The First Book of Macabbees is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. This usage of "Maccabees" as a group-term may have originated in Greek, as no usage of it in Hebrew to refer to the rebels survives from any era earlier than the 19th century.[10]. Werner Kappler[de] published a critical edition of the Greek text in 1936, an eclectic compilation of the various surviving manuscripts and the best construction of the original text. saves his butt from a delivery-gone-bonkers, he decides to play nice with . And they led captive the women and the children, and the cattle they took in possession. For some more Biblical back history about the Exile and return of the Jews from Babylonian Exile, please read 2 Kings (Chapter 20:12-18), 2 Kings (Chapter 25), Jeremiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Many observant Jews flee from the capital, but others readily accept Antiochus' policies. by Daniel R. Schwartz. And when he had taken all, he went away into his own land, and he made a great slaughter, and spoke very presumptuously. 1 Maccabees was probably written in Jerusalem, but 3 and 4 Maccabees derive from the diaspora. VERSE 28. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. The second book is even more important from the doctrinal point of view. These include four laments and three hymns of praise. When Mattathias died (c. 166 bc), his son Judas Maccabaeus recaptured Jerusalem and reconsecrated the temple, an event celebrated in the holiday Hanukkah. It tells how the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress the practice of basic Jewish law, resulting in the Maccabean Revolt. VERSE 29. [63], The Jewish historian Josephus of the 1st century AD almost certainly read 1 Maccabees. He claims to have used and condensed a five-volume work by someone called Jason of Cyrene (which no longer exists) and appears to have introduced theological reflections onto the events as he went. Reflect on whether you think that Mattathias and his sons were right to rebel against their Greek oppressors.We are challenged about how we should behave towards our enemies and how we should act as Gods agents, wherever we live in the world. Among other effects, this discouraged the Jewish rite of circumcision even further, which had already been officially forbidden; a man's state could not be concealed in the gymnasium, where men trained and socialized in the nude. Registered charity 232759. First and Second Maccabees help us to realize that God watches over his own, and they show that Israel always wins victory over its enemies when it stays true to the Covenant. However, after successfully invading the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, Antiochus IV enters Jerusalem and removes the sacred objects from the Temple. I Maccabees presents a historical account of political, military, and diplomatic events from the time of Judaeas relationship with Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria (reigned 175164/163 bce) to the death (135/134 bce) of Simon Maccabeus, high priest in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles. [note 2] All agree that the book was written before 63 BC, as the author shows great admiration toward Rome and does not know of the Roman general Pompey conquering Jerusalem and reducing the Hasmonean kingdom to a client state of the Roman Republic in that year. II Maccabees focuses on the Jews' revolt against Antiochus and concludes with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 bce by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work. he spoke words in subtlety. Thus, for example, in 2 Maccabees 12:43 there is Judas act of faith in the resurrection and salvation of his fallen soldiers, but he realizes that they must atone for their sins in the next life, and he wishes to help them in this and asks for prayers from the living. 4:59). This history includes battles with Antiochus IV and his son. A supporter of the Hasmonean dynasty. The second book is not a sequel to 1 Maccabees; it partially covers the same history (176 - 160 b.c.). Modin. 2 He had five sons: John, who was called Gaddi; 3 Simon, who The setting of the book is about a century after the conquest of Judea by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, when the country was part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. The history of the Maccabee family given in these books ends with the death of Simon and the succession of his son, John Hyrcanus. 504 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in, 2 b-w illus. He and his three sons begin a military campaign against them, the vicissitudes of which are described in detail. Jerome likewise claims "the first book of Maccabees I have found to be Hebrew, the second is Greek, as can be proved from the very style" (per Prologus Galeatus). As a surname it was also applied to his brothers and, by extension . (Jason of Cyrene was a Hellenized Jew who wrote a five-volume history on the times of the Maccabees. [19], The book was probably originally written in Hebrew. According to 1 Maccabees, there were some early groups of Jewish rebels who refused to fight on the Sabbath, and perished accordingly (1 Maccabees 2:29-38) until the Maccabean patriarch Mattathias decided to change the law and permit defensive warfare on the Sabbath (2:39-41). THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES. He imposes a tax and establishes a fortress for his soldiers in Jerusalem. Uriel Rappaport calls it emblematic of Hasmonean politics in general: that the Hasmonean state was an explicitly Jewish one that sought to separate itself from polytheism, yet was pragmatic and sought allies where they could be found.[9]. Finally, there is the issue of its revolutionary character. 1 Maccabees covers the period of 175 BCE to 134 BCE. Hellenization included the construction of gymnasia in Jerusalem. This caused the Maccabean revolt, led by Mattathias and his sons. 2nd century bc) Priestly family of Jews who organized a successful rebellion against Antiochus IV Epiphanes in Palestine and reconsecrated the defiled Temple of Jerusalem. Buy Also Available At: . 15:11). 16:1 Then John came up from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done against their people. An unknown editor, the "Epitomist," used the factual notes of a historian . It tells the story of how the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress Temple worship and to destroy the practice of Jewish law. These two books tell you a lot about Jewish self-definition in the second and first century bc. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes eventually comes to rule over Syria. VERSE 27. The first two books only are part of canonical scripture in the Septuagint and the Vulgate (hence are canonical to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy) and are included in the Protestant Apocrypha. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Antiochus persecutes the Jewish people. 2 He fought many battles, captured fortresses, and put the kings of the earth to death. After his death in battle c. 161 B.C.E., his brother Jonathan succeeds him. VERSE 38. But they did not belong to the family of those men through whom deliverance was given to Israel. 1-2 Thessalonians. Because of the accuracy of the historical account, if a later date is accepted, then the author must have had access to first-hand reports of the events. British and Foreign Bible Society operates in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.We also work with a network of local Bible Societies around the world. 17 And he wrote letters, and sent them to him, according to these words, saying, 18 King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting: 19 We have heard of you, that you are a mighty man of valour, and meet to be our See 1 Maccabees 2:18. According to the first book of Maccabees, one of the Hellenistic kings defiled the temple, forbade circumcision, and even set up altars to his gods. It possibly was written during the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula (3741 ce). The author sees the revolt as divinely ordained, but downplays direct divine intervention such as miracles. Journey through the Bible, one book at a time, with the 2nd edition of our Books of the Bible journal. Throughout the early Christian period, IV Maccabees was wrongly attributed to Josephus. the hundred and forty and fifth year. According to all these words wrote he to his whole kingdom; and he appointed overseers over all the people, and he commanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. Antiochus then tries to suppress public observance of Jewish laws, in an attempt to secure control over the Jews. Some Jews went along with the changes. On his journey, the son Tobias meets Sarah, who is afflicted by a demon. Were there any parts of the book that you particularly liked or which inspired you? Editor's note: The following homily delivered by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D, S.T.D., on 1 August 2017, commemoration of the Holy Maccabees (Extraordinary Form) at the Church of . the Torah. This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 19:27. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=1_Maccabees&oldid=1044072, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. Simon is succeeded by his son, John, referred to by Josephus as John Hyrcanus. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. They establish a gymnasium, where men socialized in the nude. Eusebius, in his book Church History, quotes Origen of Alexandria who says the original title of the work was Sarbth Sarbanael,[note 3] an enigmatic Greek transliteration from a putative Hebrew original title. The book of 1 Maccabees clearly favors the revolution against the Seleucid and the Hasmonean dynasty. He plays one faction off against the other, obtaining various benefits for the Jews in exchange for his military support. The First Book of Maccabees, originally written in Hebrew during the last part of thesecond century b.c.e.,1 can be read, among other things, as the story of the 1 CarlL.W. When he died his widow, Alexandra, married his elder brother, Alexander Janneus, and she remained on the throne while her son Hyrcanus II was high priest. Note: 1 and 2 Maccabees are not included in most Protestant and Jewish Bibles. In 285 he abdicated in favor of his son Ptolemy II, who became involved in a struggle with the Seleucid kings. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. The name Maccabee probably means "hammer" and was the nickname given in the book to the first leader of the revolt, Judas, third son of Mattathias. Hope for life beyond death enabled the people of God to commit their lives fully to the God who had called them, even when this seemed of no benefit in worldly terms. he shall die. Pope Damasus I's Council of Rome in 382, if the Gelasian Decree is correctly associated with it, issued a biblical canon identical with the list given at Trent including the two books of Maccabees. Mattathias and His Sons. The first and second Books of Maccabees, though regarded by Jews and Protestants as apocryphal, i.e., not inspired Scripture, because not contained in the Jewish list of books drawn up at the end of the first century A.D., have always been accepted by the Catholic Church as inspired and are called deuterocanonical to indicate that they are canonical even though disputed by some. came there forth out of Israel. The surviving Greek script has Hebraisms and Hebrew idioms. John R. Bartlett argues for somewhere between 11090 BCE. These heroes of the faith will walk with the One God and keep the Covenant. The author exhibits a personal interest in the events, but presents them as accurately as possible given his own commitment to the Maccabean dynasty as instituted by God. After a short introduction the book describes the Jewish uprising against Antiochus, whose persecution led to the desecration of the Temple. The name Maccabee, probably meaning "hammer," is actually applied in the Books of Maccabees to only one man, Judas, third son of the priest Mattathias and first leader of the revolt against the Seleucid kings who persecuted the Jews (1 Mc 2:4, 66; 2 Mc 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16).Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of Judas, his supporters . It purports to be a historical account of the repression and miraculous salvation of Egyptian Jewry during the reign (221205 bce) of Ptolemy IV Philopator. The Greeks recognize him as high priest, but like Judas, he finds himself caught between competing Greek kings who are engaged in their own civil war for control of the Seleucid Empire. VERSE 21. and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar, and the candlestick of the light, and all that pertained thereto. After the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., Judaism regrouped under the leadership of the rabbis. He was familiar with the traditions and sacred books of his people and had access to much reliable information on their recent history (from 175 to 134 B.C.). Judas's Maccabee title is generally tied to the Aramaic word maqqaba ("makebet" in modern Hebrew), "hammer" or "sledgehammer", in recognition of his prowess in battle. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. (He had previously become king of Greece.) However, the original has been lost and the version which comes down to us is the Septuagint. Maccabees , (fl. Omissions? He either used or reconstructed primary sources such as letters, poetic accounts, and possibly court histories. Unlike the Second Book of Maccabees, there is no doctrine of individual immortality except in the survival of ones name and fame, nor does the book express any messianic expectation, though messianic images are applied historically to the days of Simon (1Mc 14:417). In the first chapter, Alexander the Great conquers the territory of Judea, and is later succeeded by the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes. However, 1 Maccabees also insists that there were many Jews who sought out or welcomed the introduction of Greek culture. "[45][46] Even if "heaven" is merely shorthand for "God in heaven", 1 Maccabees is remarkably secular in its depiction of the conflict. 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