Battle of Beth Zur

The Battle of Beth Zur was fought between the Maccabees led by Judah Maccabee and a Seleucid Greek army led by Viceroy Lysias in 164 BC.[1] The Maccabees won the battle, and were able to recapture Jerusalem soon after. The Jews did not fight in open terrain, instead they used guerrilla and hit and run tactics to slowly beat back the Seleucid army and eventually rout it.

Battle of Beth Zur
Part of the Maccabean Revolt

The Ruins of Beth Zur, Early 20th century
Date164 BC[1]
Location
near Beth Zur, just north of Hebron
Result Jewish victory
Belligerents
Maccabean rebels Seleucid army
Commanders and leaders
Judah Maccabee Lysias
Strength
10,000 20,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry, 300 Chariots and 22 War elephants
Casualties and losses
Unknown 5,000

According to 1 Enoch, chapters 83-90 (the Animal Apocalypse), the battle was joined on the side of the Maccabees by an angel who had been recording the event.[2]

References

  1. This date may be disputed since the Maccabean revolt was not until 140 BC according to Jewish reckoning and information with Jewish sources (Talmud). [Mattis Kantor, "The Jewish Timeline Encyclopedia," (1989: Jason Aronson, Inc., NJ), p.83] See the article Missing Years (Hebrew calendar) for further clarification.
  2. Collins, John. The Apocalyptic Imagination. WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998, p. 71.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.