[Sidenote:  I Macc. 1:54-58] On the twenty-fifth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they built an abomination of desolation upon the altar; and in the cities of Judah on every side they built idol altars.  And at the doors of the houses and in the streets they burnt incense.  And tearing in pieces the books of the law which they found, they set fire to them.  And wherever a book of the covenant was found in the possession of anyone, or if anyone obeyed the law, the king’s decree sentenced him to death.  Thus they did in their might month by month to the Israelites who were found in the cities.

[Sidenote:  I Macc. 1:59-63] And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they sacrificed upon the idol altar which was upon Jehovah’s sacrificial altar.  And the women who had circumcised their children they put to death according to the command.  And they hanged their babies about their necks, and destroyed their households with those who had circumcised them.  But many in Israel made strong resolutions not to eat unclean things, choosing to die that they might not be defiled with the meats, and might not profane the holy covenant.  So they died.  And exceedingly great woe came upon Israel.

I. Character and Contents of I Maccabees.  The first book of Maccabees is in many ways the best history that has come down from ancient Israel.  Luther’s conclusion that it was more deserving of a place in the Old Testament canon than, for example, the book of Esther is now being widely accepted both in theory and practice.  The religious spirit in which it is written, the importance of the events with which it deals, and the faithfulness with which they are recorded, all confirm this conclusion.  It is the work of a devoted patriot, who appears to have been personally acquainted with the events which he records.  He was an ardent admirer of Judas Maccabeus, and may well have been one of the many valiant Jews who rallied about this sturdy champion.  The author was familiar with the early histories of his race, for he has adopted many of the phrases peculiar to the books of Samuel and Kings.  His idioms leave no doubt that he wrote in Hebrew, although this version has been lost.

The first book of Maccabees opens with a brief reference to Alexander the Great and to the Greek rulers who succeeded him.  The detailed history, however, begins with Antiochus Epiphanes and continues to the death of Simon in 135 B.C.  The references in the prologue to the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by Simon’s son, John Hyrcanus, between 135 and 125 B.C., and the absence of any allusions to the more important events in the latter part of his reign, indicate that his history was probably completed by 125 B.C.  It was written, therefore, less than half a century after all the events which it records took place.  While the author is a true patriot and keenly interested in the history of his race, he does not allow his patriotism to carry him into exaggeration.  He reveals the true historical spirit and a splendid reserve in recounting the epoch-making events that he records.