Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

1,329 texts · Page 112 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.

Lysias Remembered

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:38

We pick up the story with a king – Antiochus – determined to crush the spirit of the Jewish people. He wasn't just interested in conquest; he wanted to fundamentally change their w...

Prophecy

Judas Maccabeus and the Torah

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:41

We find them, in the Book of Maccabees I, facing down an army camped at Emmaus, in the plain country. A formidable force, poised to crush the rebellion. Remember, this is all happe...

TorahHoly Land

Jacob Among the Fathers and Jerusalem

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:45

"Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out." It's a stark, desolate image. The mikdash, the sanctuary, is "trodden down." The joy of Ja...

PatriarchsTempleHoly Land

Maspah's Prayer

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:49

The Greeks, under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, are doing everything they can to stamp out Jewish practice. It’s a dark time. So, what do the Israelites do? Where do they turn? The Book ...

TorahHoly LandDeath

Judas Maccabeus and the Heavenly Realms

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 3:55

That feeling isn't new. It echoes across millennia, resonating with stories like the one we find in the Book of Maccabees. Imagine the scene: The Temple in Jerusalem, the very hear...

HeavenTorahTemple

Judas Maccabeus in Heaven

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 4:1

That’s the feeling that must have been weighing heavily on Judas Maccabeus and his small band of fighters as they camped south of Emmaus. The Book of Maccabees I, a historical text...

HeavenTemple

Kingdom of Judas Maccabeus and Gorgias

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 4:5

Let’s set the stage. We’re in the thick of the Maccabean revolt, a period of intense struggle for Jewish religious freedom against the Seleucid Empire. King Antiochus's forces, eag...

Prophecy

Trial of Judas Maccabeus

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 4:9

It's a story that still resonates, a testament to courage and faith against all hope, found in the Book of Maccabees I. The scene is almost overwhelming. Imagine looking out and se...

HeavenNoah & FloodMosesTorah

Judas Maccabeus in Battle

Apocrypha The Book of Maccabees I 4:13

That’s a glimpse into the world of the Maccabees. We're diving into the Book of Maccabees I, chapter 4, a truly gripping moment in the story. The scene is set: the heathen, as the ...

Holy Land