Session 11 | The Rise and Fall of the Maccabean State
#46-49
#46. Introduction
A Jewish revolt against the Seleucids in the 2nd century BCE resulted in a hundred year period of political freedom for the Jews. The rebellion was led by Matthais and his five sons who were able to establish a local dynasty known as Hasmonean or Maccabean dynasty. The first, takes its name from Matthias’ great-grandfather (Asamoneus) and the second, from an Aramaic nickname (Maccabeus = the Hammer) of the oldest son, Judah. The readings for this lecture will illuminate the cultural and political developments which took place in Israel/Palestine during this one hundred year era of independence.
#47. 1 Maccabees
The Apocrypha (from the Greek apokruphon, meaning hidden) is a 17th century Protestant title for a collection of 2nd Temple Jewish texts that were preserved in the Greek version of the Bible (Septuagint), which after a long process became the Christian Old Testament. Within this corpus of literature, four books are entitled Maccabees in a sequence from one to four. The following reading is taken from the first book of Maccabees, which appears to have been composed sometime between 134 BCE and 63 BCE (M.D. Coogan (ed.), The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Oxford 2001, p. 202), that is, at the same time that the Hasmonean kingdom existed. The text transmits the story of the beginnings of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes. When reading, focus upon the actions of this Hellenistic ruler that led to the Jewish rebellion.
Question
According to this passage, can the cause(s) of the Maccabean Revolt be reduced to one impetus? If so, what was the one impetus? If not, why not? Cite verses that will support your conclusion. How would the author of this text have us view the cause(s) of this revolt? Compare his perspective to that of earlier biblical books [see #24]. What can this tell us about his worldview?
#48. Dead Sea Scrolls
The following source (The Temple Scroll LVI-LVII: The Law of the King) is part of the corpus of literature known as the Dead Sea Scrolls – 2nd Temple texts discovered in the Judean desert near the site of Qumran in 1947 CE. This particular text dates to the time of the Hasmoneans and has been understood as a text critical of the Hasmonean dynasty (see bibliography below, p. 361).
Question
Find the sentences in which this text is judgmental of the Hasmonean dynasty? What types of reforms is the writer calling for? To whom is the author comparing the Hasmonean monarchy?
#49. Lee Levine
In the succeeding article, L. Levine examines the cultural complexities that transpired in the 2nd Temple period, particularly during the Hasmonean period and the era just after it, the Herodian or Early Roman period. Levine is an archaeologist from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Give attention to his assessment of the tension within Jerusalem between embracing certain features of Hellenism while maintaining a strong Jewish tradition.
Question
Based upon Levine’s use of the term, write a short definition for Diaspora [hint: it comes from the Greek word for dispersion (N. De Lange, An Introduction to Judaism, Cambridge 2000, p. 227)]? In what ways did the Jews of the Diaspora contribute to the Hellenistic nature of Jerusalem?