Maccabees 3-4 (?)

[Anian]

Recently looking through a book on the Eastern Orthodox, and I noticed it mentioned a Book of Maccabees 3 and Maccabees 4, where are these books in the Catholic Canon??? I know all about the Gnostic Gospels and books thrown out at Nicea, including my favourite occult classic, The Acts of Andrew, but these two books were not written by the Gnostics, Arianists or any other heretical book. In fact these books are historical/historically accurate, and are about the Jews persecution under the Ptolemy’s of the Hellenistic era.

So what happened to these books? The Catholic and Orthodox churches were united as recently as 1439 during the Council of Florence, we must have shared the same Cannon? So what happened to these books and /or where did they come from? Why don’t we have them?

 

[curlycool89]

You might want to have this moved to the Sacred Scripture forum (it will probably be moved actually).

I don’t know why. Maybe 3/4 Maccabees doesn’t provide anything extra in terms of teachings (I’m not familiar with them, I would guess that it’s more specifics like 2 Maccabees) or something.

 

[Anian]

You might want to have this moved to the Sacred Scripture forum (it will probably be moved actually).

I don’t know why. Maybe 3/4 Maccabees doesn’t provide anything extra in terms of teachings (I’m not familiar with them, I would guess that it’s more specifics like 2 Maccabees) or something.

Curiously enough, it has nothing to do with Maccabees 1/2, and it actually is set decades prior to the Maccabees revolt against the Selecuids in 170BC, its set around 210BC when Judea was still under the Ptolemy’s of Egypt yoke. Its a very good story and uis historically backed up, here is the Wikipedia articles for more info: Wikipedia

 

[Aramis]

The books in question are not permitted for use in the liturgy, but are, in fact, in my Catholic Russian-language Bible.

The council didn’t ban all the texts not approved for liturgical use; some canons of scripture include all the books approved for the faithful’s education, rather than just those approved for liturgical use.

 

[Vouthon]

The books in question are not permitted for use in the liturgy, but are, in fact, in my Catholic Russian-language Bible.

The council didn’t ban all the texts not approved for liturgical use; some canons of scripture include all the books approved for the faithful’s education, rather than just those approved for liturgical use.

Dear Aramis,

Could you tell me more about this distinction brother?

Does that mean that there are books that are divinely inspired but only for personal education and not for liturgical use?

If so is there a list of such books?

 

[Aramis]

Dear Aramis,

Could you tell me more about this distinction brother?

Does that mean that there are books that are divinely inspired but only for personal education and not for liturgical use?

If so is there a list of such books?

Maccabes 3&4, several chapters of another OT book.

They are used in theology, but not in the liturgy. Then again certain books in the standard canon were not used in Roman liturgy until after V II. For example: from Daniel, only chapter 3, 9, 13, and 14 were used in the Trent missal; Leviticus, only 4 chapters as well. And none of those completely. (source)

In fact, my pastor cited 3 Maccabees in his homily this past Sunday.