to reign over Syria, which included the country of Judah, a hundred and
seventy years before the birth of Christ. He was known as Antiochus
IV, and was a selfish and cruel ruler.

Although indifferent to his own heathen religion, he set himself to
destroy all other forms of faith. 'I am king; all my subjects shall
think as I do,' he said. He was told that the Jews believed in only
one God, but he cried with a scornful laugh, 'Yes, but I will soon
alter that!'

Before this there had been trouble between Antiochus and the people of
Jerusalem, and he thought to himself, 'I must break down their old
ideas and force them to disobey the laws of Moses, as they call them;
above all, I must utterly destroy their Book. The Book of their Law
once gone, they will be easy enough to manage.'

So he sent one of his generals to Jerusalem, and bade him take an army
of soldiers and 'speak peaceable words unto them; but all this was
deceit.'[3]

The orders of Antiochus were obeyed; the Jews suspected nothing, and
the soldiers kept quiet until the Sabbath day.

But while the Jews were at prayer, and unable to defend themselves, the
treacherous Greeks 'fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very
sore, and destroyed much people of Israel.' Then these wicked men
built a strong castle on the hill of Zion, so overlooking the entrance
to the Temple that no one could come in or go out without the knowledge
and consent of the governor of the castle.

But this was only the beginning of sorrows. Soon the dreadful orders
of the heathen king were cried through the streets of Jerusalem:

'It is the will of Antiochus the king that all the people throughout
his whole empire shall worship the same gods as himself, and shall
declare that his religion alone is true. Death to all those who
disobey.'

The Jews looked at one another in utter dismay, for they knew well that
Antiochus had power to keep his word.

'No more burnt offerings may be made to the God of the Jews in the
Temple. I forbid the keeping of the Sabbath. The Jews' law declares
the flesh of swine to be unclean. I command that on the altar of the
Jewish God, in His Temple at Jerusalem, a sow be offered in honour of
my god Jupiter. The Priests themselves shall be forced to eat of it.

'As for the Books of their Law, destroy them utterly; let not a word
remain in the whole land. Publish this order against the Book; and if,
after my will has been declared, any man is foun