How many Maccabees are there in the Bible?

All but 3 Maccabees concentrate on Antiochus. 1 and 2 Maccabees are included in the Apocrypha, whereas 3 and 4 Maccabees are ranked among the pseudep. The books vary greatly in historical reliability, content and style.

What is the title of the Book of Maccabees?

Title. By the late 2nd cent. a.d. the title τὰ Μακκαβαϊκα (“The Things Maccabean”) was used to refer apparently to 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Is the Book of Maccabees a sequel to Ezra?

Just as those canonical books record God’s providence over Israel under Pers. rule, so 1 Maccabees describes God’s care during the Gr. period. Some assert that this book was written as a sequel to Ezra and Nehemiah. The inclusion of decrees and letters does resemble the many items of official correspondence cited in 1 Maccabees.

Is the Book of Maccabees equivalent to the Aram?

If it is a badly corrupted title, it might be equivalent to the Aram. “the book of the house of the princes of God.” Clement of Alexandria (c. a.d. 195) refers to 1 Maccabees as τὸ τω̂ν Μακκαβαϊκω̂ν, and Eusebius specifically mentions ἡ πρώτη καλουμένη τω̂ν Μακκαβάιων βίβλος. Gr.

How many years does the Book of Maccabees cover?

Half of the book covers only seven years (166-160/59 b.c.) in contrast to the twenty-five year span for the other chapters. In 9:22 one discovers that the rest of the acts of Judas are not written since they were so numerous. This contrasts with the usual summary of a king’s reign found in Scripture ( 2 Kings 8:23; 10:34, etc.).

Who are the leaders of the Maccabees?

1 Crisis and Response ( 1:1 – 2:70) 2 Leadership of Judas Maccabeus ( 3:1 – 9:22) 3 Leadership of Jonathan ( 9:23 – 12:53) 4 Leadership of Simon ( 13:1 – 16:24)