he shall die. And the women that had circumcised their children they put to death according to the commandment. It also uses anachronistic terms at times to make explicit parallels between the exploits of the Hasmoneans and earlier Jewish heroes; for example, it refers to the coastal region of Palestine as the land of the Philistines, despite the Philistines no longer being a relevant cultural grouping in the era. 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. From the time of Alexander onward Greek culture spread throughout the Middle East. The rabbinical sages of this period had learned from experience that revolt against the Gentiles (in this case the Romans) brought disaster. 1-2 Thessalonians. The Greek text is extant in two of the three oldest codices of the Greek Septuagint: the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus. VERSE 45. and should forbid whole burnt offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the sanctuary; and should profane the Sabbaths and feasts. The original book was apparently written in Hebrew, as is indicated by a number of Hebrew idioms used by the author. (He had previously become king of Greece.) Naturally, any account of the war of liberation led by Judas Maccabeus would have this effect and would show that victory was due to Gods powerful aid (2:19-22). It tells how the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress the practice of basic Jewish law, resulting in the Maccabean Revolt. First Maccabees or 1 Maccabees is most famous as the source of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. At first, it was used to describe the martyrs described in 2 Maccabees. These two books tell you a lot about Jewish self-definition in the second and first century bc. Corrections? Luckily, when a skateboard courier called Y.T. VERSE 58. The book covers the whole of the revolt, from 175 to 134 BC, highlighting how the salvation of the Jewish people in this crisis came through Mattathias' family, particularly his sons, Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan Apphus, and Simon Thassi, and Simon's son, John Hyrcanus. 25) gives testimony to the existence of an original Hebrew text. I Maccabees is the only contemporary source for the civil wars in Judaea, and the only surviving one for Judaean-Syrian relations after the reign of Antiochus IV. Journey through the Bible, one book at a time, with the 2nd edition of our Books of the Bible journal. 1:9). During the Protestant Reformation, the book (along with other books in the Catholic deuterocanon) was classed as biblical apocrypha in Protestantism, material useful for background but not canonical. They are in the Public Domain. VERSE 21. and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar, and the candlestick of the light, and all that pertained thereto. Grimm indicates the time span for when the book could have been written to be from 105-64 b.c.e. Protestants and Jews regard it as generally reliable historically, but not a part of holy scripture. Acts of the Apostles. It is probably a Greek translation of a Hebrew account of Israel's independence struggle between 174 and 134 bc.Similarly little is known about the author of 2 Maccabees, although it is clear that he was not the same person as the author of 1 Maccabees. Not only the leaders, but also circumcised infants and their mothers are killed as a warning to others. First Maccabees gives a detailed account of the struggle in Palestine over a period of fifty years, from the time Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to the throne up to the death of Simon, the last of the Maccabee brothers (134 B.C.). [35] Simon fortifies Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 13:10) and secures the reoccupation of Joppa (1 Maccabees 13:11), leading the people in peace and prosperity until he is murdered by agents of Ptolemy, son of Abubus, who had been named governor of the region by the Macedonian Greeks. Jonathan's capture in 143 BC, having been double-crossed by Diodotus Tryphon, is recorded in 1 Maccabees 12:48. The Septuagint was preserved by early Christians as the basis for the Christian Old Testament. It is not permitted to do evil that good may result. Friend. He may also have consulted it for Book 1 of The Jewish War. The early Seleucid rulers were tolerant of the political and religious cultures of the territories they controlled, but things changed when Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power, and the scene in Palestine became one of persecution and war. He will make a firm covenant with many for one week. IV Maccabees has scanty historical information and belongs to the Maccabees series only because it deals with the beginning of the persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. perhaps even Sadducean, tendency interpenetrates the entire work" (Fischer, 4:441) and the "author of 1 Maccabees identifies unreservedly with the rebels and their leaders." (Efron, 47; Sievers, 2). After successfully invading the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Antiochus IV captures Jerusalem and removes the sacred objects from the Temple in Jerusalem, slaughtering many Jews. Collins 2000 discusses 2, 3, and 4 Maccabees in this study of Jewish identity constructions in the diaspora in the Hellenistic period. VERSE 7. The Maccabees then ruled over Israel, first as High Priests and then as High Priests and Princes of Israel. Second Maccabees includes a different edition of the first seven chapters of 1 Maccabees and was written at a later date, likely in Alexandria, Egypt. John R. Bartlett argues for somewhere between 11090 BCE. saves his butt from a delivery-gone-bonkers, he decides to play nice with . 1 and 2 Maccabees reflect on this question in slightly different ways. More. By the end of the war, Simon was the only one of the five sons of Mattathias to survive and he ushered in an 80-year period of Jewish . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Buy Also Available At: . Were there any parts of the book that you particularly liked or which inspired you? "[42][43] All of this makes clear that God has specifically chosen a new dynasty to rule Judea, the Hasmoneans. The second book overlaps with the first, starting earlier. VERSE 22. and the table of the show bread, and the cups to pour withal, and the bowls, and the golden censers, and the veil, and the crowns, and the adorning of gold which was on the face of the temple, and he scaled it all off. (Jason of Cyrene was a Hellenized Jew who wrote a five-volume history on the times of the Maccabees. [41] The book dismisses a defeat suffered by other commanders named Joseph and Azariah as because "they did not listen to Judas and his brothers. This book also tells us more about atonement beyond the grave by asserting the existence of purgatory (12:38ff). It later became a title given to the rebels as a whole around the 3rd-5th century AD, hence the Septuagint naming the works as books of the Maccabees. VERSE 9. According to the text, some Jewish men even engaged in foreskin restoration in order to pass as fully Greek. 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). 1 After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. The title of 1 and 2 Maccabees is taken from the surname of Judas (1 Mace. Snow Crash Summary. After his death in battle c. 161 B.C.E., his brother Jonathan succeeds him. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Second Book of the Maccabees. The Books of the Maccabees, Maccabees also spelled Machabees, four books, none of which is in the Hebrew Bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the Septuagint. Thus 1 Maccabeesas well as the other books of this genrefaced a major political obstacle to their acceptance. [9][10] The author appears to be very familiar with Judea and its geography, but appears less well-informed about the wider Hellenistic world. VERSE 38. The author is unknown. Series: The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries. It was probably written sometime in the second century bc, in other words very shortly after the events it described. 13-16). 2 Kings. Attempts to discredit the work as essentially fiction have been discounted even by strongly critical scholars today. That is, about 168 BC. VERSE 60. The history of the Maccabee family given in these books ends with the death of Simon and the succession of his son, John Hyrcanus. [44] Notably, the author makes no reference to the idea of a bodily resurrection, which the Sadducees opposed. While he clearly portrays a divine providence behind the history he presents, the narrator refrains from the miracle stories and other legends found in 2 Maccabees, which deals with much of the same material. 2:4), the third son of Mattathias, the hero of the war of Jewish independence against Syria. He wrote in the post-independence Hasmonean kingdom, probably during the reign of High Priest John Hyrcanus (reigned ~134104 BC), with a few scholars suggesting that early in the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (reigned 10376 BC) is also a possibility. And it was the chief propaganda instrument of those non-practicing Jews who were trying to introduce Gentile customs into Israel. The people, in turn, must worship the Lord alone and observe exactly the precepts of the law given to them. [67] and Knox Bible.[68]. Many scholars suggest that these Church Fathers may have had access to a Biblical Aramaic paraphrase of the workmost Christians writers of the time did not distinguish between Hebrew and Aramaic. And they stored up arms and food, and gathering together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there, and they became a sore snare: VERSE 36. and it became a place to lie in wait in against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel continually. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. An unknown editor, the "Epitomist," used the factual notes of a historian . [5] The entire work is generally considered to be a unity composed by a single author on both philological and thematic grounds, although there are occasional short passages sometimes contested as potentially being added at a later date. 1 Maccabees . The author was an enthusiastic a supporter of the Maccabees who shows little sympathy with either their Jewish or Greek opponents. 2 Maccabees, instead of covering later years, shines a microscope on the first fifteen years of the same period, drawing its own lessons (which I . When Mattathias died (c. 166 bc), his son Judas Maccabaeus recaptured Jerusalem and reconsecrated the temple, an event celebrated in the holiday Hanukkah. Despite this, the book is not included as canon in the Tanakh. The book covers the whole of the revolt, from 175 to 134 B.C.E., emphasizing how the salvation of the Jewish people in this crisis came through the family of a zealous priest named Mattathias, particularly his sons, Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson, John Hyrcanus. 2 Samuel. The words "God" and "Lord" never occur in the text, always being replaced by "Heaven" or "He.". VERSE 1. Acts 4 (King James Version) 1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 2 Chronicles. Purpose of The Book of 1 Maccabees: The purpose in writing 1 Maccabees Book is to record the deliverance of Israel that God worked through the family of Mattathias (5:62) - especially through his three sons, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson, John Hyrcanus. 1 Maccabees 1. The revolt is also known by the name Maccabee, after the most renowned of Mattathias's sons . In the town of Modein, the priest Mattathias finds the situation intolerable. 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). It describes the refusal of Mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing Jewish revolt against Syrian hegemony, the political machinations whereby Demetrius II of Syria granted Judaea its independence, and the election of Simon as both high priest and secular ruler of the Judaean Jews. 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. But he also wants to show that Gods purpose in permitting persecution is to discipline the Jews in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterwards when our sins have reached their height (6:12-17). The same fate overtakes another persecutor, Nicanor, who dies because he threatened to destroy the Temple. Jonathan becomes high priest (1 Maccabees 10:20). VERSE 25. They are Jewish people who do not observe the Law. VERSE 46. and pollute the sanctuary and those who were holy; VERSE 47. that they should build altars, and temples, and shrines for idols, and should sacrifice swines flesh and unclean beasts: VERSE 48. and that they should leave their sons uncircumcised, that they should make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation; VERSE 49. so that they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances. With the advent of the printing press that obviated the need for scribes to manually and repeatedly copy such works, 1 Maccabees became more widely available. And after two full years the king sent a chief collector of tribute to the cities of Judah, and he came to Jerusalem with a great multitude. 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. And at the doors of the houses and in the streets they burned incense. It aims at bringing out even more strongly the religious lessons of the time, and the story is written more like a sermon than a history. If this is all new to you, don't worrywe're here to help. VERSE 35. There is one complete loss of a thousand Jews (men, women, and children) to Antiochus when the Jewish defenders refuse to fight on the Sabbath. [63], The Jewish historian Josephus of the 1st century AD almost certainly read 1 Maccabees. his heart was lifted up. And he took the silver and the gold and the precious vessels; and he took the hidden treasures which he found. 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. The book is held as canonical scripture today in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches (except for the Orthodox Tewahedo). First Maccabees can be divided as follows: Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. He interprets the Maccabean victory not as a miraculous intervention by God, but rather as God's using the instrument of the military genius of the Maccabees to achieve his divine ends. Christian tradition venerates these seven brothers as martyrs, and churches were dedicated to them in Antioch, Rome, Lyons, and Vienne. For more details about the Maccabees family and battles with the Greeks, please read 1 Maccabees. The book is not part of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and is not considered canonical by Protestant denominations nor in any of the major branches of Judaism. In those days rose up Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem; and he lived at Modin. 16:1 Then John came up from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done against their people. Rabbinic Judaism generally disapproved of the rule of the Hasmonean dynasty, but the book is openly pro-Hasmonean, one of several factors for a lack of enthusiasm for the book within later Judaism. The persecution of Antiochus IV presumably radicalized the Jews. There are seven poetic sections in the book that imitate the style of classical Hebrew poetry: four laments (1:2528, 3640; 2:713; 3:45), and three hymns of praise of our fathers (2:5164), of Judas (3:39), and of Simon (14:415). [44] That said, our knowledge of the Sadducees is scant, so it is difficult to know for sure. 1 Maccabees is best known for its account of the recapture of Jerusalem in the year 164 BC and rededication of the Second Temple: the origin behind the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The author propagates "Hasmonean propaganda" in the sense of upholding the righteousness of the Hasmoneans and their just claim to rule the Hasmonean kingdom. 2 He fought many battles, captured fortresses, and put the kings of the earth to death. The success of the Jewish campaigns he attributes to Gods protection, but he makes it clear that faithfulness to the Covenant is, as was the case with their forebears, the ground on which Israel must totally rely. 2 Maccabees - Chapter 4. 1 and 2 Maccabees are set during the reign of the Seleucid Greek empire (the part of the Greek empire that found its roots in Syria). The [] 1 Maccabees. Its name in the Septuagint and in the writings of the Church Fathers (Eusebius and Clement) is , i.e . CHAPTER 1. 1 Samuel. The two Books of Maccabees contain independent accounts of events (in part identical) that accompanied the attempted suppression of Judaism in Palestine in the second century B.C. 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