Session 7
THE TIMES OF THE APOCRYPHA
and a Brief Study of:
2 Maccabees-
The seven youths and their mother
THE TIMES OF THE APOCRYPHA
The Apocrypha were written mostly in Palestine between 300BC and AD100.
The Jews were under the rule of the Persians at the close of the Old Testament period, about 425BC. After the conquest of the world by Alexander the Great, they came under Greek dominion. Alexander spared Jerusalem and treated the Jews with considerable kindness. He introduced the Greek language universally, which ultimately facilitated the spread of the Gospel.
After Alexander's death, the empire was divided among four of his generals and the Jews soon fell under the reign of the kings of Egypt, called the "Ptolemies."
Antiochus the Great conquered Palestine in 198BC and the "Selucid" reign began. Antiochus Epiphanes lit a fuse of oppression and cruelty that led to the revolution championed by Mattathias in 167BC. The ensuing period of independent rule lasted until 63BC. when Palestine was conquered by the Romans led by Pompey. Herod came to be the King of Judea and in an attempt to please the Jews, he had the Temple rebuilt which was present in the days of Christ.
2 Maccabees
The Book of 2 Maccabees is a supplement to 1 Maccabees. While the author claims to provide an "easier to read summary" of five books written by Jason of Cyrene, 2 Maccabees is seen to be a retelling of the first seven chapters of 1 Maccabees. Read 2 Maccabees 2:19-27. Literature searches have failed to find any mention of such a "Jason," but the author does augment what is found in 1 Maccabees.
This session will focus on 2 Maccabees "tale of the seven brothers," but some other passages are deserving of consideration first.
1. Read of the temple purification in 2 Maccabees 1:18-23. Note in verse 22, the need for time to pass and the sun to appear. How does this compare with the Biblical account of Elijah's contest with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18:17-40)? Why might the author have included this account?
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2. Speaking of Jeremiah, 2 Maccabees refers to a prophet receiving instruction relative to the ark, the tent of the ark, and the altar of incense. Read 2 Maccabees 2:4-8. Would this information aid in finding the lost Ark?
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The author of 2 Maccabees is prone to stretching numbers to emphasize his stories. Following an attack by Jason (a son of Mattathias) on the city of Jerusalem, an exaggerated account is given of the death toll from a subsequent attack by Antiochus.
3. Read 2 Maccabees 5:11-17. Why would the author want to make the devastation appear worse than it was?
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4. The author of 2 Maccabees has no compunction about employing the most vivid descriptions in depicting the miserable status of the Jews prior to the Maccabean revolt. Read 2 Maccabees 6:7-11. How does this compare with the rendering in 1 Maccabees that was read last week?
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Possibly the book of 2 Maccabees is be best known for the tale of the "seven youths and their mother." This is not for the faint of heart. Read 2 Maccabees 7:1,2. This is the setting for the shocking story which follows.
5. Read 2 Maccabees 7:3-6. Why might the author feel a need to express such gory details?
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6. Read 2 Maccabees 7:7-9. This time the torture is interrupted by the witness of the victim. What message is conveyed?
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7. Read 2 Maccabees 7:10-12. What is the message of the third son?
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8. The direction of the narrative is predictable. Read of the fourth son in 2 Maccabees 7:13,14. What message is contained here?
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9. Read 2 Maccabees 7:15-17. The fifth son is also tortured and killed, but not before he adds to the message given to the king. What additional information is contained in his message?
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10. Read 2 Maccabees 7:18-19, and comment on how the sixth son adds to the testimony to this barbarous king.
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11. The mother's encouragement is given is 2 Maccabees 7:20-23. How does she endorse the witness of her sons?
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The king can not understand the resolute steadfastness with which the sons accept torture and death. He is determined to reach at least one son through the mother. Read 2 Maccabees 7:24-29.
12. Read 2 Maccabees 7:30-38. Between the words of the mother and the youngest son, all is summed up. Why doesn't the king respond to the warnings of the mother and her sons?
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13. Read the conclusion in 2 Maccabees 7:39-42. While the focus of this review has been one of salvation for those in Christ, and eternal punishment for the wicked, what do you think the author intended to accomplish.
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