Guided Reading
1a. The dictionary tells us that the word desecrate means:
- to violate the sacredness of;
- to do harm to something sacred;
- to make it unclean or unfit for ceremonial use.
Choose quotations from the story that relate to something being desecrated.
1b. The dictionary tells us that the word purify means:
- to rid of impurities;
- cleanse;
- to become clean or pure.
Choose quotations from the story that relate to something being purified.
1c. The dictionary tells us that the words guerrilla warfare mean:
- warfare carried out by small bands of fighters in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy;
- surprise and sudden raids and ambushes.
Choose quotations from the story that illustrate guerrilla warfare.
Make a list of your goals, dividing them into short-term goals and long-term goals.
Review your list and write a paragraph explaining which of these goals were achieved by the Maccabees.
- Assyrians
- Babylonians
- Persians
- Greeks
- Syrians
- Romans
At times they were able to live within their own country and at others they lived in foreign lands. Through all these changes they managed to keep their identity as a separate people. What do you think were the reasons for this?