The rebellion against Seleucid rule that now broke out in full strength (163 B.C.) was led by an aged priest named Mattathias and his four sons. Of these, Judas was the leader. Together they are known as the Maccabees, that is, men who fight violently. In 141 the Jews gained complete victory over their Seleucid enemies, and for the first time since 586 B.C. Israel again became an independent nation. She kept her freedom only eighty years. In 63 B.C., civil war in Palestine gave occasion to Rome to
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