who wrote the book of maccabees

Horsemen were seen fighting high over Jerusalem for almost forty days. In a short epilogue, the author states that he did his best to combine historical details with a style which was hopefully interesting enough to please his readers (15:37-39). 1 Maccabees | The Oxford Handbook of the Apocrypha | Oxford Academic Some features of the Messianic age are anticipated during Maccabean rule. 2 Maccabees, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB Two women were killed because they circumcised their children, and other Jews were burned to death while keeping the Sabbath (6:10, 11). However, his political tendencies render him partial: he has too much ingenuous admiration for the Romans (who will not hesitate to occupy Palestine without much regard!) This may be virtually equivalent to the closely related kingdom of God concept. 1 and 2 Maccabees are included in the Apocrypha, whereas 3 and 4 Maccabees are ranked among the pseudep. Clement of Alexandria (c. a.d. 195) refers to 1 Maccabees as , and Eusebius specifically mentions . A newly independent Israel must have rekindled hopes for Messiahs coming. (1:7, 8). Since Hebrews 11:4-12:2 is often related to the honor roll found in Ecclesiasticus 44-49, it could be argued that the author of Hebrews had another intertestamental book in mind also. The well-known martyr section (6:10-7:42) extols the dedicated faithfulness of the victims and makes their actions worthy of emulation. comprised another common source for the two historians. J. The book was not translated by Jerome into the Latin Vulgate. Some of the faithful heroes were tortured and killed, or were wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth (Heb 11:38). [26] In this it is similar to the Testament of Moses, which was written or updated around the same time period, and similarly praises the virtues of martyrdom and resistance. Two trs. First Maccabees begins with the rise and legitimacy of the Hasmonean dynasty, originating with an account of the life of the Jewish priest Mattathias, a forefather of the Maccabean revolt. As he carefully depicted the events surrounding the desecration and purification of the Temple, the epitomist sought to foster proper devotion to the Jerusalem sanctuary. 14:23 and 16:23f.). B. Before examining the date of the extant book, one must investigate Jasons earlier work. First Book of Maccabees - Jewish Virtual Library Several accounts resemble the 2nd cent. He is careful to avoid the name of God, referring to deity as heaven primarily. The Temple in Jerusalem is regarded as the best and holiest in the world (2:19, 22; 5:15; 14:31) and events concerning the Temple are extremely important. If the epitomist is identified less specifically with the Hasidim, as is the author of 1 Maccabees, it is hard to account for the vast differences between the two books. If these many other signs were to be recorded, even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25). Jason and then Menelaus, aided by the Tobiad temple officer Simon, wrested this position from Onias III, mainly through bribes given to Antiochus Epiphanes. Even the persecution of the Jews was deserved, for the nation had sinned in supporting pagan practices. As is the case with the Book of Esther, Godout of respectis never named; he is evoked by the word Heaven. But it is he who favors the bold maneuvers of Judas and his brothers; it is he who brings about the victory. [6] The author has the clear rhetorical intent of arousing admiration and emulation of these examples of devotion to the Jewish law. After miraculous signs in the sky, Jason attacked Jerusalem hoping to regain the high priesthood lost to Menelaus (5:1-10). The adjective "pious," however, is critically important: the author is altering the common topic ("reason can master the emotions") in order to suggest that it is the mind that has been trained in the piety and exercises in the practices of the Jewish Law that is equipped to exercise the mastery that Greek ethicists praise. Second, both 1 and 2 Maccabees highlight something that traditional Jewish retellings . 7 is an adaptation of Psalm 79:2, 3. prominent at Qumran also. This substitution of the place for the name is compared by some scholars with the term kingdom of heaven (Matt 3:2). Inasmuch as the work of Jason is no longer extant, most of the arguments of this nature are subjective and anything but conclusive. origin. Jewish traditions. ), A. Despite this partisan position, he remains a serious and objective historian, reports what he has seen, and utilizes the testimonies of contemporaries and official documents. shows an awareness of the LXX, he may have been an Alexandrian Jew, preparing his rendition near the start of the 1st Christian cent. He is the Almighty Lord (3:22; 8:18), the great Sovereign of the world (12:15, 28), and the righteous Judge (12:6, 41). Linguistic affinities with the Epistle of Aristeas strengthens a dating in the last pre-Christian cent. The Eastern Orthodox Canon was laid out in the Quinisext Council in Trullo (692 CE). Hellenistic Judaism waned with time, and the book was not back-translated to Hebrew in its era. II. The author aimed at providing a chronological history of the key events surrounding the lives and accomplishments of the Maccabees. The name Maccabee was a title of honour given to Judas, a son of Mattathias and the hero of the Jewish wars of independence, 168-164 bce. affairs lead all scholars to conclude that the author was a Jew living in Alexandria; for his zeal to adhere to the Jewish faith until death links him with the Hasidim. history of Polybius, particularly the description of the Battle of Raphia (Histories V, 80-86). I Maccabees: The First Book of the Maccabees covers the period of forty years from the accession of Antiochus (175 B.C.) Moreover, the use of a personal name like Philopator in formal correspondence (3 Macc 3:12; 7:1) did not become the practice of the Ptolemies until about 100 b.c. The Second Book of the Maccabees, or its source, was probably written in the same period as I Maccabees. The date of that production depends partially on the identification of Jason and the scope of the epitome. The Book of Maccabees is a collection of four volumes that recount the history of the Maccabees, the leaders of the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Seleucid dynasty. The books vary greatly in historical reliability, content and style. Many commentators agree on two points about the development of 2 Maccabees: (1) the letters in 1:12:18 were not written by the author of the rest of the history, and (2) the account of the rededication of the temple in 10:18 has been relocated or inserted into the text. The Messianic hope appears in connection with a faithful prophet who would come to deal with the profaned altar (4:42, 47), and to replace the dynasty of Simon as ruler and high priest (14:41). The History Of The Maccabees Explained - Grunge MSS commonly designate 1 and 2 Maccabees as A and B. Share Watch on Depiction of the Maccabees at the Or Torah Synagogue in Acre, Israel. Several lines of evidence support a 1st cent. Several motifs seem to be borrowed from the canonical Book of Esther, which relates the oppression of the Jews by an earlier power. For the wicked, the future held nothing but punishment and suffering. to His climactic glorious return (2 Thess 2:8; 1 Tim 6:14; Titus 2:13). First, both 1 and 2 Maccabees remind us that the emergence of the Maccabees and their eventual successis played out on a world stage marked by internecine warfare among eastern Mediterranean Greek powers and the lurking rise of Roman power beyond. There is little doubt that the smooth Gr. Biblical literature - Esther, Maccabean Revolt, II Maccabees It may indicate that the author concentrated only on those events concerning Judas which were recorded. 1 Macc 4:59). 1 Macc 6:20 and 2 Macc 13:1). E. Date. A five-volume history might be expected to cover more than the fifteen-year period dealt with in the epitome. It is no longer printed in Romanian Bibles today. This time three years of peace ensued until Demetrius I sent Nicanor to be the Syrian governor of Judea. Unity. [3], While the setting of the book is during the Seleucid and Maccabee period of Judea, it is generally believed that the author intended to apply the lessons from this era in his current time. This is followed by another invasion of Timothy, whose large army was smashed near Jerusalem by Judas, who was aided by five angelic horsemen visible to the enemy (10:24-38). Second Maccabees is noticeably dramatic and emotional. [29] These Jewish Christians, however, have not left a written legacy of their own; we have access to their arguments only as reflected in Paul's letters angrily denouncing their understanding of Christianity. While there is some doubt as to their authenticity, these letters may well have been incorporated by the epitomist himself. Esther. It is a work that combines Hellenistic Judaism with influence from Greek philosophy, particularly the school of Stoicism. Chapter 8 contains a letter from Rome confirming an alliance with the Jews, and in spite of earlier skepticism, scholars today accept its genuineness. b.c. persecutions and may be alluded to in Hebrews 11:35-38. B. Jasons history. Moreover, the religious revolt in its beginnings is colored little by little with political ambitions. On the troubles caused by Jason and his revolt against the kingdom, i.e., the rule of the legitimate high priest, see 2 Mc 4:7-22. through the reign of Simon Maccabeus in 134 b.c. In brief, the soul of this new holy war is the Lord. They did not include the work as canonical nor deuterocanonical. By contrast, he is indignant against the undertakings of the kings of Syria and frequently treats them with excessive severity. and referring to a letter written in 143 b.c. [7][8] Harry Orlinsky describes it as "an elaborate variation, in philosophical and highly dramatic vein, of the theme" of 2 Maccabees 6:187:4. In the first story (1:1-2:24) Ptolemys great victory over Antiochus III at the Battle of Raphia (217 b.c.) Some of the sources utilized by Jason and the author of 1 Maccabees may have been identical, however. It covers a broader timeframe and delves into the religious and spiritual aspects of the struggle, focusing on the importance of martyrdom and the afterlife. 7). [15] This title would be consistent with the conventions of Greek philosophical and ethical works of the period (e.g., Seneca's "On Anger," "On Benefits," "On the Constancy of the Wise Person"). [20] The argument in favor of it being an original part of the composition is that the book would have a weak ending without the final chapter, and that the style and vocabulary of the final chapter is not as different as claimed. Scriptural terms and phrases are sprinkled throughout the text (3:45; 9:21, 22) and predicted events find some fulfillment. The existence of a festival at Alexandria as well as one at Ptolemais strengthens this hypothesis (6:36; 7:19). As a result, Jerusalem was turned into a Gr. Original language. In spite of the steady chronological order and sustained style of the book, scholars have occasionally questioned the authenticity of chs. Because of the writers religious objective he emphasizes the supernatural, particularly the effective work of angelic horsemen. compared with 16 for 1 Maccabees, it is considerably shorter. As a result, the work was generally obscure in Latin-reading Western Europe. "The More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Books_of_the_Maccabees&oldid=1155106155, 7 Maccabees, a Syriac text which contains transcripts of speeches which were made by the, This page was last edited on 16 May 2023, at 17:46. The Books of the Maccabees | Definition, Contents, & Facts and may have been extended to include other heroes of the faith as well. [34], Erasmus published at Cologne in 1524 a very free Latin paraphrase of 4 Maccabees, possibly based on the Passio. This is perhaps the gravest lacuna in an interesting and human story that exudes heroism and combines the intransigence of faith with the passion for freedom. In the first ch. from Heb. It is more likely that he respected them highly while not actually belonging to their clan. The cleansing of the Temple and the institution of the Feast of Dedication are related in 10:1-9. Chronological errors abound, such as the placing of Antiochus Epiphanes death prior to the cleansing of the Temple by Judas (2 Macc 1:11-18; 9:1-10:9) or the description of episodes concerning Lysias following that same monarchs decease (11:1-15). The suffering and martyrdom of the Maccabees is seen by the author to be vicarious for the Jewish nation, and the author portrays martyrdom in general as bringing atonement for the past sins of the Jews. Events precede the Maccabean era by about fifty years, and none of the Maccabees figures in any of the narratives. B. In similar fashion, John summarizes Jesus life by referring to many other signs.which are not written in this book (John 20:30). vi. Some scholars consider the book to be a kind of introduction to the books of Maccabees, and Cotton for one has located it first in his Five Books of Maccabees. Its name in the Septuagint and in the writings of the Church Fathers (Eusebius and Clement) is , i.e . The Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon includes none of the books which are listed above, instead, it includes three books of Ethiopic Maccabees (1 Meqabyan, 2 Meqabyan, and 3 Meqabyan), books which are distinct from those books which are listed above. In a period when party divisions were not clearly defined in Judaism, it is difficult to label the author either a Pharisee or Sadducee. It was included in the 1688 Romanian Orthodox and the 18th-century Romanian Catholic Bibles where it was called "Iosip" (Josephus). H. Teaching. Some assert that this book was written as a sequel to Ezra and Nehemiah. The reference to the rest of Johns acts in the chronicles of the high priesthood (16:24) suggests that the author was living toward the end of his reign (134-104 b.c.) It is possible that Jerome intended Hebrew to be understood as Palestinian Aram., but the nature of the Gr. The faith of Israel remains basically the same as of old, but it is expressed in a new way: the zeal for the Law, the worship at the temple, the horror of uncleanness, and the curses of the Gentiles; this is what characterizes these Jews of the second century B.C. The work consists of a prologue and two main sections. Such caution reflects the Pharisees practice of substituting for Yahweh lest they profane His name. Machabaeorum). Occasionally the flow of the narrative is interrupted by one of the many official letters cited (cf. ; 11:3ff. To that end, the Society provides, through its various meetings and publications, conversation There survives a complete Syriac translation, as well as a Latin adaptation under the title Passio Sanctorum Machabaeorum (Suffering of the Holy Maccabees). (See I. C. 3 also. A theological treatise such as 2 Maccabees differed widely from the unadorned, factual approach found in 1 Maccabees. The Secret History of Hanukkah By Tamar Fox Advertisement Everything your Hebrew school taught you about the miracle of Hanukkah is a lie. In almost every battle angelic horsemen appear to terrify the enemy and bring victory to the Maccabean forces. xii. Their suffering was even regarded as having an atoning value (7:37; 8:3). [21] The change of direction with chapter 17 supports the view of the work as a homily held before a Greek-speaking audience on the feast of Hanukkah, as advanced by Ewald and Freudenthal, where this would be a rhetorical element to draw the listeners into the discourse. Scholars do not agree concerning how this problem can be unravelled. The lament in ch. The allusions to the law, the temple, and the covenant, as well as the prayers of the combatants, bear witness to his presence. common in Alexandria during this period. of Josephus Jewish War) to indicate a source for the wars of Judas. A series of books relating events centering around Judas Maccabeus and other heroes in the Jewish struggle for religious and political freedom. The Book of Maccabees I - Sefaria The Maccabees were instruments of God for the preservation of the faith, and they frequently are compared with OT heroes. Several contradictions and historical problems have cast doubt on the integrity of 2 Maccabees. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries b.c. Title. It would be possible to identify the writer with the Hasidim, the pious ones, embracing both Pharisees and Essenes. VS were made into Lat. The Septuagint is what gave it its modern name of "4 Maccabees" to distinguish it from the other books of Maccabees in it, but it almost certainly was not the original title of the work. The success of the ruling family was secondary to the destiny of the nation as a whole (4:59; 5:16; 7:48f. Numerical superiority means little in battle if the faithful seek God in prayer. 1 Maccabees tells the story from what came to be known as the position of the Sadducees, and 2 Maccabees reflects the position of the Pharisee sect. Rather, it is another book about the Maccabean era. ), New English Translation of the Septuagint (4 Maccabees), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=4_Maccabees&oldid=1156266492, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 22 May 2023, at 01:38. At the end of the book, Nicanors death is attributed to his threat against the Temple. Since the Talmud refers to this famous family as Hasmonean, and Maccabee does not occur in Sem. to foster biblical scholarship. Since 2 Maccabees is based on the fivefold history of Jason, it is difficult to decide which material was original with the author himself. There are four books which pass under this nameI, II, III, and IV Maccabees. Since they stem from Pal. J. The First Book of Maccabees may be divided a follows: II: The Great Days of the Resistance (2:16:63), III: The Rise of the Hasmoneans (7:116:24). religious calendar. Within 3-15:36, which constitute the epitome proper, scholars have questioned the inclusion of official documents in ch. Second Maccabees begins with two letters, Epistle I and Epistle II. Chapter 2 describes the fervent zeal of Mattathias, a priest who, along with his five sons, launched a bitter revolt in Modein against Antiochuss soldiers and any Jews who collaborated with the Syrians out of expediency. Robert J. V. Hiebert, "Preparing a Critical Edition of IV Maccabees: The Syriac Translation and the, Some comparison of the Syriac with the Greek was undertaken in the joint work of, "The Sahidic Coptic Version of 4 Maccabees", New Testament Allusions to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (including 4 Macc. was the original language of 1 Maccabees. [9] Fragments of an abridged Sahidic Coptic translation were discovered by Enzo Lucchesi in the 1980s. Harry M. Orlinsky, "Review of Heinrich Drrie. On April 8, 1546, the Council of Trent declared the canonicity of nearly the entire Vulgate, excluding only the Third and Fourth Books of Maccabees, the Prayer of Manasseh, Psalm 151, and the First and Second Books of Esdras. Later scholars have rejected this claim of authorship, however. K. Relation to the NT. 13 Facts About the Maccabees Every Jew Should Know Books of Maccabees - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway New Catholic Bible (NCB). The two books of Maccabees contain accounts of the Maccabean wars written from different points of view. The author displays a large vocabulary in his descriptive zeal. [35], Four pre-modern translations of 4 Maccabees are known. used, the emphasis upon Alexandrian Judaism, and the authors knowledge of Egyp. This historian is also a believer, convinced that Providence guides and sustains the unexpected rebirth of his people. were a later addition. Gods providential justice is strongly emphasized, particularly by the exact retribution He meted out to the wicked. diaspora are prefaced to the work (see II. His brother and successor Jonathan achieved further victories against the Seleucids, who were plagued internally with political intrigue. The date of the epitome itself must be later than 124 b.c., since the first letter cited was written then (1:9). 3. This work may have been an unofficial history geared to rebuke the growing secularization of the Hasmoneans who succeeded the Maccabees. This book is read in some synagogues during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. MACCABEES, BOOKS OF (; Lat. Who wrote the book of maccabees? - Alexa Answers 2 Maccabees, also known as the Second Book of Maccabees, Second Maccabees, and abbreviated as 2 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which recounts the persecution of Jews under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Maccabean Revolt against him. to the death of Simeon the Hasmonean (135 B.C.E.). 13:43 to 16:24. Another letter from the Rom. Antiochus Epiphanes died because of his wicked acts against Jerusalem (6:1-17). In the preface of the book, the author indicates that he has . VS in the 1st cent. Who Are the Maccabees? - Bible Study First, victories over Nicanor, Timothy and Bacchides are recounted. explaining the Jewish alliance appears largely authentic. Israel was vitally important for other nations (10:4ff. The slaughter of the several hundred apostate Jews would also serve as a warning to any about to abandon the religion of their fathers. (chs. This prophet relates undoubtedly to the prophet like Moses mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, vv. These documents, however, are usually well integrated with the writers own knowledge and other eyewitness accounts, so that the result is a credible history. role in the public arena. indicates otherwise. The book is unrelated to the "Books of Maccabees" except for the fact that it cites some quotations which are contained in 1 and 2 Maccabees, and it also describes the same events which are described in 1 and 2 Maccabees.[6]. [27] The work also seems to have proto-Christian views on the nature of atonement: that the sacrifice of animals at the Temple (impossible in the Maccabean era, as well as for diaspora Jews in the author's era) could be replaced by a sacrifice of "obedience unto death" by faithful humans. [37], The Fourth Book of Maccabees is not in the Vulgate and so is absent from the Apocrypha of the Roman Bible as well as from Protestant Bibles. a.d. A vision, in which the priest Onias and Jeremiah appeared to Judas, provided important motivation for the army (14-15:36). MACCABEES, BOOKS OF - JewishEncyclopedia.com We will not reprove him if he takes some liberties when he transcribes archival letters and documents about which he probably knows nothing more than the essential content. More famous are the seven brothers who were tortured to death one by one rather than give up their faith. It is true that Maccabee was applied to all of Judass brothers (see I. [14][2], The original title of the work, if any, is uncertain. The dates in 1 Maccabees are crucial for the history of this period, for they are given with a precision which indicates the author had access to an official Seleucid chronicle. period. When John the Baptist proclaimed Messiahs coming, Jewish leaders asked him if he was that prophet (John 1:21, 25 KJV). 1 Maccabees, THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES | USCCB Jun 21, 2019. The failure to refer to Esther might possibly indicate that the author was closer to the Essenes, since that significant little book is not found at Qumran either. text apparently lasted in some form until the period of Origen and Jerome, but Josephus utilized only the Gr. in contrast to the twenty-five year span for the other chapters. 1. Although it is extant only in tr., there is little doubt that the book was first composed in Heb. II Maccabees - Catholic News Agency [33] With the exception of the section 5:12-12:1, it is found also in the eight or ninth-century Codex Venetus. Since 3 Maccabees also deals with a foreign powers attempt to Hellenize the Jews, there is some merit to this suggestion. In the epilogue (15:37), Jerusalem is said to be controlled by the Jews, a power they relinquished to the Romans in 63 b.c. The Maccabees Are the Heroes of Chanukah The Maccabees were Jewish fighters who led the revolt against the Syrian Greek ruling class, who had suppressed Jewish religion in an effort to spread their Hellenistic customs and idolatrous beliefs. Most are directed to Jonathan (10:18ff. 4-6). a.d. the title (The Things Maccabean) was used to refer apparently to 1 and 2 Maccabees. The Story of the Maccabees | Museum of the Bible
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