How did the Maccabean revolt involve conflict among Jewish groups as well as conflict with the Seleucids?

The Maccabean revolt was characterized by both a struggle against the Seleucid Empire and a bitter civil war among Jewish factions.12

Conflict with the Seleucids

The external conflict was triggered by the policies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who sought to forcibly Hellenize Judaea. After despoiling the Temple of Jerusalem and erecting an altar to Zeus, he prohibited core Jewish practices—such as circumcision and Sabbath observance—under penalty of death. This led the priest Mattathias and his sons, the Maccabees, to launch a guerrilla war to restore religious autonomy.3412

Internal Jewish Conflict

The revolt was simultaneously a civil war between traditionalist Jews and a wealthy, Hellenized Jewish elite. This reform party had previously gained control of the high priesthood and actively promoted Greek institutions like the gymnasium. The Maccabees, supported by the masses and the pious Hasideans, treated these collaborators with the same intensity as the Syrian enemy, often employing ruthless tactics against them. This internal division persisted throughout the conflict, as the Hasmoneans fought for both religious preservation and personal political power.1324