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3 Maccabees

A story of Jews in Egypt threatened with death by elephants, rescued when the animals turn on the king's troops.^{5 sources}5 sources1. 3 Maccabees 5:1–2 2. 3 Maccabees 6:18–21 3. 3 Maccabees 2:28–29 4. 3 Maccabees 4:14 5. 3 Maccabees 4:20

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At a glance

Setting: Egypt under Ptolemy IV Philopator, before the Maccabean revolt.^{6 7}
Language: Greek; probably written in Alexandria, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.^{8 9}
Written: First half of the first century BC proposed by Michael Langlois; other dates are argued.^{10 11}
Length: 7 chapters, 228 verses in the World English Bible.¹²

Summary

Drugged elephants and two angels turn an attempted mass killing into deliverance in 3 Maccabees. Egypt's Jews face Ptolemy IV Philopator, before the Maccabean revolt; the Maccabean family never appears. After trying to enter Jerusalem's sanctuary, the king leaves threatening revenge. Registration and branding in Egypt lead toward attempted mass killing. The king's plan is reversed, saving the intended victims. Emmet compares the story with Esther, Daniel and Judith.^{15 sources}15 sources1. 3 Maccabees 5:1–2 2. 3 Maccabees 6:18–21 6. Bechtel 7. Maccabees, Books of, 3-5 13. 3 Maccabees 1:1 14. 3 Maccabees 1:10–11 15. 3 Maccabees 2:21–24 3. 3 Maccabees 2:28–29 4. 3 Maccabees 4:14 5. 3 Maccabees 4:20 16. Esther 9:20–22 17. 3 Maccabees 6:36 18. 3 Maccabees 7:19 19. Emmet 20. Emmet

A king tries to enter the sanctuary
3 Maccabees 1:1–2:24
After victory at Raphia, Ptolemy visits Jerusalem. The high priest Simon prays; God leaves the king paralysed, but he departs still making threats.^{13 14 15}
Egypt's Jews face registration
3 Maccabees 2:28–4:21
Ptolemy orders Egypt's Jews registered and marked with the ivy leaf of Dionysus. The registration fails when paper and pens run out.^{3 4 5}
Elephants turn back; rescue is remembered
3 Maccabees 5:1–7:23
The king plans to have elephants trample the Jews. Two angels appear, the animals turn against his troops, and commemorations mark the deliverance.^{7 sources}7 sources1. 3 Maccabees 5:1–2 2. 3 Maccabees 6:18–21 16. Esther 9:20–22 17. 3 Maccabees 6:36 18. 3 Maccabees 7:19 19. Emmet 20. Emmet

Stories

Simon's prayer
3 Maccabees 1:10–2:24
After victory at Raphia, Ptolemy wants to enter Jerusalem's sanctuary. Simon the high priest prays; God shakes Ptolemy and leaves him paralysed on the pavement.^{13 14 15}
The elephants and the angels
3 Maccabees 5:1–6:21
Five hundred elephants are drugged with wine and incense for the killing. When two angels appear, the animals trample the king's own troops instead.^{1 2}

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Esther 9:20–22 · 3 Maccabees 6:36medium confidence
Critical commentator Emmet groups 3 Maccabees with Esther as warnings against harming Jews. He suggests 3 Maccabees may have been intended for reading at annual deliverance feasts, like Esther.^{5 sources}5 sources16. Esther 9:20–22 17. 3 Maccabees 6:36 18. 3 Maccabees 7:19 19. Emmet 20. Emmet

Background

Daniel 11:11–12 · 3 Maccabees 1:1medium confidence
Critical commentator Emmet sees Daniel 11:11–12 as a reference to Raphia, the battle that opens 3 Maccabees.^{21 22}

Where each church stands

3 Maccabees Full table →

Protestant: Not included
Not in Article VI's list; some ecumenical editions such as the NRSV print it.
^{23 24}
Catholic: Not included
Not in Trent's list or the Vulgate appendix.
^{25 26}
Greek Orthodox: Scripture^{27 28 24}
Russian (Slavonic) Orthodox: Varies
Marked 'non-canonical' in the Synodal Bible; see Tob.
^{29 30 24}
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Not included
Ethiopian 3 Maccabees is a different book (Cowley).
Confidence: medium³¹

Why some kept it, why others left it out

The Apostolic Canons name three books of Maccabees as sacred; the Council in Trullo ratified those canons for the East. That gives this book a different reception history from the Western one. Emmet records Greek manuscript preservation and its absence from the Latin Vulgate. The Catholic Encyclopedia rejects its canonical claim, and ISBE notes that Trent did not include it. Protestants also inherited its Western omission.^{5 sources}5 sources32. Apostolic Canons, NPNF2 vol. 14, New Advent 33. Maccabees, Books of, 3-5 34. Council in Trullo (Quinisext, 692), NPNF2 vol. 14, New Advent 35. Emmet 6. Bechtel

Kept

Early church: Greek

Apostolic Canon 85 counts three Maccabean books among sacred books; ISBE identifies the third with this work.^{32 33 34}

Orthodox

Trullo's ratification of the eighty-five Apostolic Canons is one root of the book's Eastern reception.^{32 33 34}

Left out

Catholic

The Catholic Encyclopedia denies its claim to canonicity. ISBE places that judgment in a Western history without the book in the Vulgate or Trent's list.^{6 33 35}

Misconceptions

Myth This is the next chapter of Judas Maccabeus's story.
Actually: Its setting is earlier and its characters are different. Emmet proposes that its title came from placement beside the Maccabean books in manuscripts.^{4 sources}4 sources6. Bechtel 7. Maccabees, Books of, 3-5 37. Langlois 35. Emmet

Sources

37 sources from 31 works

1
3 Maccabees 5:1–2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
2
3 Maccabees 6:18–21↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
3
3 Maccabees 2:28–29↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
4
3 Maccabees 4:14↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
5
3 Maccabees 4:20↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
6
Florentine Bechtel, “The Books of Machabees”, Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 9 (1910), The Third and Fourth Books of Machabees↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
“Maccabees, Books of, 3-5”
- 7
  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), III.1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 9
  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), III.7↩
- 33
  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), III.2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
Crawford Howell Toy and George A. Barton, “Maccabees, Books of (part I)”
- 8
  Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), III Maccabees, Authorship and Character↩
- 11
  Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), III Maccabees↩
10
Michael Langlois, 3-4 Maccabées, in T. Römer, J.-D. Macchi and C. Nihan (eds.), Introduction à l'Ancien Testament (2nd ed., Labor et Fides, 2009), p. 816↩
12
Checked in this site's verse database: verses table, WEB, 3 Maccabees↩
How this was derived
select count(*)||' verses, '||count(distinct chapter)||' chapters' from verses where work_id='web' and book='3Macc'
13
3 Maccabees 1:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
14
3 Maccabees 1:10–11↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
15
3 Maccabees 2:21–24↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
16
Esther 9:20–22↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
17
3 Maccabees 6:36↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
18
3 Maccabees 7:19↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
C. W. Emmet, The Third and Fourth Books of Maccabees (SPCK, 1918)
- 19
  Introduction to 3 Maccabees, pp. vii-viii↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 20
  Introduction to 3 Maccabees, p. viii↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
- 22
  note on 3 Macc 1:1, p. 15↩
- 35
  Introduction to 3 Maccabees, Text and Title, p. xiii↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
21
Daniel 11:11–12↩
23
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571), Article VI, as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919)↩
24
NRSV with Apocrypha, 'The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books of the Old Testament' (To the Reader)↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
25
Council of Trent, Session IV (8 April 1546), Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures↩
26
Sixto-Clementine Vulgate (1592), preface to the Appendix (Prayer of Manasseh, 3–4 Esdras)↩
27
Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece, online Old Testament (Septuagint text)↩
28
The Orthodox Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2008), front matter (contents, introduction, canon table)↩
29
Russian Synodal Bible, as published by Azbuka Very (azbyka.ru): contents and chapter notes↩
30
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↩
31
R. W. Cowley, 'The Biblical Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Today', Ostkirchliche Studien 23 (1974) 318–323↩
32
Apostolic Canons, NPNF2 vol. 14, New Advent, Canon 85↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
34
Council in Trullo (Quinisext, 692), NPNF2 vol. 14, New Advent, Canon 2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d
36
Council of Trent (tr. J. Waterworth, 1848), Session IV, Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures, Hanover Historical Texts Project (1848)↩
37
Michael Langlois, 3-4 Maccabées, in Introduction à l'Ancien Testament (2009), p. 817↩

3 Maccabees

At a glance

Summary

Contents

A king tries to enter the sanctuary

Egypt's Jews face registration

Elephants turn back; rescue is remembered

Stories

Simon's prayer

The elephants and the angels

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Background

Where each church stands

3 Maccabees Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Greek

Orthodox

Left out

Catholic

Misconceptions

Sources

Report a problem

At a glance

Summary

Contents

A king tries to enter the sanctuary

Egypt's Jews face registration

Elephants turn back; rescue is remembered

Stories

Simon's prayer

The elephants and the angels

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Background

Where each church stands

3 Maccabees Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Greek

Orthodox

Left out

Catholic

Misconceptions

Related books

Sources

Report a problem