Methodist Magazine in London, Middlesex

Persecution and reprieve in Jewish history under Ptolemy and Seleucus

The text recounts Ptolemy Epiphanes’ brutal edicts against Jews in Egypt, including forced worship and proposed executions, followed by his revocation after dire omens. It notes later favorable actions by Antiochus the Great toward Jerusalem, and details high priest Onias III’s piety and temple generosity by Seleucus Philo pater, contrasted with Simon’s abuses and Heliodorus’ seizure attempt.