1 Maccabees 6 - Summary

City plundered and garrisoned by Antiochus, won back by Judas, rebuilt by Jonathan and freed of its Syrian tower by Simon

Sanctuary profaned by the abomination of desolation in the 145th year and rededicated by Judas three years later to the day

Town of Mattathias, where the revolt begins and where the family is buried under Simon's monument

Where the army of Nicanor and Gorgias camps and is routed by Judas

Royal city of the Seleucid kings, from which the armies set out, and where Jonathan's soldiers save Demetrius from a rising

Persia (modern Iran) was a major empire that conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. King Cyrus issued the decree permitting the temple's reconstruction. The books of Esther and Daniel are set partly in the Persian court. Nehemiah served as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes before returning to rebuild Jerusalem's walls.

Babylon was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and a symbol of human pride and rebellion against God. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews into exile here for 70 years. Daniel and his friends served in the Babylonian court. The Tower of Babel, where God confused human language, was built in this region. In Revelation, Babylon symbolizes worldly power opposed to God.

Judea was the southern region of Israel, centered on Jerusalem. It was the heart of the ancient kingdom of Judah. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, was crucified in Jerusalem, and the early church spread from Judea to the ends of the earth.