The original hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the greek translation contained in the septuagint. The name maccabee was a title of honour given to judas, a son of mattathias and the hero of the jewish. The third book of the maccabees has in reality nothing to do either with the maccabees or with their times. The first two books only are part of canonical scripture in the septuagint and the. The books of the maccabees are books concerned with the maccabees, the leaders of the jewish rebellion against the seleucid dynasty and related subjects the term mostly refers to two deuterocanonical books contained in various canons of the bible. 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. It describes the refusal of mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing jewish revolt.
The doctrine expressed in the book reflects traditional jewish teaching, without later doctrines found, for example, in 2 maccabees. The first and second books of maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of judah maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of judea from foreign domination. 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. When mattathias died, the revolt was led by his son judas, or judah maccabee, as he is often called. The second book of maccabees all chapters the bible. Maccabees definition, the members of the hasmonean family of jewish leaders and rulers comprising the sons of mattathias and their descendants and reigning in judea from 167. Maccabees, second book of ii maccabees, known in greek as. This is the story of that man and the events that made him one of the great heroes of freedomloving people everywhere. It is held as deuterocanonical scripture by both the. The first book of maccabees i maccabees is historical work extant in greek, covering the period of 40 years from the accession of antiochus epiphanes 175.
It was the passion, faith, and military genius of the maccabee that culminated in what is presently celebrated by jews the world over as hanukkah. The name came to be used for his brothers as well, which accounts for the title of the book. Why the maccabees arent in the bible my jewish learning. The book of 1 maccabees was written in hebrew and later translated into greek.
The book is held as canonical scripture by the catholic, orthodox, and oriental orthodox. 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. Publication date 20071205 usage public domain topics audiobook nonfiction, holiday chanukah. The books of the maccabees, four books, none of which is in the hebrew bible but. The third book of the maccabees iii maccabees, chapter 1 1 when philopator learned from those who returned that the regions which he had controlled had been seized by antiochus, he gave orders to all his forces, both infantry and cavalry, took with him his sister arsinoe, and marched out to the region near raphia, where antiochuss supporters.
The first book of maccabees all chapters the bible youtube. Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of judas, his. By the end of the war, simon was the only one of the five sons of mattathias to survive and he ushered in an 80year period of jewish independence in judea, as the land of israel was now called. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of hanukkah and the rededication of the temple, in addition to the famous story of the mother and her seven sons. The first and second books of maccabees are reckoned as part of the old testament by catholics. Maccabees, also spelled machabees, flourished 2nd century bce, palestine, priestly family of jews who organized a successful rebellion against the seleucid ruler antiochus iv and reconsecrated the defiled temple of jerusalem historical context of the maccabees. The books of maccabees describe the revolt led by the maccabean family against the syrian king, antiochus epiphanes. A series of books relating events centering around judas maccabeus and other heroes in the jewish struggle for religious and political freedom. English bible according to the catholic and orthodox canons. The first book of the maccabees book of the maccabees. It describes the refusal of mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing. Both 1 and 2 maccabees offer an important history that forms the background of the jewish hannukah holiday that celebrates the cleansing and restoration of the temple.
Scholars believe that the author was a palestinian jew who was intimately familiar with the events described. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. The name maccabee was a personal epithet of judah, and the later generations were not his direct descendants. However, the book of daniel, although included within the canon, is to a large extent written in aramaic. Jonathan, another of mattathias sons, became new high priest after the rededication of the temple and also became commander of the army. The first book of the maccabees covers the period of forty years from the accession of antiochus 175 b.
Some hold that the book was written originally as a kind of introduction to the books of maccabees, which it precedes as book i in cottons five books of maccabees. The author opposed the hellenization of the jews and clearly supported and admired the jewish revolutionaries led by judas maccabeus and his brothers. It was this title which gave the title to the other books of the apocrypha bearing the same name. Perhaps the term maccabees was generalized so as to denote all who suffered for their faith. First maccabees written circa 4104 bce and describing the period of 166 5 bce is devoted to presenting the maccabean dynasty, from mattathias. This is properly applied to the first leader of the revolt, judas, third son of mattathias, whose attacks were hammerlike. The first book of maccabees is a book written by a jewish author after the restoration of an independent jewish kingdom, probably about 100 bc. 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. The doctrine expressed in the book is the customary belief of israel, without the new developments which appear in 2 maccabees and daniel. The name maccabee is often used as a synonym for the entire hasmonean dynasty, but the maccabees proper were judah maccabee and his four brothers. The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica.
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