Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Mattathias
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mattathias (מתתיהו Matitiyahu or Matisyahu ben Yochanan HaCohen in Hebrew) was a Jewish priest depicted in the Books of the Maccabees, and the father of Judah Maccabee, the leader of the Maccabees. Mattathias was from a rural priestly family in Modiin, and served as a priest in Jerusalem. After the Seleucid persecutions began, he returned to Modiin. In 167 BC, when asked by a Seleucid Greek government representative under King Antiochus IV to offer sacrifice to the Greek gods, he not only refused to do so, but slew with his own hand the Jew who had stepped forward to do so. He then attacked the government official that required the act.
Upon the edict for his arrest, he took refuge in the wilderness of Judea with his five sons, and called upon all Jews to follow him. This was the first step in the war of the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greeks, the result of which was Jewish independence, which had not been enjoyed for 400 years. The events of the war of the Maccabees form the basis for the holiday of Hanukkah, which is celebrated by Jews on the 25th of Kislev (on the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to Mid-November to Late-December on the Gregorian Calendar).
The story of the Maccabees can be found in the deuterocanonical books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees and in Talmudic references (Shabbat 21b, Shabbat 23a - related to the candles).
The "Al Hanisim" prayer, added into the Amidah and Grace after meals on Chanukah, refers to the story of the Maccabees and to Mattathias by name.
- Mattathias ben Johananentry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
|
Mattathias
|
||
| New title | Leader of the Maccabees c. 167 BC – 166 BC |
Succeeded by Judas Maccabeus |
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
 |
This Jewish history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This biographical article about a person notable in connection with Judaism is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |