1 maccabees summary by chapter - Chapters
The second and fourth books of the Maccabees recount the martyrdom of seven Jewish brothers, their mother and their teacher. Although these are not said to be of the Maccabee family, they are referred to in Christianity as the "Holy Maccabean Martyrs" or the "Holy Maccabees." First Maccabees was written about 100 B.C., in Hebrew, but the original has not come down to us. Instead, we have an early, pre-Christian, Greek translation full of Hebrew idioms.
Understanding the Context
The author, probably a Palestinian Jew, is unknown. From priests to kings, the Maccabees created an independent Jewish kingdom in the second century BCE. Explore how a priestly family led a revolt, exploited imperial rivalries, and built the Hasmonean Kingdom in second-century BCE Judea. Maccabees, priestly family of Jews who organized a successful rebellion against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV in Judaea and restored the defiled Temple of Jerusalem.
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Key Insights
The First Book of Maccabees was written in Hebrew by a Jew from Jerusalem, probably around the beginning of the first century before Christ. However, only translations are extant as well as the Greek text that provides faith for the Church. The rebels as a whole would come to be known as the Maccabees, and their actions would be chronicled later in the books of 1 Maccabees and 2 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. Jews refer to the Maccabees, but the family is more commonly known as the Hasmoneans.
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The Maccabees were Jewish fighters who led the revolt against the Syrian Greek ruling class. Their victory is celebrated every year on Hanukkah.