The Maccabean Revolt Begins at Modein (167 BC)

The event

When a royal officer arrived at the village of Modein to enforce Antiochus IV's decree of pagan sacrifice, an aging priest named Mattathias refused. When another Jew stepped forward to comply in his place, Mattathias killed both the compliant Jew and the king's officer, tore down the pagan altar, and cried out, "Let everyone who is zealous for the law...come out with me!" — deliberately echoing Moses's own call after the golden calf (Exodus 32:26). With his five sons — Judas, Jonathan, Simon, John, and Eleazar — he fled to the hill country to organize armed resistance.

This single act of defiance shows the revolt was never simply a professional military uprising; it began with an ordinary, faithful family refusing tyranny at enormous personal cost. At first, some devout Jews would not even defend themselves if attacked on the Sabbath and were slaughtered as a result, until Mattathias and his companions concluded they must fight back if attacked on the Sabbath to survive — a decision establishing that preserving life could take priority over rigid observance, a principle Jesus Himself would later invoke in His own teaching on the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

Mattathias died within the year, in 166 BC, passing leadership to his son Judas, nicknamed "Maccabeus" — likely meaning "the Hammer" — who would lead the next and most dramatic phase of the revolt.

Dating

The revolt's outbreak is dated to 167 BC by 1 Maccabees, with Mattathias's death following the next year in 166 BC. These dates are well supported by the detailed narrative of 1 Maccabees and are not significantly disputed.

Scripture references

• Exodus 32:26
• Mark 2:27

Other witnesses

• 1 Maccabees 2:1-70