Books of maccabees encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. It is an abridgment of a larger work of five books written by a jason of cyrene who is otherwise unknown see 2. The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica. The books of the maccabees are books concerned with the maccabees, the leaders of the jewish rebellion against the seleucid dynasty and related subjects the term mostly refers to two deuterocanonical books contained in various canons of the bible. The first book of maccabees formatted and revised by avram yehoshua the chapter one after alexander, son of philip the macedonian, who came from the land of kittim greece, had defeated king darius of the persians and the medes, he succeeded him as king. The first book of maccabees acknowledged as one of the most perfect books of ancient history relates the events in the war and the deeds of the five maccabean brothers, from the year 170 to b. Fairweather provides introductions, notes, and english translations for the first and second books of maccabees. 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. Samuel davidson introduction to the old testament, iii, 465. The second book of maccabees, also known as the second book. Indeed, so distinct are these two works that one must not label the epitome the second book of maccabees, as if it were a continuation of 1 maccabees. The author of the second book of maccabees states in the preface to his work that he is offering a condensed version of a five volume history by jason of cyrene see 2maccabees 2. It describes the refusal of mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing jewish revolt.
The second letter seems to imply that the purification of the temple happened immediately after the death of antiochus iv, but we cannot exclude. The books of the maccabees are books concerned with the maccabees, the leaders of the. First maccabees is in a way reminiscent of the book of judges the maccabees are those men into whose hand the salvation of israel was given i maccabees 5. Jan 01, 2014 second maccabees entire book alluded to in hebrews 11.
Books of the maccabees kindle edition by douay rheims. 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. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way. These two books tell you a lot about jewish selfdefinition in the second and first century bc. In contrast to first maccabees, the book of second maccabees is a summary of a history written originally in greek for diaspora hellenistic jews living in the greekspeaking area in egypt. Unlike 1 maccabees, 2 maccabees was written in koine greek, probably in alexandria, egypt, c. The same title is used for a syriac version of 6th book of josephus jewish war. Ii maccabees, chapter 5 1 about this time antiochus made his second invasion of egypt. Look out for what you might learn about the judaism of the period from the story. Back to the main page back to the holy bible the second book of maccabees also known as the the second book of machabees chapter 1 1. In the introduction, he covers the name maccabee, the events leading up to the maccabean revolt, and the wars of the maccabees, plus the contents and style of the book, its original language and unity, its date and authorship, its. A theological treatise such as 2 maccabees differed widely from the unadorned, factual approach found in 1 maccabees.
Bibles, containsa clear and succinct account of events which befell the jews during the space of forty years. The two books of maccabees contain independent accounts of events in part identical that accompanied the attempted suppression of judaism in palestine in the second century b. Holy war, liberation war the book of maccabees shows us a people who desire to live but for whom faith is. Pdf the metatexts of 1 and 2 maccabees researchgate.
The first book of maccabees in order that he might reign over. Dec 24, 20 the first book of maccabees is a book written by a jewish author after the restoration of an independent jewish kingdom, probably about 100 bc. In contrast, jason of cyrene, the author of the second book of maccabees, believed that. Pdf generated using haiola and xelatex on 5 may 2020 from source files dated 28 aug. It was probably written sometime in the second century bc, in other words very shortly after the events it described. 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. God be gracious unto you, and remember his covenant that he made with abraham, isaac, and jacob, his faithful servants. The first book, although written from a biased perspective, does not directly mention god or divine intervention. The first book of maccabees i maccabees is historical work extant in greek, covering the period of 40 years from the accession of antiochus epiphanes 175 b.
Katz, the text of 2 maccabees reconsidered, znw 51 1960 1030. Holy war, liberation war the book of maccabees shows us. It is held as deuterocanonical scripture by both the. Ginsburg kittos cycyclopedia of biblical literature. Maccabees, books of, 35 international standard bible. The book of maccabees shows us a people who desire to live but for whom faith is more. The second book of the maccabees the brethren, the jews that be at jerusalem and in the land of judea, wish unto the brethren, the jews that are throughout egypt health and peace. Ii maccabees focuses on the jews revolt against antiochus and concludes with the defeat of the syrian general nicanor in 161 bc by judas maccabeus, the hero of the work. The second book has a more theological slant, advancing several. It was this title which gave the title to the other books of the apocrypha bearing the same name. Many original prayers, speeches, and poems embedded in first maccabees reflect the strong religious feelings of the new rulers. The author of first maccabees, who wrote for judeans, sought to promote the legitimacy of the hasmonean priesthood and its political rule. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. The second book of maccabees is not a continuation of the first book.
It is really nothing more than a clumsy compilation from 1 and 2 maccabees and josephus except 5 macc 12, which is the only original part, and this teems with errors of various kinds. Look out for the similarities and differences between the two. First and second maccabees describe the hasmoneans efforts to uphold some type of traditional jewish life in palestine while simultaneously reacting against. Maccabees, second book of ii maccabees, known in greek as. Pdf generated using haiola and xelatex on 18 apr 2020 from source files dated 28. Whereas 1maccabees begins with the reign of antiochus iv, who ruled syria from 175 to 164, 2maccabees takes us back to the previ. Page 3 4 then after adam had named the child, he returned to the cave of treasures. The jews to whom the book was addressed were both loyal to their nation and its new hasmonean state and yet faithful subjects of the kingdoms of the greek dynasty of ptolemies in egypt. May 30, 2016 so, i have been reading the book of maccabees and for the life of me, i cannot understand why it isnt included in our bible. Its name in the septuagint and in the writings of the church fathers eusebius and clement is.
The vigorous reaction to this attempt established for a time the religious and political independence of the jews. Pdf the physical placement of maccabees within translations provides important evidence concerning the translators. Rather, it is another book about the maccabean era. 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. 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. The book is held as canonical scripture by some christian churches including catholic,orthodox, and coptic. The designation 5 maccabees was first given to the book now commonly so called by cotton the five books of maccabees english, 1832, and it has been perpetuated by dr. The first book of maccabees is a book written by a jewish author after the restoration of an independent jewish kingdom, probably about 100 bc. The title of 1 and 2 maccabees is taken from the surname of judas 1 mace. The first book of maccabees in order that he might reign. Second maccabees entire book alluded to in hebrews 11. A reading from the second book of maccabees judas the ruler of israel, then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice.
Jan 02, 2020 the book of 2 maccabees consists of a greek synopsis of a fivevolume history of the maccabean revolt written by jason of cyrene. It is a chapter based on persecution by antiochus, the tyrant of syr ia, whom some called epiphanes, the madman. As a surname it was also applied to his brothers and, by extension. The second book of maccabees mmmmm introduction the book opens with, two brief compositions in epistolary form. And all such things as have been comprised in five books by jason of. Apocrypha 2ndmaccabees of the king james bible 1611. Why isnt the book of maccabees included in the bible. The author tells us that he is summarizing a 5volume work by jason of cyrene 2. I am thoroughly struck by how profound the life of christ was in the light of the book of 1 and 2 maccabees.
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