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These two texts in certain respects adumbrate the historical and cultural situation addressed by three major sources which focus on events of the period 175–150 BCE. The Book of Jubilees, and I and II Maccabees, illuminate different aspects of that violent struggle between the majority of “traditional” Jews in their homeland and other persons, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who apparently wished to redefine the cultural, economic, and political status quo in Jerusalem and Judaea. Once presented as a clash between “Judaism” and “Hellenism,” recent scholarship has successfully challenged such a uni-dimensional description of a series of events which began in earnest with the removal of the Zadokite Onias III as high priest and head of state in 174 BCE (for interpretation of I Maccabees, see especially Tcherikover 1959; Goldstein 1976; Rappaport 2004). Ben Sira is witness to ways in which Greek culture and Jewish ancestral tradition could fruitfully co-exist; but the brother of Onias III (whose Hebrew name was Jesus, but was better known by the Greek moniker Jason) and some other like-minded Jews evidently saw advantages for themselves in bringing about constitutional change in Jerusalem. In this, they were helped both by Onias III’s rather murky association with one of the Tobiads, whom we met earlier as allies of the Ptolemaic dynasty and former overlords of Jerusalem (II Macc. 3:9–12), and by the support of Antiochus IV, the Seleucid ruler who had designs on conquering Egypt and eagerly anticipated Jewish money which Jason promised to supply. So Antiochus deposed Onias as high priest, installed Jason in his place, and lent support to Jason’s setting up a Greek gymnasion in Jerusalem (II Macc. 4:7–17; I Macc. 1:10–15). Before too long, however, for reasons not entirely explicit in the sources, Antiochus transferred his support to one Menelaus, whom he nominated as high priest in Jason’s place (II Macc. 4:23–26); but the latter was unwilling to relinquish the office, and Jerusalem was engulfed in civil strife, vast numbers of the population leaving the city rather than join one of the two opposing parties (II Macc. 5:1–10). In the midst of all this Antiochus, whose designs on Egypt were not coming to fruition, invaded Jerusalem, desecrated and looted the Temple, handed it over to pagan worship, and effectively outlawed the practice of the Jewish religion (II Macc. 5:11–6:17; I Macc. 1:16–64). All observance of the commandments of the Torah was forbidden, and the Temple became a place of foreign cult.