1 maccabees summary shmoop

In the book itself, "Maccabee" is used solely as a personal title for Judah Maccabee (Latinized as Judas Maccabeus). The king will require Jews to reject their Covenant with the One God. 2 Maccabees falls more into theological history, in other words the attempt to reflect on Gods role in the events described. Nothing is known about the author of 1 Maccabees other than that the attention to detail and knowledge of events suggests that he was an eye witness or had access to eyewitness accounts. [30], After the death of Judas and a period of lawlessness,[31] he is succeeded by his brother Jonathan Apphus, whose battles with the Greek general Bacchides are recounted in chapter 9. 2 Simon now had the effrontery to name this benefactor of the city, this protector of his . 1 and 2 Maccabees tell the same story in two different ways. 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. From the time of Alexander onward Greek culture spread throughout the Middle East. 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. [22], The narrative is primarily prose text, but is interrupted by seven poetic sections, which imitate classical Hebrew poetry. 4:59). 1 and 2 Maccabees reflect on this question in slightly different ways. When war broke out between these two brothers the Romans intervened, took Jerusalem and brought the monarchy to an end. He refuses to comply with Antiochus' officers and, in an act of utter defiance, murders a Jew who attempts to offer pagan sacrifice, killing the officer as well. They will not sin in order to save their lives. Jonathan becomes high priest (1 Maccabees 10:20). According to her glory, so was her dishonor multiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning. The school of philosophy seen in 1 Maccabees is often thought to be a predecessor to the philosophy of the Sadducees in later eras. Chapter 6 reports the last days of Antiochus Epiphanes and the accession of his young son Antiochus V Eupator to the throne. In 165 BC the Temple is freed and reconsecrated, so that ritual sacrifices may begin again. The books had separate authors. He then calls forth the people to holy war against the Gentiles and their Jewish collaborators. VERSE 25. 2 Maccabees interprets the misfortunes of the Jews as God's punishment for their own sins; the author of 1 Maccabees depicts the problems as due to the external evil of Antiochus IV and his generals, not as a cleansing ordeal that was in some sense divine will. 1 Maccabees was probably written in Jerusalem, but 3 and 4 Maccabees derive from the diaspora. 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. [1], The author of 1 Maccabees is anonymous and unknown. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them; and she became a habitation of strangers, and she became strange to those who were born in her, and her children forsook her. At Explore the Faith, I share insights into the Bible and theological writings. Talk about how this story might have inspired the Jews of Jesus day in the light of their oppression by the Romans. If it really was originally written in Greek, then the author was intentionally imitating Hebrew style in Greek. 3 He advanced to the ends of the earth and . During the Protestant Reformation, the book (along with other books in the Catholic deuterocanon) was classed as biblical apocrypha in Protestantism, material useful for background but not canonical. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. (2) 1 Maccabees 1:11-16:24: History of the Jews from 175 to 135 BC. It describes the refusal of Mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing Jewish revolt against Syrian hegemony, the political machinations whereby Demetrius II of Syria granted Judaea its independence, and the election of Simon as both high priest and secular ruler of the Judaean Jews. The second book overlaps with the first, starting earlier. [26] Mattathias calls upon people loyal to the traditions of Israel to oppose the invaders and the Jewish Hellenizers, and his sons begin a military campaign against them. 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. 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. Mattathias and His Sons. 20 And now we have . Were there any parts of the book that you particularly liked or which inspired you? Many scholars suggest that these Church Fathers may have had access to a Biblical Aramaic paraphrase of the workmost Christians writers of the time did not distinguish between Hebrew and Aramaic. The doctrine expressed in the book is the customary belief of Israel, without the new developments which appear in 2Maccabees and Daniel. Simon is succeeded by his third son, John Hyrcanus, whose two elder brothers, Mattathias and Judah, had been murdered, together with their father. The first and second Books of Maccabees, though regarded by Jews and Protestants as apocryphal, i.e., not inspired Scripture, because not contained in the Jewish list of books drawn up at the end of the first century A.D., have always been accepted by the Catholic Church as inspired and are called deuterocanonical to indicate that they are canonical even though disputed by some. The rededication of the Jerusalem Temple described in 4:3659 (see 2Mc 10:18) is the origin of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. 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. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article 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. As a surname it was also applied to his brothers and, by extension . As a part of the revolt, the Temple was freed from the control of the Greek empire and rededicated (an act that is still commemorated yearly in the festival of Hanukkah). It is not known whether Josephus's copy of 1 Maccabees was missing the final three chapters, or he simply found a better source for that era of history. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. 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. If the consequences are good, they say is OK to do anything that is necessary. In the year 142 BCE, after more than 500 years of subjugation, the Jews were again masters of their own fate. Simon, who was called Thassi; Many Christians base their moral decisions on outcomes. 1 Maccabees. [43], While the book holds all the Hasmoneans in high regard, it praises Simon Thassi in particular, the person who would pass the High Priesthood to his sons and establish the dynasty. The kingdom began to decline under Ptolemy IV Philopator, who was a bad administrator and led a dissolute life. For the full article, see, Prohibition of Jewish religious practices, Hanukkah: reconsecration of the sanctuary, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Maccabees. Updates? a place of exercise. The second book is not a sequel to 1 Maccabees; it partially covers the same history (176 - 160 b.c.). [20], The Jerusalem Bible divides the book into five sections:[24], The setting of the book is about a century and a half after the conquest of Judea by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, after Alexander's empire had been divided so that Judea had become part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 19:27. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=1_Maccabees&oldid=1044072, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. (He had previously become king of Greece.) As far as the dates of composition are concerned, these can be taken as approximately 100 B.C. [28] Verses 2332 record an agreement between Rome and the nation of the Jews, whereby each party would act as a willing ally of the other and refuse to supply their enemies in time of war, specific warning being given to Demetrius I Soter that this pact would be activated against him if requested by the Jews. According to 1 Maccabees, there were some early groups of Jewish rebels who refused to fight on the Sabbath, and perished accordingly (1 Maccabees 2:29-38) until the Maccabean patriarch Mattathias decided to change the law and permit defensive warfare on the Sabbath (2:39-41). For more details about the Maccabees family and battles with the Greeks, please read 1 Maccabees. This book also tells us more about atonement beyond the grave by asserting the existence of purgatory (12:38ff). 1:8 And his servants bare rule every one in his place. Omissions? [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. After a short introduction the book describes the Jewish uprising against Antiochus, whose persecution led to the desecration of the Temple. The book is held as canonical scripture today in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches (except for the Orthodox Tewahedo). That said, the author is still proud of forging alliances with others, citing negotiations with the Roman Republic and Sparta. Shortly before his death, he divides his kingdom among his generals. The rebellion began under the leadership of the Jewish priest Mattathias after Antiochus sought to stamp out Judaism by forbidding all Jewish practices and desecrating the temple (167 bc). There is a faithful remnant. When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).

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