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The '''Second Book of Maccabees''' is found in the books of the [[Septuagint]], the Old Testament accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible'', and found in the books of the Old Testament of the ''[[Vulgate]]'' and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]. It is included in the canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Bible]]. Since the [[Council of Trent]] it is [[Dogma|dogmatically]] accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Catholic Church]] in the ''Catholic Bible''—books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>

The '''Second Book of Maccabees''' is found in the books of the [[Septuagint]], the Old Testament accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Orthodox Church]] in the ''Greek Orthodox Bible'', and found in the books of the Old Testament of the ''[[Vulgate]]'' and included in the canon of inspired scripture by the [[Third Council of Carthage (397)]]. It is included in the canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Bible]]. Since the [[Council of Trent]] it is [[dogma]]tically accepted as inspired and canonical by the [[Catholic Church]] in the ''Catholic Bible''—books of the Bible accepted as divinely inspired by the majority of Christian believers in the United States and throughout the world.<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox).<br/>[http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.]<br/>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities]<br/>

The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref><ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref>

The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]].<br/>{{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}<br/>{{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref><ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref>

==Content==

==Content==

'''2 Maccabees''' is one of the Historical books of the Bible, similar in tone to the books of Kings and Chronicles and Joshua and Judges. It is a religious summary or epitome by an unknown author of a 5 volume work by an unknown Jason of Cyrene, covering the history of the Jews from the time of the rise of [[Alexander the Great]] during the [[high priest|high priesthood]] of [[Jaddua]] about 333 B.C., through the persecution of [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]], and the resistance of the [[Maccabee]]s under Judas Maccabeus. The book is prefaced by copies of official correspondence sent to the Jews in Egypt in 124 B.C., and a second document addressed to Aristobulus II "of the family of the anointed priests" Hasmonean high priest of the nation 66 to 63 B.C. in the time of [[Pompey]] of Rome. The book was evidently written shortly after that time as an encouragement to the Jews to remain faithful to God with confidence in his power over the nations.

'''2 Maccabees''' is one of the Historical books of the Bible, similar in tone to the books of Kings and Chronicles and Joshua and Judges. It is a religious summary or epitome by an unknown author of a 5 volume work by an unknown Jason of Cyrene, covering the history of the Jews from the time of the rise of [[Alexander the Great]] during the [[high priest]]hood of [[Jaddua]] about 333 B.C., through the persecution of [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]], and the resistance of the [[Maccabee]]s under Judas Maccabeus. The book is prefaced by copies of official correspondence sent to the Jews in Egypt in 124 B.C., and a second document addressed to Aristobulus II "of the family of the anointed priests" Hasmonean high priest of the nation 66 to 63 B.C. in the time of [[Pompey]] of Rome. The book was evidently written shortly after that time as an encouragement to the Jews to remain faithful to God with confidence in his power over the nations.

===The Dedication (2 Maccabees 10:1-8 and John 10:22-23)===

===The Dedication (2 Maccabees 10:1-8 and John 10:22-23)===

J. Alberto Soggin (''Introduction to the Old Testament'', page 469) writes that the book abounds in explanation of the law (see 6:5 and 5:17-20; 6:12-17 respectively), having a much greater interest in theology than 1 Maccabees, although somewhat roughly expressed in the form of ''reward and punishment''. In 2 Maccabees 10:4 the pagans are defined as 'blasphemous and barbarous nations', but the writer also severely censures the considerable numbers of apostate Jews. A series of theological features absent from 1 Maccabees and present in 2 Maccabees includes the resurrection of the body in 7:11; 14:46, in striking contrast first to Wisdom and then to Philo, who following Neo-Platonic lines, tend rather to teach the immortality of the soul. 2 Maccabees 7:28 presents the first expression in Hebrew thought of the doctrine later called ''creatio ex nihilo'', though not in the absolute form sometimes presented by other authors: the Greek is''' ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς '''''ex ouk onton epoiesen auto ho theos'', that is, 'God made the world not from things which were', which is not identical with 'nothing' in the philosophical sense of the term. In 7:9, 14 (see 14:46; 12:43) are concepts of eternal life and death, and in 12:43 the practice of intercession of the living for the dead, an element on which, Soggin says, the Catholic church has sometimes sought to found the doctrine of Purgatory. Soggin mentions a well-developed angelology in the book (3:24-28; 5:2-4; 10:29ff.; 11:8, etc.). He says that Pfeiffer has well observed the fact that 2 Maccabees is more a work of edification than of history. For Soggin, the author, Jason of Cyrene (in Cyrenaica), seems to have been a diaspora Jew who lived at Alexandria about 100 B.C..

J. Alberto Soggin (''Introduction to the Old Testament'', page 469) writes that the book abounds in explanation of the law (see 6:5 and 5:17-20; 6:12-17 respectively), having a much greater interest in theology than 1 Maccabees, although somewhat roughly expressed in the form of ''reward and punishment''. In 2 Maccabees 10:4 the pagans are defined as 'blasphemous and barbarous nations', but the writer also severely censures the considerable numbers of apostate Jews. A series of theological features absent from 1 Maccabees and present in 2 Maccabees includes the resurrection of the body in 7:11; 14:46, in striking contrast first to Wisdom and then to Philo, who following Neo-Platonic lines, tend rather to teach the immortality of the soul. 2 Maccabees 7:28 presents the first expression in Hebrew thought of the doctrine later called ''creatio ex nihilo'', though not in the absolute form sometimes presented by other authors: the Greek is''' ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς '''''ex ouk onton epoiesen auto ho theos'', that is, 'God made the world not from things which were', which is not identical with 'nothing' in the philosophical sense of the term. In 7:9, 14 (see 14:46; 12:43) are concepts of eternal life and death, and in 12:43 the practice of intercession of the living for the dead, an element on which, Soggin says, the Catholic church has sometimes sought to found the doctrine of Purgatory. Soggin mentions a well-developed angelology in the book (3:24-28; 5:2-4; 10:29ff.; 11:8, etc.). He says that Pfeiffer has well observed the fact that 2 Maccabees is more a work of edification than of history. For Soggin, the author, Jason of Cyrene (in Cyrenaica), seems to have been a diaspora Jew who lived at Alexandria about 100 B.C..

Neil J. McEleney (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', vol. 1, page 462) says the first letter, 2 Maccabees 1:1-9, dated to 124 B.C., references another letter (verses 7-8) written in 143. He says that the undated second letter, 2 Maccabees 1:10-2:18, is considered substantially authentic and a literary unity by Abel and Starcky (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', vol. 1, p. 27-30), who assign it to a contemporary of Judas writing in 164. McEleney cites other, dissenting, authors (W. Brownlee, IDB 3, 208; Dancy, IDB 3, 15-16; Eissfeldt, OTI 580-81) who consider it instead to be spurious, and even a composite, because 2 Maccabees 1:19-2:15 seems to interrupt the flow of the letter, which they see as "a later addition" to the book,.  

Neil J. McEleney (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', vol. 1, page 462) says the first letter, 2 Maccabees 1:1-9, dated to 124 B.C., references another letter (verses 7-8) written in 143. He says that the undated second letter, 2 Maccabees 1:10-2:18, is considered substantially authentic and a literary unity by Abel and Starcky (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', vol. 1, p.&nbsp;27-30), who assign it to a contemporary of Judas writing in 164. McEleney cites other, dissenting, authors (W. Brownlee, IDB 3, 208; Dancy, IDB 3, 15-16; Eissfeldt, OTI 580-81) who consider it instead to be spurious, and even a composite, because 2 Maccabees 1:19-2:15 seems to interrupt the flow of the letter, which they see as "a later addition" to the book,.  

Lawrence H. Schiffman (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', page 898) writes that it is most likely that the abridger worked directly from the works of Jason of Cyrene, shortening the lengthy text into this small book. He says the two letters in 2 Maccabees 1:1-2:18 have been added, either by the abridger, or by another editor, to the beginning of the book; and that it is difficult to judge the full extent of Jason's 5-volume history. Considering its length, it is difficult to believe that it was only a more detailed history of the fifteen years. Schiffman speculates that the abridger selected a period of great importance to him and prepared an abridgment and adaptation of Jason's account of that period. He points out that there are a number of indications that the letters were added by a third hand, since, as the text now stands they are not fully integrated into it, and may have been added in an attempt to propagate the observance of the festival of Hanukkah, which celebrated the purification of the Temple by Judah in 164 B.C. Schiffman says a few other additions were most certainly made, either by the abridger or some other editor.

Lawrence H. Schiffman (''The Jerome Biblical Commentary'', page 898) writes that it is most likely that the abridger worked directly from the works of Jason of Cyrene, shortening the lengthy text into this small book. He says the two letters in 2 Maccabees 1:1-2:18 have been added, either by the abridger, or by another editor, to the beginning of the book; and that it is difficult to judge the full extent of Jason's 5-volume history. Considering its length, it is difficult to believe that it was only a more detailed history of the fifteen years. Schiffman speculates that the abridger selected a period of great importance to him and prepared an abridgment and adaptation of Jason's account of that period. He points out that there are a number of indications that the letters were added by a third hand, since, as the text now stands they are not fully integrated into it, and may have been added in an attempt to propagate the observance of the festival of Hanukkah, which celebrated the purification of the Temple by Judah in 164 B.C. Schiffman says a few other additions were most certainly made, either by the abridger or some other editor.

==External links==

==External links==

[http://www.wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes/HOB/BibleD-OTText.pdf The Old Testament Text. (wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes)]

* [http://www.wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes/HOB/BibleD-OTText.pdf The Old Testament Text. (wmcarey.edu/browning/Classes)]

* [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/default.asp Greek and English Septuagint] <br/> [http://vulgate.org/ Latin and English Vulgate]<br/>[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Kings James Apocrypha Online]

[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]

[[Category:Bible]] [[Category:Apocrypha]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[http://www.presentationministries.com/tapes/tape.asp?pubID=268 Presentation Ministries: Introduction to the Bible (1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees). Audio AV31-3. Description: A 30-minute introduction to each book of the Bible. Speaker: Fr. Al Lauer] (presentationministries.com)

 

[http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/default.asp Greek and English Septuagint] <br/> [http://vulgate.org/ Latin and English Vulgate]<br/>[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Kings James Apocrypha Online]

 

[[category:Bible]] [[category:apocrypha]]