Simon is succeeded by his third son, John Hyrcanus, whose two elder brothers, Mattathias and Judah, had been murdered, together with their father. VERSE 7. And after two full years the king sent a chief collector of tribute to the cities of Judah, and he came to Jerusalem with a great multitude. According to the text, some Jewish men even engaged in foreskin restoration in order to pass as fully Greek. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Its vocabulary and style indicate a Greek original. It describes the promulgation of decrees forbidding traditional Jewish practices by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the formation of a rebellion against him by Mattathias of the Hasmonean family and his five sons. The contest which he describes is a struggle, not simply between Jew and Gentile, but between those who would uphold the law and those, Jews or Gentiles, who would destroy it. For some more Biblical back history about the Exile and return of the Jews from Babylonian Exile, please read 2 Kings (Chapter 20:12-18), 2 Kings (Chapter 25), Jeremiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. He plays one faction off against the other, obtaining various benefits for the Jews in exchange for his military support. It is accepted in the Catholic and Orthodox canons. 2 Samuel. were recognized by the Fathers as inspired, there is an interim stage where souls are purified. The same fate overtakes another persecutor, Nicanor, who dies because he threatened to destroy the Temple. VERSE 27. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. Editor's note: The following homily delivered by the Reverend Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Ph.D, S.T.D., on 1 August 2017, commemoration of the Holy Maccabees (Extraordinary Form) at the Church of . Buy Also Available At: . Chapter 2 1 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 he took the silver and the gold and the precious vessels; and he took the hidden treasures which he found. VERSE 23. He either used or reconstructed primary sources such as letters, poetic accounts, and possibly court histories. He may also have consulted it for Book 1 of The Jewish War. 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). When Mattathias died (c. 166 bc), his son Judas Maccabaeus recaptured Jerusalem and reconsecrated the temple, an event celebrated in the holiday Hanukkah. His brother Simon succeeds him in 142 B.C.E., receiving the double office of high priest and ruler of Israel (1 Maccabees 14:41). Purpose of The Book of 1 Maccabees: The purpose in writing 1 Maccabees Book is to record the deliverance of Israel that God worked through the family of Mattathias (5:62) - especially through his three sons, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson, John Hyrcanus. 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]. It tells the story of how the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to suppress Temple worship and to destroy the practice of Jewish law. Ptolemy supposedly threatened the Jews with loss of citizenship after Palestinian Jews refused to permit him to enter the sanctuary of the Temple of Jerusalem. And they got possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt; and he took the spoils of Egypt. VERSE 4. and he gathered together an exceedingly strong army, and ruled over countries and nations and principalities, and they became tributary to him. The name Maccabee probably means "hammer" and was the nickname given in the book to the first leader of the revolt, Judas, third son of Mattathias. This suggests that in antiquity, IV Maccabees, dealing almost exclusively with martyrdom, may have been the most highly regarded. Friend. The history of the Maccabee family given in these books ends with the death of Simon and the succession of his son, John Hyrcanus. perhaps even Sadducean, tendency interpenetrates the entire work" (Fischer, 4:441) and the "author of 1 Maccabees identifies unreservedly with the rebels and their leaders." (Efron, 47; Sievers, 2). According to her glory, so was her dishonor multiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning. The First Book of Macabbees is recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. 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. And there came exceedingly great wrath upon Israel. Protestants and Jews regard it as generally reliable historically, but not a part of holy scripture.. his heart was lifted up. 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 FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES. 25) gives testimony to the existence of an original Hebrew text. The works main religious theme is that the martyrs sufferings vicariously expiated the sins of the entire Jewish people. 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 2:4, 66; 2 Mc 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16).Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of Judas, his supporters . His son, Ptolemy III Euergetes, extended his empire into Persia. VERSE 57. Chapter 6 reports the last days of Antiochus Epiphanes and the accession of his young son Antiochus V Eupator to the throne. And the saying was good in their eyes. Rabbinic Judaism generally disapproved of the rule of the Hasmonean dynasty, but the book is openly pro-Hasmonean, one of several factors for a lack of enthusiasm for the book within later Judaism. Updates? 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. 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. 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). These two books tell you a lot about Jewish self-definition in the second and first century bc. Mattathias and His Sons. And when he had taken all, he went away into his own land, and he made a great slaughter, and spoke very presumptuously. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die. 2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It has traditionally been considered highly trustworthy, although it is to some extent the "official" version of history according to the Hasmoneans and from the Maccabean point of view. After the episode of Heliodorus (3:1-40), the writer lays great emphasis on the inviolate sanctity of the Temple and implies that Antiochus suffers the terrible death he does suffer because of his profanation of it. It came to pass, after that Alexander the Macedonian, the son of Philip, who came out of the land of Chittim, and struck Darius king of the Persians and Medes, it came to pass, after he had struck him, that he reigned in his stead, in former time, over Greece. He also requires Jewish leaders to sacrifice to idols. As the Bible says, "On the eighth day, God created Shmoop and saw that it was good." Or something like that. Pre-modern translations of the work were made in Latin, Syriac, and Armenian. 2 Maccabees, instead of covering later years, shines a microscope on the first fifteen years of the same period, drawing its own lessons (which I . 1 and 2 Maccabees are stories that reflect on oppression and resistance. The original book was apparently written in Hebrew, as is indicated by a number of Hebrew idioms used by the author. 1 a After Alexander the Macedonian, Philip's son, who came from the land of Kittim, * had defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes, he became king in his place, having first ruled in Greece. In true Deuteronomic tradition, the author insists on fidelity to the law as the expression of Israels love for God. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 1 After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated[ a] King Darius of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. saves his butt from a delivery-gone-bonkers, he decides to play nice with . 1 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book written by a Jewish author and included in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons of the Bible. Antiochus then tries to suppress public observance of Jewish laws, in an attempt to secure control over the Jews. [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. In an effort to enforce unity, he attempts to suppress the public observance of Jewish religious laws. He forbids observance of the sabbath and the offering of sacrifices at the Temple. That is, men of Israel came forth. The historical integrity of the book, which was compiled from official written sources, oral tradition, and eyewitness reporting, is attested to by the absence of almost all of the conventions of the Hellenistic rhetorical school of historiography and by its uncritical use by the later Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Related to this is the issue that including 1 Maccabees in the canon may have given legitimacy to other texts in the Septuagint that were more problematic for the rabbis. 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. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article Compare 1 Maccabees 10:65. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. 1 Maccabees describes the response of one family to these events. CHAPTER 1. Do a bit of research on Hanukkah and talk what you have learnt about this very important Jewish festival. Many Jews adopt a policy of accommodation with him in the interest of maintaining peace with the Gentiles, and others openly embrace the Hellenistic culture he introduces. A Greek version of the text was printed for the first time in 15141517 in the Complutensian Polyglot Bible. And there came great mourning upon Israel, in every place where they were; the beauty of the women was changed. Another is that, while they were included by the Jews of Alexandria in the Septuagint, they may not have gained much popularity in Jerusalem. Antiochus then tries to suppress public observance of Jewish laws, in every place where were... 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