History and Impact on Jerusalem

The Acra fortress had a significant social, economic, and political impact on Jerusalem. It served as the center for Hellenistic reforms in Jerusalem, aiding the Syrian kings in enforcing Greek-oriented religious practices, customs, and politics among the city’s inhabitants. The foreign inhabitants of the fortress wielded substantial power and replaced the city’s former temple-based leadership.

Jews associated the Acra with shame, persecution, and foreign political domination over God’s people. According to the books of the Maccabees, the presence of the Acra and its occupants defiled the temple precinct (1 Maccabees 4:41–51).

The fortress remained a stronghold for Syrian troops—and Jewish renegades who collaborated with them—for 27 years until Simon captured it in 142 bc (1 Maccabees 13:49–53; Josephus, Antiquities 13.6.6).

By the New Testament period, the Syrian Acra no longer existed. The Acra’s final history remains a puzzle due to contradiction among ancient sources. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Simon completely destroyed the fortress and even leveled the hill on which it stood in order to remove any potential for future use by foreign powers (Josephus, Antiquities 13.6.6). By contrast, the author of 1 Maccabees states that Simon used the Acra as a palace after conquering it (1 Maccabees 13:52).