The Maccabean Revolt: Faith Against Hellenization

The inspiring story of Jewish resistance against forced assimilation: When Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Greek king of the Seleucid Empire, attempted to eradicate Jewish faith and practice—desecrating the Temple, banning Torah observance, and executing faithful Jews—a priestly family from the small town of Modein sparked a guerrilla war that would miraculously defeat the world’s greatest military power and restore Jewish independence for the first time in over 400 years.

Led by Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”), a ragtag army of faithful Jews won impossible victories against overwhelming odds, cleansed and rededicated the Temple (an event celebrated annually as Hanukkah), and established the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled Judea until the Roman conquest. This was Judaism’s finest hour of resistance—a time when a small group chose death over compromise and, against all odds, prevailed.

Background: The Greek World and the Jewish People

Alexander’s Conquest (332 BCE)

When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire (332 BCE), he brought Greek culture (Hellenism) to the Near East:

• Greek language, philosophy, education
• Gymnasiums, theaters, athletic competitions
• Polytheistic religion
• Emphasis on physical beauty and human achievement

After Alexander’s death (323 BCE), his empire was divided among his generals (Diadochi). Judea found itself caught between two Greek successor kingdoms:

• Ptolemaic Egypt (south): Ruled by Ptolemy’s dynasty
• Seleucid Syria (north): Ruled by Seleucus’s dynasty

Judea Under the Ptolemies (301-200 BCE)

For the first century after Alexander, Judea was controlled by the Ptolemies of Egypt. This period saw:

• Relatively benign rule
• Jewish autonomy in internal affairs
• High priest as the leader
• Gradual Hellenization among upper-class Jews
• Translation of the Torah into Greek (Septuagint)

Judea Under the Seleucids (200-160 BCE)

In 200 BCE, Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire defeated the Ptolemies and gained control of Judea.

Initially, the Seleucids were tolerant:

• Confirmed Jewish religious rights
• Exempted the Temple from taxation
• Allowed the high priest to govern

But this would change dramatically.

Internal Jewish Divisions

By the 2nd century BCE, Jewish society was split:

Hellenizers: Urban, wealthy Jews who:

• Adopted Greek names and customs
• Built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
• Underwent surgery to reverse circumcision (to appear Greek in the nude gymnasium)
• Minimized distinctive Jewish practices
• Saw Greek culture as progressive and cosmopolitan

Traditionalists (Hasidim—“the pious ones”): Devout Jews who:

• Strictly observed Torah
• Resisted Greek culture as idolatrous
• Refused to compromise covenant practices
• Represented mostly the rural poor

This internal conflict would explode when a madman king ascended the Seleucid throne.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes: The Madman King

Rise to Power (175 BCE)

Antiochus IV became the Seleucid king in 175 BCE under suspicious circumstances (likely murdered his way to the throne). He took the title “Epiphanes” meaning “God Manifest”—claiming to be Zeus incarnate.

His subjects mockingly called him “Epimanes” (the madman).

Character:

• Megalomaniacal and unstable
• Desperately needed money (the empire was broke)
• Determined to unify his diverse empire through forced Hellenization
• Saw Jewish particularism as a threat to imperial unity

The High Priesthood Crisis (175-171 BCE)

Antiochus intervened in Jerusalem’s politics, selling the high priesthood to the highest bidder:

Jason (175-172 BCE): Hellenizer who paid Antiochus for the position, displacing the legitimate high priest Onias III. Jason:

• Built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
• Enrolled Jerusalem as a Greek polis
• Introduced Greek education
• Sent tribute to Greek games honoring Hercules

Menelaus (172-162 BCE): Outbid Jason, paying Antiochus even more. Menelaus:

• Wasn’t even from the high priestly family
• Stole Temple treasures to pay Antiochus
• Had Onias III murdered

This desecration of the high priesthood outraged traditional Jews.

The Egyptian Campaign (170-168 BCE)

Antiochus invaded Egypt twice:

First campaign (170 BCE): Successful; he nearly conquered Egypt

Second campaign (168 BCE): Rome intervened. A Roman envoy (Popilius Laenas) drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and demanded he withdraw from Egypt before stepping out of the circle. Humiliated, Antiochus retreated.

Furious and frustrated, Antiochus vented his rage on Jerusalem.

The Persecution Begins (167 BCE)

Plundering the Temple (169 BCE)

Returning from Egypt, Antiochus entered Jerusalem:

• Entered the Temple’s Holy of Holies (forbidden to non-priests)
• Plundered golden altar, lampstand, table of showbread, and other treasures
• Slaughtered many residents
• Left the city in mourning

The Abomination of Desolation (167 BCE)

In December 167 BCE, Antiochus took unprecedented steps to eradicate Judaism:

Temple desecration:

• Erected an altar to Zeus Olympios over the altar of burnt offering
• Sacrificed pigs (unclean animals) on the altar
• Prostituted the Temple precincts
• Set up an idol (possibly of Zeus, possibly of Antiochus himself)
• Dedicated the Temple to Zeus

Daniel 11:31 calls this the “abomination that causes desolation.”

Outlawing Judaism: Antiochus issued decrees forbidding:

• Sabbath observance
• Circumcision
• Dietary laws (kashrut)
• Possession of Torah scrolls
• Any Jewish religious practice

Forced paganization:

• Altars to Greek gods erected in every town
• Jews forced to eat pork and sacrifice to idols
• Monthly inspection to enforce compliance
• Death penalty for refusing

Savage persecution:

• Women who circumcised their sons were paraded through the streets with their babies hung around their necks, then thrown from the city walls
• Families found with Torah scrolls were burned alive
• Jews who refused to eat pork or sacrifice to idols were tortured and executed

The Martyrs

2 Maccabees 6-7 records horrific martyrdoms:

Eleazar: A 90-year-old scribe was forced to eat pork. Friends suggested he secretly eat kosher meat while pretending it was pork, but he refused: “It would not be fitting at our age to make a pretense… Many young persons would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety had gone over to an alien religion.” He was tortured to death.

The seven brothers and their mother: Seven brothers and their mother were arrested. One by one, they refused to eat pork and were tortured to death—tongues cut out, hands and feet amputated, then fried alive in a pan—while their mother and remaining brothers watched. The mother encouraged each son to remain faithful, then was herself executed after watching all seven die.

These martyrs chose death over apostasy, inspiring resistance.

Flight to the Hills

Many faithful Jews fled to the wilderness:

• Hiding in caves
• Meeting secretly for Torah study
• Refusing to fight on Sabbath (even in self-defense)

One group of 1,000 was discovered in a cave on the Sabbath. Syrian soldiers attacked, and all were slaughtered—men, women, children—because they refused to desecrate the Sabbath by fighting.

This pacifism would soon change.

The Revolt Begins (167 BCE)

Mattathias’s Stand

In the village of Modein, about 17 miles northwest of Jerusalem, lived Mattathias, an elderly priest of the Hasmonean family, with his five sons:

• John (called Gaddi)
• Simon (called Thassi)
• Judah (called Maccabeus—“the Hammer”)
• Eleazar (called Avaran)
• Jonathan (called Apphus)

When Antiochus’s officers came to Modein to enforce pagan sacrifice, they offered Mattathias honors and gifts to lead the town in offering to Greek gods.

Mattathias’s response:

“Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king’s words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.” (1 Maccabees 2:19-22)

When a Hellenized Jew stepped forward to offer sacrifice, Mattathias—filled with righteous fury—killed him on the altar. Then he killed the king’s officer. Then he cried out:

“Let everyone who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!” (1 Maccabees 2:27)

Mattathias, his sons, and supporters fled to the hills.

The die was cast: Revolt had begun.

Guerrilla Warfare

Mattathias and his band:

• Hid in the wilderness
• Conducted hit-and-run raids
• Destroyed pagan altars
• Circumcised children
• Killed Hellenized Jews who collaborated with the Greeks

The Sabbath decision: After the massacre of those who wouldn’t fight on the Sabbath, Mattathias decreed: “If we all do as our kindred have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth.” (1 Maccabees 2:40)

They would fight even on the Sabbath when attacked—choosing life over a legalism that led to death.

Mattathias’s Death (166 BCE)

After one year of guerrilla warfare, the elderly Mattathias died. Before dying, he appointed his son Judah as military commander and Simon as counselor.

Mattathias’s charge: “Show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors.” (1 Maccabees 2:50)

Leadership passed to Judah, who would prove one of history’s greatest guerrilla commanders.

Judah Maccabee: The Hammer (166-160 BCE)

Early Victories (166-165 BCE)

Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”) began with a ragtag army of about 6,000 men facing the Seleucid Empire’s professional military.

His strategy:

• Avoid pitched battles against superior forces
• Use terrain to advantage (hills, narrow passes)
• Employ surprise attacks
• Hit supply lines
• Choose when and where to fight

Battle of Beth Horon (166 BCE): Against Apollonius, Judah ambushed and defeated a much larger force. He took Apollonius’s sword and used it for the rest of his life.

Battle of Beth Horon (second, against Seron): Another victory against superior numbers. When his men feared the size of the enemy force, Judah replied:

“It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven.” (1 Maccabees 3:18-19)

The Lysias Campaigns (165-164 BCE)

Antiochus, needing to campaign in the east, left Lysias as regent with orders to crush the Jewish revolt.

First campaign (165 BCE): Lysias sent three generals (Nicanor, Gorgias, Ptolemy) with 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry. They brought slave traders to sell captured Jews.

Judah’s scouts reported the massive force. Judah rallied his men with prayer and fasting. That night, while Gorgias took 5,000 men to surprise the Jewish camp, Judah led his forces to attack the main Seleucid camp—left undefended. The Seleucids fled in panic. When Gorgias returned to find his camp burning, his forces also fled.

The slave traders fled too, their investment lost.

Second campaign (164 BCE): Lysias himself led 60,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. At Beth Zur, Judah defeated them again. Lysias, facing troubles back home, agreed to negotiate.

Partial victory: Lysias convinced Antiochus to:

• Rescind the decrees against Jewish religious practice
• Allow Torah observance
• Restore Jewish autonomy

But the Temple remained desecrated.

The Rededication of the Temple (164 BCE)

Cleansing the Temple

In December 164 BCE, Judah and his forces entered Jerusalem. The Temple had been desecrated for exactly three years.

What they found:

• The sanctuary desolate
• The altar profaned
• Gates burned
• Shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest
• Chambers demolished

Mourning: “They tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes and fell face down on the ground.” (1 Maccabees 4:39-40)

Purification:

• Demolished the defiled altar stones (saving them for a future prophet to decide their fate)
• Built a new altar
• Made new holy vessels: menorah, altar of incense, table
• Burned incense
• Lit the lamps
• Set out the bread of the Presence

The Dedication Festival

On the twenty-fifth of Kislev (November/December) 164 BCE—exactly three years after the abomination was set up—the Temple was rededicated.

“They celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.” (1 Maccabees 4:56-58)

Judah’s decree: The rededication would be celebrated annually for eight days, beginning on the twenty-fifth of Kislev.

This is Hanukkah—the Festival of Dedication (or Festival of Lights).

The Miracle of the Oil (Talmudic Tradition)

The Talmud (written centuries later) records a miracle not mentioned in 1-2 Maccabees:

When cleansing the Temple, they found only one sealed flask of pure oil for the menorah—enough for one day. Yet they needed eight days to prepare more ritually pure oil.

Miraculously, the one day’s worth of oil burned for eight days.

This is why Hanukkah lasts eight days and why lighting candles is central to its celebration.

Antiochus IV’s Death (164 BCE)

Around the same time as the Temple rededication, Antiochus IV died in Persia:

According to 2 Maccabees 9, he died in agony:

• Struck with an incurable intestinal disease
• His body bred worms
• Flesh rotted away
• Stench unbearable
• Died in a mountain pass

Before dying, he reportedly regretted his treatment of the Jews—though this may be pious fiction.

His nine-year-old son Antiochus V became king, with Lysias as regent.

The Fight for Independence (163-142 BCE)

Lysias’s Final Campaign (163 BCE)

Lysias and young Antiochus V led a massive army (100,000 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, 32 war elephants) against Jerusalem.

At Beth Zechariah, Judah’s brother Eleazar heroically stabbed a war elephant from underneath, thinking the king was riding it. The elephant fell on Eleazar, killing him.

The battle was going poorly for the Jews when political intrigue saved them: Lysias learned of a rival claimant to the throne and needed to return quickly. He negotiated peace:

• Religious freedom confirmed
• Jewish autonomy guaranteed
• But the Hellenizer Alcimus installed as high priest

This compromise satisfied many Jews but not the Maccabees—they wanted full independence.

Judah’s Later Campaigns (162-160 BCE)

Demetrius I seized the Seleucid throne, killing Antiochus V and Lysias. He sent generals to crush the ongoing Jewish revolt.

Battle with Nicanor (161 BCE): Judah defeated and killed Nicanor. Nicanor’s Day was celebrated annually.

Alliance with Rome (161 BCE): Judah sent ambassadors to Rome, seeking an alliance. Rome agreed, warning the Seleucids not to trouble the Jews—though Rome was too far away to provide actual military help.

Battle of Elasa (160 BCE): Demetrius sent Bacchides with 20,000 troops. Judah had only 800 men. His soldiers urged retreat:

Judah said, “Far be it from us to do such a thing as to flee from them. If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred, and leave no cause to question our honor.” (1 Maccabees 9:10)

They fought. Judah was killed.

Judah’s legacy: One of history’s great warriors—brilliant tactician, charismatic leader, faithful to God. He won impossible victories through courage, faith, and guerrilla tactics.

Jonathan and Simon: Securing Independence (160-134 BCE)

Jonathan Maccabee (160-142 BCE)

After Judah’s death, his brother Jonathan took leadership.

Early years: Guerrilla warfare from the wilderness

Political maneuvering: As Seleucid rivals fought for the throne, Jonathan skillfully played them against each other, gaining:

• Appointment as high priest (152 BCE)
• Political authority
• Control of territory

Treachery and death (143-142 BCE): The Seleucid general Trypho lured Jonathan to Ptolemais under pretense of friendship, then captured and later killed him.

Simon Maccabee (142-134 BCE)

The last surviving son of Mattathias, Simon, became leader.

Full independence (142 BCE): Simon negotiated with Demetrius II, who:

• Granted tax exemption
• Recognized Jewish independence
• Released them from tribute

For the first time since the Babylonian conquest (586 BCE), the Jews were independent.

“The yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel, and the people began to write in their documents and contracts, ‘In the first year of Simon the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews.’” (1 Maccabees 13:41-42)

The Akra captured (141 BCE): Simon captured the Akra—the Seleucid fortress overlooking the Temple. This final Greek garrison’s removal secured full control of Jerusalem.

High priesthood made hereditary (140 BCE): The Jews formally appointed Simon as:

• High priest forever (until a trustworthy prophet should arise)
• Leader and ethnarch
• Military commander

The Hasmonean dynasty was established.

Simon’s death (134 BCE): Simon’s son-in-law Ptolemy murdered him and two of his sons at a banquet, attempting to seize power. But Simon’s third son, John Hyrcanus, escaped and became the next ruler.

The Hasmonean Dynasty (134-63 BCE)

The Maccabees’ descendants ruled Judea for the next century:

John Hyrcanus (134-104 BCE): Expanded territory, forced conversions of Idumeans, growing Hellenization despite anti-Greek origins

Aristobulus I (104-103 BCE): First to take the title “king”

Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BCE): Military expansion, brutal suppression of Pharisees (crucified 800), civil war

Salome Alexandra (76-67 BCE): Rare female ruler, favored Pharisees, peaceful reign

Aristobulus II vs. Hyrcanus II (67-63 BCE): Civil war between brothers

The Irony

The Hasmoneans, who began as zealous defenders of Torah against Hellenization:

• Became thoroughly Hellenized themselves
• Adopted Greek names
• Combined the high priesthood with kingship (violating Torah, which separated priests and kings)
• Engaged in dynastic intrigue, murders, and corruption

The revolution devoured its children.

Roman Conquest (63 BCE)

When the Hasmonean brothers asked Rome to arbitrate their civil war, Pompey the Great used the opportunity to conquer Judea (63 BCE).

Pompey:

• Entered the Holy of Holies (like Antiochus before him)
• Made Judea a Roman client state
• Ended Jewish independence

The Hasmonean dynasty limped on as Roman puppets until Herod the Great (an Idumean) married into the family and eliminated them, founding his own dynasty.

Independence lasted only 79 years (142-63 BCE) before Rome took over.

Theological and Religious Impact

The Rise of the Pharisees and Sadducees

The Maccabean period saw the emergence of major Jewish sects:

Pharisees: Descended from the Hasidim (pious ones) who initially supported the Maccabees

• Emphasized Torah study and oral tradition
• Believed in resurrection, angels, and divine providence
• Popular among common people
• Eventually opposed Hasmonean corruption

Sadducees: Aristocratic, priestly party

• Allied with Hasmonean rulers
• Rejected oral tradition, accepting only written Torah
• Denied resurrection and angels
• Disappeared after the Temple’s destruction (70 CE)

Essenes: Ascetic sect that withdrew to the desert (Dead Sea Scrolls community)

These groups would dominate Jewish life in Jesus’s time.

Apocalyptic Literature

The persecution under Antiochus intensified apocalyptic expectations:

Book of Daniel: Scholars debate its dating, but it addresses the Antiochan crisis directly:

• The “little horn” (Daniel 7-8) = Antiochus IV
• The 2,300 evenings and mornings (Daniel 8:14) ≈ the period of Temple desecration
• The abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31)

Daniel’s visions of God’s ultimate victory encouraged the persecuted.

Martyrdom Theology

The Maccabean martyrs pioneered a theology of redemptive suffering:

• Death for Torah observance atones for sin
• Bodily resurrection awaited the righteous
• God would vindicate those who remained faithful
• Temporary defeat doesn’t mean God’s absence

This influenced later Jewish and Christian martyrdom traditions.

Hanukkah

The eight-day Festival of Lights became a permanent Jewish holy day:

• Celebrated in late November/December (25 Kislev)
• Lighting the menorah (or hanukkiah—nine-branched candelabrum)
• Commemorates Temple rededication and the miracle of oil
• Foods fried in oil (latkes, sufganiyot)
• Dreidel game
• Giving gifts (modern practice)

Jesus himself observed Hanukkah (John 10:22-23: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade”).

In Judaism: Triumph and Warning

Judaism views the Maccabean revolt with mixed emotions:

Celebration

Hanukkah: A joyful festival celebrating:

• God’s deliverance
• Victory of the few over the many
• Triumph of faith over assimilation
• Light overcoming darkness

Heroism: The Maccabees demonstrated courage and faithfulness

Survival: Judaism survived an existential threat

Caution

Not in the Hebrew Bible: 1-2 Maccabees are in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but not the Jewish canon (though highly valued historically)

Hasmonean corruption: The dynasty’s later corruption showed that political power corrupts

Violence: Some question whether armed revolt was the right response

Minor festival: Hanukkah is not a major biblical festival (like Passover or Yom Kippur) but a later, rabbinic one

Modern Resonance

The Maccabees inspire:

• Israeli military (courage against overwhelming odds)
• Resistance to assimilation
• Pride in Jewish identity
• Willingness to fight for faith and freedom

In Christianity: Recognized but Not Central

Christianity acknowledges the Maccabean period’s significance:

Jesus and Hanukkah

Jesus attended Hanukkah (John 10:22), showing He observed this post-biblical festival

Intertestamental Period

The Maccabean revolt falls in the “400 silent years” between Malachi and Matthew, setting the stage for:

• Roman rule in Jesus’s time
• Pharisees and Sadducees’ prominence
• Messianic expectations

Martyrdom Example

The Maccabean martyrs prefigure Christian martyrs:

• Choosing death over apostasy
• Faithful unto death
• Resurrection hope
• Redemptive suffering

Hebrews 11:35: “Others were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection”—likely referencing the Maccabean martyrs

Apocryphal Books

1-2 Maccabees are in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles (deuterocanonical) but not Protestant Bibles (though valued historically)

Not Emphasized

Christianity focuses on:

• Jesus as the ultimate deliverer (not political/military revolt)
• Spiritual kingdom (not temporal independence)
• Suffering servant (not conquering warrior)

Historical Significance

The Maccabean revolt was:

Militarily remarkable: Guerrilla forces defeating a superpower—one of history’s great underdog victories

Politically significant: Established Jewish independence for the first time since Babylonian conquest

Religiously crucial: Saved Judaism from extinction through assimilation

Theologically influential: Developed resurrection theology, martyrdom theology, apocalyptic thought

Bridge period: Connected the restoration under Ezra/Nehemiah to the Roman-occupied world of Jesus

Legacy: Faith Refusing to Die

From Mattathias’s defiant cry in Modein to Judah’s impossible victories, from the Temple’s rededication to 79 years of independence, the Maccabean revolt remains one of history’s most inspiring stories of religious resistance.

The crisis: A madman king attempted to eradicate an entire religion—forbidding its practices, desecrating its shrine, executing its faithful. It seemed Judaism would either apostatize or be exterminated.

The heroes: An elderly priest and his five sons, along with rural faithful, chose death over compromise. They fled to the hills and waged guerrilla war against the world’s superpower.

The miracles: Against overwhelming odds, they won—time and again. The few defeated the many. The weak overcame the strong. The Hammer struck, and empires fell.

The victory: The Temple was cleansed. The menorah was lit. The oil that should have lasted one day burned for eight. The people rejoiced. Independence was won.

The shadow: The victors became corrupted. The freedom fighters became oppressors. The dynasty that began in holiness ended in intrigue and murder. Independence lasted less than a century before Rome arrived.

The enduring light: Yet Hanukkah remains—eight nights of increasing light, commemorating the moment when a small flask of oil refused to be extinguished, when a handful of faithful Jews refused to bow, when the Temple’s light returned after darkness threatened to swallow it forever.

The Maccabean story asks: What are you willing to die for? When compromise is demanded and assimilation is easier, will you stand? When the overwhelming majority embraces the dominant culture, will you remain faithful to an ancient covenant?

Mattathias, Judah, and the martyrs answered: We will stand. We will fight. We will die if necessary. But we will not bow to Zeus. We will not eat the pork. We will not abandon the covenant.

And miraculously, impossibly, they won.

The light returned. The Temple was rededicated. The covenant survived.

And for 2,000+ years, every winter, Jews around the world light eight candles and remember:

Darkness does not have the final word. The few can defeat the many. Light overcomes shadow. Faith endures. The covenant cannot be broken.

From Antiochus’s abomination to Judah’s hammer, from martyrs’ deaths to the menorah’s impossible flame, from Modein’s defiance to Jerusalem’s joy—the Maccabean revolt declared that some things are worth dying for, and miraculously, by God’s grace, sometimes those who are willing to die are the ones who live to see victory.

The oil burned. The Temple shone. The people rejoiced.

And the light still burns today, testifying that faith refuses to die, that tyranny cannot extinguish truth, and that a single flask of oil in faithful hands can illuminate the darkness for far longer than seems possible.

Every Hanukkah candle is a declaration: We remember. We resist. We remain. The light endures.