A supporter of the Hasmonean dynasty. 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. 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 . [43] Rather, the author interprets events as God using the military genius of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers as the instrument to achieve the liberation of Judea. And Alexander reigned twelve years, and he died. 504 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in, 2 b-w illus. In 1 Maccabees, those dissatisfied with the Hasmoneans "hated their nation"[39] as a whole; the Hasmoneans were equated with Judea itself. First Maccabees or 1 Maccabees is most famous as the source of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. 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. The author propagates "Hasmonean propaganda" in the sense of upholding the righteousness of the Hasmoneans and their just claim to rule the Hasmonean kingdom. 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. 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. Look out for what you might learn about the Judaism of the period from the story. This history includes battles with Antiochus IV and his son. And they got possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt; and he took the spoils of Egypt. 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. As far as the dates of composition are concerned, these can be taken as approximately 100 B.C. hanged their babes about their necks. [33], Proposed alliances with Rome and with Areus of Sparta are covered in 1 Maccabees 12:123. The book of 1 Maccabees is the most thorough account of the deeds of the sons of Mattathias and the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire; 2 Maccabees is a more sensationalized account that focuses on a briefer period of time and adds cool stuff like flying ghost armies; 4 Maccabees is a homily rather than a narrative, focusing on the . Proverbs 16:18. After Jesus redeemed mankind by dying on the cross, the just of the Old Testament were enabled to enter heaven, and thus the ancient people of God became the new Israel, which is the Church. The second book overlaps with the first, starting earlier. 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. an abomination of desolation. Later Jewish leaders thought poorly of the rule of the Hasmonean dynasty for several reasons, and a document so openly celebratory of them was problematic. 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. saves his butt from a delivery-gone-bonkers, he decides to play nice with . As we know, those who have left this world and enjoy the beatific vision, in the same act of charity in which they love God, are also praying for their brothers, who are members of the Church like themselves. The Book: 1 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible which was written by a Jewish (pre-Christian) author, probably about 100 BC, after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom. The narrative is primarily prose text, but is interrupted by seven poetic sections, which imitate classical Hebrew poetry. That is, about 168 BC. This usage of "Maccabees" as a group-term may have originated in Greek, as no usage of it in Hebrew to refer to the rebels survives from any era earlier than the 19th century.[10]. When he died his widow, Alexandra, married his elder brother, Alexander Janneus, and she remained on the throne while her son Hyrcanus II was high priest. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There is a faithful remnant. the hundred and forty and fifth year. It was portrayed as a center of athletic and intellectual life. 2 Kings. [38] Various passages call back to Biblical passages such as Joshua's conquests or the battle of David and Goliath and equate the Hasmoneans' deeds with the earlier stories. 1 Maccabees 10, Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, One of over 125 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary was originally compiled by priest and biblical scholar Rev. If it really was originally written in Greek, then the author was intentionally imitating Hebrew style in Greek. It was probably written sometime in the second century bc, in other words very shortly after the events it described. The [] He plays one faction off against the other, obtaining various benefits for the Jews in exchange for his military support. [23] Various historical documents are included as well, notably of negotiations and letters with the Roman Republic and Hellenistic Sparta. The victors had apparitions from heaven. Antipathy toward the Seleucid-friendly Hellenizing Jews is unsurprising, as they were enemies in war, but 1 Maccabees extends criticism to internal Jewish opponents of the Hasmoneans as well. Friend. VERSE 34. 2 He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth. It also seems to have been written in Judea where knowledge of Hebrew would have been more widespread. An unknown editor, the "Epitomist," used the factual notes of a historian . VERSE 32. "Exodus ch. In general, its chronology coheres with that of I Maccabees. 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. At Explore the Faith, I share insights into the Bible and theological writings. And his servants bare rule, each one in his place. [14][15] Various reconstructions have been proposed: Gustaf Dalman, meanwhile, suggests that the title is a corruption of the Aramaic "The Book of the House of the Hasmoneans". In 165 BC the Temple is freed and reconsecrated, so that ritual sacrifices may begin again. 1 Maccabees,[note 1] also known as the First Book of Maccabees, First Maccabees, and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which details the history of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire as well as the founding and earliest history of the independent Hasmonean kingdom. They will not live a lie. He then calls forth the people to holy war against the Gentiles and their Jewish collaborators. (He had previously become king of Greece.) [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. In the first chapter, Alexander the Great conquers the territory of Judea, and is later succeeded by the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes. VERSE 43. and many of Israel consented to his worship, and sacrificed to the idols, and profaned the Sabbath. Alexander the Great. The author, probably a Palestinian Jew, is unknown. 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 (1Mc 2:4, 66; 2Mc 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16). 2 Samuel. Pre-modern translations of the work were made in Latin, Syriac, and Armenian. Modin. 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. VERSE 37. He extensively uses the first thirteen chapters of it in Books 12 and 13 of his work Jewish Antiquities, paraphrasing it directly in parts, although supplementing it with other Greek histories such as Nicolaus of Damascus. The period of peace and prosperity is celebrated in a biblical-style poetic passage, the "Eulogy of Simon",[36] which Rappaport considers to be "one of the most important poetic passages in 1 Maccabees".[37]. 2 Maccabees - Chapter 4. Other texts lay stress on the intercession of the saints and the value of prayers for the dead (12:43-46), which are the basis of the dogma of the communion of saints. Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65. (He had previously become king of Greece.) [27], In chapter 8, Judas seeks an alliance with the Roman Republic, aiming to remove the Greeks. 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. The history of the Maccabee family given in these books ends with the death of Simon and the succession of his son, John Hyrcanus. However, after successfully invading the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, Antiochus IV enters Jerusalem and removes the sacred objects from the Temple. 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. ", The Church Father Origen relates that the title of the Hebrew original was Sarbeth Sarbanael, translated either as "the Book of the Prince of the House of Israel" or "the Book of the Dynasty of God's resisters.". [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. As a surname it was also applied to his brothers and, by extension . they made themselves uncircumcised. 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. the hundred and forty and third year. 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. From Alexander to Antiochus. [This chapter is in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles] Alexander the Great. George Leo Haydock. That is, a gymnasium. Corrections? It possibly was written during the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula (3741 ce). 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. Antiochus persecutes the Jewish people. 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