File:2022 Schwartz.jpg

{en} Daniel R. Schwartz. 1 Maccabees: A new translation with introduction and commentary. New Haven - London: Yale University Press, 2022.

Abstract

"First Maccabees, composed in the second century BCE, chronicles four decades of clashes between Hellenistic Syria and Judea, from Antiochus Epiphanes's ascent to the throne in 175 BCE to the Hasmoneans' establishment of an independent Judean state, ruled by Simon and his sons. In this volume, Daniel R. Schwartz provides a new translation of the Greek text and analyzes its historical significance. In dialogue with contemporary scholarship, the introduction surveys the work's themes, sources, and transmission, while the commentary addresses textual details and issues of historical reconstruction, often devoting special attention to the lost Hebrew original and its associations. Schwartz demonstrates that 1 Maccabees, despite its Hebraic biblical style and its survival within the Christian canon, deviates from biblical and Judaic works by marginalizing God, evincing scorn for martyrs, and ascribing to human power and valor crucial historical roles. This all fits its mandate: justification of the Hasmonean dynasty, especially the Simonides."--

Contents

Preface -- Introduction. 1. Title, major theme, and structure ; 2. Authorship and date of composition ; 3. Sources and chronology ; 4. First Maccabees and the Bible ; 5. Transmission and text ; 6. This translation and commentary : on themes and middle paths ; 7. A short history of the Hasmonean Period -- Translation -- Notes and comments. Prologue: Introducing the villains (1:1-15) ; Judea and Judaism under Antiochus Epiphanes (1:16-64) ; Mattathias rebels (2:1-28) ; The rebels overcome religious restraints (2:29-41) ; The rebels take the initiative (2:42-48) ; Mattathias's deathbed speech and death (2:49-70) ; Opening ode to Judas Maccabaeus (3:1-9) ; Judas defeats Apollonius and Seron (3:10-26) ; Lysias first sends Gorgias against Judas, then tries it himself (3:27-4:35) ; The purification and rededication of the Temple (4:36-61) ; Fighting with neighbors (5:1-68) ; Death of Antiochus Epiphanes (6:1-17) ; Lysias's second campaign to Beth Zur and the Battle of Beth Zechariah (6:18-47) ; Lysias besieges Jerusalem but withdraws (6:48-63) ; A new king, renewed victories (7:1-50) ; Judas's treaty with Rome (8:1-32) ; From Judas to Jonathan (9:1-73) ; Jonathan and the Judeans are wooed by competing Seleucids (10:1-50) ; Jonathan as Alexander's ally : enter Ptolemy VI and Demetrius II (10:51-89) ; Ptolemy VI versus Alexander Balas (11:1-19) ; Jonathan and Demetrius II (11:20-74) ; Jonathan's international ties : Rome and Sparta (12:1-23) ; From Jonathan to Simon (12:24-53) ; Simon takes over (13:1-53) ; Simon ensconced, now and forever (14:1-49) ; Simon on the international scene (15:1-16:10) ; Murder of Simon and two of his sons, John succeeds him (16:11-24).