In historical terms, the Maccabean Revolt was the beginning of the end of the Seleucid Empire. Moral: Don't mess with the Jewish religion.

The stark realities of modern terrorism demand clear distinctions. The Maccabees rose up against the Seleucid Empire in a battle for religious and cultural survival. Under Antiochus IV Epiphanes ...

The Seleucid army, an imposing heir to Alexander ... It could marshal tens of thousands of soldiers (sometimes over 70,000) for battle – with infantry, cavalry, and even fearsome war elephants ...