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The Hasmoneans would build their palaces with Doric capitals, frescoes & stucco of various color (at Tulul Abu al ‘Alayiq). They built hot baths, massive tombs with artistic motifs typical of Greek style. They enjoyed feasts & the luxuries afforded by their position & wealth. 6

The first time a menorah appears on a coin is Antigonus Mattathias II (d. 37 BCE). At the same time, these coins (almost) never have images of the kings, and are in Hebrew. Like royal names, we find similarity and difference! 5

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The Hasmoneans mint coins, with the permission of the Seleucids (1 Macc. 15), and they look, well, awfully Greek! We have cornucopia, wreaths, owls, star and diadem, palm branch, boat anchors. 4

It's all in the names! We have John Hyrcanus, Alexander Jannaeus, Alexandra Salome, Aristobolus III, Alexander/ra, Antigonus, Aristobulus, Antipater. Notice how many have a Greek & Hebrew name: John Hyrcanus, Aristobolus I Judah, Alexander Jannaeus, Salome Alexandra. 2

Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Saadia thought highly of the text. He attributed it to the Hasmoneans themselves, and mentions a copy he has examined which was vocalized and apparently had cantillation marks, clearly intended for liturgical recitation. The work became very popular; many copies are found in the Cairo Geniza. 6

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Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

As Tal Ilan & Vered Noam show, the rabbis knew some stories about the Maccabees, but not the full works of 1 & 2 Maccabees or Josephus. There may have been a Jewish cult to the Maccabean martyrs in Antioch. But we lack any Jewish running narrative of the Hasmonean revolt from late antiquity. 3

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Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Famously, the rabbis are quite mum about Hanukkah. There’s no tractate dedicated to it, though already the earlier rabbinic documents like the Mishnah mention a ritual to light candles on Hanukkah, w/o any elaboration. See Vered Noam's recent book for the rabbinic reception of the Hasmoneans 6

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Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

According to 2 Maccabees: "carrying green palm branches and sticks decorated with ivy, they paraded around, singing grateful praises to Him who had brought about the purification of His own Temple. Everyone agreed that the Jewish nation should celebrate this festival each year." 3

Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

The earliest account of Hanukkah is 1 Maccabees. It's highly chronographical & sparing on miraculous details. 2 Macc. is replete with miracles, most famously the story of Heliodorus. But there’s no miracle of oil! The book explains that the festival commemorates the rededication of the temple. 2

Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

The earliest notices of the commemoration of the revolt do not mention Greek culture or Hellenism. They mention the rededication of the altar, the purification of the temple, & the defeat of the Seleucid armies. Jews even celebrate the event like Greeks, waiving palm branches!

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Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Similarly, before Antiochus, Seleucus famously sent Heliodorus to the Jerusalem temple to take money from the treasury (2. Macc 3). This was at the invitation of a Jewish temple administrator who was feuding with the high priest! When Heliodorus entered he was divinely smitten!

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Simcha Gross @simchagross.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

1 Macc. offers a flattering portrayal of Hasmonean rule, leading many to see it as Hasmonean propaganda. The Hasmoneans are righteous. When problems arise, they are the fault of others. 2 Macc. is more theologically driven, & in its intro says 1 of its goals is entertainment! 3

1305

By contrast, Origen tells Africanus in a letter that "Tobias as also Judith..the Jews do not use. They are not even found in the Hebrew Apocrypha, as I learned from the Jews themselves." Maybe Jerome & Origen knew different Jews, maybe their accounts can be reconciled. 8

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It is often said that Jews forgot Judith until the medieval period (see below). In fact, Jerome reports that to the Jews "Judith is considered among the apocrypha..since it was written in Chaldean, it is counted among the historical books" ( @drewjakeprof.bsky.social translation!). 7

190

Judith is not mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Philo or Josephus. The work is first mentioned in Clement's 1st century CE Epistle to the Corinthians (1.55), though it undoubtedly predates him. While Christians continue to transmit the text, Jews do not mention it. 6

1120

What can we say about the provenance, date, authorship, & purpose of the work? Predictably, there are various scholarly theories. Judith likely is informed by & alludes to the Hasmonean revolt: the Jews in both flee to the mountains, behead opposing leaders (1 Macc. 7) etc. 5

1110

The earliest surviving versions of the story are in Greek, but a particularly Hebraizing Greek. But is this based on an original Hebrew version, of which no fragments survive? This is the subject of considerable debate. 4

1100

The story is informed by that of Yael putting a spike through Sisera's head (Judges 4:21), David beheading Goliath, Esther's role in saving the Jews, and more. In it, Judith observes Sabbath & festivals, eats Kosher, and fasts often (the last show how Jewish piety standards change!). 3

1100

The book of Judith is undoubtedly fictional. Set in the first temple period, the chronology & geography are wonky, & the text explicitly refers to the destruction of the first temple and the return thereafter. It's a later work set in the biblical past. 2

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