Told for family reading, inspired by A Short History of Religion in The Catechism of Saint Pius X.
During the Babylonian captivity, the prophet Daniel lived there, one of the Hebrew youths chosen to be trained in the royal court and serve the king.
Though far from his homeland, Daniel did not abandon the faith of his fathers. His integrity, wisdom, and faithfulness to God earned him the esteem of Nebuchadnezzar, especially when—with divine help—he revealed and interpreted a dream the king had forgotten.
Later, he was also esteemed by King Darius. But envious men sought his downfall: they accused him of continuing to pray to his God despite a decree forbidding it. For this faithfulness, he was thrown into the lions' den.
God protected him miraculously. Daniel emerged unharmed, showing that obedience to God is worth more than fear of men.
The exile in Babylon lasted seventy years. Afterward, the Jews obtained from Cyrus permission to return to their land.
Led by Zerubbabel, they returned to Judea and began rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. It was no easy task: it required perseverance, unity, and spiritual encouragement. Nehemiah, who served the king, and the prophet Haggai encouraged the people to carry forward that holy work.
The rebuilding was not merely material. Reconstructing the Temple meant restoring the center of the people's religious life: a concrete way of putting God back at the heart of the nation.
Not all Jews returned to Judea. Many remained in foreign lands. Among them was Esther.
By divine providence, Esther became wife of King Ahasuerus. From that position, she was able to save her people when they were threatened with destruction by a royal decree influenced by Haman, the minister who hated Mordecai, Esther's uncle.
God can act even when His people seem weak, scattered, or defenseless. A faithful person, placed in the right position, can be an instrument of salvation for many.
Upon returning from exile, the Jews were more careful in observing the Lord's Law and recognized the High Priest as the religious head of the nation.
However, their political situation remained vulnerable. Depending on circumstances and wars, they were subject to the power of Persia, Syria, or Egypt.
Among the kings who ruled the region, some allowed the Jews to live in peace. Others tried to uproot them from their faith.
One of the cruelest persecutors was Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria. He imposed a law that forced his subjects, under penalty of death, to accept the pagan religion.
Some Jews yielded to the pressure, but many remained steadfast; others gave their lives rather than renounce the true faith. Among these martyrs are remembered the elderly Eleazar and the seven Maccabean brothers with their mother.
In the face of Antiochus' persecution, brave defenders of the Jewish people's religion and independence arose.
At the forefront was Mattathias, a faithful priest, along with his five sons. First, they withdrew to the mountains; there they gathered other determined men and began resistance against the oppressors.
After Mattathias, his son Judas, called Maccabeus, continued the struggle. With God's help and the support of his brothers, he achieved important victories and established the Maccabean rule in Judea, which governed the people for about 128 years as both religious and military leaders, and later as kings.
Judas Maccabeus appears in Sacred Scripture as a man of great strength. He was not only a brave warrior: he also left an example of piety.
After a battle, he ordered money to be collected and sent to Jerusalem so sacrifices could be offered for the fallen soldiers.
This gesture confirms faith in prayer for the dead and purification after death, a teaching the Catholic tradition recognizes as linked to the doctrine of purgatory.
Judas was blessed by his people and feared by his enemies. In the end, pressured by superior forces and lacking sufficient support from his own, he died fighting bravely in 161 BC.
He was succeeded by his brothers Jonathan and Simon. Later, John Hyrcanus, Simon's son, ruled, remembered for his prudent and prosperous government.
Over time, the descendants of those first Maccabees no longer retained the same virtue. Internal divisions, ambitions, and conflicts with powerful nations weakened Judea.
The loss was not immediate, but progressive. The nation gradually lost strength and authority, until it fell under Roman rule.
The Romans first made Judea tributary. Then they imposed a foreign king: Herod, called the Great for some external works and successes.
But his greatness was very limited from a moral standpoint. History remembers him for his intrigues, unjust actions, and ambition for power. Later, he would use that authority to persecute the Child Jesus.
Herod had the appearance of success, but his life ended marked by misfortune: power without justice does not bring true greatness.
After him, some of his sons and grandsons ruled, with varying authority. That glory lasted briefly. Finally, Judea was reduced to a province of the Roman Empire, under the rule of a governor sent by Rome.
Throughout Israel's history, God raised up prophets to uphold the people in the Law, correct them when they strayed, and protect them from idolatry.
Idolatry was not merely a religious error: it was abandoning the true God to place trust in false gods, human powers, or pagan customs. For this reason, the prophets called the people to return to the Lord.
Some prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha, left no written works, though their lives and actions are recorded in Sacred History.
The prophets did not only denounce sins or announce punishments. Their deepest mission was to keep alive the promise of the Messiah, the Savior promised by God.
They prepared the people to recognize Him when He came. Centuries earlier, they announced aspects of His coming, His life, His passion, and His death.
Viewed together, their words show a clear direction: the history of Israel was moving toward Christ.
Announced that the Messiah would appear after a specified time of seventy weeks of years, that He would be rejected and killed, and that afterward Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people scattered.
Indicated that the Messiah would come to the Second Temple. His coming therefore had to occur before the destruction of that Temple.
Besides announcing circumstances of the Messiah's birth and life, he indicated that after His coming the Gentiles would be called to faith.
Salvation would not remain confined to one people but would extend to all nations.
History confirmed those signs: the foretold time was fulfilled, Jerusalem was destroyed, the Second Temple vanished, the Jewish people were scattered, and many Gentiles embraced the faith.
Therefore, according to Christian faith, the promised Messiah has already come.
All these prophecies find their full fulfillment in one person: our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true Messiah awaited by Israel and announced by the prophets.
This stage of Sacred History leaves several lessons for the home:
Faithfulness can be maintained even in a foreign land.
Rebuilding requires patience, as when returning from exile.
Providence can act through a courageous person.
Faith is defended when it is sought to be torn from the heart of the people.
What is not formed in children can be lost in a single generation.
History does not advance aimlessly: God prepared His people for centuries to receive the Savior.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” — Mt 6:33