Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

1,329 texts · Page 111 of 148

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha: ancient Jewish texts composed during the Second Temple period that, while not included in the canonical Hebrew Bible, preserve invaluable traditions about angels, the afterlife, and the end of days.

Death of Mattathias and Judas

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:1

We're talking, of course, about the spark that ignited the Maccabean revolt, that incredible story of Jewish resistance against the Seleucid Empire. Mattathias, a priest from the v...

Prophecy

Death of Judah

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:6

Specifically, let's look at Judah Maccabee himself. After the death of his father, Mattathias, the mantle of leadership fell upon Judah. And as we read in the Book of Maccabees I, ...

CreaturesHoly Land

Judas Maccabeus Among the Fathers and Apollonius

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:11

We pick up the story after the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem and the persecution of the Jews by the Seleucid Empire. Things looked bleak. Really bleak. But then, a spark i...

PatriarchsHoly LandShabbat

Judas Maccabeus in Battle and Seron

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:15

Sometimes, those objects become more than just reminders. They become imbued with the spirit of the victory itself. That’s exactly what happened with Judas Maccabeus. After a parti...

TorahHoly Land

Judas Maccabeus Beyond the Firmament

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:19

That feeling isn’t new. It’s woven into the very fabric of our stories. Let's turn the clock back to a pivotal moment in Jewish history, recounted in the Book of Maccabees I. We're...

Heaven

Saga of Judah

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:24

Judah Maccabee and his small band of fighters certainly did. The Book of Maccabees I tells us that the Seleucid Empire, with its vast army, was bearing down on them, threatening to...

Prophecy

Judas Maccabeus's Transgression

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:27

That’s the kind of pressure Judas Maccabeus and his brothers were under. Imagine it: a small band of Jewish rebels standing up against the mighty Seleucid Empire. It's a classic un...

Prophecy

Judah's Miracle and Judea

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:30

We're in the thick of the story leading up to Hanukkah, diving into the Books of Maccabees. Specifically, let's look at the first book, 1 Maccabees 3. This book is considered deute...

Miracles

Lysias and Joseph

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:34

It's about resilience, faith, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in, even when it seems like everyone else is against you. And Chapter 3 of the First Book of Maccabee...

JosephHoly LandEgypt