The Jews of the time were indeed divided between the traditionalists and the assimilationists. Greek philosophy, however, was widely respected even among many of the traditionalists.

What brought the Jews to this anti-Seluicid jihad was not so much the opposition to Greek philosophy, but rather a few culturally abusive policies that the rulers imposed on the Jews such as:

• Prohibition of circumcision (or did the Romans try that?),
• Law of the first night -- which gave foreign rulers the right to take the virginity of any Jewish woman on her wedding night,
• The installation of idols (e.g. Zeus) into the Temple of Jerusalem, and the sacrificing of pigs

Judea had been happily suborninate to Persia for centuries when Alexander the Great came through, and with Alexander there was also a mutual respect. His successors, however, simply went too far and promoted Hellenism with too heavy a hand.

Thanks for the clear, informative post. Free of name-calling too!

Hitchens describes the events as a battle between enlightened secularists and backwards religionists who were still sacrificing animals, but one of the grievances of the Maccabees was that Antiochus required Jews to sacrifice of a pig on the alter of the Temple in Jerusalem to honor the pagan gods.