According to a Times of Israel article published on November 3, 2015, archaeologists in Jerusalem uncovered remains of a 2000-year-old military compound south of the Old City walls and the Temple Mount.
The ruins are said to be a part of the ancient Greco-Syrian, or Seleucid, Acra Fortress mentioned by the Jewish historian, Josephus, and in the Book of Maccabees I and II. The fortress of the Greco-Syrian conqueror was strategically located so his troops could easily keep an eye on Jerusalem and its Temple.
Other ruins and objects were found earlier in the same area. Yahoo News in December 2013 reported on some of the previous discoveries.
“Excavations over several years at the site have turned up some remarkable finds, including a building from the Second Temple period that may have belonged to Queen Helene, a trove of coins from the Byzantine period, and recently, a 1,700-year-old curse tablet in the ruins of a Roman mansion.”
This announcement came mere weeks before the start of an eight day festival known in English as the Festival of Dedication or Lights and in Hebrew as Hanukkah.
Judeo-Christian Connection
A link exists between the builder of Acra Fortress and certain events significant to Jews and Christians. The Greco-Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, is credited with its construction in the 2nd century BCE.
A statute of Zeus now in a Berlin Museum
Antiochus had a statue of the Greeks’ god, Zeus, placed in the 2nd Temple and pigs were sacrificed to the idol. Biblical scholars agree this was the first fulfillment of the Biblical “abomination” also expected at the end of the age. He banned reading the Bible and observance of God’s laws as well. People caught doing so were put to death.
After years of fighting, Judeans defeated the Syrian Greeks and once more were able to freely worship God. The 2nd Temple area was cleansed and re-dedicated on the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev.
In 2015, the Judean national Festival of Dedication will begin at sunset on Sunday December 6th; and all over the world the descendants of the nation of Judah will recall what happened during that time.
Photo Credits: City of David Dig courtesy of ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com; Zeus Statute by Marcus Crafter, License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
