2 Maccabees

About this text

A theological interpretation of the Maccabean period focusing on divine intervention, martyrdom, and the resurrection of the dead.

Significance

Contains one of the clearest pre-Christian statements about bodily resurrection and prayers for the dead.

Key excerpts

"It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins."

"The mother was especially admirable, for she watched her seven sons perish in a single day, yet she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord."

Scripture cross-references

• Hebrews 11:35 — "Women received back their dead" and others "tortured, not accepting release" — scholars believe this references the Maccabean martyrs
• 1 Corinthians 15:29 — Baptism for the dead — 2 Maccabees provides context for prayers for the deceased

Continue exploring

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