The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 45: 1 Machabees

"The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 45: 1 Machabees" is a deuterocanonical book written in the late 2nd century BC. It chronicles the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, beginning when King Antiochus IV Epiphanes forbids traditional Jewish practices. Mattathias and his sons, particularly Judas Maccabeus, lead a rebellion filled with victories and defeats. The struggle ultimately establishes the independent Hasmonean kingdom. The book recounts the recapture and rededication of the Second Temple in 164 BC, the event behind the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Book 45: 1 Machabees, from the public domain. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #8345.