Judah Maccabee (The Conquering Lion Of theTribe of Levi).

Judah Maccabee, Son of Matathias the Hasmonean, was one of the greatest military Generals in the world. His story takes place during the aftermath of the reign of Alexander the Great of Greece.

Alexander the Great conquered all of Europe, most of Africa, and the Middle East. Alexander had a vision of Uniting Europe with the Ancient empires of the Middle East and Africa. Alexander`s teacher Socrates, was after all trained in one of the greatest academies of all the world, Ancient Egypt. This level of education, which leaned on the mystic as well as the secular basis of life, was seen by Alexander as a means of Uniting the Ancient empires of the East, with the Newly emerged empires of the West, who where light years behind the speed of Africa and the Middle East`s intellectual velocity...!!

Alexander`s vision of Uniting the East with the West was crushed with his sudden illness and death. After his death, Alexander`s empire was split among his Top 4 Generals, who waged war against each other to wrestle the lands that Alexander invaded and captured into their hands. Two of Alexander`s Generals stood out against the rest and took the occupied lands of the other two Generals. These Generals were Ptolemy of Egypt and Seleucus of Syria. The center of World power was always focused in the land of Israel (Jerusalem). Before the building of the Suez canal in the 1800s, Israel was the the bridge that United Eastern culture with Western culture, and was therefore seen as a critical and strategically ideal location for world dominance and control. Moreover, Jerusalem was seen as the Cradle of civilization, seeing that the story of Adam and Eve originates from this region in the fertile crescent. Therefore the 2 remaining Generals of Alexander the Great fought over this region (Jerusalem) and flooded it`s land mass with blood, sweat, and tears.

In the year 175 b.c.e (before common era) or to Christians b.c (before Christ), Antiochus Iv (Epiphanes) of the Seleucid empire of Syria, seized control of Jerusalem and forced hellenistic (Greek) culture upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Isarel). They raped and murdered their way to power and defiled the most Sacred land on earth (Jerusalem). Anyone found with a copy of the Torah (Old Testament) was killed, sacrifice and religous custom and ceremony was banned and outlawed. These acts were meant to introduce western (Greek) thought into the daily lives of the Jews of Jerusalem, and eradicate the teachings of Moses (The servant of God) from the Holy land itself....!!!

All of this occured without much resistance until Matathias, a Priest of the Tribe of Levi and his sons, waged a series of very successful guerilla and para-military operations which would enable devout Jews to fight for their physical and spiritual freedom. But one of his sons stood out above the rest......Judah Maccabee, the warrior/scholar, out of the priestly line of Aaron and Tribe of Levi, became a hammer which sledged the military operations of Antiochus Iv of Syria/Greece
Judah Maccabee is celebrated as one of the Greatest military Generals that the world has ever seen. Judah created military strategies which are still taught in the greatest military academies across the globe today...!!! His use of military tact and geography was brilliant to say the least. Grossly out numbered, Judah was able to dismember Greek armies which out numbered him sometimes more than 7 to 1....!!! Judah`s motivation was the recapture of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon, which was the focus of Spiritual observance in Israel. Judah routed the enemy camp with meticulous planning and guerilla strategy. He became so successful in his raids of Greek occupied parts of Israel, that Jews who were in hiding ascended their hiding places and joined him in war.

The land recaptured through Judah`s military campaigns was a monumentous achievement. In the year 164 b.c.e, on the 25th of Kislev (Around Dec. 14th), Judah recaptured all of Jerusalem and seized Mount Zion, The Jerusalem Temple......!!! They entered the temple and tore down the statues that the Greeks placed in honor of their hellenistic gods, and rededicated the Jerusalem Temple. There was great irony seen in the date that the Temple was re-dedicated. On the 25th of Kislev, the Greeks under Antiochus Iv Epiphanes, erected a statue of Zeus Olympus, who`s birthday like all greek gods is ironically on Dec. 25th.....!!! This statue was hewn down by the sword of Judah Maccabee and the Temple was cleaned out and purified, and re-dedicated to God, hence the term Channukah, which is hebrew for dedication. When Judah entered the Temple he found a cruse of oil which was only capable of igniting one night`s worth of light. But miraculously, or through the power of God, the oil kept burning for 8 days, hence Channukah is observed for 8 days.

These valiant acts of spiritual and nationalistic heroisim, has led me to characterize Judah Maccabee as the Conquering Line of the Tribe Of Levi. Judah Maccabee is remembered by Zion Train Ent. for the dynamic role he played in restoring holiness to Mount Zion (Jerusalem).....!!!

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