The Maccabees

The Maccabees were a family of Jewish priests who led a successful revolt against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167–164 BC), who had desecrated the Temple and outlawed Jewish religious practice. Their story is told in 1 and 2 Maccabees — deuterocanonical books that contain the earliest scriptural evidence for belief in the resurrection of the dead and prayers for the dead (CCC 1031).

The Revolt

Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs there — the "abomination of desolation" referenced by Daniel and later by Jesus (Matthew 24:15). He banned circumcision, the Sabbath, and Torah observance under pain of death. Mattathias the priest and his sons — including Judas Maccabeus — led a guerrilla war that eventually liberated Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. This rededication is commemorated in the Jewish feast of Hanukkah (1 Maccabees 1–4).

The Resurrection of the Dead

Second Maccabees 7 recounts the martyrdom of seven brothers and their mother who refused to apostatize. Their testimony includes explicit belief in the resurrection of the dead: "The King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life" (2 Maccabees 7:9). This is one of the clearest Old Testament affirmations of bodily resurrection (CCC 992).

Prayer for the Dead

After a battle, Judas Maccabeus sent money to Jerusalem for prayers and sacrifices for the soldiers who had died wearing pagan amulets: "For if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead" (2 Maccabees 12:44). The Catechism cites this as a scriptural basis for Purgatory and prayers for the dead (CCC 1031).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Catholics have the Maccabees in their Bible and Protestants don't? The Maccabees are among the deuterocanonical books retained by the Catholic Church following the tradition of the Septuagint and the ancient Church, but not included in the Hebrew canon adopted by the Protestant Reformation (CCC 120).