The Maccabees

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The Maccabees
By Brandon Beavers Edgar Velazquez
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Who Were the Maccabees???

• The Maccabees is the name given to The Hasmonean
  Family of Matthias and his Five sons. Judah
  (Judas Maccabeus), Eleazer, John, Jonathan, and
  Simon.
• They were responsible for The rebellion of the
  Jews against Hellenistic rule, standing up for
  their faith, and standing up for their People
• The Jews were angry at the fact that Antiochus
  IV outlawed the following of biblical
  commandments forced to worship stone deities and
  forced to eat pork all on pain of torture and
  death

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Who were the Maccabees??? cont.

• Antiochus believed the Jewish Religion turned
  them into rebels, he was mistaken. Evan though
  the Jews rioted against the high priest, Their
  religion disapproved of rebellion against the
  king.
• They could not break the commandments even
  though they were being forced to do so by pain of
  death yet could not rebel against the king.
  Theyre only choice seemed to be Martyrdom

• Mattathias, father of the Hasmonean family, broke
  with the belief of peaceful resistance and took
  arms against the oppressive Hellenistic rule, AND
  the Jews who acquiesced, or complied without
  protest.
• He was considered sinful, and had Little
  support. He died at the command of only a small
  gorilla band.

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Judas Maccabeus ( Maccabee )

• He was the third of the Five sons of Matthias.
  He, along with his brothers, John, Simon,
  Eleazer, and Jonathan
• They were Charged with the Continuation of the
  rebellion their father had started.
• Judas was the military chief
• was able to conduct a hit-and-run Gorilla war
  against Antiochuss troops.
• Defeated Apollonius and recruits poured into his
  army.

• Turned from a Priest to a great Military captain
• Was hailed as a Savior

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• He tried to mold himself after Alexander the
  Great. He tried to make a universal Hellenistic
  religion

Antiochus IV
Women who had had their children circumcised were
put to death...with their babies hung round their
necks."     - I Maccabees 160, 61

• Began Anti-Jewish Campaign in 167 B.C.
• Abolished the Sabbath day of rest
• Prohibited circumcision
• Erected statues of Zeus and sacrificed pigs in
  Jewish Temples
• Had anyone Burnt alive for following the rules
  or the Torah

Was also considered An Anti-Christby the Jews
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The Five Books of Maccabees
( Maccabees 1 )
Maccabees 1 the first of the five books.
Maccabees 1and 2 are the only two considered by
the church to be canonical (generally accepted).
It describes the war that erupted in Israel in
167 B.C. when a Syrian king, Antiochus IV
Epiphanies, decided to force the Jews to give up
their religion and start worshipping Greek gods.
He killed 40,000 Jews, enslaved 40,000 others,
turned the Jerusalem Temple into a temple for the
Greek god Zeus, and ordered Jews to offer
sacrifices to the Greek deities.
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Maccabees 2

• It includes important information on the ark of
  the covenant Where it is now, hidden by prophet
  Jeremiah, and his impressive specific prophesy
  about the end of times
• It has a historical information about Antiochus
  IV Epiphanies, the type of the type of the
  antichrist in the Book of Daniel
• a description of the popular Hanukkah, the Feast
  of Lights in December, celebrating the
  restoration of the Temple

• As is 1 Maccabees,it is a historical narrative
  and tells the inspiring story of the Jewish
  people fighting for the right to worship God. \
• Was Written in Hebrew
• This is not as it may seem, a continuation of
  Maccabees

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Maccabees 3, 4, 5

• Maccabees 3
• Was written in the first century B.C tells of
  the struggles of Egyptian Jews under the tyranny
  of King Ptolemy IV it is not about the Maccabees.
  It is not included in the Catholic nor Protestant
  Bibles

Maccabees 4 It was written during the time of
Jesus. It praises the Maccabees for the good they
did for their faith. It is primarily a
philosophical discussion of the primacy of reason
Maccabees 5 This particular book contains a
history of the Jews from 184 B.C. to 86 B.C.
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The Seven Martyr Brothers

• their Story is located in Maccabees 2 ch 7
• Mother and her seven children are tortured and
  killed for refusing to eat pork, against Jewish
  religion.
• The first brother spoke, "What do you intend to
  ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die
  rather than transgress the laws of our fathers.
  Macc. 2 ch72 His tongue hands, and feet were
  cut off
• When he was utterly helpless, the king
  (Antiochus) ordered them to take him to the fire,
  still breathing, and to fry him in a pan
  Maccabees 2 ch75

• After the first brother had died in this way,
  they brought forward the second for their sport.
  They tore off the skin of his head with the hair
  Macc. 2 ch 77
• The king had the others Tortured and killed in
  similar ways.
• The mother was then killed after watching all
  her children pass all in a hoard fashion.

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Hanukkah
Festival of Lights Jewish Holiday which is
celebrated for eight days starting December 25.
According to Jewish Tradition, The Maccabees
entered the Holy Temple In Judea (modern day
Israel) To find it Overgrown with weeds and
filled with garbage. The Greco-Sumerians had
defiled the Temple. They had also defiled the
sacred oil used to light the Menorah
They only Had enough oil to last 1 day, and it
would take a week to process more Purified oil.
But by some Miraculous event the oil lasted for 8
days enough time to make the oil needed.
A Menorah is a stand placed in Jewish Temples
that is a symbol of the nation of Israel. They
Believe light is not a violent force. And Jews
want to set an example by
Not using force.
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Thank You
We would like to thank to the Following

• http//www.mystae.com/restricted/reflections/messi
  ah/maccabees.htm
• http//www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1maccabees/intro.h
  tm
• http//biblia.com/bible/maccabees.htm
• http//judaism.about.com/od/chanukah/a/hanukkahst
  ory.htm
• www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ jsource/History/Mac
  cabees.html
• http//www.ccel.org/wwsb/1Maccabees/
• www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/
  Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History__Part_29_-_The_Revo
  lt_of_the_Maccabees.asp

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Encyclopedia Americana 1998 vol 18 grolier
Incorporated Danbury, Conn BOOK OF MACCABEES
1,2,3,4