3 Maccabees
About this date: Dates are broad scholarly estimates of composition or final editing, not dates of the events narrated. Traditional attributions and scholarly assessments can differ.
3 Maccabees tells of endangered Jews in Egypt under Ptolemy IV Philopator, prayer, attempted destruction, and deliverance. Despite its title, it is not a third volume about the Hasmonean revolt.
Historical context
The story is set in Ptolemaic Egypt before the Maccabean revolt. Its historical basis and composition date are debated; a named ruler does not independently verify every narrated event.
Key points
- The narrative begins with Philopator and a temple-entry dispute.
- The threatened diaspora community becomes the center of the story.
- Its Eastern Orthodox reception does not make it part of the Roman Catholic or broad Protestant canon.
Scripture
- 3 Maccabees 1:1-29 — Philopator's arrival and attempted sanctuary entry establish the conflict.
- 3 Maccabees 6:1-21 — Eleazar's prayer and deliverance form the narrative's decisive reversal.
- 3 Maccabees 7:10-23 — The conclusion turns rescue into a communal remembrance.
Sources and further reading
- 3 Maccabees: complete public-domain WEB text
- Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles: canonical books and Apocrypha
- Catholic Catechism §120: canon and book list
- Orthodox Church in America: canon of Scripture
- Orthodox Church in America: Old Testament historical books
- USCCB Bible introductions: historical and literary notes