Which Seleucid king is associated with the Hanukkah story?

Which Seleucid king is associated with the Hanukkah story? The answer is Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Antiochus IV ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 to 164 BCE. His reign is closely linked with Hanukkah because policies imposed during his rule suppressed Jewish religious practices and transformed the Second Temple in Jerusalem into a site of pagan worship, traditionally associated with Zeus.

These actions helped trigger the Maccabean Revolt, begun by the priest Mattathias and carried forward by his sons, especially Judah Maccabee. In 164 BCE, the rebels recaptured Jerusalem, purified the Temple, and rededicated its altar. That rededication is commemorated by Hanukkah.

The historical picture is more complicated than a simple foreign-versus-Jewish conflict: internal disputes among Judean factions and the office of the high priest also shaped the crisis. Antiochus IV died during campaigns in the eastern part of his empire, around the time of the Temple’s restoration. Antiochus V succeeded him, but he was a child and is not the king chiefly connected with Hanukkah.