Although the books of maccabees were not included within the hebrew bible, they are still of value. The book s title, the maccabees sic bible is a misnomer in and of itself. Why isnt the book of the maccabees part of the jewish canon. When this happened, its authoritative nature was rejected by the jewish community. The books of the maccabees are books concerned with the maccabees, the leaders of the jewish rebellion against the seleucid dynasty and related subjects. However, the septuagint became the official version of the bible for the nascent christian church. The third book of the maccabees has in reality nothing to do either with the maccabees or with their times. Why were the maccabees books excluded from the protestant. This book tells the story of a family which became very important in jewish history. Yes, in the deuterocanonical books of the catholic bible the story is found in the book of maccabees. Entry for maccabees, books of international standard bible encyclopedia one of 8 bible encyclopedias freely available, the isbe is hailed for its authoritative explanations of every significant word, person and place.
The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica. The name maccabee was a title of honour given to judas, a son of mattathias and the hero of the jewish wars of independence, 168164. The books do not appear in the jewish bible, but 1 and 2 maccabees are included in the greek and latin canon and in the protestant apocrypha. Rather, it is another book about the maccabean era. The seleucid war didnt occur until about 180 years after. It received its name probably because it is a fiction concerning the persecution of the jews by a foreign king. The second book has a more theological slant, advancing several doctrines followed by the orthodox and roman catholic churches. Entry for maccabees, books of the 1901 jewish encyclopedia one of 8 bible encyclopedias freely available, this encyclopedia is a descriptive record of the history, religion and customs of the jewish people. These books were better known among greek speaking jews in the mediterranean world around the time of jesus. Why were the maccabees books left out of the bible answers. Books of maccabees encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway.
List of books in the hebrew bible believers portal. Some hold that the book was written originally as a kind of introduction to the books of maccabees, which it precedes as book i in cottons five books of maccabees. The family of mattathias became known as the maccabees, from the hebrew word for hammer, because they were said to strike hammer blows against their enemies. Aside from those denominations who hold both 1 and 2 maccabees as canon, do the rest of the old and new testament have anything to say about the maccabees or this time period. The revolt involved many battles, in which the maccabean forces gained notoriety among the seleucid army for their use of guerrilla tactics. Why the maccabees arent in the bible my jewish learning. Apr 09, 2014 books of the maccabees bible, king james, rheims, douay on. First book of the maccabees seeking the truth through bible. 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. John also called gaddi, 3 simon also called thassi, 4 judas also called maccabeus, 5 eleazar also called avaran, and. Like other rulers before him, antiochus underestimated the will and strength of his jewish. Why isnt the book of maccabees included in the bible.
The record in 2 maccabees begins one year earlier than that of 1 maccabees, but as the latter reaches down to 5 bc and probably below 105 bc. Tanakh jewish bible 24 books21 books in bold are part of the ketuvim protestant old testament 39 books catholic old testament 46 books eastern orthodox old testament 51 books original language torah pentateuch or the five books of moses bereishit genesis genesis genesis hebrew shemot exodus exodus exodus hebrew vayikra leviticus leviticus leviticus hebrew bamidbar numbers numbers. 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. Perhaps the term maccabees was generalized so as to denote all who suffered for their faith. Maccabees, books of the 1901 jewish encyclopedia bible. 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.
The original hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the greek translation contained in the septuagint. Entry for maccabees, books of international standard bible encyclopedia one of 8 bible encyclopedias freely available, the isbe is hailed for its authoritative explanations of. For this version, we have restored the names of those involved to their original transliteration. I am thoroughly struck by how profound the life of christ was in the light of the book of 1 and 2 maccabees. The author of the first 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 concept is found nowhere else in either the jewish bible or the christian. A series of books relating events centering around judas maccabeus and other heroes in the jewish struggle for religious and political freedom. The first book of maccabees i maccabees is historical work extant in greek. A theological treatise such as 2 maccabees differed widely from the unadorned, factual approach found in 1 maccabees. Jews refer to the maccabees, but the family is more commonly known as the hasmoneans. 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. Fairweather and black, first book of maccabees, in cambridge bible for schools and colleges kautzsch, apokryphen. It is included in the catholic and eastern orthodox canons.
Why isnt the book of maccabees in the jewish bible, the. Jul 03, 20 why at some point were they considered part of the bible then a manmade council decided they didnt belong. The maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys and forced jews into outlawry. The book of 1 maccabees was written in hebrew and later translated into greek.
The story of hanukah actually comes from the talmud, not the bible. In fact, the penalty for keeping the torah was death. It was the name given to the leaders of the national party among the jews who suffered in the persecution under antiochus epiphanes, who succeeded to the syrian throne b. 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. The 24 books of the bible were canonized by the anshei knesset hagedolah. They relate stories of miricals that god was still looking after his chosen people. While the canonocity of these books are disputed, no one can deny their immense historical value. Librivox recording of the first book of maccabees, from the douayrheims version. Many original prayers, speeches, and poems embedded in first maccabees reflect the strong religious feelings of the new rulers. Why does the catholic bible include the maccabees and the.
Why is the book of maccabees not in the bible answers. 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. With the exception of the pentateuch and the prophets, what was and what was not part of the canonical hebrew bible during the era of the maccabees is an open question. The first and second books of maccabees, though regarded by jews and protestants as apocryphal, i. There are a number of books like the book of maccabees, the purim story etc that are a part of the jewish cannon of stories but the pentateuch or five books of moses, predate these much later stories by centuries. Jun 21, 2019 2 maccabees consists of a greek synopsis of a fivevolume history of the maccabean revolt written by jason of cyrene quote from this article. 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 book traces the struggle of the judean jews against the cruel oppression of the seleucid rulers who had taken control of judea away from the ptolemaic egyptian kings shortly after 200 b.
The term mostly refers to two deuterocanonical books contained in various canons of the bible. The term maccabees as used to describe the jewish army is taken from the hebrew word for hammer. Judaic courts administering the death penalty while under babylonian rule b. Their circumstances were the result of their own failed revolt against the romans. 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. Jan 02, 2020 the first book, although written from a biased perspective, does not directly mention god or divine intervention. Sira, maccabees, judith, the book of enoch, jubilees, the story of susanna, and. The doctrinal issues of concern, brought out in 2 maccabees, include the concept of intercession of the saints jeremiahs prayer in heaven 2 maccabees 15. 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. A couple of centuries later, jewish scholars found themselves in jamnia with the temple destroyed and jerusalem lost. There never has been any document known as the macabean bible. Many jewish people chose martyrdom over defying gods commandments. Maccabees, books of, 12 definition and meaning bible.
Jul 01, 2010 this book tells the story of a family which became very important in jewish history. It is also referred to by jesus and his disciple in john chapter 10 the feast of the dedication. But the contents of the book do not agree with this view. The book is held as canonical scripture by the catholic, orthodox, and oriental orthodox churches, but not by protestant denominations nor any major branches of judaism. The main reason is that modern day judaism comes from the phariseee sect which believes in rabbinic interpretation and the oral tradition, whereas the hasmonean dynasty and the maccabees represented the sadducee sect, a break away sect that sought. First and second maccabees were included in the septuagint, the greek translation of the hebrew bible originally prepared for the jewish community of alexandria. 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. 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. Schumacher, the canon of the new testament london 1923, pp. The book of maccabees bom is rather different from the other books of the bible. The first book of maccabees is an excellent and reliable historical source on the period of the maccabean revolt and its aftermath, 1754 b. The books of maccabees describe the revolt led by the maccabean family against the syrian king, antiochus epiphanes.
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