Antiochos IV of Syria, Master of Judaea following the victory of his/her father over the Egyptians in -198.

Persuaded of the absolute superiority of civilization Hellénistique, Antiochos IV wanted to make use of this one to carry out the unit of its States vis-a-vis the Roman threat. Antiochos IV wanted to extend the ancient Greek Religion in particular. The Juive religion thus became an adversary.

In -168, it subjected Judaea to a mode of military occupation. The Temple of Jerusalem was profaned and used for sacrifices with Zeus Olympien.

The old priest Mattathias then gave the signal of the Jewish rebellion by killing a Jew Apostat and while fleeing with his five sons in the hills of Judaea, from where it carried out a guerilla against the occupant.

To died from Mattathias (-166), the direction of resistance passed to its third wire Juda Macchabée, which was to leave its nickname to all its family.

Juda beat the Syrian armies on several occasions, and after having begun again Jerusalem and purified the Temple, it obtained in -163 of the Syrian regent Lysias freedom of worship for the Jews.

However, as political independence was not granted to them, the combat continued and Juda Macchabée perishes in -161, as a combatant the Syrian army of Bacchidès. His/her brother Jonathan took in his turn the command, drove out Bacchidès of Judaea (-158), benefitted from the quarrels which divided the heirs to the throne séleucide and was made invest functions of large priest (-152). But it was killed by Tryphon in -143.

Quotation: “ a priest, Mattathias, wire of Asamonée, borough of Modéin, took the weapons with its own family, - it had five wire - and killed Bacchidès with stabs; then at once, fearing the multitude of the enemy garrisons, he flees in the mountain. There much of common peoples united with him; he took again confidence, went down again in the plain, started the combat, and beat the generals of Antiochos, which he drove out of Judaea. This success establishes its power; grateful of the expulsion from abroad, its fellow-citizens raised it with the principat; he died by leaving the capacity to Juda, the elder one of his sons ”. Flavius Josèphe War of the Jews - Book 1 (Chap.1, 1; 3)

The kingdom of the Stiffs, or Hasmonéens, or Asmonéens

Last survivor of five wire of Mattathias, Simon Macchabée obtained finally Démétrios Nicator the recognition of Jewish independence in -141. It is with Simon whom the dynasty hasmonéenne begins.

He was also the large priest of the temple of Jerusalem. These two functions became hereditary in its family. Political sovereignty and the religious direction were amalgamated in only one person.

After the assassination of Simon by his son-in-law (-135), Séleucides succeeded in restoring during some time their domination on Judaea, but the son of Simon, Jean Hyrcan Ier (-134/-104), reconquered independence as of -129, with died of Antiochos VII Sidétès.

He seized part of future the Transjordanie, Idumée and Samarie, where he destroyed towards -108 the temple of the Samaritains.

To ensure the capacity of the dynasty, Iduméens were converted of force to the Judaism, which is an exception in the history of a reticent religion in front of conversions.

With its death, a dynastic fight burst between its two sons: Aristobule (which reigned one year of -104 with -103), and Alexandre Jannée (- 103/-76). This last took the title of king.

The kingdom hasmonéen which vigorously continued the cultural reaction against the hellenism, reached towards 75 before our era an extent comparable with that which would have had according to the Bible the kingdom of Solomon.

Whereas Alexandre Jannée had shown sympathies to the party of the priests, the Sadducéens, its widow, Salome Alexandra (- 76/-67) was pressed more on the rabbis Pharisiens.

After its disappearance, a new civil war burst between its two sons, Jean Hyrcan II and Aristobule II.

These dynastic quarrels allowed the intervention of Pompée, general Romain, which seized Jerusalem in -63. As from this date, Judaea became a Roman protectorate and will not find any more its independence under Jewish direction before independence of Israel, in 1948.

Hyrcan II, become vassal and combined Romans, had to give up under king and controlled like large priest.

In -40 front J. - C., Parthes invaded Syria-Palestine and supported Antigonos, a son of Aristobule, like applicant with the throne of Judaea to the detriment of Hyrcan II, which they emmenènent in captivity.

Hyrcan II had had like close adviser Antipater, Iduméen converted with the Judaism. The son of this one, Hérode, was made recognize " king of Juifs" by the Roman Senate in -40 before our era. It reconquered the country with the Romans until in -37.

It reigned on the Judaea after the execution of the last of the hasmonéens (Antigone), combined Parthes, into -37 before our era. He died in -4 before Jesus-Christ, after having increased the Temple of Jerusalem. Current the Wailing Wall is the last vestige of the temple, and is a construction of Hérode. This wire of Iduméen convert was last king d' Israël. Taking into account its origins, it is not a hasmonéen, even if he is their direct heir. its descendants reigned only on parts of the kingdom of their father, they did not have more row but of tétrarques.

See the article on the kings Hasmonéens.

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