Now that Lysias, the strongest of the King’s generals, had been driven
from Judea, the victorious Jews could turn their attention to the holy
city, which had been defiled by the Syrians. Judas and his men now
entered Jerusalem. They found the city in ruins, the altar profaned, the
gates of the city burned up, and shrubs growing in the inner courts of
the Temple. At the sight of this desolation, the Jews rent their
clothes, put ashes on their heads, and cried towards heaven. But Judas
did not allow his men to spend too much time in useless lamentation, and
set out at once to cleanse the Temple. He then chose priests to enter
the Temple to repair and purify it. The altar which had been defiled by
the heathens, they set up anew. The holy vessels, which had been
profaned by the Syrians, they replaced with new ones. So zealously was
the work of the restoration carried on, that on the 25th day of the
month of Kislev, the public worship could again be performed. With songs
and thanksgiving, the Jews dedicated the Temple anew on that happy day.
The Talmud relates that when the purification of the Temple had been
completed, no consecrated oil could be found with which to light the
golden candlestick. After a careful search, however, a small bottle of
oil, with the seal of a former High Priest still on it, was found. But
it contained only a small quantity of oil, hardly sufficient to last for
one day. But lo! a miracle happened. When the oil was lit, not only did
it last for one day but for eight days! This was interpreted as a sure
sign that God was looking upon the work of his people with favor, and
served to increase their happiness.
What a change the condition of the Jews had undergone! Only three years
before the Temple had been dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, and the flesh
of swine sacrificed on the altar of incense. And now, the most powerful
of the Syrian generals had been driven out from Judea. The bravest of
them feared the terrible Maccabee, whose fame as a warrior was now
spread far and wide. Public worship had been restored, not to be
discontinued again until the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, several
hundred years later. Although the war continued for many years longer,
yet with the dedication of the Temple and the public observance of the
Jewish Laws, the actual rule of the Syrians may be said to have come to
an end. Judea was now practically independent.