5 Maccabees
Encyclopedia
The Fifth book of the Maccabees
is an ancient Jewish work relating the history in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
' attempt to rob the Temple treasury in 186 BC to the death of Herod the Great
's two sons about 6 BC. It is little more than a summary of the events in first
and second book
of the Maccabees and the relevant chapters in Flavius Josephus. Only chapter 12 is original but also "teems with errors of various kinds".
Similar to other Books of the Maccabees
, this work aims at consoling Jews in their sufferings and encouraging them to be steadfast "in their devotion to the Mosaic law".
, but was probably composed in Hebrew
, judging from numerous Hebraism
s. As no trace of a Hebrew text exists, some scholars (e.g. Zunz, Heinrich Graetz
and Samuel Davidson
) consider the work to have been in Arabic from Hebrew memoirs.
The author probably was a Jew living some time after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
The books bears some relationship to the history of Josippon
.
The book has never been recognized as canonical by either Jews or Christians.
The name is also used to denote a text contained in the Translatio Syra Peshitto, edited by Ceriani, which however is nothing more than a Syriac version of 6th book of Josephus' Jewish War
.
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
is an ancient Jewish work relating the history in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
Content
The book chronicles the events from HeliodorusHeliodorus
-People:Several persons named Heliodorus are known to us from ancient times, the best known of which are:*Heliodorus a minister of Seleucus IV Philopator ca...
' attempt to rob the Temple treasury in 186 BC to the death of Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
's two sons about 6 BC. It is little more than a summary of the events in first
1 Maccabees
The First book of Maccabees is a book written in Hebrew by a Jewish author after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom, about the latter part of the 2nd century BC. The original Hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the Greek translation contained in the Septuagint...
and second book
2 Maccabees
2 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible, which focuses on the Jews' revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and concludes with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work....
of the Maccabees and the relevant chapters in Flavius Josephus. Only chapter 12 is original but also "teems with errors of various kinds".
Similar to other Books of the Maccabees
Books of the Maccabees
The Books of the Maccabees are books concerned with the Maccabees, the leaders of the Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid dynasty, or related subjects.The term mostly refers to two deuterocanonical books contained in some canons of the Bible:...
, this work aims at consoling Jews in their sufferings and encouraging them to be steadfast "in their devotion to the Mosaic law".
Textual history
The book survives in ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, but was probably composed in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, judging from numerous Hebraism
Hebraism
Hebraism is the identification of a usage, trait, or characteristic of the Hebrew language. By successive extension it is sometimes applied to the Jewish people, their faith, national ideology, or culture.- Idiomatic Hebrew :...
s. As no trace of a Hebrew text exists, some scholars (e.g. Zunz, Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
and Samuel Davidson
Samuel Davidson
Samuel Davidson was an Irish biblical scholar who was born near Ballymena in Ireland.He was educated at the Royal College of Belfast, entered the Presbyterian ministry in 1835, and was appointed professor of biblical criticism at his own college...
) consider the work to have been in Arabic from Hebrew memoirs.
The author probably was a Jew living some time after the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
The books bears some relationship to the history of Josippon
Josippon
Josippon is the name usually given to a popular chronicle of Jewish history from Adam to the age of Titus, attributed to an author Josippon or Joseph ben Gorion....
.
The book has never been recognized as canonical by either Jews or Christians.
Title
The designation 5 Maccabees first appears in an article by Cotton in 1832 and was perpetuated by Samuel Davidson and others. Alternative titles include Arabic 2 Maccabees and Arabic Maccabees.The name is also used to denote a text contained in the Translatio Syra Peshitto, edited by Ceriani, which however is nothing more than a Syriac version of 6th book of Josephus' Jewish War
The Wars of the Jews
The Jewish War , in full Flavius Josephus's Books of the History of the Jewish War against the Romans , also referred to in English as The Wars of the Jews and The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, is a book written by the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus.It is a description of Jewish...
.