3. Book of the Maccabees

The third book of the Maccabees is an apocryphal book of the Old Testament that was probably written in Greek in the 1st century BC. It is recognized as part of the Bible in most Orthodox churches , but not in Western churches .

Emergence

The book makes no reference to the Maccabees . The title was given to the writing because its presentation is based on the scheme of the 1st and 2nd Book of Maccabees and, like this - in contrast to all other Old Testament scriptures - plays during the time of Greek supremacy over the eastern Mediterranean. It reports of the suppression of the Jewish faith and rite by the Hellenists and of salvation through the intervention of God. The book describes legendary events that are said to have occurred a few decades before the Maccabees revolt. It is similar to the stories in the Book of Estherand in the book of Judit . The book was written by an Orthodox Jew in Alexandria in the 1st century BC.

content

Ptolemy IV , the ruler of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt , is angry that he opened the temple in Jerusalem after his victory over Antiochus III. was not allowed to enter (1.1 - 2.24). Therefore he tries to persuade the Jewish colony in Alexandria to the cult of Dionysus and thus to apostasy. Since he cannot convert the Jews, he finally wants to let drunk elephants trample them. But three times the Jews rounded up in the arena are saved by the providence of God (2.25 - 6.22). The king is ultimately converted through heavenly apparitions and becomes their protector. He organized a seven-day feast for the Jews, gave them a letter of protection and allowed them to kill the Jews who had fallen away from the Dionysus cult (6.22 - 7.23).

Theological classification

The historical credibility of the book is widely questioned. Possibly an incident during the reign of the later ruler Ptolemy VIII served as a model. According to Flavius Josephus , this elephant let loose on Alexandrian Jews; however, the elephants turned against the king's servants.

The strongly satirical portrayal of the pagan evildoer is remarkable ; this appears to be a terrifying, but at the same time highly ridiculous, wavering and uncontrolled figure.

The book probably also served as the legend of a festival of the Egyptian Jews, unknown to us today.

literature

Thomas Knöppler: The 3rd Book of Maccabees ( Jewish writings from the Hellenistic-Roman period , Volume I, Delivery 9). Gütersloher Verlagshaus 2017, ISBN 9783579039275
Klaus-Dietrich Schunck: Maccabees / Maccabees books . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 21, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1991, ISBN 3-11-012952-3 , p. 741.
Otto Zöckler: The Apocrypha of the Old Testament together with an appendix on the pseudepigraphic literature (= Strack-Zöckler: Brief Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and on the Apocrypha , Volume 9). Beck, Munich 1891, pp. 140-154.

Web links

Wikisource: The third book of the Maccabees in the translation by Paul Rießler - sources and full texts

Stephanie von Dobbeler: Maccabees 1-4. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (eds.): The scientific biblical dictionary on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff., Accessed on September 4, 2008.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Klaus-Dietrich Schunck: Maccabees / Maccabees books . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 21, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1991, ISBN 3-11-012952-3 , p. 741.
↑ Contra Apionem 2, 52-55.

[TRE-1] Klaus-Dietrich Schunck: Maccabees / Maccabees books . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 21, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1991, ISBN 3-11-012952-3 , p. 741.

[2] Contra Apionem 2, 52-55.