Being Jewish as the Controversial Ideology of the Hasmonean Political Power

The combination of political power and ideology seems to be a well-documented phenomenon in the Early Jewish literature. In 1-2 Maccabees and Josephus several themes of this phenomenon turn up. In this regard iudaios or being Jewish is not discussed yet. It was first of all a political term, then an ethno- geographic term and a religious term. In this paper I try to demonstrate the ideological use of either the political, ethnic or religious meaning of being Jewish even if the term is not used.
Being Jewish became a target of elimination in the Hellenistic era. As a reaction to this political and military program, being Jewish seems to have been used as an ideological tool in the political and military program of the Hasmoneans and their successor, Herod the Great.