Judah Maccabee Trivia Quiz

Answer: Antiochus IV

Antiochus IV Epiphanes decided to replace the Jewish God with Zeus and made many decrees against the Jewish faith. Many Jews saw this as progress and a way to avoid conflict with the ruling empire, but Mattathias and his sons saw this as an affront.

Answer: Modi'in

He moved to Modi'in because of the edicts in Jerusalem prohibiting the practice of the Jewish faith. Why Modi'in? Probably because the edicts were less enforced there, at first, and yet still close enough to Jerusalem to visit the Temple.

Answer: hammer

He received the title of "hammer" for his valor in the field of battle. He was a great military leader, defeating better equipped armies and larger numbers of foes.

Answer: False

It was his father, the high priest who killed the officer. Mattathias was approached by the officer and was ordered to make a sacrifice of a pig to Zeus. When he refused, a villager stepped forward to do it in Mattathias' place. Mattathias became enraged and killed both the villager and the officer. Judah helped Mattathias home and thus began the revolt.

Answer: Romans

This was unprecedented. Rome was coming into power and the Selucids were losing it, and Judah capitalized on this, hoping that the Romans would be more tolerant of Judaism. Little did he know that 250 years later there would be an even greater Jewish revolt against Roman rule...

Answer: 3 years

Mattathias died in 165 B.C. Judah's untimely death in 162 B.C. gave him just a three year reign, during which he accomplished great things, most importantly the release and cleansing of Jerusalem.

Answer: 0

Judah didn't have any children and his younger brother Jonathan took over from him. Descendants of Judah's brother Shimon became the Hasmonean dynasty. Judah never even had the time to take a wife, as he was busy with the revolt, and could not settle down.

Answer: Elasa

After Judah's great loss in Beit Zechariah, he went on to fight a losing battle north of Elasa, where he was mortally wounded on the field of battle. He was buried next to his father in Modi'in.

Answer: Channukah

The festival of lights remembers the cleansing of the Temple by Judah Maccabee and his followers and the miracle of the little jar of oil. There was only a little jar of kosher oil left to light the Jewish Menorah (lamp), and people were sent to make more oil, but the process took 8 days. Miraculously the little jar lasted for all 8 days, and with each day it was said that the Temple grew brighter.

Answer: Jonathan

Jonathan was the youngest of the five Maccabee brothers but succeeded Judah when he was killed.