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Apocrypha. 1st and 2nd BOOK OF MACCABEES: Removed From The Bible By The Protestant Church In The 1800's
The Books of the Maccabees chronicle key historical events in ancient Judaism during the 2nd century before the common era. Active table of contents.
171 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2017
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 15, 2025
The Books of the Maccabees may be best known today for relating the original story of Hanukkah; but any reader, regardless of their religious faith, could benefit from reading these two books that relate, in a vivid and dramatic manner, a time of conflict between advocates of Hellenistic polytheism and believers in Jewish monotheism.
The books of Maccabees are among the Biblical books that are known as the Apocrypha. They are treated as canonical by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, but not within Judaism or Protestantism – though many people from within all of these religious traditions feel that the books of the Apocrypha possess benefit as guides to faith and morals.
Another reason why these books of the Apocrypha are of particular interest is that they are “intertestamental,” meaning that they cover the “400 silent years” between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. The Book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, takes the reader of the Bible to around 420 B.C., a time at which the Athenians and Spartans were fighting the Peloponnesian War; the Gospels begin in the time just before Anno Domini, 1 A.D., by which time Rome had become an empire under the rule of Augustus Caesar. During those 400 years, the people of Israel achieved a strong degree of political independence, at a time when Greek Hellenism represented a challenge, both culturally and politically, to the Jewish people of Israel.
The first book of Maccabees begins on a note that will be familiar to readers of classical history, telling of “Alexander the Macedonian, Philip’s son, who…defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes,” and became king of all the Greeks. We are told that Alexander “advanced to the ends of the earth, gathering plunder from many nations; the earth fell silent before him, and his heart became proud and arrogant” – a descriptor that seems true to what one reads about Alexander in the writings of classical authors like Plutarch and Arrian.
Yet Alexander fell sick and, on his deathbed, divided his empire into four kingdoms. One of those kingdoms, the Seleucid empire, was headquartered in what is now Syria, and held what is now Israel within its dominions; and in the "historical present" of the book, 150 years after Alexander’s death, the Selecuid realm comes to be ruled by “a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,” who became king in 175 B.C.
Epiphanes (Ἐπιφανής) means "God Made Manifest," and Antiochus IV Epiphanes certainly behaves like someone who thinks he's a god in human form; he invades and conquers Egypt, and then turns his bloody attentions toward Jerusalem. Arrogantly, he focuses on the Temple, the center of Jewish religious and spiritual life:
He insolently entered the sanctuary and took away the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its utensils, the offering table, the cups and bowls, the golden censers, and the curtain. The cornices and the golden ornament on the facade of the temple—he stripped it all off. And he took away the silver and gold and the precious vessels; he also took all the hidden treasures he could find. Taking all this, he went back to his own country. He shed much blood and spoke with great arrogance. And there was great mourning throughout all Israel…
After invading and occupying Israel, and making Jerusalem his citadel, Antiochus seeks to make all the people of his kingdom follow his religious beliefs. Women who have had their children circumcised are put to death; scrolls of the Torah are torn into pieces and burned; and a “desolating abomination” (perhaps a graven image of a pagan god) is placed “upon the altar of burnt offerings”. Truly, the unknown author of First Maccabees seems almost to understate when writing that “very great wrath came upon Israel”.
The priest Mattathias and his five sons – including “Judas, who was called Maccabeus” –leave the city and begin to organize resistance to Antiochus’ tyranny. Mattathias, dying, prophesies that Judas Maccabeus, “a mighty warrior from his youth, shall be the leader of your army and wage the war against the nations”. And indeed, Judas Maccabeus achieves great success, against larger and better-equipped armies commanded by experienced generals. Small wonder that he says that “victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven.”
An enraged Antiochus, in response, sends one of his best generals, a nobleman named Lysias, “to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem and efface their memory from the place.” And then Judas Maccabeus, with 10,000 soldiers, soundly thrashes Lysias, with 60,000, at the battle of Beth-zur, after which they undertake the task of purifying the temple profaned by Antiochus:
They made new sacred vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these illuminated the temple. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise.
This account of the re-lighting of the Temple in 164 B.C. provides the basis for Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, and Judas Maccabeus and his brothers formalize its celebration: “Then Judas and his brothers and the entire assembly of Israel decreed that every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev, the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary.”
Antiochus, meanwhile is in Persia, trying to take the city of Elam because its temple “was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by the first king of the Greeks, Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon.” Hearing of the Israelites’ improbable victory over his armies, Antiochus responds like many a thwarted king from classical drama:
When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many days, assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die. So he called in all his friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart sinks from anxiety. I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’ But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”
It is a moment of what Aristotle called anagnorisis – a character recognizes how his own actions have led to his downfall. To be sure, Antiochus Epiphanes is no tragic hero – he seems more pathetic than tragic – but the reader feels a sense of justice at the fall of this arrogant and cruel man.
As leaders of a rising power that has shown its ability to maintain its independence on the battlefield, Judas Maccabeus later sends representatives to another rising power, Rome, to make a treaty with the Roman Republic – “to establish alliance and peace with you, and to be enrolled among your allies and friends.”
The author of this book records that “The proposal pleased the Romans, and this is a copy of the reply they inscribed on bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem, to remain there with the Jews as a record of peace and alliance: ‘May it be well with the Romans and the Jewish nation at sea and on land forever; may sword and enemy be far from them.’”
It is a melancholy thing to read these passages, for a number of reasons. The reader knows that, within 200 years after this solemn declaration of peace and friendship, Rome’s republic will give way to an empire that, like the Seleucid Empire of Antiochus Epiphanes, encourages its kings to think of themselves as gods. Roman emperors with names like Caligula and Nero will seek to take away the religious freedom of the Israelites, just as Antiochus did; and the people of Israel will rise up again, just as they did in the time of Judas Maccabeus. And the ultimate outcome will be the Roman-Jewish War of 67-73 A.D., with all its associated traumas – the sacking of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Second Temple, the mass suicide of the garrison at Masada, and ultimately the Diaspora.
When Judas dies in battle against the forces of the Seleucid ruler Demetrius, he is eulogized by his people: “How the mighty one has fallen, the savior of Israel!” Judas Maccabeus’ brothers and successors, Jonathan and Simon, fortunately share their brother’s courage as soldier and skill as statesman, winning great victories of their own and negotiating new alliances – including one with another great warrior nation, Sparta. The Spartan king, Arius, courteously acknowledges Israel’s declaration of brotherly affection by noting that “A document has been found stating that the Spartans and the Jews are brothers and that they are of the family of Abraham.” And First Maccabees ends on a note of victory, as the great work of the Maccabees finally comes to fruition when “the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel” in 142 B.C.
The second book of Maccabees tells the same story as the first, but differs in a number of areas of emphasis. Where the author of First Maccabees tells the story with more emphasis on how human character and human choice affect the great historical events that the book describes, the author of Second Maccabees is more interested in setting the action in religious terms.
Once again, we hear the story of Antiochus Epiphanes’ taking and profaning of the temple, and of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers going out into the wild to become the resistance. Yet in this book, there is more emphasis on Antiochus’ attempts to make the Israelites worship Olympian deities like Zeus and Bacchus, and on the hideous tortures inflicted on Israelites who refuse to eat pork or forsake the Jewish religion. The writer praises these martyrs’ willingness to suffer for their faith, in a manner that will be familiar to Catholics who have read Lives of the Saints, or Protestants who have read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
Once again, we read of Maccabeus’ battlefield victories, the purification of the Temple, and the death of Antiochus Epiphanes (with emphasis, this time not on his recognition of the wrong that he has done, but rather on the physical corruption of his body through a loathsome disease that is presumably sent by an avenging God). Antiochus’ son subsequently agrees to let the Israelites have their cultural and religious freedom:
“We have heard that the Jews do not agree with our father’s change to Greek customs but prefer their own way of life. They are petitioning us to let them retain their own customs. Since we desire that this people too should be undisturbed, our decision is that their temple be restored to them and that they live in keeping with the customs of their ancestors.”
Later, the Seleucid general Nicanor, who has befriended Judas Maccabeus but now intends to betray him, threatens the high priests to make them hand over Judas Maccabeus, with another Antiochus-style threat to impose the Olympian religion on the Israelites: “If you do not hand Judas over to me as prisoner, I will level this shrine of God to the ground; I will tear down the altar, and erect here a splendid temple to Dionysus.”
Yet the power of the One God of Israel over the many pagan gods of Olympus is once again vindicated. Before battling Nicanor, Judas Maccabeus relates to his soldiers an account of a dream in which the prophet Jeremiah gave him a sword of gold and said, “Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall shatter your adversaries.”
And the Israelites win the battle, and Nicanor ends up dead, with his head and right arm cut off and hung from the walls of the citadel, and his tongue cut out and fed to the birds. On this note of the Israelites winning their independence through the aid of the one God, the Second Book of Maccabees comes to an end.
Some will read the Books of the Maccabees as a matter of faith; I came to them out of my interest in classical history and culture. Whatever the reason for your reading of the Books of the Maccabees, you are likely to find them a fascinating and vivid evocation of a time when two of the major cultures and worldviews of the world came into violent conflict.
The books of Maccabees are among the Biblical books that are known as the Apocrypha. They are treated as canonical by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, but not within Judaism or Protestantism – though many people from within all of these religious traditions feel that the books of the Apocrypha possess benefit as guides to faith and morals.
Another reason why these books of the Apocrypha are of particular interest is that they are “intertestamental,” meaning that they cover the “400 silent years” between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. The Book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, takes the reader of the Bible to around 420 B.C., a time at which the Athenians and Spartans were fighting the Peloponnesian War; the Gospels begin in the time just before Anno Domini, 1 A.D., by which time Rome had become an empire under the rule of Augustus Caesar. During those 400 years, the people of Israel achieved a strong degree of political independence, at a time when Greek Hellenism represented a challenge, both culturally and politically, to the Jewish people of Israel.
The first book of Maccabees begins on a note that will be familiar to readers of classical history, telling of “Alexander the Macedonian, Philip’s son, who…defeated Darius, king of the Persians and Medes,” and became king of all the Greeks. We are told that Alexander “advanced to the ends of the earth, gathering plunder from many nations; the earth fell silent before him, and his heart became proud and arrogant” – a descriptor that seems true to what one reads about Alexander in the writings of classical authors like Plutarch and Arrian.
Yet Alexander fell sick and, on his deathbed, divided his empire into four kingdoms. One of those kingdoms, the Seleucid empire, was headquartered in what is now Syria, and held what is now Israel within its dominions; and in the "historical present" of the book, 150 years after Alexander’s death, the Selecuid realm comes to be ruled by “a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,” who became king in 175 B.C.
Epiphanes (Ἐπιφανής) means "God Made Manifest," and Antiochus IV Epiphanes certainly behaves like someone who thinks he's a god in human form; he invades and conquers Egypt, and then turns his bloody attentions toward Jerusalem. Arrogantly, he focuses on the Temple, the center of Jewish religious and spiritual life:
He insolently entered the sanctuary and took away the golden altar, the lampstand for the light with all its utensils, the offering table, the cups and bowls, the golden censers, and the curtain. The cornices and the golden ornament on the facade of the temple—he stripped it all off. And he took away the silver and gold and the precious vessels; he also took all the hidden treasures he could find. Taking all this, he went back to his own country. He shed much blood and spoke with great arrogance. And there was great mourning throughout all Israel…
After invading and occupying Israel, and making Jerusalem his citadel, Antiochus seeks to make all the people of his kingdom follow his religious beliefs. Women who have had their children circumcised are put to death; scrolls of the Torah are torn into pieces and burned; and a “desolating abomination” (perhaps a graven image of a pagan god) is placed “upon the altar of burnt offerings”. Truly, the unknown author of First Maccabees seems almost to understate when writing that “very great wrath came upon Israel”.
The priest Mattathias and his five sons – including “Judas, who was called Maccabeus” –leave the city and begin to organize resistance to Antiochus’ tyranny. Mattathias, dying, prophesies that Judas Maccabeus, “a mighty warrior from his youth, shall be the leader of your army and wage the war against the nations”. And indeed, Judas Maccabeus achieves great success, against larger and better-equipped armies commanded by experienced generals. Small wonder that he says that “victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven.”
An enraged Antiochus, in response, sends one of his best generals, a nobleman named Lysias, “to crush and destroy the power of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem and efface their memory from the place.” And then Judas Maccabeus, with 10,000 soldiers, soundly thrashes Lysias, with 60,000, at the battle of Beth-zur, after which they undertake the task of purifying the temple profaned by Antiochus:
They made new sacred vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these illuminated the temple. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise.
This account of the re-lighting of the Temple in 164 B.C. provides the basis for Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, and Judas Maccabeus and his brothers formalize its celebration: “Then Judas and his brothers and the entire assembly of Israel decreed that every year for eight days, from the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev, the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary.”
Antiochus, meanwhile is in Persia, trying to take the city of Elam because its temple “was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by the first king of the Greeks, Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon.” Hearing of the Israelites’ improbable victory over his armies, Antiochus responds like many a thwarted king from classical drama:
When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed. There he remained many days, assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die. So he called in all his friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart sinks from anxiety. I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’ But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”
It is a moment of what Aristotle called anagnorisis – a character recognizes how his own actions have led to his downfall. To be sure, Antiochus Epiphanes is no tragic hero – he seems more pathetic than tragic – but the reader feels a sense of justice at the fall of this arrogant and cruel man.
As leaders of a rising power that has shown its ability to maintain its independence on the battlefield, Judas Maccabeus later sends representatives to another rising power, Rome, to make a treaty with the Roman Republic – “to establish alliance and peace with you, and to be enrolled among your allies and friends.”
The author of this book records that “The proposal pleased the Romans, and this is a copy of the reply they inscribed on bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem, to remain there with the Jews as a record of peace and alliance: ‘May it be well with the Romans and the Jewish nation at sea and on land forever; may sword and enemy be far from them.’”
It is a melancholy thing to read these passages, for a number of reasons. The reader knows that, within 200 years after this solemn declaration of peace and friendship, Rome’s republic will give way to an empire that, like the Seleucid Empire of Antiochus Epiphanes, encourages its kings to think of themselves as gods. Roman emperors with names like Caligula and Nero will seek to take away the religious freedom of the Israelites, just as Antiochus did; and the people of Israel will rise up again, just as they did in the time of Judas Maccabeus. And the ultimate outcome will be the Roman-Jewish War of 67-73 A.D., with all its associated traumas – the sacking of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Second Temple, the mass suicide of the garrison at Masada, and ultimately the Diaspora.
When Judas dies in battle against the forces of the Seleucid ruler Demetrius, he is eulogized by his people: “How the mighty one has fallen, the savior of Israel!” Judas Maccabeus’ brothers and successors, Jonathan and Simon, fortunately share their brother’s courage as soldier and skill as statesman, winning great victories of their own and negotiating new alliances – including one with another great warrior nation, Sparta. The Spartan king, Arius, courteously acknowledges Israel’s declaration of brotherly affection by noting that “A document has been found stating that the Spartans and the Jews are brothers and that they are of the family of Abraham.” And First Maccabees ends on a note of victory, as the great work of the Maccabees finally comes to fruition when “the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from Israel” in 142 B.C.
The second book of Maccabees tells the same story as the first, but differs in a number of areas of emphasis. Where the author of First Maccabees tells the story with more emphasis on how human character and human choice affect the great historical events that the book describes, the author of Second Maccabees is more interested in setting the action in religious terms.
Once again, we hear the story of Antiochus Epiphanes’ taking and profaning of the temple, and of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers going out into the wild to become the resistance. Yet in this book, there is more emphasis on Antiochus’ attempts to make the Israelites worship Olympian deities like Zeus and Bacchus, and on the hideous tortures inflicted on Israelites who refuse to eat pork or forsake the Jewish religion. The writer praises these martyrs’ willingness to suffer for their faith, in a manner that will be familiar to Catholics who have read Lives of the Saints, or Protestants who have read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
Once again, we read of Maccabeus’ battlefield victories, the purification of the Temple, and the death of Antiochus Epiphanes (with emphasis, this time not on his recognition of the wrong that he has done, but rather on the physical corruption of his body through a loathsome disease that is presumably sent by an avenging God). Antiochus’ son subsequently agrees to let the Israelites have their cultural and religious freedom:
“We have heard that the Jews do not agree with our father’s change to Greek customs but prefer their own way of life. They are petitioning us to let them retain their own customs. Since we desire that this people too should be undisturbed, our decision is that their temple be restored to them and that they live in keeping with the customs of their ancestors.”
Later, the Seleucid general Nicanor, who has befriended Judas Maccabeus but now intends to betray him, threatens the high priests to make them hand over Judas Maccabeus, with another Antiochus-style threat to impose the Olympian religion on the Israelites: “If you do not hand Judas over to me as prisoner, I will level this shrine of God to the ground; I will tear down the altar, and erect here a splendid temple to Dionysus.”
Yet the power of the One God of Israel over the many pagan gods of Olympus is once again vindicated. Before battling Nicanor, Judas Maccabeus relates to his soldiers an account of a dream in which the prophet Jeremiah gave him a sword of gold and said, “Accept this holy sword as a gift from God; with it you shall shatter your adversaries.”
And the Israelites win the battle, and Nicanor ends up dead, with his head and right arm cut off and hung from the walls of the citadel, and his tongue cut out and fed to the birds. On this note of the Israelites winning their independence through the aid of the one God, the Second Book of Maccabees comes to an end.
Some will read the Books of the Maccabees as a matter of faith; I came to them out of my interest in classical history and culture. Whatever the reason for your reading of the Books of the Maccabees, you are likely to find them a fascinating and vivid evocation of a time when two of the major cultures and worldviews of the world came into violent conflict.
Read
April 30, 2019Ha! There's no way you're gonna get me to rate a book of the Bible. That's the same as rating a history book! (but then again, I could rate it on the translation, or the edition etc. - wait no, shut up! I'm trying to get myself out of having to do it!)
I think the First Book of Maccabees was easier to read but I really was intrigued with the Second. Especially the part about the mother and her seven sons. Rather than eating the flesh of pork, they were willingly martyred in absolutely abhorrent ways- man, that chapter was so inspiring-ly cool.
I think the First Book of Maccabees was easier to read but I really was intrigued with the Second. Especially the part about the mother and her seven sons. Rather than eating the flesh of pork, they were willingly martyred in absolutely abhorrent ways- man, that chapter was so inspiring-ly cool.
October 7, 2023
Read this for school work a while back.
Really enjoyed it. For me personally sometimes, time can jumble around in my head. Reading this helped me solidify what happened in the time between the New and Old Testament.
Though I would like to mention that as a Reformed Christian,I do not count First and Second Maccabees as part of the bible. That being said. I still think that a lot of the time we can dismiss books like these that we don’t believe should be in the bible, and not even read them at all. Just because a book doesn’t need to be in the bible doesn’t mean that we should avoid it. I think that more people should read 1 and 2 Maccabees, not for spiritual reasons, but for the context and information.
Really enjoyed it. For me personally sometimes, time can jumble around in my head. Reading this helped me solidify what happened in the time between the New and Old Testament.
Though I would like to mention that as a Reformed Christian,I do not count First and Second Maccabees as part of the bible. That being said. I still think that a lot of the time we can dismiss books like these that we don’t believe should be in the bible, and not even read them at all. Just because a book doesn’t need to be in the bible doesn’t mean that we should avoid it. I think that more people should read 1 and 2 Maccabees, not for spiritual reasons, but for the context and information.
January 9, 2018
1 Maccabees rating: 5 stars
2 Maccabees rating: 3 stars
I read a review that someone liked 2 Maccabees more than the first, so I don't know if I had higher standards, but the narrator felt somehow more biased and unreliable. There were a few details in it that the other didn't have. Overall I'd say the 2nd didn't pull any punches - meaning it had more miracles, more fanfare, and so. much. more. violence. Don't get me wrong, the first book had violence, but it felt very Joshua/Kings/Chronicles violent. 2 Maccabees felt like extreme R rated movie violence. I've never been so traumatized by descriptions of violence in books (though, admittedly, I don't READ many books with descriptions of violence). Anyway, it was the second book that made me think, "Oh, yeah, I see now why Mel Gibson specifically wanted to make a Maccabees movie."
THAT BEING SAID, they were both enlightening. I think the first one is a close-to-must-read??? for Bible scholars. The second I just...I was just too traumatized by chapter 7 with the mother and seven sons. JUST BE FOREWARNED.
2 Maccabees rating: 3 stars
I read a review that someone liked 2 Maccabees more than the first, so I don't know if I had higher standards, but the narrator felt somehow more biased and unreliable. There were a few details in it that the other didn't have. Overall I'd say the 2nd didn't pull any punches - meaning it had more miracles, more fanfare, and so. much. more. violence. Don't get me wrong, the first book had violence, but it felt very Joshua/Kings/Chronicles violent. 2 Maccabees felt like extreme R rated movie violence. I've never been so traumatized by descriptions of violence in books (though, admittedly, I don't READ many books with descriptions of violence). Anyway, it was the second book that made me think, "Oh, yeah, I see now why Mel Gibson specifically wanted to make a Maccabees movie."
THAT BEING SAID, they were both enlightening. I think the first one is a close-to-must-read??? for Bible scholars. The second I just...I was just too traumatized by chapter 7 with the mother and seven sons. JUST BE FOREWARNED.
November 8, 2025
We need more men like Mattathias.
January 9, 2025
Truly a fascinating book. However, I struggle to see how some would justify including it in the Bible. It seems to solely be a book on Jews who depart from God, building their own temple which is not sanctified, and killing whomever they want. Still its an interesting time period, and worth some study.
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January 9, 2023Read for IH 2.
Of course I don't believe this book is part of the Bible, but our class read it for historical purposes. It was interesting to read about some of what happened during the 400 Years of Silence, and it was fascinating to see the roots of the Pharisees begin here.
Of course I don't believe this book is part of the Bible, but our class read it for historical purposes. It was interesting to read about some of what happened during the 400 Years of Silence, and it was fascinating to see the roots of the Pharisees begin here.
October 12, 2018
Considered apocryphal by those who are Protestants and Jews, the books of Maccabees are nevertheless considered the last of the historical books of the Old Testament. The reason it’s considered apocrypha by some is because it is not found in the Palestinian canon, likely due to the very flattering portrayal of Rome in the second and first centuries of B.C..
In any case. What I feel is worth mentioning about Maccabees, particularly in the second book, is that this is really the first point in the Bible where the concept of martyrdom is invoked. The Story of Razis, told in the second book, is a particularly striking example of martyrdom in the Bible. It’s worthy of examination, given the importance that the Judeo-Christian tradition puts on martyrdom, as an act and as a concept.
In any case. What I feel is worth mentioning about Maccabees, particularly in the second book, is that this is really the first point in the Bible where the concept of martyrdom is invoked. The Story of Razis, told in the second book, is a particularly striking example of martyrdom in the Bible. It’s worthy of examination, given the importance that the Judeo-Christian tradition puts on martyrdom, as an act and as a concept.
February 16, 2017
Like many of the Old Testament books, these 2 cover a lot of the same history, so shouldn't be approached as a historical continuum. However, IMHO, they are obviously written by 2 very different authors. Book 1 is a rather more dry recounting of the Maccabeus family's military uprising against antagonistic Hellenistic authorities. Book 2, while retelling the majority of the same outline, contains many more charmingly-told anecdotes about several additional individuals bravely bucking this attack on the religion and culture of the Jewish community. Worth reading for the close-to-firsthand account of this era in Jewish history as well as for the mesmerizing storyteller-style of Book 2.
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November 5, 2023It's very hard to evaluate books like these because they are also-rans. The Jews do not accept them as part of the canon, but ironically Roman Catholics do. I say ironically because these are fire-breathingly Jewish and they are part of the Jewish holidays.
When I first read them, I was really excited because they fill in some gaps between the two Testaments. I liked 1 Maccabees better because it's so political. The second time I read them I had read N.T. Wright and was really sensitive (perhaps too sensitive) to the emphasis on Jewish loyalty to Torah and to the boundary markers.
On this, my third read, the most striking thing is how dramatic the events of these books are. Man, the Jews went through some rough, rough stuff. It makes me grateful that God sent Daniel a vision warning them of the time of trouble and distress that they would go through. I liked 2 Maccabees more than 1 Maccabees this time, because while 1 Maccabees is super political and 2 Maccabees has more events that border on the mythical, the martyrdoms are incredibly moving in 2 Maccabees. The most interesting thing from 1 Maccabees is how heavily it bears the marks of Daniel. Jews really knew that Daniel was about them and interpreted it in the light of that.
I am now inclined to think that the Maccabees were saved (only God knows for sure) and that Hebrews refers to them when it talks of the heroes of the faith that went about in caves and wildernesses.
The other thing that was particularly interesting was how robust Jewish belief in the resurrection was. I remember reading N.T. Wright saying that the resurrection came into prominence with the Gospel message, but man there's a lot of resurrection stuff in here.
I don't think these books are inspired, but I agree with the Protestants who say that they're edifying. 1 Maccabees explicitly says there's no prophetic word at the time, and 2 Maccabees validates a martyrdom-suicide, which I oppose. But I tentatively propose that the Maccabees are our brothers and we should be just a little braver because of reading of their trials. One of the most striking stories is the martyrdom of the widow and her seven sons. Here we see a Hellenistic color to the narrative--we owe God everything and so we cannot retain even our bodies. If this is Hellenism, I am all for it.
When I first read them, I was really excited because they fill in some gaps between the two Testaments. I liked 1 Maccabees better because it's so political. The second time I read them I had read N.T. Wright and was really sensitive (perhaps too sensitive) to the emphasis on Jewish loyalty to Torah and to the boundary markers.
On this, my third read, the most striking thing is how dramatic the events of these books are. Man, the Jews went through some rough, rough stuff. It makes me grateful that God sent Daniel a vision warning them of the time of trouble and distress that they would go through. I liked 2 Maccabees more than 1 Maccabees this time, because while 1 Maccabees is super political and 2 Maccabees has more events that border on the mythical, the martyrdoms are incredibly moving in 2 Maccabees. The most interesting thing from 1 Maccabees is how heavily it bears the marks of Daniel. Jews really knew that Daniel was about them and interpreted it in the light of that.
I am now inclined to think that the Maccabees were saved (only God knows for sure) and that Hebrews refers to them when it talks of the heroes of the faith that went about in caves and wildernesses.
The other thing that was particularly interesting was how robust Jewish belief in the resurrection was. I remember reading N.T. Wright saying that the resurrection came into prominence with the Gospel message, but man there's a lot of resurrection stuff in here.
I don't think these books are inspired, but I agree with the Protestants who say that they're edifying. 1 Maccabees explicitly says there's no prophetic word at the time, and 2 Maccabees validates a martyrdom-suicide, which I oppose. But I tentatively propose that the Maccabees are our brothers and we should be just a little braver because of reading of their trials. One of the most striking stories is the martyrdom of the widow and her seven sons. Here we see a Hellenistic color to the narrative--we owe God everything and so we cannot retain even our bodies. If this is Hellenism, I am all for it.
February 9, 2021
There are actually 8 books. Catholics and Orthodox church approves book 1 and 2. Seems like are are actually historic records used by religious people because books 1-2 involve Jews.
I'm just rating it based of entertainment. I wasn't entertained. I found it boring. The author won't find this offensive. book 2. 15:38-39. Hopefully it reaches someone.
Book 1 - 16 chapters
Book 2 - 15 chapters
The most key quote . Book 2. 06:12-16. The narrator says what hes trying to convey through those stories.
Conquest of Judea by Alexander the Great. Suppression of Jewish laws and practices. Mentions of Rome and Sparta.
book 1
1:61 - oof
2:23-25
2:46-48
2:53-60
08:06 - hmm
8:23-30
15:28-31 - uh oh. 15:33-36
book 2
4:19 - hmm hmm
4:36-42 - hmm. brutal
05:06 - uh oh
05:14-20 hmm
06:08-10 - extreme
07:01 -05 - uh oh. maaaan. catholics approve this book yet they eat pork while people died to avoid eating it.
12:03-04 - cruel. Then 12:06. I like how god seems to approve eye for an eye logic. He says nothing but he allows those fighting under his name to succeed.
12:44-45 - hmmmmm.
I'm just rating it based of entertainment. I wasn't entertained. I found it boring. The author won't find this offensive. book 2. 15:38-39. Hopefully it reaches someone.
Book 1 - 16 chapters
Book 2 - 15 chapters
The most key quote . Book 2. 06:12-16. The narrator says what hes trying to convey through those stories.
Conquest of Judea by Alexander the Great. Suppression of Jewish laws and practices. Mentions of Rome and Sparta.
book 1
1:61 - oof
2:23-25
2:46-48
2:53-60
08:06 - hmm
8:23-30
15:28-31 - uh oh. 15:33-36
book 2
4:19 - hmm hmm
4:36-42 - hmm. brutal
05:06 - uh oh
05:14-20 hmm
06:08-10 - extreme
07:01 -05 - uh oh. maaaan. catholics approve this book yet they eat pork while people died to avoid eating it.
12:03-04 - cruel. Then 12:06. I like how god seems to approve eye for an eye logic. He says nothing but he allows those fighting under his name to succeed.
12:44-45 - hmmmmm.
December 28, 2020
1 and 2 Maccabees gives good insight into the cultural background of the Gospels and Israelite existence under occupation and oppression.
Read
December 31, 2021Truthfully written
February 3, 2023
Good read.
November 21, 2023
Enjoyed tbh
January 10, 2024
I don't think the story of Hanukkah was very clear in this book.
Read
June 23, 2025listened to these on a road trip, interesting but very violent. Also very tonally different from the rest of Scripture. I can totally understand why it's not considered canon.
February 21, 2026
It's a tough book to read, above my comprehension ability.
January 11, 2021
Pretty much just a military history. Does not contribute to the narrative of the 66 canonical books of the Bible, and thus does not belong in the Bible.
January 15, 2021
The first book of Maccabees is quit easily one of the best books in the bible and an engaging story in itself. A very underrated book because it is often counted to the apocrypha it tells us about the need of resistance and the value of fighting for your conviction.
I was very surprised because I myself didn't expect such an engaging read.
I was very surprised because I myself didn't expect such an engaging read.
April 1, 2016
What drama! Worthy of a great action movie. Huge armies of 100,000 foot soldiers, 20,000 horsemen, and yes, 32 elephants 'accustomed to war'. And then they 'offered the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to arouse them for battle'. Strange and most bizarre and vividly descriptive, this is exciting reading.
December 29, 2016
Interesting but difficult read.
"Children! be courageous and strong in keeping the law, for by it you shall be glorified." —1 Maccabees 2:64
"He never withdraws His mercy from us. Although He disciplines us with misfortunes, He does not abandon His own people." —2 Maccabees 6:16
"Children! be courageous and strong in keeping the law, for by it you shall be glorified." —1 Maccabees 2:64
"He never withdraws His mercy from us. Although He disciplines us with misfortunes, He does not abandon His own people." —2 Maccabees 6:16
January 6, 2015
I really enjoyed this. I had the ABS audio CD version, but this is the only edition I could find so I choose it. Mine is in English.
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