How did Mattathias begin the Maccabean revolt?

Mattathias, a Jewish priest from the village of Modein, initiated the Maccabean revolt in 167 BCE as a direct act of defiance against the policies of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.12

The revolt was sparked when Mattathias encountered a fellow Jew preparing to offer a sacrifice to pagan gods in accordance with the king's decree to Hellenize the population. In response, Mattathias killed both the man and the Syrian officer overseeing the ritual. Following this act of resistance, Mattathias and his five sons fled to the Judaean hills, where they were joined by other pious Jews, including the Hasideans, to wage a guerrilla war against the Seleucid forces.31

This conflict was driven by a commitment to defend Jewish religious beliefs and practices, such as the observance of the Sabbath and the prohibition of idolatry, against forced assimilation. Mattathias’s leadership in this struggle marked the beginning of the movement that would eventually lead to the rededication of the Temple, an event commemorated by the holiday of Hanukkah.423