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1 Maccabees

The revolt against Antiochus IV and the origins of Hanukkah, in a book Torrey and Cornill prized as a historical source.^{9 sources}9 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 5. 1 Maccabees 4:52–53 6. 1 Maccabees 4:56 7. 1 Maccabees 4:59 8. Toy 9. Bechtel

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At a glance

Setting: About 175–135 BC, in the chronology used by the Jewish and Catholic encyclopedias.^{4 sources}4 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel
Language: Preserved in Greek; probably first written in Hebrew (Jewish and Catholic encyclopedias).^{10 8 11}
Written: Between 135 and 63 BC, in the Jewish Encyclopedia’s dating argument.^{12 13 14}
Genre: Historical narrative.^{6 sources}6 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 8. Toy 9. Bechtel

Summary

The temple dedication behind Hanukkah is part of a larger struggle in 1 Maccabees. Its story follows Judas, Jonathan and Simon through persecution, revolt and leadership. Torrey and Cornill, quoted in the Jewish and Catholic encyclopedias, prized the book as a historical source. Andrew S. Jacobs also emphasizes its advocacy for the Hasmonean dynasty.^{13 sources}13 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 15. 1 Maccabees 1:54 16. 1 Maccabees 1:59 17. 1 Maccabees 1:62–63 5. 1 Maccabees 4:52–53 6. 1 Maccabees 4:56 7. 1 Maccabees 4:59 8. Toy 9. Bechtel 18. Jacobs

Worship under attack
1 Maccabees 1:1–2:70
Antiochus IV’s decrees forbid observance of the Law. Torah scrolls are burned and an idol altar is built. Some people choose death rather than eat forbidden food; revolt follows.^{7 sources}7 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 15. 1 Maccabees 1:54 16. 1 Maccabees 1:59 17. 1 Maccabees 1:62–63
Judas and the rededication
1 Maccabees 3:1–4:61
Under Judas, sacrifices resume on a new altar. The people celebrate its dedication for eight days and establish an annual festival beginning on 25 Chislev; the defiled altar stones are stored while they await a prophet.^{10 sources}10 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 5. 1 Maccabees 4:52–53 6. 1 Maccabees 4:56 7. 1 Maccabees 4:59 19. 1 Maccabees 4:46 20. 1 Maccabees 9:27 21. 1 Maccabees 14:41
War, succession and Simon's death
1 Maccabees 5:1–16:24
Antiochus fails to seize a rich temple city in Elymais, retreats and dies. The narrative follows the leadership of Judas, Jonathan and Simon, reaching Simon's death.^{7 sources}7 sources1. 1 Maccabees 1:10 2. 1 Maccabees 16:16 3. Toy 4. Bechtel 22. 1 Maccabees 6:1–4 23. 1 Maccabees 6:16 24. Polybius

Stories

The altar is desecrated
1 Maccabees 1:54–63
The book describes an idol altar and people who die rather than abandon their food laws.^{15 16 17}
The first dedication feast
1 Maccabees 4:52–59
Sacrifices resume on a new altar. An eight-day celebration becomes an annual observance beginning on 25 Chislev.^{5 6 7}
Waiting for a prophet
1 Maccabees 4:46
The defiled altar stones are stored pending a prophet's arrival; later passages also look toward prophetic guidance.^{19 20 21}

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Daniel 11:31 · 1 Maccabees 1:54medium confidence
Louis Ginzberg, writing in the Jewish Encyclopedia, identifies Daniel's desecration with Antiochus's actions. Josephus reads the event as fulfilling Daniel's prophecy.^{25 26 27}
Daniel 12:11 · 1 Maccabees 1:54low confidence
The Greek phrase about a desolating abomination in 1 Maccabees 1:54 also appears at Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14; Matthew explicitly names Daniel as his source.^{25 28 29}

Background

John 10:22 · 1 Maccabees 4:52–59
John places Jesus at Jerusalem's winter dedication feast. Ellicott identifies it as almost certainly the festival instituted by Judas Maccabaeus.^{30 31}

Where each church stands

1 Maccabees Full table →

Protestant: Read, not for doctrine
Listed in Article VI.
^{32 33}
Catholic: Scripture³⁴
Greek Orthodox: Scripture^{35 36 37}
Russian (Slavonic) Orthodox: Varies
Marked 'non-canonical' in the Synodal Bible; see Tob.
^{38 39 37}
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included
Ethiopian '1–3 Maccabees' (Mäqabeyan) are different books, not the Greek ones.
Confidence: medium⁴⁰

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Language alone did not settle the boundary: Jerome reported seeing 1 Maccabees in Hebrew, yet distinguished the Hebrew canon from other church reading. Augustine included both Maccabees, and Carthage's canon list did too. Luther printed the book separately as Apocrypha; the Council of Trent affirmed both books in 1546. The Orthodox Synod of Jerusalem defended Maccabees as Scripture in 1672.^{9 sources}9 sources41. Jerome 42. Fremantle) 1893 43. Fremantle) 1893 44. Shaw) 1887 45. Percival) 1900 46. Surburg 2022 47. Reid 1908 48. Waterworth 1848 49. Robertson) 1899

Kept

Early church: Latin

Augustine valued the Church's reception of books and included both Maccabees. He linked their acceptance to martyrs who died for God's law before Christ.^{50 51 44}

Catholic

Jimmy Akin argues that expecting a future prophet does not rule out Scripture being written during a lull in prophecy.^{19 52}

Protestant: Lutheran

Miller-Naudé and Naudé report that Luther valued its connection with Daniel 11 and thought including 1 Maccabees in the canon could have been justified.^{53 54}

Left out

Early church: Latin

Jerome used the Hebrew list as his boundary and distinguished reading Maccabees in church from treating it as canonical Scripture.^{42 43}

Protestant: Anglican

Article VI follows Jerome: the Church of England reads Maccabees for instruction without using it to establish doctrine.⁵⁵

Protestant: evangelical

The Berean Expositor uses the book's references to absent prophets in its argument against treating the Apocrypha as Scripture.^{20 21 56}

Our best reading

Protestant omission is best understood through the Hebrew canon boundary: Jerome placed Maccabees outside it, the Church of England’s Article VI followed his reading distinction, and Luther printed it separately despite praising its value. Catholic inclusion rests on church reception represented by Augustine and African councils, reaffirmed at Trent. The Orthodox Synod of Jerusalem defended Maccabees as Scripture in 1672 against calling it Apocrypha. These paths help explain why a book prized as history can have different scriptural standing.^{15 sources}15 sources57. Lim 2022 42. Fremantle) 1893 43. Fremantle) 1893 55. England 1919 53. Miller-Naudé 54. Miller-Naudé 46. Surburg 2022 47. Reid 1908 51. Shaw) 1887 44. Shaw) 1887 45. Percival) 1900 48. Waterworth 1848 49. Robertson) 1899 8. Toy 9. Bechtel

Misconceptions

Myth 1 Maccabees tells the miracle of the lasting oil.
Actually: Its dedication account gives eight days of celebration without an oil miracle or an explanation of the duration.^{5 6 7}
Myth Josephus gives a wholly independent confirmation of this history.
Actually: The Jewish Encyclopedia reports that Josephus used 1 Maccabees; agreement between them is therefore not automatically independent evidence.^{58 59}

Sources

59 sources from 49 works

1
1 Maccabees 1:10↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
2
1 Maccabees 16:16↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
Crawford H. Toy, George A. Barton, Joseph Jacobs, Israel Abrahams, "Maccabees, Books of", The Jewish Encyclopedia vol. 8 (1906)
- 3
  I Maccabees↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 8
  Critical View↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
- 10
  I Maccabees: Original Language↩
- 13
  I Maccabees: Date↩
- 58
  I Maccabees: Sources and Integrity↩
Florentine Bechtel, "The Books of Machabees", The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 9 (1910)
- 4
  The First Book of Machabees↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
- 9
  Historicity↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
- 11
  Original language↩
- 14
  Author and date of composition↩
5
1 Maccabees 4:52–53↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
6
1 Maccabees 4:56↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
7
1 Maccabees 4:59↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
12
1 Maccabees 16:23–24↩
15
1 Maccabees 1:54↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
16
1 Maccabees 1:59↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
17
1 Maccabees 1:62–63↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
18
Andrew S. Jacobs, “"1 Maccabees 1" (course reading notes), andrewjacobs.org”, 1 Maccabees 1↩
19
1 Maccabees 4:46↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
20
1 Maccabees 9:27↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
21
1 Maccabees 14:41↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
22
1 Maccabees 6:1–4↩
23
1 Maccabees 6:16↩
24
Polybius, The Histories, book 31, tr. W. R. Paton (Loeb, 1927), LacusCurtius, 31.9↩
25
Daniel 11:31↩^a ↩^b
26
Louis Ginzberg, "Abomination of Desolation", The Jewish Encyclopedia vol. 1 (1901), Abomination of Desolation↩
Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, tr. William Whiston (1737), Project Gutenberg
- 27
  12.7.6↩
- 59
  12.7.7↩
28
Matthew 24:15↩
29
Checked in this site's verse database: Verses containing the phrase in the Brenton Greek Septuagint and the SBL Greek New Testament↩
How this was derived
SELECT group_concat(std_ref, ', ') FROM (SELECT std_ref FROM verses WHERE (work_id='lxx-brenton-gr' AND text LIKE '%βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως%') OR (work_id='sblgnt' AND text LIKE '%βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως%') ORDER BY std_ref)
30
John 10:22↩
31
Charles John Ellicott (ed.), Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, John 10 (BibleHub), John 10:22↩
32
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571), Article VI, as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919)↩
33
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapter I.2–3↩
34
Council of Trent, Session IV (8 April 1546), Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures↩
35
Synod of Jerusalem (1672), Confession of Dositheus, Question III↩
36
Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece, online Old Testament (Septuagint text)↩
37
NRSV with Apocrypha, 'The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books of the Old Testament' (To the Reader)↩^a ↩^b
38
Russian Synodal Bible, as published by Azbuka Very (azbyka.ru): contents and chapter notes↩
39
The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church (St Philaret of Moscow), 'Examined and Approved by the Most Holy Governing Synod'; English as in Schaff, Creeds of Christendom vol. 2↩
40
R. W. Cowley, 'The Biblical Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Today', Ostkirchliche Studien 23 (1974) 318–323↩
41
Jerome, Preface to the Books of Samuel and Kings ("Prologus Galeatus"), NPNF2 vol. 6, Preface to Samuel and Kings↩
42
Jerome (tr. W. H. Fremantle), Preface to Samuel and Kings (NPNF2 vol. 6), via Wikisource (1893)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
43
Jerome (tr. W. H. Fremantle), Preface to Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs (NPNF2 vol. 6), via Wikisource (1893)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
Augustine of Hippo (tr. J. F. Shaw), On Christian Doctrine book 2 (NPNF1 vol. 2), via New Advent (1887)
- 44
  2.8.13↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 51
  2.8.12↩^a ↩^b
45
Code of Canons of the African Church (ed. H. R. Percival), NPNF2 vol. 14, via New Advent (1900), canon 24↩^a ↩^b
46
Mark Surburg, “blog post, January 2022 (surburg.blogspot.com), citing M. Reu, Luther's German Bible (1934)” (2022)↩^a ↩^b
47
George J. Reid, Canon of the Old Testament, The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 3, via New Advent (1908)↩^a ↩^b
48
Council of Trent (tr. J. Waterworth, 1848), Session IV, Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures, Hanover Historical Texts Project (1848)↩^a ↩^b
49
Synod of Jerusalem (tr. J. N. W. B. Robertson), The Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem (London 1899), archive.org OCR (1899), pp. 155-156, Question III↩^a ↩^b
50
Augustine of Hippo, City of God, book 18, tr. Marcus Dods (NPNF1 vol. 2), 18.36↩
52
Jimmy Akin, “"Four Hundred Silent Years?", Catholic Answers Magazine (1 March 1998)”, catholic.com↩
Cynthia L. Miller-Naudé and Jacobus A. Naudé, “"The Metatexts of 1 and 2 Maccabees", Journal for Semitics 24/1 (2015)”
- 53
  Specific prefaces to Maccabees, pp. 245-246↩^a ↩^b
- 54
  p. 246↩^a ↩^b
55
Church of England, Articles of Religion (1571), as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919), newscriptorium.com (1919), Article VI↩^a ↩^b
56
The Berean Expositor, “The Berean Expositor, vol. 46, p. 132 (levendwater.org)”, vol. 46 p. 132↩
57
Timothy H. Lim, “How was the Canon Formed?, The Expository Times 133.9 (2022) (author's copy, University of Pretoria repository)” (2022), abstract↩

1 Maccabees

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Worship under attack

Judas and the rededication

War, succession and Simon's death

Stories

The altar is desecrated

The first dedication feast

Waiting for a prophet

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Background

Where each church stands

1 Maccabees Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Latin

Catholic

Protestant: Lutheran

Left out

Early church: Latin

Protestant: Anglican

Protestant: evangelical

Misconceptions

Sources

Report a problem

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Worship under attack

Judas and the rededication

War, succession and Simon's death

Stories

The altar is desecrated

The first dedication feast

Waiting for a prophet

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Background

Where each church stands

1 Maccabees Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Latin

Catholic

Protestant: Lutheran

Left out

Early church: Latin

Protestant: Anglican

Protestant: evangelical

Misconceptions

Related books

Sources

Report a problem