When was maccabees added to the bible

Is it possible that the exclusion of the Books of Maccabees was one of the last salvos in the battle between the Pharisees and Sadducees? Would the rabbis at Jamnia have been inclined to canonize a document that so clearly praised the priestly Hasmonean family? PikiWiki Israel. Perhaps the answer lies more within the realm of pragmatism and politics. A couple of centuries later, Jewish scholars found themselves in Jamnia with the Temple destroyed and Jerusalem lost. Their circumstances were the result of their own failed revolt against the Romans.

Perhaps they felt it unwise to promote a text that heralded the successful outcome of a Jewish revolt. It may have posed a threat both internally and externally. The Romans would certainly not look kindly upon the popularization of such a text, since it might very well reintroduce the concept of revolt to a population desperately trying to survive the devastating outcome of its own failed attempts.

Although the Books of Maccabees were not included within the Hebrew Bible, they are still of value. Yet even this is difficult within a traditional Jewish context, due to another historical layer. First and Second Maccabees were included in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible originally prepared for the Jewish community of Alexandria.

However, the Septuagint became the official version of the Bible for the nascent Christian Church. When this happened, its authoritative nature was rejected by the Jewish community. Ironically, the Books of Maccabees survived because they became part of the Christian canon, for otherwise they most certainly would have been lost during the centuries.

But once this Christian canonization occurred, these books became lost to the Jewish world for many centuries. Today there is a renewed interest in these books within the Jewish community.

Students of Jewish history and Jewish literature recognize the value of these documents that took such pains to record details, events and personalities of a major period in Jewish history. If you want to look at these books, find a copy of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible that contains the Apocrypha, and the table of contents will separate the books according to those that are accepted by the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox religions. Actually no one knows for sure how the apocryphal books came to be part of some copies of the Old Testament.

Many, however, think that the extra books were added when the Old Testament originally written in Hebrew was translated into Greek.

This theory is based on the fact that the earliest copy of the Septuagint available today contains these extra books, while none of the Hebrew Scriptures contain them. These books, along with the rest of the Bible, were translated by Jerome into Latin around A.

While some early Christians thought highly of these books, others, such as Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Origen and Jerome opposed them. Furthermore, Augustine seems to have changed his mind from accepting the Septuagint as authoritative to later recognizing that only the Hebrew Scriptures were inspired.

The New Testament teaches that after death comes the judgment Hebrews and that salvation is by grace and not by works Ephesians ; 7 Some stories in the Apocrypha seem fanciful or even unethical for example, Judith asks God to help her in a falsehood, Judith What Difference Does It Make?

I do not accept the Apocrypha as part of the inspired Word of God. The first five reasons given in the previous paragraph provide good historical reasons for rejecting the Apocrypha as part of Holy Scripture: these books were not quoted directly by New Testament writers, and no general church council endorsed them until A.

Nevertheless, I do not think one is required to see false doctrine in these books. It is really a matter of how one interprets these passages. Bibliography with entries on 1—4 Maccabees, listing publications on editions, translations, and commentaries, as well as articles and monographs on specific topics in these books. Mittmann-Richert, Ulrike. Elaborate introductions to 1, 2, and 3 Maccabees, focusing on introductory issues, composition, and content of these books.

Siegert, Folker. Berlin: De Gruyter, DOI: Introduction to Hellenistic-Jewish writings includes useful introductory information about all four Maccabean books.

Journal for the Study of Judaism Supplements Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, Collection of essays devoted to various aspects of the Maccabean books, mainly 1 and 2 Maccabees. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. Not a member? Sign up for My OBO.

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