Books of Maccabbee

[Will]

I thought I read somewhere that parts or all of the book of Maccabbees was found in the dead sea scrolls or somewhere else in Hebrew. Does anyone know if this is true?

I have looked but can’t find were I read that. And I haven’t found it online searching the dead sea scrolls.

Thanks.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Will,

Since these books were written in Greek, they could not be part of the Dead Sea scrolls, which were all in Hebrew.

Verbum

 

[Maranatha]

Hi Will,

Since these books were written in Greek, they could not be part of the Dead Sea scrolls, which were all in Hebrew.

Verbum

According to Wikipedia, Cave 7 had fragments of texts in Greek.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_Scrolls#Cave_1

 

[Maranatha]

It seems that 4Q242 (4th Cave fragment 242) reproductes 2 Maccabees 9:5-27.

From: bibleandscience.com/archaeology/dss.htm
“It seems that 4Q242 preserves a tradition that pre-dates the Biblical text of Daniel. It seems that a scribe copying (or redacting) the Book of Daniel changed the name of the lesser known Nabonidus to the better known Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. 2 Maccabees 9:5-27 may be trying to compare Antiochus IV with Nabonidus legends as does Daniel (D. Mendels, “A Note on the Traditions of Antiochus IV’s Death,” IEJ 34 (1981) pp.53-56; Charlesworth, The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Vol.1, p.141).”

 

[Will]

Thanks Maranatha. So does this mean that the scholars believe that Maccabbes was originaly written in Hebrew.

Or is the popular consenceses still that it originated in Greek only?

 

[Penitant]

Thanks Maranatha. So does this mean that the scholars believe that Maccabbes was originaly written in Hebrew.

Or is the popular consenceses still that it originated in Greek only?

The council of Jamnia set up 4 criteria that all books had to meet in order to be included in the Hebrew Canon:

1. The books had to conform to the Pentateuch (the first 5 books).
2. The books had to be written in Hebrew.
3. The books had to be written in Palestine.
4. The books had to be written before 400 B.C…

The seven deuterocanonical books did not meet all 4 criteria set up by the Jews…

  --Baruch was not written in Palestine. Disqualified by reason 3.

  --Sirach and 1Maccabees were written after 400 B.C.. Disqualified by reason 4.

  --Tobit and parts of Daniel and Esther were written in Aramaic and outside of Palestine.
  Disqualified by reasons 2 and 3.

  --Judith was written in Aramaic. Disqualified by reason 2.

  --Wisdom was written in Greek. Disqualified by reason 2.

  --2Maccabees was written after 400 B.C. and in Greek. Disqualified by reasons 2 and 4.

Pax Tecum,
Penitant

 

[Maranatha]

Thanks Maranatha. So does this mean that the scholars believe that Maccabbes was originaly written in Hebrew.

Or is the popular consenceses still that it originated in Greek only?

I believe the fragment was written in Greek, so I guess this supports the theory that the book was originally written in Greek.

 

[Maranatha]

1. The books had to be written before 400 B.C…

The seven deuterocanonical books did not meet all 4 criteria set up by the Jews…

–Baruch was not written in Palestine. Disqualified by reason 3.

–Sirach and 1Maccabees were written after 400 B.C… Disqualified by reason 4.

–Tobit and parts of Daniel and Esther were written in Aramaic and outside of Palestine.
Disqualified by reasons 2 and 3.

–Judith was written in Aramaic. Disqualified by reason 2.

–Wisdom was written in Greek. Disqualified by reason 2.

–2Maccabees was written after 400 B.C. and in Greek. Disqualified by reasons 2 and 4.

Pax Tecum,
Penitant

If the Gospel According to Matthew was written in Hebrew then it would only be disqualified by #4. Was #4 put in there just to disqualify Christianity?

 

[GMichuta]

I thought I read somewhere that parts or all of the book of Maccabbees was found in the dead sea scrolls or somewhere else in Hebrew. Does anyone know if this is true?

I have looked but can’t find were I read that. And I haven’t found it online searching the dead sea scrolls.

Thanks.

No copies of Maccabees was found at Qumran. Not because they were written in Greek (1 Maccabees appears to have been written in Hebrew; of the Deuterocanon only Wisdom and 2 Maccabees appears to have originally composed in Greek), but because Maccabees’ social / political views were in conflict with the Qumran community. At least, that what scholars believe. BTW- There was no such thing as a “council” of Jamnia and the criteria for Jewish canonization is baseless. You’ll find these supposed litmus tests from time to time in older works, but it is factually baseless.

Gary

www.HandsOnApologetics.com.

 

[Psalm45_9]

Thanks Maranatha. So does this mean that the scholars believe that Maccabbes was originaly written in Hebrew.

Or is the popular consenceses still that it originated in Greek only?

St. Jerome attests that in his day there were copies of 1 Maccabees in Hebrew, 2nd Maccabees only existed in Greek even in his day. Two copies of Judith have been found in Hebrew, fragments of Tobit, The Story of Susanna, and Sirach have been found with the dead sea scrolls, all in Hebrew. Mysteriously not a single copy of the Protocanonical book of Esther can be found with all the other Protocanonical books found with the dead sea scrolls.

 

[Will]

Thanks everyone.

I do not get to read this forum as often as I used to.

Work just gets in the way.

 

[Deacon_Joseph]

The Maccabean Revolt occurred sometime between 167 and 1 B.C. Everything that I heard is that the Books of Maccabbees were written in Greek. That is one of the main reasons that the Protestants removed the Books from their Bible.