Hanukkah is one of the best known Jewish holidays. Non-Jews often think of it as the "Jewish Christmas", but few know the history and significance of the holiday. In the year 175 BC Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV) murdered his brother and seized the Seleucid Empire’s throne. A fierce advocate of Greek culture, including its worship of many gods and goddesses, Antiochus viewed the Jewish religion to be barbaric and incompatible with “civilized” Hellenic society. Epiphanes

The cover art for ELIAS' PROVERBS by Daniel Molyneux (shown here) is an oil-on-canvas painting by the renowned 19th century Russian artist Ilya Repin (1844 - 1930) titled "Jesus Christ". Cover art for THE ANGEL OF ANTIOCH by Daniel Molyneux is by John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925), the famous American artist. It is an oil-on-canvas painting of the the Prophet Hosea. #IlyaRepin #JohnSingerSargent #TheAngelofAntioch #EliasProverbs #DanielMolyneux #Jesus #Russianart #book #Faith

At its peak, Antioch was the capital of the Seleucid Empire and was the third largest city in the world, having a population of 500,000 souls. Greek culture dominated, including its polytheistic religion worshiping Zeus as “king of the gods.” Tyche, the mistress of fortune and luck, was Antioch’s patron goddess. Antiochean Jews did not live in a separate neighborhood or ghetto, but dwelled alongside their gentile neighbors, mingling with them to a greater degree than in any

Throughout scripture and history, prophets, apostles, saints and reformers suddenly appear, conveying a renewed spiritual vision of justice, mercy, love and peace, calling priests, kings, politicians and all people to repentance. In the name of God they disrupt the status quo, challenging the institutional authorities who have gone astray. copyright © 2015 Daniel R. Molyneux #prophets #JohntheBaptist #DanielMolyneux #TheAngelofAntioch #Religion #Christianity #Reformers #Saint

Our house shook violently, similar to a sonic boom but much bigger. My father and I ran outside to see what had happened. He said, “Get in the car.” Driving eastward we could see a black plume of smoke rising from the refinery where dad worked, and then saw the demolished remains of a large petroleum storage tank. Several men had been welding inside and on top of the tank, but it had not been adequately tested for flammable fumes. The mixture of fuel and air was sufficient to