2 Maccabees

2 Maccabees is a book of the Catholic Bible which focuses on the Jews' revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and ends with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work.

2 Maccabees was written in Koine Greek, probably in Alexandria, Egpyt in 124 BC. It gives a revised version of the historical events recounted in the first seven chapters of 1 Maccabees but mainly focuses on the theological implications of 1 Maccabees. Important things mentioned are prayer for the dead, martyrdom (meaning dying for a cause) and intercession of the dead (meaning dead people answering prayers).

2 Maccabees Media

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  Vision of Judas Maccabee, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

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  A Byzantine-style fresco at the Santa Maria Antiqua church in Rome, likely painted around 650 AD. It depicts the woman and her seven sons (here named Solomne) and Eleazar, their teacher. The story of their martyrdom is the most famous part of 2 Maccabees.

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  A 1517 German depiction of the crucified Jesus, the mother, and her seven sons in the boiling cauldron.