Maccabees

The Maccabees (Hebrew: מקבים, Maqqabim; Greek: Μακκαβαῖοι, Makkabaioi; Latin: Maccabei) were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which had been a province of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. The name "Maccabee" is often used to refer to the entire dynasty that ruled the Hasmonean Kingdom from 140 to 37 BCE. The Maccabees are celebrated for their role in the successful Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, which lasted from 167 to 160 BCE. This revolt is commemorated by the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which recalls the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabees' victory. The Maccabees are also significant in Christian tradition, as the deuterocanonical books of 1 and 2 Maccabees are included in the Old Testament of many Christian Bibles, providing historical accounts of their struggles and victories.