Mattathias and his sons flee into the Judean wilderness, where refugees become an insurgent army. Under the leadership of Judah Maccabee—Judah the Hammer—farmers and priests transform into guerrilla fighters, using brutal tactics to defeat vastly superior Seleucid forces. This episode explores the psychological cost of rebellion, the civil war dimensions of the conflict, and the impossible victories at Emmaus and Beth Zur. It's a story about what resistance actually costs, about families torn apart, and about ordinary people who refused to accept the terms empire offered.

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