The Maccabean Revolt: The Rededication of the Holy Temple - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Maccabean Revolt is a famous successful Jewish revolution led by Judah Maccabee against the Greek Seleucid army in the period of 167-164 BCE (“before the common era”). The rededication of the Temple accompanied Maccabee´s victory over the Greek army, popularly termed in Jewish as “Chanukah.” Jews presently celebrate the festival of the “Chanukah” annually to commemorate the rededication of the Holy Temple. Depending on how this history of the “Chanukah” is told, we may gain a different perspective of the story. The story is often passed down Jewish generations through oral tradition. In the academic circles, however, this legend of the Maccabean Revolution usually passes through written recounts of the facts and events from the time. This short analysis contrasts the two methodologies of recounting the “Chanukah” by describing the similarities and differences between the oral tradition and the historical recounts.

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To begin with the similarities between the two methods of recounting the Maccabean Revolt, Werlin (2020) notes that both the oral tradition and the ancient Jewish literature were initially produced and disseminated by Jews. The First and Second Maccabees appear to agree with oral traditions on the predominant heroes of the story. As Judah and his followers were pro-Jewish culture, they are portrayed in the Jewish literature as the heroes and the martyrs in the struggle to rededicate the Temple. These historians, just like the elders of Jewish society who passed the oral traditions, were moved by the wishes and bias to restore the pride and create the heroes and villains story. Anyone that was linked with Antiochus Epiphanes was then viewed as evil and overly cruel in both oral tradition and historical recounts.

The other similarity between the historical and traditional recounts of the Maccabean Revolt is the “miracle” ending of Maccabean Revolt. As with several other historical recounts of theologically significant anecdotes, the story ends in both historical and oral tradition circles as a miracle that creates the Chanukah. Maccabee is thus immortalized in the documentations as the leader of the people and a victorious general.

However, the two recounts are different in several ways. First, while the traditions passed through the Jewish community focused mainly on the rededication of the Temple and the sacrifices of the righteous Judah and his family, historical perspectives recognize the complex interactions among the Jews and the Greeks. The traditions tell the story as a black or white issue where the brave soldiers under Maccabee successfully revolted against the evil and foreign forces presented by the Greek leaders and cultures. However, the books of Maccabee recognizes some grey areas in such interactions. Though the books refer to the collaborators with Greeks as “renegades,” they nonetheless acknowledge that some Jews did not align with the views of the revolting groups. This could thus imply that the revolt was much more complicated than just a fight against evil. History recounts that the Jews that aligned with the Seleucids viewed the revolution as civil unrest than a revolt.

The other difference that is visible between the traditional and historical portrayal of the story is the fact presentation for the progress of the revolt. Oral tradition appears to end the story with a miracle of the liberation of Judaea. As such, the oral tradition portrays a façade of finality. In such a finality façade, the righteous are faced by an enemy; they fight the enemy with the power of a transcendent power then end up winning the war through a miracle from the transcendent force. The coming of the Chanukah was thereby – according to the traditions of the Jews – a liberation fight against a foreign power. The revolt ended when Judah mightily won against the Seleucid army and reclaimed the Temple. However, history presents facts towards the end of the war. According to historical recounts, it is philosophically logical to explore complex causation and end to the revolt than just a miracle from the transcendent being. From Jewish Literature, the war ended two generations after Judah as a result of the increased weakening of the Seleucids army. Judah himself died through an assassination, similar to two of his brothers, who took over the power after him.

In summary, the Maccabee Revolt was a complex interaction that is disseminated with varying details depending on the lens we view the revolt. The oral tradition and historical recount of the revolution carry varying sentimental value and degree of subjective alignment. To gain a more holistic view, we must thereby combine the historical and oral tradition viewpoints through critical analysis of the facts and half facts.

Martyrdom of the Seven Brothers

Author’s Opinion of the King

According to the author, the king is manipulative, evil, torturous a murder. The king is portrayed as the enemy of the local traditions and religion who senselessly murders an entire family for both “sport” and the loyalty to foreign gods. The king openly opposes the God of the Jews and may, as such, be seen as an agent of the devil.

Author’s Opinion of the Jews

The Jews are presented as Martyrs and loyal servants of God. They courageously reject any manipulation to worship a different god from their ancestors´ God. All of them are committed to religious laws and would instead give up their lives than break the rules and disobey the immortal God.

The Author’s Goal in Recounting this Episode

The author recounts this episode to enforce among believers the need to stay steadfast and unshaken in their faith. As such, the author narrates an episode where the righteous and rule-following individuals commit to God´s laws and righteousness in the face of ultimate evil – death. The author´s purpose is thereby to teach believers to stay loyal and obedient to God despite the extreme levels of suffering that the enemy may present. The author makes a reader or listener stay sympathetic and inspired by the resilience and perseverance of the seven brothers and their mother. We should not thereby – according to the author – be driven by fear of losing our mortal selves to death if it means staying obedient to God´s laws.

Jewish Author or Seleucid Greek Author

The author appears to be a Jewish Author. The episode portrays the Jews as heroes who would rather suffer torture and death at the hands of the evil one than fall for their foreign ways. As a Jewish writer, the author is driven by pro-Jewish bias. He shows the brothers as perfectly righteous and the king as an embodiment of everything foreign and evil.

How the King’s Account would differ from the Version Seen Here

The king may claim that the subjects openly disregarded his commands. In Greek culture, dishonor to authority was viewed as treasonous. The punishment that the king rendered to the brothers and their mother were thereby rightful according to the traditions of the Greek empire. Furthermore, the king gave the brothers enough time to change their minds, to which they remained defiant and disregarded the authority of the king. As such, the king was compelled to issue the worst punishment to the brothers for the treason. The king allowed the mother to speak to her sons and convince them to reconsider their stance, a move that proved fruitless.

References

Werlin, S. H. (2020). The Maccabean Revolt: Between Tradition and History. Doc Player. http://docplayer.net/22811242-The-maccabean-revolt-between-tradition-and-history-by-steven-h-werlin.html.