Maccabees

Quick Facts: Who was Maccabees?

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Maccabees

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Jewish rebel warriors who re-took control of Judea from the Seleucid Empire.

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Origins & Early Life

The Maccabees (), also spelled Machabees (Hebrew: מַכַּבִּים, romanized: Makkabbīm, or מַקַבִּים, Maqabbīm; Latin: Machabaei or Maccabaei; Ancient Greek: Μακκαβαῖοι, romanized: Makkabaioi), were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who re-took control of Judea, which at the time was occupied by the Seleucid Empire. Its leaders, the Hasmoneans, founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 167 BC (after the Maccabean Revolt) to 37 BC, being a fully independent kingdom from 104 to 63 BC. They reasserted the Jewish religion, ended the Syrian-Greek occupation of Judea, and reduced the influence of Hellenism and Hellenistic Judaism. The name "Maccabee" is often used as a synonym for the entire Hasmonean dynasty. But the Maccabees often and more narrowly refers to Judas Maccabeus and his four brothers.

Career & Major Achievements

The name Maccabee was a personal epithet of Judah, and the later generations were not his direct descendants. One explanation of the name's origins is that it derives from the Aramaic maqqəḇa, "the hammer", in recognition of Judah's ferocity in battle. The traditional Jewish explanation is that Maccabee (Hebrew: מכבים Makkabi) is an acronym for the Torah verse that was the battle-cry of the Maccabees, "Mi kamocha ba'elim YHWH", "Who is like You among the heavenly powers, oh God!", as well as an acronym for "Matityahu haKohen ben Yochanan" (Matthias the priest, son of John). The correlating Torah verse Exodus 15:11, The song of Moses and the Children of Israel by the Sea, makes a reference to elim, with a mundane notion of natural forces, heavenly might, war and governmental powers. The scholar and poet Aaron Kaminka argues that the name is a corruption of Machbanai, a mighty warrior in the army of King David.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In the 2nd century BC, Judea lay between the Ptolemaic Kingdom (based in Egypt) and the Seleucid Empire (based in Syria), monarchies which had formed following the death of Alexander the Great. Judea had initially come under Ptolemaic rule but fell to the Seleucids around 197 BC, after the Battle of Panium, during the Fifth Syrian War. Judea at that time had been affected by the Hellenization initiated by Alexander the Great. Some Jews, mainly those of the urban upper class, notably the Tobiad family, wished to dispense with Jewish law and to adopt a Greek lifestyle. According to historian Victor Tcherikover, the main motive for the Tobiads' Hellenism was economic and political.

Notable Quotes by Maccabees

“Who is like You among the heavenly powers, oh God!”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Maccabees

True or False: “The Maccabean Revolt was solely a conflict between Greek culture and traditional Jewish law.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While Hellenism was a factor, modern scholarship suggests the revolt was primarily provoked by Antiochus IV Epiphanes' persecution of those who observed the Torah.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Maccabees