The Old Testament Apocrypha: Maccabees - Assignment Example

The book's author has still not been identified but is assumed to have been a devout Jew from the Holy Land who may have even taken part in the events described in the book. He shows intimate and detailed geographical knowledge of the Holy Land but is inaccurate in his information about foreign countries. In the book, events are seen as God's way of achieving his ends through the military genius of the Maccabees rather than a miraculous divine intervention. The words "God" and "Lord" never occur in the text, always being replaced by "Heaven" or "He".

The first section of the book deals with the plight of the Jews and Judea in the hands of Alexander and his successors. Judea had been conquered Alexander the Great and ruled by the Greek Seleucid Empire. The emperor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted brutally to censor Judaism and its practices. He took advantage of the existing factionalism among the Jews and began a religious persecution. Jews were being cold-bloodedly murdered in order to frighten residents of Judea into accepting Hellenic idol worship.

Solomon's Temple was desecrated. Salvation came in the form of the Maccabeus family. Mattathias called for a war against these atrocities. The second section talks about the rise of the revolt. Mattathias employed his sons upon his death to carry forth his mission. Judas was the first to step into the battlefield. The third section records Judas's histrionics. All of Antiochus' generals who waged wars against him - Apollonius, Seron, Gorgios, and Lysias - were defeated. Even the Syrian king, Demetrius I, sent his general Nicanor with an army against Judas.

This army was routed. He managed to emerge victoriously and reconsecrated the Temple. This day is celebrated as Hanukkah, the triumph of the Jews over the Greeks. Judas eventually turned to the Romans, known for their strength and power. He formed a league with them to help him deal with the constant Greek invasions. Eventually, the army led by Bacchides defeated and killed Judas. The subsequent two sections talk of the exploits of Jonathan and Simon in their roles of successors to Judas. Judas's successor, his brother Jonathan was successful to an extent.

He joined into an alliance with Demetrius' rival, Alexander Balas. Later on, he entered into treaties with Sparta and Rome. Jonathan became the first official leader and was appointed the High Priest of the people of Jerusalem. He led many conquests and was able to obtain several new lands. He did not have the military genius of Judas but was considered a remarkable diplomat. The Seleucid general Diodotus Tryphon tricked Jonathan into captivity and eventually murdered him. Jonathan's brother, Simon, became the next High Priest and ruler unanimously.

Under him, Jerusalem saw a few years of peace. Being rather old, he did not participate in wars but left it to his son, John Hyrcanus. He attended only to religious and civil duties. The book ends with the murder of Simon by his own son-in-law, Ptolemy. The book can be taken to be the most accurate documentation of early Jew history. It supplies a detailed record of the forty years from the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes to the death of Simon, without doubt, the most heroic chapters in Jewish history.

There is the careful chronology of events, based upon the Seleucid era. There is minuteness in the description of its geography. A certain sense of forthrightness is present in the way victories and defeats are recorded. There is a genuine command on details and a restraint on the way it describes the enemies of the Jews.