Apocryphal Books > Univeral Deuterocanon > 1 Maccabees
1 Maccabees
The name Maccabee, probably meaning
“hammer,” is actually applied in the Books
of Maccabees to only one man, Judas, third
son of the priest Mattathias and first leader
of the revolt against the Seleucid kings who
persecuted the Jews (1 Mc. 2:4, 66; 2 Mc.
8:5, 16; 10:1, 16). Traditionally the name
has come to be extended to the brothers of
Judas, his supporters, and even to other
Jewish heroes of the period, such as the
seven brothers (2 Mc. 7). First Maccabees
was written about 100 BC in Hebrew, but
the original has not come down to us.
Instead, we have an early, pre-Christian,
Greek translation full of Hebrew idioms.
The author, probably a Jew, is unknown. He
was familiar with the traditions and sacred
books of his people and had access to much
reliable information on their recent history
(from 175 to 134 BC). He may well have
played some part in it himself in his youth.
His purpose in writing is to record the
deliverance of Israel that God worked
through the family of Mattathias (5:62)—
especially through his three sons, Judas,
Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson,
John Hyrcanus.
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