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Is Judaism the Religion of Moses? 81

cording to the Law of their forefathers. This council became known by the Greek name, THE
SANHEDRIN.

It is not clear when the Sanhedrin first began meeting. It must have been just a short time af-
ter the Syrians came into Palestine, perhaps about 196 B.C. or immediately thereafter (Lauterbach,
Rabbinic Essays, p. 207).

The influence of the Sanhedrin was not great at first. Not many of the Jews recognized its
authority or adhered to its injunctions. Yet, with its establishment, we can say that outright reli-
gious anarchy came to an end, even though the majority of the Jews were still greatly affected by
Hellenism.

Fanatical Zeal of Syrian Hellenists

When the Syrians subdued the Egyptians in Palestine in 198 B.C., they brought to the Jews
their own ideas concerning Hellenism. To the Syrians there must be nothing that rivaled their way
of thinking.

Egyptian Hellenists had allowed the Old Testament to be used. The interpretation of it,
however, must be by Greek methods -- it had to be Grecianized. Thus, we have the Septuagint Ver-
sion. BUT THE SYRIAN HELLENISTS WOULD NOT ALLOW THE OLD TESTAMENT
EVEN TO BE IN EXISTENCE. Only Greek ways were allowed. No form of individual or nation-
alistic religion was allowed to exist that conflicted in any way with the doctrines of the Syrians.

The outstanding advocate of this philosophy was the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes,
who ruled from 175 to 164 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes was a Hellenist enthusiast, proud of his
Athenian citizenship and bent on spreading Hellenic civilization throughout his domains. He built
various temples to Apollo and Jupiter. He observed, and commanded his subjects to observe, all the
pagan Greek festivities to the heathen gods. So fanatical was he in his zeal to implant his beliefs on
all others that some of his contemporaries called him HALF-CRAZED (Margolis, History of the
Jewish People, p. 135). He let nothing hinder him from realizing his desires.

A large number of the Jews readily accepted the newly established Syrian doctrine of com-
plete surrender to the philosophies of Hellenism. Most of the Jews were thoroughly accustomed to
much of the Greek culture anyway, and it was no hard thing to transfer allegiance from the Egyp-
tians to the Syrians.

Yet, by the time of Antiochus Epiphanes other Jews had also begun to take a new interest in
religion -- the religion of their forefathers. This new concern for religion was beginning to spread
among the Jews of Palestine.

When Antiochus Epiphanes heard that some of the Jews were rejecting his doctrines of total
adherence to Hellenism, he began to persecute many of them. The persecution inevitably caused
more Jews to side with the cause of religion. This stubbornness of the Jews infuriated Antiochus.
He then began -- in a fit of demoniac insanity -- widespread persecution, committing heinous indig-
nities against all those who would not conform to his ways.

The Berean Voice September-October 2002