[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. 2 He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and slaughtered the kings of the earth. The 1643 Westminster Confession says that the books "are of no authority in the Church of God, not to be any otherwise approved", for example. The rabbinical sages of this period had learned from experience that revolt against the Gentiles (in this case the Romans) brought disaster. The second book is not a sequel to 1 Maccabees; it partially covers the same history (176 - 160 b.c.). The Hasmoneans were not an obvious choice to be rulers; they did not descend from the priestly line of Zadok that had taken the office of High Priest for generations at the point of the Maccabean Revolt. Although 1 Maccabees was originally written in Hebrew (some you can tell from the sentence structure) it exists now only in Greek. 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. VERSE 32. 13-16). Corrections? Demetrius' death is reported in 1 Maccabees 10:50, and Ptolemy VI Philometor and Alexander Balas, claimant to the Seleucid throne, enter into an agreement under which Alexander marries Cleopatra Thea, Ptolemy's daughter (1 Maccabees 10:58). in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. 1 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book written by a Jewish author and included in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons of the Bible. And they did all put diadems upon themselves after that he was dead, and so did their sons after them many years: and they multiplied evils in the earth. INTRODUCING MATTATHIAS. The author, probably a Palestinian Jew, is unknown. the king sent letters. 63 Today they will be exalted, but tomorrow they will not be found, because they will have returned to the dust, and their plans will have perished. First Maccabees or 1 Maccabees is most famous as the source of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. They are in the Public Domain. More wars involving Judas and his brothers Simon and Jonathan are reported in chapters 5, 6 and 7. Thus 1 Maccabeesas well as the other books of this genrefaced a major political obstacle to their acceptance. Chapter 2. 2 Maccabees recaps some of the story (until the events of 161 bc) and adds in details about Gods intervention into the events reports. 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. [28] Verses 2332 record an agreement between Rome and the nation of the Jews, whereby each party would act as a willing ally of the other and refuse to supply their enemies in time of war, specific warning being given to Demetrius I Soter that this pact would be activated against him if requested by the Jews. Simon, who was called Thassi; In the book itself, "Maccabee" is used solely as a personal title for Judah Maccabee (Latinized as Judas Maccabeus). 1 Maccabees describes the response of one family to these events. 16:1 Then John came up from Gazara, and told Simon his father what Cendebeus had done against their people. Elephants were an important part of the army of Antiochus. 1 Maccabees. This history includes battles with Antiochus IV and his son. 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 books had separate authors. First Maccabees was written about 100 B.C., in Hebrew, but the original has not come down to us. 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]. According to her glory, so was her dishonor multiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning. The author propagates "Hasmonean propaganda" in the sense of upholding the righteousness of the Hasmoneans and their just claim to rule the Hasmonean kingdom. His severest condemnation goes, not to the Seleucid politicians, but to the lawless apostates among his own people, adversaries of Judas and his brothers, who are models of faith and loyalty. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The festival of Hanukkah is instituted (1 Macc. And he had five sons, John, who was surnamed Gaddis; VERSE 3. [32] Ultimately the relationship between Jonathan and Demetrius breaks down: Maccabees' opinion is that Demetrius "broke his word about all that he had promised; he became estranged from Jonathan and did not repay the favors that Jonathan had done him, but treated him very harshly". The origin of 2 Maccabees is debated. 1 and 2 Maccabees reflect on this question in slightly different ways. 62 Do not fear the words of sinners, for their splendour will turn into dung and worms. The surviving Greek script has Hebraisms and Hebrew idioms. (He had previously become king of Greece.) He and his three sons begin a military campaign against them, the vicissitudes of which are described in detail. The doctrine expressed in the book is the customary belief of Israel, without the new developments which appear in 2Maccabees and Daniel. 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 . It promotes commitment to Gods covenant as the path to prosperity, and the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. 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. Alexandra was succeeded by another son, Aristobulus II. 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). Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. And wherever was found with any a book of the covenant, and if any consented to the law, the kings sentence delivered him to death. Mattathias proclaimed a holy war; Jewish armed resistance operated from the wilderness with great success under the successive leadership of three of Mattathias sonsJudas Maccabeus, the undisputed leader of the Jews (3:1-9); Jonathan (9:28-12:53), and Simon (chap. The author is unknown. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). However, this original Hebrew has been lost, and the work only survives in translation in Koine Greek contained in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Jewish scriptures. 2He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth. he spoke words in subtlety. 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 also seems to have been written in Judea where knowledge of Hebrew would have been more widespread. 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. 2 Maccabees is a summary of Jason's five-volume work. 2 Simon now had the effrontery to name this benefactor of the city, this protector of his . The original book was apparently written in Hebrew, as is indicated by a number of Hebrew idioms used by the author. Throughout the early Christian period, IV Maccabees was wrongly attributed to Josephus. III Maccabees has no relation to the other three books of Maccabees, all of which deal with the revolt of Judaea against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus forbids both circumcision and possession of Jewish scriptures on pain of death. The First Book of Macabbees is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. [9][10] The author appears to be very familiar with Judea and its geography, but appears less well-informed about the wider Hellenistic world. And on the five and twentieth day of the month they sacrificed upon the idol altar of God. These two books tell you a lot about Jewish self-definition in the second and first century bc. . 25) gives testimony to the existence of an original Hebrew text. 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. The time period described is from around 170 BC to 134 BC. Antiochus then tries to suppress public observance of Jewish laws, in an attempt to secure control over the Jews. And the women that had circumcised their children they put to death according to the commandment. 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. In the first chapter, Alexander the Great conquers the territory of Judea, and is later succeeded by the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And it was the chief propaganda instrument of those non-practicing Jews who were trying to introduce Gentile customs into Israel. Grimm indicates the time span for when the book could have been written to be from 105-64 b.c.e. 1 Maccabees is a historical book, concerned to relay the events of the period as closely as possible. 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. There is a faithful remnant. [26] Mattathias calls upon people loyal to the traditions of Israel to oppose the invaders and the Jewish Hellenizers, and his sons begin a military campaign against them. Updates? Matthew 24:15. It was portrayed as a center of athletic and intellectual life. The works main religious theme is that the martyrs sufferings vicariously expiated the sins of the entire Jewish people. And from the people were gathered together to them many, every one that had forsaken the law; and they did evil things in the land; VERSE 53. and they made israel to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they had. And they tore in pieces the books of the law which they found, and set them on fire. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. VERSE 1. The [] 1 Kings. 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. the Torah. VERSE 35. 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. Protestants and Jews regard it as generally reliable historically, but not a part of holy scripture.. Greece. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. He then calls forth the people to holy war against the Gentiles and their Jewish collaborators. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. VERSE 59. 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. Antiochus makes Judaism illegal. [20], During the Crusades, Pope Urban II and other church leaders used 1 Maccabees 2 to justify the concept of holy war against the Muslim kingdoms controlling the holy city of Jerusalem. First Maccabees (written circa 134-104 BCE and describing the period of 166-135 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.. First Maccabees was written in Hebrew (though it is only preserved today in Greek) for a Judean audience in a Biblical style that emphasizes . 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 . Experts date the original Hebrew text sometime in the late second century B.C.E. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article Updates? VERSE 27. He reports the calamities the Jewish people experience on account of their sins, while also stressing the role played by God in his providence, who watches over them as he promised he would (cf. 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). to the death of Simeon the Hasmonean (135 B.C.E.). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. 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. They are Jewish people who do not observe the Law. The people of Israel have been specially chosen by the one true God as covenant-partner, and they alone are privileged to know and worship God, their eternal benefactor and unfailing source of help. It is accepted in the Catholic and Orthodox canons. The book draws a sharp contrast between Jews and Gentiles, similar to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. VERSE 25. The people, in turn, must worship the Lord alone and observe exactly the precepts of the law given to them. The words "God" and "Lord" never occur in the text, always being replaced by "Heaven" or "He.". While enforcement may be targeting only Jewish leaders, ordinary Jews were also killed as a warning to others. VERSE 1. (Jason of Cyrene was a Hellenized Jew who wrote a five-volume history on the times of the Maccabees. In either case, only the Greek text has survived, and this only through its inclusion in the Christian canon. 1 In those days Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, left Jerusalem and settled in Modein. And king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people. Unlike, the writer of 2 Maccabees, he evidences no Pharisaic theology and may have written in order to justify the Maccabeean dynasty against criticism that they were corrupt and were ruling illegitimately as Jewish kings since they were not of the Davidic lineage. These include four laments and three hymns of praise. They establish a gymnasium, where men socialized in the nude. In 285 he abdicated in favor of his son Ptolemy II, who became involved in a struggle with the Seleucid kings. 1.12.70 The rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes and subsequent crisis3.19.22 The leadership of Judas Maccabeus in the revolt against the Greeks9.2312.53 The leadership of Jonathan (Judas brother)13.116.24 The leadership and subsequent assignation of Simon (also a brother of Judas), 1.12.32 Letters from Jews in Jerusalem to those in Egypt3.16.31 The conquest of Jerusalem by Antiochus IV Epiphanes7.1-42 The torture and murder of seven brothers and their mother8.19.29 The victory of Judas Maccabeus over the Greeks10.1-38 The purification of the Temple11.115.39 Ongoing conflict and the eventual victory of Judas. Although 1 Maccabees describes the response of one family to these events with. Suppress public observance of Jewish scriptures on pain of death customary belief of Israel, without new... 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