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{{Short description|Group of ancient Hebrew books}} |
{{Short description|Group of ancient Hebrew books}} |
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The '''Books of the Maccabees''' or '''Sefer |
The '''Books of the Maccabees''' or the '''Sefer HaMakabim''' (the ''Book of the Maccabees'') recount the history of the [[Maccabees]], the leaders of the [[Jews|Jewish]] rebellion against the [[Seleucid dynasty]]. |
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==List of books== |
==List of books== |
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The Books of the Maccabees refers to a series of [[deuterocanonical]] |
The Books of the Maccabees refers to a series of [[deuterocanonical books]] which are contained in various canons of the [[Bible]]: |
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*[[1 Maccabees]], originally written in Hebrew and |
*[[1 Maccabees]], originally written in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and only surviving in a Greek translation, it contains an account of the history of the Maccabees from 175 BC until 134 BC.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Maccabees, Books of |volume=17 |page=198 |first=William |last=Fairweather}}</ref> |
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*[[2 Maccabees]], |
*[[2 Maccabees]], [[Jason of Cyrene]]'s Greek abridgment of an earlier history which was written in Hebrew, recounts the history of the Maccabees from 176 BC until 161 BC.<ref name=EB1911/> It focuses on [[Judas Maccabeus]], and it also describes prayers for the dead and offerings. |
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*[[3 Maccabees]], a Greek narrative that |
*[[3 Maccabees]], a Greek narrative that contains an account of [[History of the Jews in Egypt|Egyptian Jews]] being delivered from their impending [[Martyrdom in Judaism|martyrdom]] at the hands of [[Ptolemy IV Philopator]]<ref name=EB1911/> in the 3rd century BC.<ref name="isbe">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/maccabees-books-of-3-5.html |title=Maccabees, Books of, 3-5. |encyclopedia=International Standard Bible Encyclopedia |via=BibleStudyTools.com |access-date=7 May 2013}}</ref> |
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*[[4 Maccabees]], a Greek philosophic discourse |
*[[4 Maccabees]], a Greek philosophic discourse that praises the supremacy of reason over passion, using the [[Maccabees#Holy Maccabean martyrs|Maccabean martyrs]] as examples.<ref name="isbe"/> |
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*[[5 Maccabees]], an Arabic |
*[[5 Maccabees]], an [[Arabic]] text which offers an account of the history of the Maccabees from 186 BC to 6 BC. The same title is occasionally ascribed to a [[Syriac language|Syriac]] version of the 6th book of [[Josephus]]' [[The Jewish War]].<ref name="isbe"/><ref name="sandrews">{{cite web|author-first=James R. |author-last=Davila |url=http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/school-of-divinity/documents/motp/MOTP%20Edinburgh%2010_09.pdf |title=The More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012051105/http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/school-of-divinity/documents/motp/MOTP%20Edinburgh%2010_09.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2013 |publisher=[[University of St. Andrews]] |access-date=7 May 2013}}</ref> |
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*[[6 Maccabees]], a Syriac poem that possibly shared a lost source with 4 Maccabees.<ref name="sandrews"/> |
*[[6 Maccabees]], a Syriac poem that possibly shared a lost source with 4 Maccabees.<ref name="sandrews"/> |
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*7 Maccabees, a Syriac |
*7 Maccabees, a Syriac text which contains transcripts of speeches which were made by the [[Maccabees#Holy Maccabean martyrs|Maccabean Martyrs and their mother]].<ref name="sandrews"/> |
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*8 Maccabees, in Greek, a brief account |
*8 Maccabees, in [[Greek language|Greek]], a brief account of the revolt which draws on Seleucid sources, preserved in the Chronicle of [[John Malalas]] (pp. 206–207 in Dindorf).<ref name="sandrews"/><ref name="dindorf">John Malalas, [https://books.google.com/books?id=UeAGAAAAQAAJ&dq=editions:zGOR9EGtzZkC ''Chronographia'']. Edited by Ludwig A. Dindorf. Vol. 15 of ''Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae''. Bonn: Weber, 1831.</ref> |
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The first two books are considered canonical by the [[Catholic Church]]<ref>[[Jerusalem Bible]], 1966, "Introduction to the Books of Maccabees", p. 654</ref> and the first three by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] |
The first two books are considered [[Catholic Bible|canonical]] by the [[Catholic Church]]<ref>[[Jerusalem Bible]], 1966, "Introduction to the Books of Maccabees", p. 654</ref> and the first three books are considered canonical by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. The [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] is the only church which also considers [[4 Maccabees]] canonical. All of the other books are considered [[biblical apocrypha]]. The [[Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon]] includes none of the books which are listed above, instead, it includes three books of Ethiopic Maccabees ([[Meqabyan|1 Meqabyan, 2 Meqabyan, and 3 Meqabyan]]), books which are distinct from those books which are listed above. There is also a non-canonical [[Judaism|Jewish]] work which is titled the [[Megillat Antiochus]] ("The Scroll of Antiochus"). This book is read in some [[synagogue]]s during the Jewish holiday of [[Hanukkah]]. The book is unrelated to the "Books of Maccabees" except for the fact that it cites some quotations which are contained in 1 and 2 Maccabees, and it also describes the same events which are described in 1 and 2 Maccabees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scroll of Antiochus |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/scroll-of-antiochus |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> |
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== First |
== First versus Second Books of Maccabees == |
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The books of First and Second Maccabees are written in noticeably different literary styles, but contain similar narratives. |
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The books of the First and Second Maccabees offer similar accounts. The authors display notably different literary styles, though the narratives are similar. In First Maccabees, the author offers a sober historical account of the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus IV. In contrast, the author of the Second Book presents a heavily dramatic and theologically dense account of a shorter but overlapping time period (180-161 BC) |
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In First Maccabees, the author presents an objective historical account of the persecution of the Jews by [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antiochus IV]]. It deals with the rise and legitimacy of the [[Hasmonean dynasty]], beginning with an account of the life of the Jewish priest [[Mattathias]], a forefather of the Maccabean revolt. The sober style of First Maccabees takes influence from the authors of the [[Hebrew Bible]]. |
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In contrast, the author of Second Maccabees presents a heavily dramatic, emotional and theologically dense account of a period of time which is shorter but overlapping (180–161 BC). |
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In Second Maccabees, the author portrays Judas Maccabaeus and the martyrs who fight alongside him as champions; they earn divine favor as a result. The book begins with two letters (Epistles I and II), but these are insubstantial in relation to the narrative.<ref>{{Cite book|title="Introduction," in I Maccabees|last=Goldstein|first=Jonathan A.|publisher=Doubleday & Company, Inc.|year=1976|isbn=|location=Garden city, New York|pages=12, 18–19, 24–26, 33, 79}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Meqabyan]] |
*[[Meqabyan]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Books Of The Maccabees}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Books Of The Maccabees}} |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek literature]] |
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[[Category:Books of the Maccabees| ]] |
[[Category:Books of the Maccabees| ]] |
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[[Category:Historical books]] |
[[Category:Historical books]] |
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[[Category:Jewish apocrypha]] |
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Latest revision as of 22:37, 2 October 2024
The Books of the Maccabees or the Sefer HaMakabim (the Book of the Maccabees) recount the history of the Maccabees, the leaders of the Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid dynasty.
List of books
[edit]The Books of the Maccabees refers to a series of deuterocanonical books which are contained in various canons of the Bible:
- 1 Maccabees, originally written in Hebrew and only surviving in a Greek translation, it contains an account of the history of the Maccabees from 175 BC until 134 BC.[1]
- 2 Maccabees, Jason of Cyrene's Greek abridgment of an earlier history which was written in Hebrew, recounts the history of the Maccabees from 176 BC until 161 BC.[1] It focuses on Judas Maccabeus, and it also describes prayers for the dead and offerings.
- 3 Maccabees, a Greek narrative that contains an account of Egyptian Jews being delivered from their impending martyrdom at the hands of Ptolemy IV Philopator[1] in the 3rd century BC.[2]
- 4 Maccabees, a Greek philosophic discourse that praises the supremacy of reason over passion, using the Maccabean martyrs as examples.[2]
- 5 Maccabees, an Arabic text which offers an account of the history of the Maccabees from 186 BC to 6 BC. The same title is occasionally ascribed to a Syriac version of the 6th book of Josephus' The Jewish War.[2][3]
- 6 Maccabees, a Syriac poem that possibly shared a lost source with 4 Maccabees.[3]
- 7 Maccabees, a Syriac text which contains transcripts of speeches which were made by the Maccabean Martyrs and their mother.[3]
- 8 Maccabees, in Greek, a brief account of the revolt which draws on Seleucid sources, preserved in the Chronicle of John Malalas (pp. 206–207 in Dindorf).[3][4]
The first two books are considered canonical by the Catholic Church[5] and the first three books are considered canonical by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Georgian Orthodox Church is the only church which also considers 4 Maccabees canonical. All of the other books are considered biblical apocrypha. The Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon includes none of the books which are listed above, instead, it includes three books of Ethiopic Maccabees (1 Meqabyan, 2 Meqabyan, and 3 Meqabyan), books which are distinct from those books which are listed above. There is also a non-canonical Jewish work which is titled the Megillat Antiochus ("The Scroll of Antiochus"). This book is read in some synagogues during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The book is unrelated to the "Books of Maccabees" except for the fact that it cites some quotations which are contained in 1 and 2 Maccabees, and it also describes the same events which are described in 1 and 2 Maccabees.[6]
First versus Second Books of Maccabees
[edit]The books of First and Second Maccabees are written in noticeably different literary styles, but contain similar narratives.
In First Maccabees, the author presents an objective historical account of the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV. It deals with the rise and legitimacy of the Hasmonean dynasty, beginning with an account of the life of the Jewish priest Mattathias, a forefather of the Maccabean revolt. The sober style of First Maccabees takes influence from the authors of the Hebrew Bible.
In contrast, the author of Second Maccabees presents a heavily dramatic, emotional and theologically dense account of a period of time which is shorter but overlapping (180–161 BC). In Second Maccabees, the author portrays Judas Maccabaeus and the martyrs who fight alongside him as champions; they earn divine favor as a result. The book begins with two letters (Epistles I and II), but these are insubstantial in relation to the narrative.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about "Books of the Maccabees".
- ^ a b c Fairweather, William (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 198.
- ^ a b c "Maccabees, Books of, 3-5.". International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 May 2013 – via BibleStudyTools.com.
- ^ a b c d Davila, James R. "The More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project" (PDF). University of St. Andrews. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- ^ John Malalas, Chronographia. Edited by Ludwig A. Dindorf. Vol. 15 of Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae. Bonn: Weber, 1831.
- ^ Jerusalem Bible, 1966, "Introduction to the Books of Maccabees", p. 654
- ^ "Scroll of Antiochus". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
- ^ Goldstein, Jonathan A. (1976). "Introduction," in I Maccabees. Garden city, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. pp. 12, 18–19, 24–26, 33, 79.
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