2 Maccabees Chapter 4: Bible Study by Atheists

Welcome back to Sacrilegious Discourse, where we read the Bible so you don’t have to. This week 2 Maccabees Chapter 4 delivers the spiritual equivalent of a corrupt city council meeting… with bonus nude wrestling. The story kicks off with Sinister Simon blaming Onias for political chaos, and then immediately devolves into a bribe-fueled merry-go-round where Jason buys the high priesthood, then Menelaus outbids him like it’s an eBay auction for religious power. (Spoiler: everyone sucks.)

Things get extra gross when Jason pushes hard into Hellenization, aka “Let’s turn Jerusalem into Greek culture cosplay,” complete with a gymnasium right under the citadel. The hosts dig into why this matters (hint: Greek athletics + Jewish circumcision = weaponized humiliation and cultural erasure), while also spiraling into side-quests about the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, track & field, and the ancient origins of “the ruling class does crimes, the public pays for it.”

Then the chapter tries to pretend it’s not just bookkeeping and bribery… by tossing in murder. Menelaus casually orders Onias killed, and the fallout is basically “Oops, political assassination ...anyway…” until the king finally punishes someone (briefly) while the real parasite slithers back into power. And yes, your hosts are openly bored, openly annoyed, and honestly offended this chapter exists.

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📌 Topics Covered:

• 2 Maccabees 4 turns the high priesthood into a pay-to-win microtransaction.
• Jason’s Hellenization campaign: “Be Greek or be punished” (but also… be punished anyway).
• The gymnasium subplot—because nothing says “religious oppression” like nude athletics and forced assimilation.
• Menelaus: buys power, steals temple gold, orders murder… keeps his job. Sounds familiar.
• Political chaos that reads like an ancient corruption spreadsheet with murder sprinkled in.
• The hosts openly admit this chapter is a slog—and roast it accordingly.

💬 Best Quote from the Episode:

“After receiving the royal mandates, he returned, bringing nothing worthy of the high priesthood, but having the passion of a cruel tyrant and the rage of a savage animal.”