The Miracle That Thwarted Heliodorus' Plans

In 187 BCE, Antiochus the Great (the Third), king of the Seleucid Empire spanning from Israel to India, passed away. His son, Seleucus the Fourth, succeeded him, continuing the tradition of supporting the Jews due to their loyalty, and he routinely sent special gifts to the Temple in Jerusalem.

A change came with an internal conflict in Jerusalem. Shimon the Yemeni was an official in the Temple, responsible for managing donations and their records, but he coveted the position of overseer of weights and measures in Jerusalem's markets. The High Priest Oniao denied him the role. Enraged, Shimon approached Apollonius, the Greek governor of Syria, claiming the king was wasting income on the Jerusalem Temple as its treasures far exceeded the needs of sacrifices and the Temple itself.

Apollonius saw an opportunity to gain the king's favor and increase his wealth, so he reported Shimon's words to King Seleucus. The timing was crucial: Seleucus had an enormous debt to the Roman Empire and saw this as a potential solution.

King Seleucus declared Heliodorus his trusted official overseeing all temples in Syria, granting him authority over their finances, meaning he could take funds from the Temple "for all temples," ensuring any shortages would be covered. This was the plan to seize the Temple's treasures.

A few decades ago, an antiquities dealer approached American philanthropist Michael Steinhardt with a Greek inscription from the Second Temple period, refusing to reveal its origin. Steinhardt purchased it, and researchers launched an investigative mission to trace its source. They discovered it was stolen from a cave in Beit Guvrin. The inscription, dated to 178 BCE, appoints Heliodorus as overseer of the temples, signed by Seleucus the Fourth, known as the "Heliodorus Inscription," now in the Israel Museum. Its original purpose was to display a copy in every temple, clarifying that the money wasn't temple property but solely the king's envoy's.

Heliodorus indeed reached Jerusalem, demanding the keys to the treasure rooms from the High Priest Oniao. Oniao replied that the Temple held many trust funds from notable individuals, along with funds designated for widows and orphans, but Heliodorus refused to listen. He demanded access to every location holding money and had already brought beasts of burden and a guard to transport the wealth to the kingdom.

Heliodorus took the keys from the High Priest and began ascending the stairs from the Women's Court. As he stepped onto the threshold, a chariot and fiery horses descended from the heavens. Young men disembarked and began to strike Heliodorus until he fainted. Regaining consciousness, he gathered his men and fled Jerusalem in disgrace, informing Seleucus that the Jews' funds could not be touched.

The Jews' name and the God of Israel's prestige grew. At the same time, Areus, King of Sparta's Lacedaemonian nation, sent a letter to Oniao, the High Priest, stating: "Areus, King of the Lacedaemonians, to Oniao, greetings. We found in a writing that the Jews and Lacedaemonians are from the same lineage, from Abraham. Therefore, it would be proper for you to send envoys informing us of all your desires, for we are brothers. We shall also do the same and treat yours as ours."

However, Shimon the Yemeni did not abandon his sinister schemes. He sent messengers to King Seleucus, describing how Oniao the High Priest wronged the king's envoy, embezzled funds, and more. Oniao resolved to travel to the capital, Antioch, to present the truth to the king and demand Shimon's removal from the Temple administration. In 175 BCE, Oniao set out for Antioch, but unfortunately, upon his arrival, he learned that King Seleucus the Fourth had died, and his brother, Antiochus the Fourth, son of Antiochus the Great (the Third), had taken the throne.

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