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The Prophet Daniel

Over 2500 years ago while the Judeans were in exile in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar II, their prophet, Daniel, was given a series of visions concerning what would come for his people once they returned to their homeland.

In chapter 8 of his book, Daniel foretold of the rise of Alexander the Great and how he would defeat the Medes and Persians and expand his Greek empire. Also how Alexander would die and how his kingdom would be divided into four states each one to be governed by one of his four generals. One of these four, Antigonus, would rule over Syria. About 150 years later a usurper of the Seleucid dynasty, Antiochus Epiphanes, would rule the Syrian kingdom and attempt to acquire Egypt. It was during this attempt that things became unsettled in Jerusalem.

Antiochus Persecutes the Jews

Since the Greek invasion a portion of society had been increasingly Hellenized, that is to say syncretized with Greek culture and the high priest was appointed to pay a tribute to the Greek ruler. However a violent contention arose between the pro-Seleucid Menelaus and the pro-Ptolemy Jason over who was the rightful high priest. Antiochus, who now realised more than ever the need to consolidate his territories in order to stave off Rome's encroachment, responded with intolerance to the skirmish and punished the rebels. He then pursued a policy of enforced Hellenism to unite his subjects, but religious Jews who refused were severely persecuted.

The Temple Defiled

Antiochus launched a full scale attack on Jewish culture and religion. Torah study, sabbaths, festivals, circumcision were all outlawed and those caught practicing this religion were publicly tortured and put to death. However this was not good enough until all Jews had demonstrated their abandonment of Judaism by either offering a sacrifice to Zeus, or eating of swine offered to Zeus and denounced their own God. Some Jews gave in, many fled to the hills, and some preferred to become martyrs. To further demoralize the Jewish people Antiochus ruined the temple, stole the treasures, stopped the daily offerings and defiled the altar by sacrificing a pig upon it and erected an idol.

How Long Until the Temple Would be Restored?

Daniel was also told that the time of this persecution and would last 2300 morning and evening offerings or in other words 1150 days. After this time the temple would be restored and the tyrant would die.

"And it even overthrew the great servant and removed from him the regular offering and violated the temple precinct." - Dänyæyl 8:11

"Then I heard an elite one speaking to another, and the other elite one said to the one who spoke,  How long will the vision continue, and this injustice, and until this ruin come to an end, and until the devoted place and the devotion be restored? Then he said, It will continue for two thousand and three hundred evening and morning offerings and then the righteous will overcome." - Dänyæyl 8:13-14

The Jews Rebel

At first the Jews did not resist but after numerous provocations the righteous anger of some Jews was stirred. When a contingent of officers were dispatched to the village of Modein to enforce compliance with the mandated Greek religion rebellion broke out. The chief elder, Matithyahu boldly refused to apostasize and upon seeing a fellow Jew approach the Greek altar ran and slew him upon it and immediately turned and he and his sons also slew the king's officers. These would become the Maccabees (Hammers).

The Maccabees formed a roving guerrilla militia which made repeated surprise attacks and then withdrew quickly into hiding. This tactic proved successful over time until they were eventually able to take Jerusalem back under Jewish control. In the meantime Antiochus was off in the east waging a campaign against the Parthians when he fell and died. With the viceroy's forces overthrown in Judea the Jews were able to restore the temple and the daily morning and evening offerings. The "re-dedication" of the temple, called Hanukkah in Hebrew, took place exactly 1150 days after the abomination of desolation as the prophet Daniel had foretold.

The Greek Calendar

The connection between Hanukkah and Daniel's prophecy has not received due attention for its wonderful fulfillment because few scholars have been able to figure out how the 1150 days fits between the dates given by the Maccabees. Because of this many have come to doubt that Daniel was a prophet at all, despite the evidence that the Book of Daniel preceded the time of these historical events. In the first Book of Maccabees provides us with the exact dates the morning and evening offerings were stopped and restarted.

"On the 15th day of the 9th month of the 145th year king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God." - 1 Maccabees 1:54

"And they arose before the morning of the 25th day of the 9th month of the 148th year, and they offered sacrifices according to the law upon the new altar..." - 1 Maccabees 4:52,53

The only way to properly account for the days between these dates is to count them according to the Greek calendar in use at that time which is different from either the Roman or Jewish calendar, otherwise one will not total 1150 days. The Greeks at that time used a lunar calendar with 360 days per year. Every other year they added a 30 day intercalary month¹. So we can easily figure that there were two years in which such an extra 30 day month was added between the years 145 and 148. This so far adds up to (3 x 360) + (2 x 30) = 1140 days. To fulfill the 1150 days we only need to add the 10 days between the 15^th day of the 9^th month to the 25^th day of the 9^th month.