First and Second Maccabees | New Collegeville Bible Old Testament Commentary Volume 12

Often neglected, the books of First and Second Maccabees are important for Christians, as inthem is told how the Jewish people established the political and religious culture into whichJesus was born. The martyr stories inform the early Christian martyrdoms, and the books arewritten in Greek, the language in which the Jews of Jesus’ time read the scriptures. More importantly,as Father Harrington notes, without the Maccabees “the fate of Judaism (and with itChristianity and Islam) was uncertain.”Comprehensive and understandable, these books bring the relevance of the Old Testament toBible study participants, teachers, students, preachers, and all readers of the Bible. The seriesis filled with recent scholarship, provides vital background, and addresses important questionssuch as authorship and cultural context.