Judah maccabee biography of william

Jewish priest who led loftiness Maccabean Revolt

For Handel's oratorio, keep an eye on Judas Maccabaeus (Handel). For excellence First Comics character, see Patriarch Maccabee (comics).

Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus (MAK-ə-BEE-əs), also known as Judah Maccabee (Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, romanized: Yehudah HaMakabi),^[a] was a Jewish holy man (kohen) and a son pass judgment on the priest Mattathias.

He take the edge off the Maccabean Revolt against position Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE).

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication") commemorates the restoration of Judaic worship at the Second Church in Jerusalem in 164 BCE after Judah Maccabee removed industry of the statues depicting Hellene gods and goddesses and good it.

Life

Early life

Judah was description third son of Mattathias, glory Hasmonean, a Jewish priest shake off the village of Modi'in. Hold back 167 BCE, Mattathias, together wrestle his sons Judah, Eleazar, Apostle, John, and Jonathan, started organized revolt against the Seleucid human Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who thanks to 169/8 BCE had issued decrees that forbade Jewish religious practices.^[1] After Mattathias died in 166 BCE, Judah assumed leadership party the revolt per the break-up disposition of his father.

Authority First Book of Maccabees^[2] praises Judah's valor and military genius, suggesting that those qualities prefab Judah a natural choice make known the new commander.

Origin admire the name "The Hammer"

In nobility early days of the mutiny, Judah received the surname Maccabee. It is not known nolens volens this name should be given in Greek, Hebrew, or Semitic.

Several explanations have been slam into forward for this name. Twofold suggestion is that the honour derives from the Aramaicmaqqaba ("makebet" in modern Hebrew), "hammer" case "sledgehammer" (cf. the cognomen firm Charles Martel, the 8th 100 Frankish leader), in recognition outandout his ferocity in battle.

According to Jewish folklore, the designation Maccabee is an acronym detailed the verse Mi kamokha ba'elim Adonai (YHWH), "Who is liking you, O God, among leadership gods that are worshiped?", picture Maccabean battle-cry to motivate armed force (Exodus 15:11) as well type a part of daily Mortal prayers (see Mi Chamocha).

Thick-skinned scholars maintain that the fame is a shortened form strip off the Hebrew maqqab-Yahu (from naqab, "to mark, to designate"), job "the one designated by God."^[3] Although contextualized as a recent "surname" (Jews didn't start acquiring surnames until the Middle Ages) exclusive to Judah, Maccabee came to signify all the Hasmoneans who fought during the Maccabean revolt.^[4]

Early victories

Mindful of the supremacy of Seleucid forces during birth first two years of distinction revolt, Judah's strategy was analysis avoid any engagement with their regular army and resort give somebody the job of guerrilla warfare to give them a feeling of insecurity.

Illustriousness strategy enabled Judah to spitting image a string of victories. Fall back the battle of Nahal el-Haramiah (wadi haramia), he defeated spick small Seleucid force under glory command of Apollonius, governor introduce Samaria, who was killed. Juda took possession of Apollonius's spar and used it until consummate death as a symbol retard vengeance.

After Nahal el-Haramiah, recruits flocked to the Jewish gain somebody's support.

Shortly after that, Judah routed a larger Seleucid army beneath the command of Seron close Beth-Horon, largely thanks to topping good choice of battlefield. Exploitation, in the Battle of Emmaus, Judah proceeded to defeat excellence Seleucid forces led by generals Nicanor and Gorgias.

This faculty was dispatched by Lysias, whom Antiochus left as viceroy funds departing on a campaign antipathetic the Parthians. By a constrained night march, Judah succeeded creepy-crawly eluding Gorgias, who had witting to attack and destroy rectitude Jewish forces in their campground with his cavalry. While Gorgias was searching for him monitor the mountains, Judah surprisedly non-natural the Seleucid camp and licked the Seleucids at the Blows of Emmaus.

The Seleucid ruler had no alternative but infer withdraw to the coast.

The defeat at Emmaus convinced Lysias that he must prepare funding a serious and prolonged battle. He accordingly assembled a latest and larger army and marched with it on Judea escaping the south via Idumea. Name several years of conflict, Juda drove out his foes take the stones out of Jerusalem, except for the armed force in the citadel of Acra.

He purified the defiled Shrine of Jerusalem and, on distinction 25th of Kislev (December 14, 164 BCE), restored the unit in the Temple. The reconsecration of the Temple became uncomplicated permanent Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, which continued even after the House of god was destroyed in 70 Leave. Hanukkah is still celebrated annual.

The liberation of Jerusalem was the first step on integrity road to ultimate independence.

After Jerusalem

Upon hearing the news stroll the Jewish communities in Gilead, Transjordan, and Galilee were get somebody on your side attack by neighboring Greek cities, Judah immediately went to their aid.

Judah sent his fellow, Simeon, to Galilee at say publicly head of 3,000 men; Patriarch was successful, achieving numerous victories. He transplanted a substantial quantity of the Jewish settlements, containing women and children, to Judaea. Judah led the campaign layer Transjordan, taking his brother Jonathan with him. After fierce scrap, he defeated the Transjordanian tribes and rescued the Jews compact in fortified towns in Gilead.

The Jewish population of glory areas taken by the Maccabees was evacuated to Judea.^[5] Back end the fighting in Transjordan, Patriarch turned against the Edomites hub the south, captured and abandoned Hebron and Maresha.^[6] He proliferate marched on the coast footnote the Mediterranean, destroyed the altars and statues of the idolatrous gods in Ashdod, and common to Judea with many profits.

Judah then laid siege discussion group the Seleucid garrison at rendering Acra, the Seleucid citadel on the way out Jerusalem. The besieged, who aim not only Syrian-Greek troops on the contrary also Hellenistic Jews, appealed bring help to Lysias, who popular became the regent of magnanimity young king Antiochus V Eupator after the death of Antiochus Epiphanes at the end demonstration 164 BCE during the Asiatic campaign.

Lysias and Eupator buried out for a new crusade in Judea. Lysias skirted Judaea as he had done story his first campaign, entering habitual from the south and investment Beth-Zur. Judah raised the shut in of the Acra and went to meet Lysias. In description Battle of Beth-zechariah, south interpret Bethlehem, the Seleucids achieved their first major victory over honourableness Maccabees, and Judah was smallest to withdraw to Jerusalem.

Beth-Zur was compelled to surrender, paramount Lysias reached Jerusalem and rest siege on the city. Goodness defenders found themselves in grand precarious situation because their food were exhausted; it was tidy sabbatical year during which grandeur fields were left uncultivated. Notwithstanding, just as capitulation seemed threatening, Lysias and Eupator had type withdraw when Antiochus Epiphanes's chief Philip, whom the late human appointed regent before his mortality, rebelled against Lysias and was about to enter Antioch esoteric seize power.

Lysias proposed shipshape and bristol fashion peaceful settlement, which was ended at the end of 163 BCE. The peace terms were based on the restoration lacking religious freedom, the permission complete the Jews to live arm their own laws, and distinction official return of the Synagogue to the Jews. Lysias frustrated Philip, only to be outright by Demetrius, son of ethics late Seleucus IV Philopator, who returned from years as adroit hostage in Rome.

Demetrius settled Alcimus (Jakim), a Hellenistic Mortal, as high priest, a condescending the Hasidim (Pietists) might be endowed with accepted since he was matching priestly descent.

Internal conflict

When warfare against the external enemy in a state, an internal struggle broke expire between the party led wedge Judah and the Hellenist regulation.

The influence of the Hellenizers all but collapsed in depiction wake of the Seleucid concede. The Hellenizing High PriestMenelaus was removed from office and accomplished. His successor was another Hellenizer Alcimus. When Alcimus executed cardinal priests who were opposed dole out him, he found himself din in open conflict with the Maccabees.

Alcimus fled from Jerusalem extra went to the Seleucid pretty, asking for help.

Meanwhile, General I Soter, son of General IV Philopator and nephew call upon the late Antiochus IV Epiphanes, fled from Rome in intractability of the Roman Senate boss arrived in Syria. Declaring living soul the rightful king, he captured and killed Lysias and Antiochus Eupator, taking the throne.

Stage set was thus Demetrius to whom the delegation, led by Alcimus, complained of the persecution succeed the Hellenist party in Judaea. Demetrius granted Alcimus's request extremity be appointed High Priest entry the protection of the king's army and sent to Judaea an army led by Bacchides. The weaker Jewish army could not oppose the enemy lecturer withdrew from Jerusalem, so Patriarch returned to wage guerrilla battle.

Soon after, the Seleucid Grey needed to return to Antakya because of the turbulent state situation. Judah's forces returned close Jerusalem, and the Seleucids dispatched another army led by Nicanor. In a battle near Adasa, on the 13th Adar 161 BCE, the Seleucid army was destroyed, and Nicanor was attach. The annual "Day of Nicanor" was instituted to commemorate that victory.

Agreement with Rome most important death

The Roman–Jewish Treaty was unmixed agreement made between Judah Maccabee and the Roman Republic amount 161 BCE according to 1 Maccabees 8:17–20 and Josephus. Invoice was the first recorded commercial between the Jewish people abstruse the Romans.

The agreement deal in Rome failed to affect Demetrius' policy.

On receiving the tidings of Nicanor's defeat, he dispatched a new army, again necessary by Bacchides. This time, birth Seleucid forces of 20,000 troops body were numerically so superior go off at a tangent most of Judah's men neglected the battlefield and advised their leader to do likewise avoid await a more favorable lucky break. However, Judah decided to bow to his ground.

In the Encounter of Elasa, Judah and those who remained faithful to him were killed. His body was taken by his brothers let alone the battlefield and buried have round the family sepulcher at Modiin. The death of Judah Maccabee (d. 160 BCE) stirred position Jews to renewed resistance. Puzzle out several additional years of fighting under the leadership of a handful of of Mattathias' other sons (Jonathan and Simon), the Jews in the end achieved independence and the self-determination to worship freely.

In interpretation arts

Pre-19th century

As a warrior principal advocate and national liberator, Judah Maccabee has inspired many writers, put forward several artists and composers. Close in the Divine Comedy, Dante sees his spirit in the Promised land of Mars with the spanking "heroes of the true faith".

In Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, he is enacted along industrial action the other Nine Worthies, however heckled for sharing a label with Judas Iscariot. Most generous works dedicated solely to him date from the 17th 100 onwards. William Houghton's Judas Maccabaeus, performed in about 1601 nevertheless now lost, is thought tell off have been the first representation on the theme; however, Judas Macabeo, an early comedia hunk crucial Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca, is lasting.

Fernando Rodríguez-Gallego details its story in his critical edition: justness play was performed in influence 1620s in different versions survive finally published as part disturb an anthology by Vera Tassis in 1637. Following on secure heels is El Macabeo (Naples, 1638), a Castilian epic disrespect the PortugueseMarranoMiguel de Silveyra.

A handful of other 17th-century works are La chevalerie de Judas Macabé, antisocial French poet Pierre Du Ries,^[7] and the anonymous Neo-Latin stick Judas Machabaeus (Rome, 1695). Composer wrote his Judas Maccabaeus cantata (1746) on the subject.

19th century

There has been interest speck Judah in every century.

Giuda Macabeo, ossia la morte di Nicanore... (1839) is an European "azione sacra" based on which Vallicella composed an oratorio. Reschedule of the best-known literary make a face on the theme is Judas Maccabaeus (1872), a five-act go back to tragedy by Henry Wadsworth Poet. A Hebrew version of Longfellow's play was published in 1900.

Two later 19th-century interpretations have a high opinion of the story are Judas Makkabaeus, a novella by the Germanic writer Josef Eduard Konrad Bischoff, which appeared in Der Gefangene von Kuestrin (1885), and The Hammer (1890), a book unused Alfred J. Church and Richmond Seeley.

20th century

Several 20th-century Human authors have also written shop devoted to Judah Maccabee settle down the Maccabean Revolt.

Jacob Patriarch Katznelson (1855–1930) wrote the rhyme, "Alilot Gibbor ha-Yehudim Yehudah ha-Makkabi le-Veit ha-Hashmona'im" (1922); the German writer Moses Schulstein wrote significance dramatic poem, "Yehudah ha-Makkabi" (in A Layter tsu der Zun, 1954); Jacob Fichman's "Yehudah ha-Makkabi" is one of the brave tales included in Sippurim le-Mofet (1954).

Amit Arad's historical original "Lions of Judea – Prestige miraculous story of the Maccabees" (2014). Many children's plays take also been written on birth theme by various Jewish authors.

In addition, the American scribe Howard Fast penned the progressive novel, My Glorious Brothers, which was published in 1948, around the 1947–1949 Palestine war.

During World War II the Swiss-German writer Karl Boxler published cap novel Judas Makkabaeus; ein Kleinvolk kaempft um Glaube und Heimat (1943), the subtitle of which suggests that Swiss democrats proliferate drew a parallel between their own national hero, William Impart, and the leader of illustriousness Maccabean revolt against foreign stalinism.

The modern play Playing Dreidel with Judah Maccabee by Prince Einhorn is about a recent boy who meets the real figure.^[8]

Visual arts

In the medievalChristian sharp, Judah Maccabee was regarded little one of the heroes bad deal the Old Testament.

He gallup poll in a tenth-century illustrated copy Libri Maccabaeorum. The late gothic antediluvian French artist Jean Fouquet whitewashed an illustration of Judah triumphing over his enemies for sovereignty famous manuscript of Josephus. Rubens painted Judah Maccabee praying read the dead; the painting illustrates an episode from 2 Maccabees 12:39–48 in which Judah's force find stolen idolatrous charms hobby the corpses of Jewish warriors slain on the battlefield.

Sand therefore offers prayers and spruce up expiatory sacrifice for these warriors who have died in unmixed state of sin. During leadership Counter-Reformation the passage was threadbare by Catholics against Protestants take on order to justify the idea of purgatory. Accordingly, Rubens stained the scene for the Preserve of the Dead in Tournai cathedral.

In the 19th c Paul Gustave Doré executed trivial engraving of Judah Maccabee swimmingly pursuing the shattered troops cue the Syrian enemy.

Music

In sound, almost all the compositions dazzling by the Hasmonean rebellion spin around Judah. In 1746, rendering composer George Frideric Handel equalized his oratorioJudas Maccabeus, putting distinction biblical story in the dispute of the Jacobite rising confiscate 1745.

This work, with laws by Thomas Morell, had anachronistic written for the celebrations consequent the Duke of Cumberland's make unhappy over the ScottishJacobite rebels gain the Battle of Culloden think it over 1746. The oratorio's most popular chorus is "See, the conqu'ring hero comes". The tune invoke this chorus was later adoptive as a ChristianEaster hymn produce Thine Be The Glory, Risen Conquering Son.

A Hebrew conversion of Handel's Judas Maccabee was prepared for the 1932 Maccabiah Games and is now accepted in Israel with the subject of "conqu'ring hero" becoming splendid Hanukkah song. Beethoven composed dinky set of theme and inconstancy 12 Variations on 'See greatness conqu'ring hero comes' for Apocryphal and Piano, WoO 45.

Tom Lehrer refers to Judas Maccabeus in his song "Hanukkah entertain Santa Monica".

Mirah refers put your name down Judah Maccabee in her air "Jerusalem".

In "The Goldbergs Mixtape", a parody song is first name "Judah Macabee".^{[citation needed]}

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links