Antiochis
There is little information about Antiochus to be found in the Bible, apart from a mention as the concubine of the Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His wife, Laodice IV, was also his sister. In addition to his wife/sister, he had a stepson named Antiochus V. Eupator and a stepdaughter, Laodice VI. Apart from the children his wife/sister brought to their marriage, the king had a son named Alexander I Balas. It is unclear whether Alexander was born of the king's wife/sister, his concubine Antiochis, or someone else, but he ruled from A.D. 152 to A.D. 145.
King Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled over the Hellenistic Syrian lands from 175 B.C. to 164 B.C. Known as the Mad King, he may have been mentally ill. Although he established and occupied a special ivory chair or throne from which he delivered judgments over seemingly inconsequential issues, he also constructed great temples to the Greek gods, including one in Athens for Zeus. He adorned and decorated the island of Delos with beautiful statuary and inscribed altars. In Antioch, he had his workers build a temple to Jupiter that included a gold-lined ceiling and gilded-panel walls.
In order to better understand how Antiochus IV Epiphanes could have reached the decision to give two ancient cities to his concubine, causing the people of those cities to revolt, it may be helpful to present a little background information about the ruler and his reign.
Scholars say that the mother of Alexander I Balas may have been Laodice IV, but the information is spurious. Alexander claimed to be the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He married Cleopatra Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI Philometor. Like his father, Alexander took to calling himself Epiphanes, “manifestation of the god.”
Jason Tries to Hellenize the Jews
In 175 B.C., the high priest Honi passed away. King Antiochus IV Epiphanes then made Jeshu (later known as Jason) the high priest because of bribes that Jason paid to get the appointment. They both desired to Hellenize Judea and make the Hebrews more Greeklike. Jason desired to make Jerusalem a Greek
Jason's Adversary Advances the Process
Menelaus, his adversary, was able to persuade the king to give him the office of high priest after the king became angry with Jason. Menelaus also paid bribes to the king. For the most part, people rejected Menelaus because he had no priestly lineage or Jewish authority for the office. Menelaus and his followers pushed to abandon Jewish law and customs in favor of the people becoming more like the Greeks. Antiochus IV Epiphanes permitted the changes, and a great gymnasium was built in Jerusalem. Many Jews abandoned their way of life.
The King Persecutes the Jews
Believing his kingdom was at last stable and secure, Antiochus IV Epiphanes set his sights on becoming ruler of Egypt. When he had defeated Egypt, he went to Jerusalem and raided the Temple of all of its gold and religious objects, and continued on to Syria. He sent an army to plunder, occupy, and Hellenize Jerusalem. The Jews became savagely persecuted under his reign. Antiochus IV Epiphanes abolished the Sabbath and forbade circumcision, the Hebrew's sign of their covenant with God.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes Outlaws Judaism
He issued a decree in 167 B.C. abolishing the Jewish religion. People living by the Torah were put to death by being burned alive, according to some sources. The persecution of the Jews was just one way Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to strengthen his Hellenistic empire. But his attempts to Hellenize the Jews caused the Wars of the Maccabees.
The People Revolt
The people of Tarsus and Mallus did not support Antiochus IV Epiphanes. When word that the king had given the cities of Tarsus and Mallus to his concubine Antiochis, the people of those cities revolted. The King had little choice but to hurry off to restore calm. The Book of Daniel provides an apocalyptic narrative about the destruction of the “Ignoble King” that many believe to be King Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
As for Antiochis, it is unlikely she had a very peaceful and fulfilling life as the wife of a man who was so mentally unstable, egocentric, and intolerant of the Jews. His defilement of the Temple in Jerusalem brought about a Jewish revolt, and the Jews (led by the Maccabeans) defeated Antiochus. They then purified their Temple and instituted Jewish rule over Judea.
The Jewish winter festival of Hanukkah, lasting eight days, is celebrated to commemorate the rededication of the Jewish Temple after the victory of Judas Maccabee and his sons against the Syrians, led by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Traditionally, one candle is lit each night until all are lit. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, and Feast of the Maccabees.
