Question

The Syrian ruler who defiled the Jewish Temple altar and martyred many Jews was

A)Ptolemy Philopator B)Alexander the Great C)Herod Antipas D)Antiochus Epiphanes E)Caesar Augustus

Answer 1

D.antiochus Epiphanes

Answer 2

The correct answer is D) Antiochus Epiphanes.

The Syrian ruler who defiled the Jewish Temple altar and martyred many Jews was Antiochus Epiphanes.

Antiochus Epiphanes was the Hellenistic King of Syria and reigned from 175 to 164 BC. He was cruel with the Jews. He forbid the worship of Jewish god Yahweh on pain of death. Antiochus Epiphanes propitiate the Maccabean Revolt, that was a Jewish uprising that started in 167 and ended in 160 BCE. The Jewish people wanted to stop the Hellenistic influence on them.