A. I MAccABEES, . Contents and Style. ἐς ΘΑ th ginal boo! nguage of the ori ik. Author. Date. Sources. . Historicity. Religious character. . Use in the Christian Church, . The MSS. 11. Versions, B. II Maccasres. 1. Contents and Historicity. 2. Author. 8. Language. 4. Sources and Date. δ. Relation to 1 Mac. 6. Religious character. 7. Use by Jews and Christians. 8. MSS and Versions. C. ΠῚ Maccazees. 1. Contents. ἃ. Historicity. 8. Integrity. 4. Language. 6. Use by ews and Christians. 6. MSS and Versions. D. TV Maccasees. 1. Contents.
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2. Language and Style. 8. Authorship. 4. Aim and Standpoint.
5. MSS and Versions. BE. V Maccanrrs. Literature.
A. I MACCABEES is the main source we possess for the history of the period with which it deals. This period covers the forty years (B.C. 175-135) from the accession of the Syrian king Antiochus Iv. (Epiphanes) to the death of Simon.
1. Contents and Style.—After a brief introduc- tory allusion to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the partition of his empire among his
* A and Cod. Venetus contain all four books, & contains (apart from lacunr) the first and the fourth. (See below).
188 MACCABEES, BOOKS OF
MACCABEES, BOOKS OF
ruccessors, Ly way of tracing back to its com- mencement the history of the Greek supremacy in Judea (11:9), the author goes on to give a de- tailed description of the attempt made by Epi- phanes, in concert with a Hellenizing party among the Jews themselves, forcibly to introduce into Palestine foreign customs and pagan rites, and to destroy the Jewish religion root and branch (110-64), e then narrates the action taken by Mattathias the priest, who in his native town of Modin openly resisted the persecuting measures of Antiochus, and placed himself at the head of a band of faithful Israelites who first betook them- selves to the mountains, but who, as their numbers increased, began to traverse the land and enforce the observance of Jewish rites (ch. 2). Almost before the movement had been well started, Mattathias died (2%), and the remainder of the book deals with the splendid struggle for faith and freedom under the leadership of his sons, who ultimately succeeded in securing for their country, not only the religious liberty for which they first took up arms (6), but civil independence as well (13). After graphically describing the course of events under the successive leadership of the three brothers Judas (3!-9*), Jonathan (933-195), and Simon (13-168), the book closes with the record of the escape of Simon’s son, John Hyrcanus, from the fate which overtook his father and his two brothers, and with a reassuring reference to the chronicles of his high-priesthood (1619-*4),
The hero of the book is undoubtedly Judas Mac- cabzeus, and its most detailed section is naturally that which narrates his achievements and fortunes. It is written for the most part in the simple narra- tive style of the OT historical books, and in the phraseology it is easy to detect many reminiscences of both the prose and the poetry of the older canonical writings (138. 87 931. 38.149 etc.). At times the language throbs with passion (1-8), becomes elogu ntly descriptive (14815), or rises into poetry (38). But the work is in no sense that of a skilful literary artist who groups his facts with a view to scenic effect. The writer is a plain and honest chronicler who sets down the facts in their historical sequence, with scarcely an attempt to theorize upon them or to point out their significance.
2. Unity.—Previous to the 19th cent. no attempt was made to impugn the unity of the book. In view of the striking absence of the Divine Name from first to last, the careful chronology of the work as a whole, and the uniformity of the style throughout, there has been a very general dis- position to ascribe the entire composition to a single author. Some modern scholars, however (e.g. Whiston, Destinon, and Wellhausen), regard chs. 14-16 as a later addition unknown to Josephus. The singularly brief manner in which that his- torian deals with the reign of Simon may perhaps lend some colour to this theory, but can peately be said to prove it. At the opposite pole from this view, and still more improbable, is that of Ewald, who thinks these concluding chapters are the main portion of the book, to which chs. 1-13 are merely introductory. .
3. The Language of the Original Book. —The Greek text of 1 Mac is beyond doubt a translation ; the work was written originally in Hebrew. On this point we have the express testimony of Origen and Jerome. The former, at the close of his list of the canonical books (in Euseb. HZ vi. 25) says, ‘But outside the number of these is the Macca- beean history (τὰ Μακκαβαϊκά), entitled Sarbeth Sabanaiel’ (Σαρβὴθ Σαβαναιέλ). The work here referred to as known to Origen in its Heb. form is unquestionably the First Book of Maccabees.*
* The meaning of the Semitic title given by Origen has been much disputed.
Most of the conjectures ἘΠ mice (see Grimm,
Jerome ( 420) states explicitly: ‘The first book of Maccabees I found in Hebrew; the second is Greek, as can be proved from its very style’ (Prol. Gal. ad lib. Reg.). The internal evidence for a Heb. original is also sufficiently conclusive. Although the book has many points of resemblance to the LXX, upon which its Greek seems to be largely modelled, and from which it even directly eee (cf. 717 with Ps 79%), the constant use of