1 Maccabees

About this text

A historical account of the Maccabean revolt (167–134 BC) against the Seleucid Empire. Describes the rededication of the Temple — the origin of Hanukkah.

Significance

The primary historical source for the events behind Hanukkah, which Jesus himself celebrated (John 10:22).

How to Read This Historical Text

1 Maccabees is included here as a historical and educational resource, not as Scripture and not as a replacement for the biblical canon. Readers may find it useful for understanding the ideas, debates, devotional language, and literary settings that surrounded Jewish and Christian communities in different periods.

Read this text with context in mind. Notice its era, category, and relationship to canonical passages, then compare its themes with the Bible itself. Some library works preserve valuable historical background, while others represent viewpoints that many Christian traditions rejected. Inclusion in this library does not mean endorsement of every claim or doctrine in the text.

For more about how The Bible Companion handles public-domain writings, Bible translations, attribution, and devotional material, see the Sources & Editorial Policy.

Key excerpts

"Then said Mattathias: Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, yet will I and my sons walk in the covenant of our fathers."

"And they decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers."

Scripture cross-references

• John 10:22 — Jesus at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) — established by the events in 1 Maccabees
• Daniel 11:31-32 — Daniel prophesies the abomination — 1 Maccabees records its fulfillment

Continue exploring

This text is one of 10 in the Apocrypha / Deuterocanonical Books category, and one of 62 across the entire library.