Judah and his maccabee book

By the end of the war, simon was the only one of the five sons of mattathias to survive and he ushered in an 80year period of jewish independence in judea, as the land of israel was now called. Judah the maccabee is the central figure of the hanukkah story. Judah the hammer maccabee took the leadership and repeatedly defeated the syrians, establishing himself as a worthy successor and a respected military leader. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of hanukkah and the rededication of the temple, in addition to the famous story of the mother and her seven sons. Judas is also sometimes called judah maccabee the maccabees, also known as hasmoneans, included mattathias and several generations of descendants, starting with judas and his brothers, john, simon, eleazar and jonathan. Maccabees, second book of ii maccabees, known in greek as. His mother sima cohen kobby,was a nurse and a house maker,while his father judah maccabee kobby, was a merchant marine and a restaurant owner. On the first night of hanukkah, bubbe gives judah a maccabee shield and teaches him about another judah who lived a long time ago and protected the jewish people. The events behind the festival of hanukkah are found in the apocryphal book of 1 maccabees. Then in the month of kislev december 164 bce, after antiochuss death, judah and the rebels entered jerusalem, where the temple was in ruins.

Judah maccabee was one of the leaders of the jewish guerilla freedom fighters who drove the seleucid greek occupiers out of judea in 9 bce judah was the eldest son of mattathias the son of jochanan, the high priest, who instigated the revolt by killing the greek official nikanor after a pig was slaughtered in the holy temple judah and his brothers were fierce fighters, described by the. Since 3 maccabees also deals with a foreign powers attempt to hellenize the jews, there is some merit to this suggestion. Roman catholics often claim that the ancient jewish historical book of 2 maccabees which they wrongly consider to be scripture teaches purgatory. But before dying, he commands his son to pick up his sword and continue the fightor bear responsibility for the obliteration of the land of judah. Source for information on maccabees, second book of. Verdict a visually appealing book that uses the character of judah maccabee to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines for children. The first book of maccabees praises judahs valor and military talent, suggesting that those qualities made judah a natural choice for the new. Judas maccabeus led the jewish people in recapturing their temple from syrian occupying forces in 164 b. Judah maccabee formally judas maccabeus is a prominent figure in the old testament, and has been referenced or appeared in a variety of different sesame street related productions. What events led up to the revolt by judas maccabeus and his followers.

The author of more than 100 published books and with more than 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Judah and those who remained faithful to him were killed. Despite the odds, judah maccabee and his passionate band of freedomfighters triumphed over the massive seleucid army of antiochus epiphanes. Seeking peace and safety after a hard childhood, leah marries judah maccabee, a strong and gentle man, and for the first time in her life leah believes she can rest easily. But the land is ruled by antiochus iv, descended from one of alexander the greats generals, and when he issues a decree that all jews are to conform to syrian laws upon pain of death, devout jews risk everything to follow. After all, judah maccabee and his followers are the central heroes of the chanukah story, and generations of. Hanukkah in the book of maccabees galilee of the nations.

Virtually all that is known about judah maccabee is contained in the books of the maccabees in the apocrypha and in josephus, largely dependent on this source. The book of 1 maccabees in the apocrypha describes vividly some of the atrocities committed to the jewish people under the regime of antiochus iv. The novel introduces the reader to judah maccabeus and his family. Wikimedia commons hanukkah, the jewish festival of lights, celebrates the maccabean revolt 167160 bce, and the narrative that jewish rebel judas maccabeus vanquished the evil greek emperor antiochus and rededicated the temple, at which the miracle of the oil occurred. He led the maccabean revolt against the seleucid empire 167160 bce the jewish holiday of hanukkah dedication commemorates the restoration of jewish worship at the temple in jerusalem in 164 bce, after judah maccabeus removed all of the statues depicting greek gods and goddesses and purified it. And the king sent letters by messengers to jerusalem and the towns of judah. Even if judah had been trying to save joseph, the classical rabbinical sources still regard him negatively for it. First book of maccabees, pt 1 of 3, new american bible duration. The syrian king was set on hellenizing all of his conquered territories and the people therein. I have been teaching second grade, religious school, for the last 8 years in a secondary education program at my temple in raleigh, nc.

The book does not contain, however, any further discussion of jonass chief grievance. Books of the maccabees, the ancient jewish works in which the events of the maccabean revolt are recorded. The two were at odds for most of the book, a fact that my book club felt was more a product of a 21st century understanding than would have been true during their own time period. He led the maccabean revolt against the seleucid empire 167160 bce. The first book of maccabees praises judahs valor and military talent, suggesting that those qualities made judah a natural choice for the new commander. Judah, the third son of mattathias the hasmonean, assumed leadership of the revolt against antiochus epiphanes in accordance with the deathbed disposition of his father. While researching jewish childrens books with an element of poetry and rhyme, i stumbled across this book called, maccabee. Judah maccabee is a champion of the nexus universe, a hunter of evildoers and close friend to nexus himself. San francisco gay mens chorus with karen hart youtube. The reality is, however, that purgatory is not even found in the apocryphal books, nor would it be a biblical teaching even if it was. The name maccabee is often used as a synonym for the entire hasmonean dynasty, but the maccabees proper were judah maccabee and his four brothers.

Judah s father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his. Theres no greater gift one can give their children than the gift of a vaccination. Judah maccabee was one of the leaders of the jewish guerilla freedom fighters who drove the seleucid greek occupiers out of judea in 9 bce judah was the eldest son of mattathias the son of jochanan, the high priest, who instigated the revolt by killing the greek official nikanor after a pig was slaughtered in the holy temple. Judah and his maccabees boston gay mens chorus youtube. The first and second books of maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of judah maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of judea from. After mattathiass death in 166 bce, judah assumed leadership of the revolt in accordance with the deathbed wishes of his father. His brothers names were eleazar, simon, jochanan, and jonathan. Though initially hailed as liberators, the selucid family wasted no time in leaving their mark upon judea. We will be talking about events that happened in the second century, which took place in judea located in the syrian empire. Judas maccabeus was a priest who led the revolt against the seleucid empire in israel in the second century bc. It was this title which gave the title to the other books of the apocrypha bearing the same name. When the old testament closes, the people of israel have returned from the babylonian exile, and the work of rebuilding has begun. Scholars believe that the author was a palestinian jew who was intimately familiar with the events described.

Chanukah, the annual jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the jerusalem. How did the maccabee victory affect the government of judah. Judah maccabee lived during the silent years, the 400 year period between the old and new testaments. C, after the maccabees had won,rome conquered judah and. In judah maccabee goes to the doctor, ann koffsky has written an adorable book about an important topic. The first and second books of maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of judah maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of judea from foreign domination. Her selection of the celebration chanukah is not accidental, as it is the holiday of survival. Judah maccabee, one of the great warriors of history, who laid the foundation of the future hasmonean state.

A series of apocryphal books that are not included in the jewish and protestant canons of the old testament though four of them appear in the greek septuagint, centering mostly around the maccabean revolt 1st maccabees is the story of judah maccabee and his two brothers the hasmoneans as they led judea through the period of the revolt 2nd maccabees focuses mostly on judah maccabees. Judah maccabee, make my people free that their eyes may see israels power. In waging warfare, he said, their leader should be judah the strong. For the lay reader who wants to know the truth about judah maccabee, it might not be the best place to startgiven its scholarly naturebut theres certainly no better place to go. It is an abridgment of a larger work of five books.

His fighting, wrestling and cooking skills are all legendary. One explanation of the names origins is that it derives from the aramaic maqqa. The book of 2 maccabees consists of a greek synopsis of a fivevolume history of the maccabean revolt written by jason of cyrene. The story of hanukkah discover first fruits of zion. Judah and his followers purged the temple precinct of all remnants of the foreign gods and their sacrifices. Antiochus sent his general apolonius to wipe out judah and his followers, the maccabees. That and the historical details she included gave an authenticity to the book. The nickname maccabeus probably meant the hammerer. Judah maccabee or judas maccabeus, also spelled machabeus, or maccab. She knocks over his block tower, spits out her food, and follows him around.

These books include within them the earliest references. At the age of fourteen, ben packed his bags and went into a boarding school for the next four years. He and his five sons fled to the wilderness of judah. I enjoyed the story of leah and judah but was disappointed that it did not follow jewish tradition. He was the third of five sons of mattathias, a hasmonean and a jewish priest. Still the greeks are here, still we yield in fear, cringe and cower. A rebel fighter who turned out to be a military genius, judah took over leadership of the rebellion upon his fathers death, overthrowing the syrian greek army and restoring the temple in jerusalem. Dec 01, 2016 judah the maccabee is the central figure of the hanukkah story. First maccabees written circa 4104 bce and describing the period of 1665 bce is devoted to presenting the maccabean dynasty, from mattathias through his son judah, to jonathan and simon who became high priests and gained political independence.

Sep 09, 2011 a few years ago, i was having dinner with christopher hitchens, who had recently launched an excoriating attack on judah maccabee in his book, god is not great hitchens blames judah maccabee for. Judah was called maccabee, a word composed of the initial letters of the four hebrew words mi kamocha baeilim hashem, who is like you, o g. Shawn kirchner, revoiced for ttbb by kathleen mcguire with james lesui, soloist. The rebellions leader was judas maccabee, and from his family and its success sprang a dynasty that ruled judah for the century before the arrival of herod the great. Judah maccabee or judas maccabeus, also spelled machabeus, or maccabaeus, hebrew. Why the maccabees arent in the bible my jewish learning. Judah reestablished as a theocracy full independence only from 12963 bc. Hellenists attempt to destroy judaism by enforcing greek culture.

Judah s wife is an interesting retelling of the maccabees from the apocrapha. His body was taken by his brothers from the battlefield and buried in the family sepulcher in modiin. Wikimedia commons hanukkah, the jewish festival of lights, celebrates the maccabean revolt 167160 bce, and the narrative that jewish rebel judas maccabeus vanquished the evil greek emperor antiochus and rededicated the temple, at which the. Jan 02, 2020 the first book portrays the effort by the jews to regain their cultural and religious independence from antiochus iv epiphanes after his desecration of the jewish temple. Jews continue struggle to maintain their religion and culture. Some scholars consider the book to be a kind of introduction to the books of maccabees, and cotton for one has located it first in his five books of maccabees. Books of maccabees encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Therein the story is told of how judah maccabee and his heroic band of freedom fighters overthrew the tyrannical seleucid forces that had subdued judea and defiled the jerusalem temple. The name maccabee was a title of honour given to judas, a son of mattathias and the hero of the jewish wars of independence, 168164 bce. Maccabee led the a eponymous revolt against the seleucid empire, and hanukkah honors his removal of a pagan statuary from a temple in jerusalem, in 165 bce. Koffsky finds herself in the middle of a heated and less than civil online debate after she wrote a hanukkah. When mattathias died, the revolt was led by his son judas, or judah maccabee, as he is often called. One explanation of the names origins is that it derives from the aramaic maqqa, the hammer, in recognition of judah s ferocity in.

He led the maccabean revolt against the seleucid empire 167160 bce the jewish holiday of hanukkah dedication commemorates the restoration of jewish worship at the second temple in jerusalem in 164 bce. Later, the name the maccabees was extended to include his whole family, specifically mattathias his father and judas four brothersjohn, simon, eleazar, and jonathan. By the candles light kindled here tonight, do i vow to fight for the truth. The jewish struggle against the seleucids, which was published by cambridge in 1989. Maccabees, second book ofmaccabees, second book of ii maccabees, known in greek as. The name maccabee was also extended to the other members of the family who took part in the revolt 1 maccabeus 2. On the prowl for the real judah and the rest of the maccabees. The author of 1 maccabees was a keen supporter of that dynasty, and saw their early rulers as made in the mould of the early kings of israel. Dec 04, 2018 from this volume one can learn a lot about the way the new yishuv fought to defend itself against its adversaries and how benyehuda and his fatherinlaw succeeded in escaping their clutches. A novel of the maccabees the silent years hunt, angela on.

Judah maccabee was a jewish priest kohen and a son of the priest mattathias. Barkochvas hebrew book on the maccabees, published in1981, served as the basis for his judas maccabaeus. The author opposed the hellenization of the jews and clearly supported and admired the jewish revolutionaries led by judas maccabeus and his brothers. Composed by his fatherinlaw, shlomo naftali hertz jonas, who was also put in jail, this short piece bore the seemingly pious title of mitzvot. The story is told through the first person pov of judah and his wife, leah.

Nov 26, 20 judah the maccabees battle plan is still studied in military colleges all over the world, including west point and sandhurst. He led the maccabean revolt against the seleucid empire 167160 bce and is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in jewish history alongside joshua, gideon and david. A few years ago, i was having dinner with christopher hitchens, who had recently launched an excoriating attack on judah maccabee in his book, god is not great hitchens blames judah maccabee for. The book of 1 maccabees was written in hebrew and later translated into greek. The books of the maccabees biblical literature britannica. A novel of the maccabees ebook 97814934591 by angela hunt. Following their initial victories, the jews retook jerusalem and its holy temple. Yahweh continues by promising that he will make the flock of the house of judah as his royal horse in the. It is now frequently observed by scholars that the triumphal entry of jesus into jerusalem, with its procession of palms and laudatory praise, echoes the entry of the maccabees into jerusalem following their triumph over the seleucids. There are not a lot of jewish childrens books that present the history of hanukkah in such an eloquent, powerful way. Mattathias and his sons lived in modein about 25 miles northwest of jerusalem. The maccabee victory affected the government of judah because in. But the land is ruled by antiochus iv, descended from one of alexander the greats generals, and when he issues a decree that all jews are to conform to syrian laws upon pain of death, devout jews risk everything to follow the law of moses. The books of the maccabees, four books, none of which is in the hebrew bible but all of which appear in some manuscripts of the septuagint.

Judah and his wife, leah share their story of fighting for the freedom of. That and a couple of odd scenes youll know them when you read them were the only. From the triumph of judas maccabeus by peter paul rubens, 1635. In the city of angels ben maccabee is an americanisraeli actor who was born in haifa, israel. Judas maccabeus, also called judah maccabee, maccabeus also spelled maccabaeus, died 161160 bce, jewish guerrilla leader who defended his country from invasion by the seleucid king antiochus iv epiphanes, preventing the imposition of hellenism upon judaea, and preserving the jewish religion. After mattathias death about one year later in 166 bce, his son judas maccabee led an army of jewish dissidents to victory over the seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against hellenizing jews, of whom there were many. Judah s father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his life. The name maccabee was a personal epithet of judah, and the later generations were not his direct descendants. Mattathias simeon eleazar johanan jonathan judah antiochus iv epiphanes.