Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. He led the maccabean revolt against the seleucid empire 167160 bce. Scholars believe that the author was a palestinian jew who was intimately familiar with the events described. Perhaps they felt it unwise to promote a text that heralded the successful. Maccabees definition is a priestly family leading a jewish revolt begun in 168 b. Jan 02, 2020 the book of 4 maccabees is a philosophic discourse extoling the supremacy of pious reason over passion. The book itself begins with an elaborate preface ii, 2033 in which the author after mentioning that his work is an epitome of the larger history in five books of jason of cyrene states his motive in writing the book, and comments on the respective duties of the historian and of the epitomizer. The first book of maccabees speaks about the battles of judas, and his conquest of the. Maccabees definition of maccabees by merriamwebster. The book of the maccabees refers to a series of deuterocanonical books contained in various canons of the bible. The first book of the maccabees 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. 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. Judah maccabee or judas maccabeus, also spelled machabeus, or maccab. Origin of name the hammer in the early days of the rebellion, judah received a surname maccabee.
First maccabees describes the jewish struggle for independence from the tyranny of antiochus epiphanes in 175 b. Os livros dos macabeus constituido por quatro judeu livros. However, second maccabees seeks to explain to diaspora jews and greeks alike that the maccabean revolt was not the result of an inevitable clash of two cultureshellenism and judaismor of two peoples, hellenes and jews. After the prologue, the first section of 4 maccabees sets forth the philosophical thesis, and the second section illustrates the points made using examples drawn from the maccabees principally, the martyrdom of eleazer and the maccabean. The books of maccabees describe the revolt led by the maccabean family against the syrian king, antiochus epiphanes. Although, this book quoted liberaly from those two books. The second book of the maccabees book of 1 maccabees online. The chief source, the first book of the maccabees, says that with this the sword ceased in israel.
A series of books relating events centering around judas maccabeus and other heroes in the jewish struggle for religious and political freedom. It has nothing to do with the maccabees, but relates a legend to explain why the jews in egypt have a purimlike festival in the summer the egyptian date is given. Books of maccabees encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. A brilliant diplomat, if not quite so good a soldier as his elder brother, jonathan refused all compromise with the superior seleucid. He killed the envoy and the unfaithful jews and began a revolt against syrian. The first two books only are part of canonical scripture in the septuagint and the vulgate hence are canonical to roman catholicism and eastern orthodoxy and are included in the protestant apocrypha. The first book of maccabees praises judahs valor and military talent, suggesting that those qualities made judah a natural choice for the new commander. The books of the maccabees, maccabees also spelled machabees, four books, none of which is in the hebrew bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the septuagint. Protestants and jews regard it as generally reliable history, but not a part of scripture.
The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica. 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 first maccabees was written in hebrew though it is only preserved today in greek for a judean audience in a biblical style that emphasizes. It is accepted in the catholic and orthodox canons. The hour of the star by clarice lispector goodreads. Jonathan maccabeus, jewish general, a son of the priest mattathias, who took over the leadership of the maccabean revolt after the death of his elder brother judas. Notes rismaii000124447 this item forms part of the ricasoli collection at the university of louisville music library. Book of the maccabees sefer hamakabim is a history of the maccabees, the leaders of the jewish rebellion against the seleucid dynasty.
Maccabees and prayers for the dead catholic journal. Jonathan now took up his residence in the old city of michmash, and cleared the land of the godless and the apostate i macc. Their circumstances were the result of their own failed revolt against the romans. Maccabees, books of, 12 international standard bible. After a brief preface summarizing alexanders conquests, death, and successors, the author begins his story with antiochus epiphanes invasion of egypt and subsequent desecration of the temple, and. The author or epitomizer claims that his history chapter 3 to end of the book is an epitome in one book of a larger work in 5 books by jason of cyrene. This a wonderful piece to pair with messiah for the winter holidays, both of them triumphant against the increasing darkness and cold. The author of first maccabees, who wrote for judeans, sought to promote the legitimacy of the hasmonean priesthood and its political rule. Jan 02, 2020 the book of 1 maccabees was written in hebrew and later translated into greek. 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 first of these books states that their father was a benjamite named maccabeus, and that three of the brothers, who are called abya, seela, and fentos, were captured and martyred for leading a.
Background judas was nicknamed the maccabee which means the hammer. It describes the refusal of mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing jewish revolt. However, the book of daniel, although included within the canon, is to a large extent written in aramaic. And the almighty being their helper, they slew above nine thousand men. Maccabeus article about maccabeus by the free dictionary. 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 were encamped. Several victories won after the death of mattathias enabled judas to recapture jerusalem and rededicate the temple 4. For the king granted every request in behalf of the jews which maccabeus delivered to lysias in writing. These books were better known among greek speaking jews in the mediterranean world around the time of jesus.
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 books of the maccabees consist of four jewish books named after judas maccabeus, the hero of the first two. 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 were encamped. Maccabees, third book of iii maccabees, apocryphal book, included in the septuagint, probably dating from the first century b. Why does the catholic bible include the maccabees and the. Oct 10, 2014 the bible is silent regarding the approximately 400 years separating the old and new testaments, but these books, bound in one convenient volume, document the hardships and sufferings of the jewish people during the time when they lived under the rule of antiochus epiphanes, a tyrannical and murderous ruler, and describes the subsequent. The syrian leader antiochus iv tried to get the jews to adopt greek practices and turned the jerusalem temple into a shrine to zeus. 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. Several explanations have been put forward for this.
Mattathias was elderly and died soon after this, but the revolt was continued by his five sons, led by the strongest of them, judas, known as maccabeus. Chapter one 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. Apocrypha 1st maccabees of the king james bible 1611. The book of disquiet by fernando pessoa blindness by jose saramago os. Judas maccabeus led the jewish revolt against the syrians and rededicated the temple in the 2nd century b. In this book we miss the unstinted praise accorded the hasmonean leaders in 1 maccabees, and it is silent as to the genealogy of the hasmoneans, the death of judas maccabeus and the family grave at modin. The original hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the greek translation contained in the septuagint. Why the maccabees arent in the bible my jewish learning. A couple of centuries later, jewish scholars found themselves in jamnia with the temple destroyed and jerusalem lost. Librivox recording of the first book of maccabees, from the douayrheims version. The books of the maccabees are essential to understand why our lord and savior. Handel, harper, shirleyquirk, somary judas maccabeus.
If you are not familiar with maccabees i and ii you may want to read them before reading this book. It is included in the catholic and eastern orthodox canons. There is some justification for the title since illustrations are largely drawn from 2 maccabees 6 and 7. The fourth book of the maccabees, so called, is a semiphilosophic discourse, or sermon, on the supremacy of the pious reason ch. The second book of the maccabees book of the maccabees book had been read to them by esdras, and he had given them for a watchword, the help of god. The three ethiopian books of meqabyan quite distinct works from the other four books of maccabees, which are canonical in the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church, also refer to the maccabee martyrs. Judah, in the bible, the southern of the two kingdoms remaining after the division of the kingdom of the jews jews from judah, traditionally, descendants of judah, the fourth son of jacob, whose tribe, with that of his halfbrother benjamin, made up the kingdom of judah. The author opposed the hellenization of the jews and clearly supported and admired the jewish revolutionaries led by judas maccabeus and his brothers. The author of the second book of maccabees presented the conflict as a struggle between judaism and hellenism, concepts which he coined. The first book of maccabees in order that he might reign over.
Alexander young judas maccabeus and john shirleyquirksimon both turn in great performances as does the chorus whom handel employs masterfully. Books of the maccabees paperback april 9, 2014 by king james bible. The jews purified the temple on the twentyfifth of chislev 164 b. The books of the maccabees, four books, none of which is in the hebrew bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the septuagint. The books that tell the hanukkah tale didnt make it into the hebrew bible but they are in the catholic one. The major section of the book records the heroics of judas maccabeus, the most illustrious of the five sons. 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. Judas maccabaeus, hwv 63 handel, george frideric imslp. John and eleazar literature the name maccabeus was first applied to judas, one of the sons of mattathias generally called in english the maccabees, a celebrated family who defended jewish rights and customs in the 2nd century bc 1 macc 2.
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