However, the book of daniel, although included within the canon, is to a large extent written in aramaic. Maccabees, books of, 12 international standard bible. Lessons from the holy maccabees catholic world report. 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. As a surname it was also applied to his brothers and, by. Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of judas, his. First maccabees written circa 4104 bce and describing the period of 1665 bce is devoted to presenting the maccabean dynasty, from mattathias through his son judah, to jonathan and simon who became high priests and gained political independence.
Various scholars have dated the writing of 3 maccabees as sometime between 100 bc and ad 30, though the exact date and author are uncertain. Jan 02, 2020 the first book portrays the effort by the jews to regain their cultural and religious independence from antiochus iv epiphanes after his desecration of the jewish temple. Maccabees, fourth book of iv maccabees, apocryphal book, included in the septuagint. Second maccabees narrates the story of the maccabean revolt and is considered deuterocanonical by roman catholics and orthodox christians.
Why does the catholic bible include the maccabees and the. Even more problematic is the fact that scholars believe that the first book of maccabees was indeed written originally in hebrew, therefore meeting the language criterion for inclusionand yet it is absent from the biblical canon. The story of hanukah actually comes from the talmud, not the bible. The jewish legacy portrayed, in writings such as the fourth book of the maccabees, the glorious nature of death rather than renunciation of israel. Unlike the apocalyptic book of daniel which was written in the context of persecution, i think the sitzimleben of the maccabean literature was later, extolling the.
There is some justification for the title since illustrations are largely drawn from 2 maccabees 6 and 7. This book is like a fearful peal of thunder echoing out of the dim horrors of ancient tyranny. There are a number of really good books on the subject now that are less expensive castelli, york, slane, etc. After the death of alexander the great, his generals divided his empire into regional sections. The title of 1 and 2 maccabees is taken from the surname of judas 1 mace. The author tells us that he is summarizing a 5volume work by jason of cyrene 2. The book actually has nothing to do with the maccabees or their revolt against the seleucid empire, as described in 1 maccabees and 2 maccabees. There were good kings and bad kings in the seleucid dynasty. Instead it tells the story of persecution of the jews under. A resurrection for tortured jews 2 maccabees the bart.
Apr 15, 2014 martyrdom and persecution in the early church. Nov 12, 2015 the second book of machabees is not, as the name might suggest, a continuation of the first, but covers part of the same ground. The poor book of maccabees missed the cut by less than 100 years. It received its name probably because it is a fiction concerning the persecution of the jews by a foreign king. A study of conflict from the maccabees to donatus frend, william w. The book of maccabees bom is rather different from. The hellenization of judah and the nonviolent resistance by mattathias is covered. In addition to these histories, two other books entitled maccabees survive. Written in hellenistic greek and told from a jewishhellenistic perspective, 2 maccabees narrates and interprets the ups and downs of events that took place in jerusalem prior to and during the maccabean revolt. The family of mattathias became known as the maccabees, from the hebrew word for hammer, because they were said to strike hammer blows against their enemies.
The book actually has nothing to do with the maccabees or their revolt against the greek empire, as described in 1 maccabees and 2 maccabees. Why were the maccabees books excluded from the protestant. The book proper ii, 20xv, 40 is preceded by two letters of the jews of jerusalem to their egyptian coreligionists i, 1ii, 19. Maccabees, books of, 35 international standard bible. He went up against israel and came to jerusalem with a strong force. Roman history of the first centuries records two such tyrantsthe other, caligula, the second brilliant madman. Why the maccabees arent in the bible my jewish learning. These books were better known among greek speaking jews in the mediterranean world around the time of jesus. The author of the first book of maccabees regarded the maccabean revolt as a rising of pious jews against the seleucid king who had tried to eradicate their religion and against the jews who supported him. Soon, the holy land of judaea was controlled by a dynasty of kings known as the seleucids. 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.
It is of special interest as the only surviving major piece of greek rhetoric in jewish literature. The biblical book 3 maccabees is found in most orthodox bibles as a part of the deuterocannonical books but protestants and catholics regard it as apocryphal. It is a chapter based on persecution by antiochus, the tyrant of syria, whom some called epiphanes, the madman. The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica. Despite the title, the book has nothing to do with the maccabees or their revolt against the seleucid empire, as described in 1 maccabees and 2 maccabees. A series of books relating events centering around judas maccabeus and other heroes in the jewish struggle for religious and political freedom. It is a chapter based on persecution by antiochus, the tyrant of syr ia, whom some called epiphanes, the madman. Like other rulers before him, antiochus underestimated the will and strength of his jewish.
Maccabees, books of the 1901 jewish encyclopedia bible. Like 1 maccabees and the book of daniel, 2 maccabees interprets the religious persecution suffered by the jews under the seleucid ruler antiochus iv epiphanes from 168 to 164 bce. The second book of machabees is not, as the name might suggest, a continuation of the first, but covers part of the same ground. It received its name probably because it is a fiction concerning the persecution of the jews by a foreign king that king was ptolemy philopator 222205 b. The book of daniel and the maccabean thesis up until. Iv maccabees is a philosophical sermon on the theme pious reason masters. At first, he spoke peaceable who is the valiant woman in the book of maccabees read. The book of maccabees does not have the story of the miracle of the lights. Books of maccabees encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Passion, persecution, and epiphany in early jewish. The first book portrays the effort by the jews to regain their cultural and religious independence from antiochus iv epiphanes after his desecration of the jewish temple. But this book tells of sufferings and triumphs on the part of loyal jews comparable to those of the.
Hellenistic persecutions of the samaritans according to josephus flavius. Send me email alerts for new articles by elon gilad. Instead it tells the story of persecution of the jews under ptolemy iv philopator 222205 bc. Instead it tells the story of persecution of the jews under ptolemy iv philopator 222205 bc, some decades before the maccabee uprising. The title of this book is a misnomer since it treats of the sufferings of the egyptian jews under ptolemy iv philopator 221203 b. 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 175164163 bc to the death 54 bc of simon maccabeus, high priest in jerusalem. Apr 26, 2018 the arabic book of maccabees contained in the paris and london polyglotts, and purporting to be a history of the jews from the affair of heliodorus 186 b.
The fourth book of the maccabees this book is like a fearful peal of thunder echoing out of the dim horrors of an cient tyranny. Passion, persecution, and epiphany in early jewish literature. An exception is the hellenistic persecution under antiochus, made famous by the book of maccabees. Once antiochus epiphanes desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and erected a statue of zeus in the holy of holies, the profane act both shocked those loyal to yahweh god and caused the rise of the priestly maccabee family to rise up and wage war against the tyrant. Jan 02, 2020 the book of 3 maccabees tells the story of persecution of the jews under ptolemy iv philopator 222205 bc prior to the maccabean uprising. Why were the maccabees books excluded from the protestant bible. The books of maccabees are not part of the hebrew bible. The two books of maccabees contain independent accounts of events in part. Jews refer to the maccabees, but the family is more commonly known as the hasmoneans. Unlike the apocalyptic book of daniel which was written in the context of persecution, i think the sitzimleben of the maccabean literature was later, extolling the virtues of those. The arabic book of maccabees contained in the paris and london polyglotts, and purporting to be a history of the jews from the affair of heliodorus 186 b. The following homily delivered by the reverend peter m. The book of 2 maccabees consists of a greek synopsis of a fivevolume history of the maccabean revolt written by jason of cyrene. The third book of the maccabees has in reality nothing to do either with the maccabees or with their times.
A resurrection for tortured jews 2 maccabees the bart ehrman. Dont let the philosophical problem of evil and an interest in the origins of the apocalyptic worldview and genre overly influence the exegesis of 2 maccabees. It describes the refusal of mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing. The ancient israelites, led by judas maccabeus, did vanquish the oppressor antiochus but greek rule would only be shaken off 20 years later under judas younger brother.
Jan 03, 2019 an exception is the hellenistic persecution under antiochus, made famous by the book of maccabees. Like all of our ancient books, the book of maccabees was originally written in hebrew but over the years because of persecution, exiles and book burnings the hebrew version was lost. The author of the second book of maccabees presented the conflict as a struggle between judaism and hellenism, concepts which he coined. The name 3 maccabees, though occurring in the oldest manuscripts and vss, is quite unsuitable, because the book refers to events which antedate the maccabean age by about half a century, and also to events in which the maccabees took no part. Its unfortunate this book is so expensive, nevertheless, if your desire is to learn about martyrdom and persecution in the early church then this is the book for you.