FFOZ Blogs : Apostomos and the Abomination of Desolation

FFOZ Blogs

Keep in touch with what is happening
behind the scenes at First Fruits of Zion.

Teaching Team

Apostomos and the Abomination of Desolation

By Seth Dralle | Comments (2) | Posted on July 18, 2008

As Toby and Brian have mentioned, the Fast of Tammuz is on Sunday. In his blog Toby listed some of the more well known reasons given for this day as a fast day. You can read his blog here.

But three more seemingly obscure reasons given for the Fast of Tammuz are also cited in the Mishnah. It says that on the 17th of Tammuz, "the daily offering was discontinued," and that "Apostomos burned the Torah, and placed an [idolatrous] image in the Sanctuary" (m.Taanit 4:6).

Who is this Apostomos? Why are his actions singled out as reasons for this fast? Why the connection to the cessation of the daily offering? These questions sent me searching through a small mountain of books for the answer.

The dual connection between the ceasing of the daily sacrifice and the setting up of an idol in the Sanctuary is reminiscent of the prophecies of the book of Daniel. In Daniel 11:31 these two actions are preformed by the coming oppressive King who will persecute the people of God:

Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

What's more, the Master makes reference to this verse when he prophesies concerning the destruction of the Temple in Matthew 24:15:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

This got me thinking. Maybe these obscure reasons for the fast of Tammuz aren't obscure matters after all?

So who is Apostomos? The Sages have a difficult time identifying this man and when exactly he lived. As the Sages are apt to do, they come to different conclusions on the matter. According to the Jerusalem Talmud, Apostomos was a Greek official under Antiochus Epiphanes during the Maccabean era (2nd century BCE). According to Rashi, it was who Apostomos burned the Torah scroll, but the idol referred to is the one wicked king Manasseh placed in the Temple (2 Kings 21). However, other scholars, including Eliyahu Kitov, identify Apostomos as a Roman soldier who lived just prior to the destruction of the Second Temple.

Also prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, Yeshua spoke of the coming "abomination of desolation." It was to be the signal for the believers of Jerusalem and Judea to flee to the mountains. Though interpretations vary on this passage, it is my understanding that what Yeshua spoke of was the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. That leaves us with the question, what was this abomination of desolation Yeshua spoke of?

Scholars give numerous suggestions, but none seem to quite fit. Commentator R.T. France lists several possibilities:

Some say it was the image that Emperor Caligula wanted to erect of himself in the Jerusalem Temple in 40CE. However, this event never came to pass as Caligula was assassinated in 41CE.

Others quote a passage from Josephus who mentions the Zealots "defiling" the Temple when they captured the Temple and killed other rival sects within the Temple courts in 66/67CE. This would be an interesting interpretation, however it seems a stretch to say that the "abomination of desolation" would be Jewish nationalists. The abomination of desolation in Daniel, as well as quoted by Yeshua, seems to clearly indicate a foreign, pagan defilement. Though the actions of the Zealots were bloodthirsty and murderous, it doesn't quite fit the idolatry catagory.

Others have suggested the abomination to be the Roman standards and flags that the Roman soldiers would have brought into the Temple after they had captured it. Some even quote a verse from Josephus who mentions that the Romans offered sacrifices to their gods in the outer court of the Temple. The problem with this though, is that these abominations signal the end of the tribulation of Jerusalem, not the beginning. This does not give believers any warning to flee to the mountains. Had they stayed in Jerusalem until this time, they would have likely been killed.

France concludes that we can't really know what would have been the signal to the believers for their flight from Jerusalem.

Or can we?

Could it be that this event with Apostomos was the "abomination of desolation" that the Master foretold? It strikes me as odd that such a seemingly random event would listed as two of the five reasons given for the fast of Tammuz. Admittedly, there is no way of proving it. But perhaps it was on the 17th of Tammuz that Apostomos fulfilled the prophecy spoken of by the Master Yeshua. If nothing else, the actions of Apostomos are at least an echo, a partial fulfillment, of the Master's words.

This could have been the beginnings of the tribulation that came prior to the destruction of the Second Temple. If so, we as Messianic believers can have an added dimension to our fast, in that this event may have been the signal for the believers in Jerusalem and Judea to flee from their homes prior to the destruction of the Temple. Christian historian Eusebius of Cesarea recorded that the Nazarene Jews left Judea around 66/67CE and settled in the city of Pella.

In light of this, it may be appropriate on the Fast of Tammuz to read the Master's discourse about this tribulation, recorded in both Matthew 24 and Mark 13. In these passages, we are also reminded of the Messiah's return. Yeshua said to "be on the alert, for you do not know what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42). It is on that Day when our fasting will be turned to joy.

Maybe the actions Apostomos are not so obscure or insignificant after all.

Tzom kal - May you have an easy fast.

-----------------------

Interested in more information on the biblical Jewish calendar? Sign up for our monthly eRosh and receive free printable calendars, children's material, and teachings in your email inbox just in time for Rosh Chodesh. Sign up for a free myffoz account and get your monthly eRosh.

About the Author: Seth Dralle is the fulfillment and shipping department manager and a research and teaching assistant for FFOZ. He is also a contributor to messiah magazine, the Monthly eRosh and the Torah Club Online Dictionary.

Visitor Comments

While reading up on the Fast of Tammuz in "Our Heritage" by Eliyahu Kitov, I found the following quote from Josephus. It leaves me with the impression that this incident could well have been the warning that Yeshua was speaking of!

"After this calamity [in which 10,000 men were slaughtered on the temple mount during a riot which the Romans provoked] new unrest began in the aftermath of a robbery. On the royal road near Beis Choron, robbers attacked the cortege of Stephanus, a royal official, and plundered it. Camanus dispatched an armed force to the nearby by villages, ordering his soldiers to arrest the inhabitants and bring them before him. He saw them as being culpable for what had happened, for they had failed to pursue the thieves to try and apprehend them. One of the soldiers seized a Torah scroll in one of the villages, tore it, and set it afire."

**Seth's Response** Eliyahu Kitov does make a good case for it. Of course, it requires replacing "Stephanus" with "Apostomos," but doing so is not unheard of in historical studies since the events seem to match. This incident elicited a huge outcry from the Jewish community, and it turned into a big public spectacle. Just the sort of thing that would be a good signal to "head for the hills."

Posted by: David B | July 20, 2008 12:01 AM

Great insights, Seth. Thanks.

Posted by: Toby J. | July 20, 2008 3:16 PM

With this all new Hebrew learning resource you can get started in learning Hebrew and drawing ever nearer to the Jewish Messiah as you master the Hebrew alphabet

FFOZ Blogs

Teaching Team

Apostomos and the Abomination of Desolation

Visitor Comments

Post your comments...

Name

Email Address

Comments

Search in blogs...

Feeds

Browse Entries

Select a Blog

Most Recent Entries

Select a Previous Month