1
Not long after that, the king sent an elderly Athenian to force the Jews to abandon their religion and the customs of their ancestors.
2
He was also to defile their Temple by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus. The temple on Mount Gerizim was to be officially named "Temple of Zeus the God of Hospitality," as the people who lived there had requested.
3
The oppression was harsh and almost intolerable.
4
Gentiles filled the Temple with drinking parties and all sorts of immorality. They even had intercourse with prostitutes there. Forbidden objects were brought into the Temple,
5
and the altar was covered with detestable sacrifices prohibited by our Law.
6
It was impossible to observe the Sabbath, to celebrate any of the traditional festivals, or even so much as to admit to being a Jew.
7
Each month when the king's birthday was celebrated, the Jews were compelled by brute force to eat the intestines of sacrificial animals. Then, during the festival in honor of the wine god Dionysus, they were required to wear ivy wreaths on their heads and march in procession.
8
On the advice of Ptolemy, the neighboring Greek cities were also instructed to require Jews to eat the sacrifices;