Biblical story proven true as evidence for Maccabean Revolt found in Judean Desert

The discovery of a stash of silver coins dating back 2,200 years to the time of the Seleucid Empire, an ancient Greek state, has provided the first evidence from the Judean desert in support of the biblical account of the Maccabean Revolt. This uprising - which took place between 167-141 BC - saw rebel warriors push back against broad Hellenistic influences and decrees calling for the suppression of Jewish religious practices. The Revolt is described in the First and Second Books of Maccabees, which are included in the Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint, as well as the Vulgate, the Latin Bible used by the Roman Catholic Church.

The hoard, worth some 30,000 shekels (more than £7,100) in today's money, was unearthed by archaeologists in the Murabba'at Cave, located within the Darageh Stream Nature Reserve near the Dead Sea, back in May this year.

The coins - of which there were 15 in total - were found in a unique, lathe-turned wooden box arranged with pieces of sheep's wool, and covered by a large piece of purple woollen cloth and on top of that layer of earth and small stones.

The coins - which were studied in the Israel Antiquities Authority's metal finds laboratory - were found to all be silver tetradrachma coins, each worth four drachma, that had been minted at the behest of the Ptolemy VI Philometor.

Ptolemy VI was the king of the ancient Greek state of Ptolemaic Egypt from 180-164 BC and then again from 163-145 BC. He ruled at the same time that his uncle, Antiochos IV Epiphanes - dubbed "the wicked" in Jewish tradition - reigned over the Seleucid Empire, whose domain included Judea.

According to the researchers, the three earliest coins found in the box were minted in either 176 or 175 BC, and the latest in either 171 or 170 BC

Based on the latter dates, the experts believe that the hoard was most likely hidden at the beginning of, or just prior to, the events of the Maccabean Revolt.

The box in which the coins were found© Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority

As described in the First Book of Maccabees, groups of Jews fled to hiding places in the desert to avoid the decrees imposed on them.

It says: "Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there: they, their sons, their wives, and their cattle, because evils pressed heavily upon them.

"And it was reported to the king's officers, and to the troops in Jerusalem in the city of David, that men who had rejected the king's command had gone down to the hiding places in the wilderness.

"Many pursued them and overtook them; they encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against them on the sabbath day... and they died, with their wives and children and cattle, about a thousand persons." 

Murabba'at Cave© Emil Aladhem / Israel Antiquities Authority

The woollen cloth© Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority

The coins were examined by archaeologist Dr Ezra Klein and numismatist Dr Gabriela Bijovsky, both of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Dr Klein said: "It is interesting to try to visualise the person who fled to the cave and hid his personal property here intending to return to collect it.

"The person was probably killed in the battles, and he did not return to collect his possession that awaited almost 2,200 years until we retrieved it.

"This is an absolutely unique find, presenting the first clear archaeological evidence that the Judean Desert caves played an active role as the stage of the activities of the Jewish rebels or the fugitives in the early days of the Maccabean Revolt, or the events that led up to them."

The complete find© Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority

Israel's Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Zeev Elkin, said: "This moving find, coming just before the festival of Hanukkah, is symbolic, emphasising once again the importance of our activity in the field of heritage.

"Over the recent years, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage [...] has invested millions of shekels in the Judean Desert Survey.

"Together with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Archaeology Staff Officer of the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria, we have taken steps to save and preserve many heritage sites in the Judean Desert and in Judea and Samaria, and I commend all the participants in this important task."

The coin hoard is set to go on public display over Hanukkah - the celebration of the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple in 164 BC, early in Maccabean Revolt - at the Hasmonean Museum in the city of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut.

This year, Hanukkah falls on December 18-26 in the Gregorian calendar.

What is Saint Lucy’s Day and why is it celebrated? Origins, customs and foods eaten

Also known as the Feast of Saint Lucy and the festival of lights, Saint Lucy’s Day takes place on December 13.

St Lucy’s Day is celebrated in Sweden.jpg© Getty Images

Sweden, Norway and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland celebrate the day in honour of the patron saint of the city of Syracuse (Sicily) and of virgins.

The annual celebration is known as a Christian feast day commemorating the martyr Lucia of Syracuse.

Saint Lucy‘s Day was once the date of the winter solstice, so she is the saint of light in the darkest days of midwinter.

Why is the day celebrated and who was Saint Lucy?

Who was Saint Lucy?

Saint Lucy was a young girl and one of the earliest Christian saints killed by the Romans in 304 CE due to her religious beliefs.

She achieved widespread popularity before the 5^th century and was known to secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who were hiding in the catacombs under the city.

Saint Lucy would wear candles on her head to have her hands free to carry as much food as possible.

In Scandinavia, where she is called Santa/Sankta Lucia, Saint Lucy is represented as a lady in a white dress and a red sash symbolising the blood of her martyrdom.

She also has a crown or wreath of candles on her head, hence the name the festival of light.

What traditions are practised on Saint Lucy’s Day?

The day culminates in family traditions including having one of the daughters, usually the eldest, dress in all white.

The daughter then serves coffee and baked goods, including ginger biscuits and lussekatter (saffron bread), to other members of the family and visitors.

There is also a candlelit procession with girls and boys clad in white, full-length gowns playing various characters and singing songs together.

Leading the procession, Lucia is trailed by handmaidens (‘tärnor’), star boys (‘stjärngossar’), gingerbread men (‘pepparkaksgubbar’) and Christmas elves (‘tomtenissar‘).

Traditional foods eaten on Saint Lucy’s Day

Gingerbread biscuits are common on the day and are washed down with cups of glögg (mulled wine) served with almonds and raisins.

Coffee is also traditionally served, along with an S-shaped saffron bun known as Lussekatt.

Eating Lussekatt during any other time other than Saint Lucy’s Day or in the build-up to Christmas is seen as sacrilege by the Swedes.

Pope issues terrifying warning for future of humanity

Pope Francis recently issued a terrifying warning for humanity, noting that there are dark times ahead.

During mass at the Vatican on Sunday (11 December), the Pope, 85, shared his vision of the world that has "destruction and desolation" given the UK's cost of living crisis, the Russia's war with Ukraine, and famine to name a few.

The mass was held to celebrate the holy mass on the feast of Our Lady Guadalupe, which was officially yesterday (12 December).

The day, which is a national holiday in Mexico, is the day the Virgin Mary appeared to a young man named Saint Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531.

The Pope began by saying Guadalupe is being celebrated in a "difficult" and "bitter" time.

"It is a bitter time, filled with the rumbling of war, growing injustice, famine, poverty, and suffering," he said.

"And although this horizon seems bleak and disconcerting, with omens of even greater destruction and desolation, his divine love and his coming down to us tell us that this too is a propitious time of salvation," the Pope added, referencing Christmas and God.

The religious leader also urged the congregation to be there for others who are generally forgotten by "consumerist and indifferent societies."

Elsewhere, to commemorate the holiday, the Pope said Virgin Mary welcomes people to cast aside their "'prejudices and fears" that dwell in their hearts and to trust in the lord.

"As believers in Christ, it is our responsibility to be credible witnesses of the love of Jesus Christ and decisive protagonists in building a new culture," he added.

FBI: Polygamous leader had 20 wives, many of them minors

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border had taken at least 20 wives, most of them minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet, newly filed federal court documents allege.

Naomi Bistline arrives at the federal courthouse in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Bistline and two other women from a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border are charged with kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon)© Provided by The Associated Press

FILE - Three girls embrace before they are removed from the home of Samuel Bateman, following his arrest in Colorado City, Ariz., on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Federal documents released Friday, Dec. 2 show that Bateman, the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border, had taken at least 20 wives, most of whom were minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File)© Provided by The Associated Press

Samuel Bateman was a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, until he left to start his own small offshoot group. The FLDS is itself a breakaway sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream church, but it abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it.

FILE - Family and followers of Samuel Bateman gather around as he calls from police custody following his arrest in Colorado City, Ariz., on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Federal documents released Friday, Dec. 2 show that Bateman, the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border, had taken at least 20 wives, most of whom were minors, and punished followers who did not treat him as a prophet. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, File)© Provided by The Associated Press

Bateman started his own small group in recent years, in in which he was supported financially by male followers who also gave up their own wives and children to be Bateman’s wives, according to an FBI affidavit.

The document filed Friday provides new insight into what investigators have found in a case that first became public in August, when authorities said they pulled over Bateman on a highway and discovered he was driving three young girls in an enclosed trailer.

The latest filing accompanied charges of kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution against three of Bateman's wives — Naomi Bistline, Donnae Barlow and Moretta Rose Johnson. Bateman is already facing state and federal charges of child abuse and tampering with evidence. He pleaded not guilty in September.

Bistline and Barlow appeared in federal magistrate court in Flagstaff on Wednesday. Both women were ordered held and they have court hearings scheduled again next week. Johnson is awaiting extradition from Washington state.

The women are accused of seizing eight girls who Bateman considered his wives from Arizona state custody and fleeing with them. The children were found last week hundreds of miles away in Spokane, Washington.

Bateman once tried to take his only daughter as a wife, according to court filings, but she told her mother about her father’s plan and the mother and daughter moved out and got a restraining order against Bateman. The mother was Bateman’s only wife in 2019, before Bateman started taking more wives.

Bateman was arrested in August when someone spotted small fingers in the gap of a trailer he was hauling through Flagstaff. He posted bond but was arrested again and charged with obstructing justice in a federal investigation into whether children were being transported across state lines for sexual activity.

This undated photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office shows Samuel Bateman, who faces state child abuse charges, and federal charges of tampering with evidence. Bateman is the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border. (Coconino County Sheriff's Department via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

Court records allege that Bateman, 46, engaged in child sex trafficking and polygamy, but none of his current charges relate to those allegations. Polygamy is illegal in Arizona but was decriminalized in Utah in 2020.

Arizona Department of Child Services spokesperson Darren DaRonco and FBI spokesperson Kevin Smith declined to comment on the case Tuesday. Bistline's attorney didn't respond to a request for comment, and Barlow's attorney declined to comment. Johnson didn't have a publicly listed attorney.

This undated photo provided by the Coconino County Sheriff's Office shows Samuel Bateman, who faces state child abuse charges, and federal charges of tampering with evidence. Bateman is the leader of a small polygamous group near the Arizona-Utah border. (Coconino County Sheriff's Department via AP)© Provided by The Associated Press

The FBI affidavit filed in the women's case largely centers on Bateman, who proclaimed himself a prophet in 2019. Bateman says he was told by former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs to invoke the “Spirit of God on these people.” The affidavit details explicit sexual acts that Bateman and his followers engaged in to fulfill “Godly duties.”

Donnae Barlow arrives at the federal courthouse in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Barlow and two other women from a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border are charged with kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon)© Provided by The Associated Press

Jeffs is serving a life sentence in a Texas prison for child sex abuse related to underage marriages.

Criminal defense attorney Michael Piccarreta, who represented Jeffs on Arizona charges that were dismissed, said the state has a history of trying to take a stand against polygamy by charging relatively minor offenses to build bigger cases.

“Whether this is the same tactic that has been used in the past or whether there’s more to the story, only time will tell,” he said.

The office of Bateman’s attorney in the federal case, Adam Zickerman, declined to comment Tuesday.

Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don't practice the beliefs.

Donnae Barlow arrives at the federal courthouse in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Barlow and two other women from a polygamous sect near the Arizona-Utah border are charged with kidnapping and impeding a foreseeable prosecution. (AP Photo/Jake Bacon)© Provided by The Associated Press

Bateman often traveled to Nebraska where some of his other followers lived and internationally to Canada and Mexico for conferences.

When Bateman was arrested earlier this year, he instructed his followers to obtain passports and to delete messages sent through an encrypted system, authorities said.

He demanded that his followers confess publicly for any indiscretions, and shared those confessions widely, according to the FBI affidavit. He claimed the punishments, which ranged from a time out to public shaming and sexual activity, came from the Lord, the affidavit states.

The children identified by their initials in court documents have said little to authorities. The three girls found in the trailer Bateman was hauling through Flagstaff — which had a makeshift toilet, a couch, camping chairs and no ventilation — told authorities they didn't have any health or medical needs, a police report stated. All three were between the ages of 11 and 14.

None of the girls placed in state custody in Arizona disclosed sexual abuse by Bateman during forensic interviews, though one said she was present during sexual activity, according to the FBI affidavit. But the girls often wrote in journals that were seized by the FBI. In them, several of the girls referenced intimate interactions with Bateman. Authorities believe the older girls influenced the younger ones not to talk about Bateman, the FBI said.