The effect of the Seleucidae on the Jewish people in Palestine was tremendous. The Hellenizing pressure of the Seleucid rulers
a) forced Judaism into a “Gentile” mold with customs that were no longer exclusively Jewish.
b) consolidated the Jews into a resistance group intensely loyal to its faith and distinctive way of life.
c) signaled the end of Judaism as a “national” religion because most Jews apostatized.
d) forced a total way of life on Jews as a whole, and this included religion, language, education, and even thought patterns