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1 Maccabees

Full Historical Background
Late 2nd Century BC
⚠️ This scroll is not part of the Paleo-Hebrew Torah, Aramaic Scriptures, or Early Square Script canon. It was written during the Hasmonean period in Hebrew, then later translated into Greek, and preserved in the Apocrypha only via church-controlled sources. However, the events it records did happen and are supported by verified historical accounts.

🔹 Historical Context: Greek Oppression and Hebrew Resistance

Date of Events
~175–134 BC
Date Written
~100–90 BC
Original Language
Hebrew (now lost)
Author
Unknown Hebrew scribe
🏛️ Background:
  • ◆ After Alexander the Great's empire split (323 BC), Seleucid rulers took control of Judea.
  • ◆ Antiochus IV Epiphanes (reigned 175–164 BC), a Seleucid king, enforced Hellenization — including:
    • Outlawing Torah observance
    • Banning circumcision
    • Forbidding Sabbath keeping
    • Forcing Jews to eat pork
    • Desecrating the Temple by placing an altar to Zeus

📖 These actions triggered a righteous rebellion led by Mattathias, a priest from Modi'in, and his sons — especially Yehudah (Judah) Maccabee.

🔥 Key Events in the Book

📌 Ch. 1: Desecration and Rebellion Begins
Antiochus IV desecrates the Temple. Mattathias kills a Jew who sacrifices to Zeus and escapes to the hills with his sons.
📌 Ch. 2–3: Judah Maccabee Rises
Mattathias dies; Judah takes command. Judah leads guerrilla warfare against Greek forces.
📌 Ch. 4: Temple Rededicated
Judah reclaims the Temple. Cleanses it and restores true worship. This rededication later becomes the festival of Hanukkah (not commanded by Yhwh, but a historical remembrance).
📌 Ch. 5–9: Continued Battles
Ongoing war with Greek forces and surrounding hostile nations. Judas dies in battle; his brothers Jonathan and Simon carry on the mission.
📌 Ch. 10–13: Rise of Hasmonean Power
Jonathan becomes high priest and military leader. Forms temporary alliances with Seleucid rivals. Simon eventually gains full independence for Judea.
📌 Ch. 14–16: The Hasmonean Dynasty
Simon is praised as leader and priest. Judea gains political autonomy. Ends with Simon's assassination and his son John Hyrcanus taking power.

⚖️ Historical Significance

✅ True Historical Events
  • Confirmed by outside sources (Josephus, Roman records)
  • 1 Maccabees was originally written in Hebrew, unlike 2 Maccabees (Greek and theological)
  • Records real military and religious victories
  • To glorify the Hasmonean family and record their achievements
  • Used politically to justify their priesthood (though they were not Zadokite priests)
🚫 What It Is NOT
  • It is not Torah
  • It contains no prophecy
  • It does not record Yhwh's words or covenant laws
  • It was never included in the Paleo-Hebrew or Aramaic canon
  • The surviving version is Greek and includes edits to promote Hanukkah and Hasmonean rule
✅ Why It Still Matters
  • It records real Hebrew resistance against forced assimilation.
  • It proves that faithful Hebrews refused to break Torah, even under threat of death.
  • It explains why Yeshua later walked in a temple already shaped by Hasmonean rule — and why He opposed the priesthood system of His day.