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I And II Maccabees

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However in none of the history that is related is there similar allusion to the Messiah as he is alluded to in scripture. The book then switches again in theme and talks about Enoch seeing a vision in which the secrets of heaven are revealed and Enoch is shown the secret parts of the sun and moon. Then the book becomes even more astronomical in that it theories of the sun, moon, stars, winds, etc. in an attempt to outdo the pagan concept of the heavenly bodies and interpret them according to the signs of the zodiac. A brief description of Noah and his birth is given and then the book is concluded by exhorting that the righteous will triumph. “Although the book has its fantastic and even repellent side, and suggests the magical atmosphere of…show more content…
I and II Maccabees were written during or shortly thereafter the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanies who was king of Seleucid during the second century. I Maccabees is a fairly historical account of Antiochus’s destruction of the temple, his persecution of those Jews who remained faithful and refused to worship in the temple because it had been profaned by a pig sacrifice. The whole book is written to defend the Hasmonean dynasty in which the descendants of Mattathias or his five sons were rightful rulers appointed by God. For proof of this claim the author, who although unmade was probably Sadducean, applauds the great feats done by Mattathias, his sons Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, Simon and Simon’s son. The author also mentions the adventures of the High Priest John Hyrcanus. I Maccabees also has several themes running throughout the book. It implies “God has no longer direct dealings with men … this writer too deplores the extinction of prophecy. And yet he seems to look forward to some future prophet in the future;” II Maccabees is reiterates I Maccabees but with much greater emphasis on the stories and miracles of the Maccabean revolt. II Maccabees also starts with two introductory letters and a prologue which states that II Maccabees is a summary of a five volume history of Jason of Cyrene which is now lost. It also describes in gruesome…show more content…
The majority of apocalyptic literature was written between second century B. C. and first century A.D. Apocalyptic literature is a specific genre and can be defined within a compositional understanding which includes apocalyptic works referring to historical Jewish events or describing other worldly journeys, prophesying about the end of the world, and the judgment of God. As has been shown while apocalyptic literature may not be considered canonical scripture by Protestants it is very fascinating to study and
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