THE REVOLT OF THE MACCABEES and THE

RULE OF THE HASMONS

Biblical Period 10
Lesson # 23
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Heavenly Father,
You returned Your people to the Promise Land after 70 years of exile and restored their
independence through the courage of the sons of Mattathias'the Maccabees'who
hammered Judah's foes and reclaimed the Temple for the Covenant people.  Help us to
remember Father, that we are also a Covenant people and that we also have a kingdom'it is the
Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the Holy Roman Catholic Church and we are called to serve her
just as the Maccabees were called to serve Judah.  Judah Maccabeus cleansed Your
earthly Temple but we are continually called to cleanse our souls which are now the Temples of
the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Grant us O Lord, a pure heart to serve
You, and a joyful heart that is appreciative of Your many blessing.  We pray in the name of God
the Father, the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Amen.
+++
 "Judas and his brothers then said, 'Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to
purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.'  So they marshaled the whole army and went up to Mount
Zion...They restored the Holy Place and the interior of the Dwelling, and purified the
courts....Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of
the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days
beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness."  -1 Maccabees
4:36-37, 48, 59
 
 
Readings for Biblical Period #10: THE REVOLT OF THE MACCABEES AND THE RULE OF
THE HASMONS
The Rule of the Greek Seleucid Kings Daniel 8:1-27; 1 Maccabees 1:10-24
Mattathias Unleashes the Holy War 1 Maccabees 2:1-7, 15-28
Judah "The Hammer" 1 Maccabees 2:49-50, 65-70; 3:1
Purification of the Temple 1 Maccabees 4:36-61
The Alliance with Rome 1 Maccabees 8:1-32
The Death of Judah "The Hammer" 1 Maccabees 9:14-22
Jonathan Takes Command 1 Maccabees 9:28-31, 37-66
Judah caught between Egyptian and 1 Maccabees 11:1-19
Syrian Empires
The Death of Jonathan 1 Maccabees 12:39-53; 13: 25-30
Simon, High Priest and Ethnarch 1 Maccabees 13:31-42
John Hycanus - Independence 1 Maccabees 16:1-24
                                                           
TIME LINE
-356BC Birth of Alexander son of Philip of Macedonia
-336BC Alexander the Great begins world conquest
-333BC conquers Syria
-332BC conquest includes Judah, Tyre, and Gaza's entry into Egypt
-331BC ends Persian empire by his victory at Arbela
-330-326 BC conquest of Eastern satrapies and India
-323BC Alexander dies and his kingdom is divided into 4 parts among his top
generals.  Judah will be ruled and fought over by 2 Greek dynasties:
-Ptolemy I Soter becomes Pharaoh of Egypt & founds the Ptolemy dynasty
-Seleucus I Nicator founds the Seleucus dynasty which stretched from
modern Syria to the Indus River in India
-250BC translation of Sacred Scriptures into the Greek language known as the Septuagint
-175BC Seleucid king Antiochus IV (175-163) decides to impose Greek culture on the Jews and
to destroy the Jewish religion and culture.
-175-170BC Onias III last legitimate high priest of the line of Zadok is assassinated.  Qumran
community [Dead Sea Scrolls] established in opposition to illegitimate priesthood in Jerusalem
168BC Antiochus IV has a pig sacrificed on the altar at the Temple and erects an altar & statue
of the Greek god Zeus = the "abomination of desolation" in the Temple prophesized by Daniel.
-166 Maccabean Revolt begins
-165 Purification and rededication of the Temple
-134-67 Hasmonean dynasty = established by John Hyrcanus descendant of the priest
Mattathias.  Hasmons were Priest-Kings of Judah
-100BC birth of Julius Caesar
-67-63 Civil war between sons of Alexander Jannaeus
-63 Roman consul, Pompey, attacked and took possession of Jerusalem. He ended the
Hasmonean monarchy made Judea a part of the Roman province of Syria. Hasmonean king
Hyrcanus II is made high priest with the title of ethnarch and an Idumean named Antipater is
appointed procurator by the Romans.
-46 Cleopatra of Egypt gives birth of Caesar's only son.
-44BC Julius Caesar murdered.  Marc Antony and Caesar's great-nephew Octavian share power
-43 Antony and Cleopatra VII of Egypt become lovers
-42 birth of Tiberius [future emperor, step son of Octavian/Augustus Caesar]
-40BC Herod, son of the Idumean Antipater and Cypris, an Arabian princess, becomes the
Roman appointed King of Judea with the help of his friend Marc Antony.  (Idumea is Edom the
land of Jacob's brother Esau)
-37 Herod, King of Judea.  After 3 years of fighting, Herod defeats the last Hasmonean heir and
installs himself as king, marrying the Hasmonean princess Mariamme.  He will murder 2
brothers-in-law, his wife, his mother-in-law, his brother and 3 of his sons before his death (and
those are only family members'untold others also) in ? 4BC or 1BC.  Since Herod observed
Jewish dietary restrictions Augustus Caesar was quoted as saying "it is better to be Herod's pig
than Herod's son.
-31BC Antony and Cleopatera are defeated at Battle of Actium. Octavian is the victor.
-30BC Octavian [great-nephew of Julius Caesar] becomes Caesar Augustus (title given in 27),
Emperor of the Romans.  It is the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire
-Birth of Jesus 3/2BC not 6BC (3BC corresponds to 15th year of Tiberius and Jesus beginning
His ministry at that time when He is 30 yrs. old; see Luke 3:1).  Most scholars now accept this
date.
-death of Herod 1BC? (4BC not as likely'does not correlate with Jesus birth at 3/2BC and Luke's
testimony of the beginning of Jesus' ministry at age 30 in the 15th year of Tiberius).
-14AD death of Augustus Caesar, Tiberius becomes emperor
-28AD  = 15th  yr. of Tiberius' reign and beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist.  Luke 3:1.
This is the only chronological datum for the life of Jesus given in Scripture.
-30AD Jesus of Nazareth is crucified, resurrected, and ascends to the Father
-66AD Jewish revolt against Rome begins
-70AD Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans
 
 
Please read Daniel 8:1-27; Daniel's prophecy of the conquest of Alexander the Great from
chapter 8 [New Jerusalem translation]:
"This is what I observed: a he-goat from the west, encroaching over the entire surface of the
world though never touching the ground, and between its eyes the goat had one majestic
horn.   It advanced on the two-horned ram, which I had seen standing in front of the gate, and
charged at it in the full force of its fury.   I saw it reach the ram; it was enraged with the ram and
struck it in the full force of its fury.   I saw it reach the ram; it was enraged with the ram and
struck it. Breaking both its horns, so that the ram was not strong enough to hold its ground; it
threw it to the ground and trampled it underfoot; no one was there to rescue the ram.  The he-
goat then grew more powerful than ever; but at the height of its strength the great horn snapped,
and in its place sprouted four majestic horns, pointing to the four winds of heaven.  From one of
these, the small one, sprang a horn which grew to great size towards south and east and towards
the  Land of Splendour.  It grew right up to the armies of heaven and flung armies and stars to
the ground, trampled them underfoot.   It even challenged the power of the Prince of the army; it
abolished the perpetual sacrifice and overthrew the foundations of the sanctuary, and the army
too; over the sacrifice it installed iniquity and flung truth to the ground; the horn was active and
successful." Daniel 8:5-12
 
Question: Who is the "he-goat from the west"?
Answer: Alexander the Great of Greece conqueror of the Persian Empire which had stretched
from the Persian Gulf, to Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria and from the Holy Land reached
across the Sinai peninsula to include Egypt.
Question: Can you identify the "Land of Splendour"?
Answer: The Holy Land of Israel [at this time the former Persian province of Judah].
Question: What is the "perpetual sacrifice" that is abolished?
Answer: The Tamid Sacrifice; "This is what you must offer on the altar: two yearling male
lambs each day in perpetuity." Exodus 29:38
 
Question: Compare this vision with Daniel's vision in 7:1-8 and in chapter 2:31-45.  Which of
the visions of chapter 7 compare with the vision of the conquest of Alexander the Great and
why?
Answer: The vision in chapters 2 and 7 reveals the 4 successive world powers [although chapter
2 reveals a mysterious 5th kingdom that will rule forever]. The chapter 7 vision of the beast "like
a leopard with 4 wings and 4 heads" represents the empire of the Greeks under Alexander the
Great.  In chapter 2 the Greek empire of Alexander is represented by the statue with belly and
thighs of bronze.  Chapter 7 prophesies the same 4 successive world powers as chapter 2.  In
chapter 7 the vision represents the empires of Babylon [the lion with eagle's wings], Medo-
Persians [beast like a bear with 3 ribs in its mouth [3 main conquests = Lydia, Babylon and
Egypt], Greeks = the leopard with 4 wings and heads [4 generals of Alexander's army], and the
4th unnamed beast with iron teeth and 10 horns = the Roman Empire with the horns representing
either her 10 kings from Augustus Caesar to Christ or the 10 Roman provinces.
 
 
The Prophet Daniel received these prophecies from the late 7th century to the mid 6th century
BC.  The Visions concern 4 historical empires that succeeded each other.
Vision of Daniel chapter 2: the Statue: "to take place in the final days" [2:28] circa 604BC
1. Head of fine gold Babylon [vs. 38 Daniel to Babylonian king "you are the golden
head"] Babylon destroyed by Persians 539BC
2. Chest and arms of Persian Empire.  Alexander the Great begins the conquest of the
silver Medo-Persian Empire in 335BC. Persians defeated by Alexander
the Great in 333 at the Battle of Issus
3. Belly and thighs Greeks of Alexander the Great.  Greeks split into 4 different
of bronze kingdoms.  Two of those kingdoms: Greek Egypt and Greek Syria
fought for control of Judah.  The 4 Greek kingdoms were
conquered by Rome in campaigns from 197-63BC
4. Legs of iron, feet Rome and her province of Judea.  In the 4th century Rome split
part iron , part clay into the Western Empire centered in Rome and the Eastern
Empire centered in Constantinople [2 legs].  Rome will be
conquered by a 5th kingdom
5. The stone that "..the God of heaven will set up a kingdom it will shatter and
struck the statue - absorb all the previous kingdoms and itself last forever" [2:44-
Jesus "the 45]. The Kingdom of Heaven on earth =
cornerstone" the New Covenant Church
 
Visions of Daniel chapter 7: the 4 Beasts: [circa 555BC]
1. Lion with wings Babylon [Lion with wings was the royal symbol of Babylon]
2. Bear with 3 ribs in its Persians conquer the 3 provinces of Babylon: Lydia in
mouth 546BC; Babylon in 539BC; and Egypt in 525BC.
3. Leopard with 4 wings Alexander the Great and his 4 generals who won his victories
and 4 heads and who will divide his empire
4. 4th beast with 10 horns Rome with her 10 client kings who rule her 10 provinces [or 10
Caesars from Augustus Caesar and the birth of Christ to
Vespasian and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and
the end of the Old Covenant]
 
Daniel chapter 8: The Ram and the He-Goat: [circa 553BC]
Ram with 2 horns The Persian empire was formed from the Medes and the
Persians
 He-goat with one horn Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire

He-goat's one horn becomes 4 Alexander the Great's empire is divided among his 4
generals
The little horn that grows The Seleucid Greeks expanded the empire from Syria to
toward the "Land of Splendour" Asia Minor to the IndusRiver and became the largest of the
4 Greek empires dominating even the Promised Land of the
Jews.
 
In 335BC Alexander of Macedonia crossed the Aegean Sea to take on the Empire of the Medes
and Persians, the world super-power.  He successful destroyed the Medo-Persian army and went
on to conquer the world spreading Greek culture from Egypt to the Indus River in India.  The
world had never seen anyone to equal this amazing Greek warrior.  But, in 12 short years it was
all over.  The 32 year old king died in Babylon in 323 BC.
 
With the death of Alexander the Great the territory conquered by Alexander was divided among
his 4 strongest generals, known as the Diadochoi, the "successors".  In a conference held in
320BC at Triparadisus in Syria, General Seleucus Nicantor was allotted Babylonia as his portion
of Alexander's conquests. Seleucus Nicantor expanded the territory originally allotted to him and
founded a kingdom that stretched from Northern Syria, Armenia, Cappadocia and Asia Minor to
the Indus River.  The Greek Selecuid Empire of Seleucus Nicantor and the Egyptian Empire of
the Greek General Ptolemy constantly fought over the territories of the Levant [Judah and
Lebanon], and these territories passed back and forth several times between these empires. 
 
In the prophecies of the Prophet Daniel, Alexander was represented by the he-goat with one great
horn while the Medo-Persian Empire was represented by the ram with two horns [Medes and
Persains].  The four horns that sprouted from the he-goat after the great horn broke were the
"Diadochoi", 4 the successors of Alexander.  The littlest of the 4 horns that grew was the
territory of the Seleucids, which was greatly expanded by Seleucid Nicantor to reach
from Syria to Asia Minor to the Indus River of India.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 1:10-24: The Rule of the Greek Seleucid Kings
 
The name of the 2 books of the Maccabees, Makkabaios from the Greek, Makkebet
[Maqqebet], in Hebrew, comes from the title "the hammer", which was given to Judas, the third
son of the priest Mattathias son of Hasmon.  The title, or nickname, is extended to his brothers,
who succeeded him in the leadership of the Jews, and is used to designate the entire period of
Jewish history from approximately 166 BC to the Roman conquest of 63 BC.  Although both
books are included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament used during the first century
AD when Jesus taught [known as the Septuagint] they were dropped from the Jewish canon in
the Middle Ages and are no longer included in the modern Jewish Tanach [Old Testament] of the
west.  They are, however, are accepted as sacred texts in both the Ethiopian and Egyptian Jewish
canons. The Protestants dropped these books from their canon in the 16th century AD.
 
The entire story of 1 & 2 Maccabees recounts the successful struggle of the Jews to survive
against the cultural and military forces brought against them.  In the opening chapters of both
books the enemy is identified as the (Syrian) Seleucid era Greeks (rule began 312BC) and the
Hellenizing Jews who are in conflict with righteous Jews led by the family of the priest
Mattathias and his sons who become the heart of the resistance.  Of Mattathias' five sons Judas
(#3) is the hero of battles, Jonathan (youngest) is the master diplomat, and Simon (#2) becomes
the man who combines both gifts of his brothers and achieves the final liberation, driving out the
Greek Syrians and reestablishing independence for Judah.
 
The second Book of Maccabees is not the continuation of the first.  It is in part parallel to it: its
starting-point is a little earlier but it ends with the defeat of the Seleucids by Judas Maccabeus.  It
therefore covers only about 15 years and corresponds to the first seven chapters of 1st Maccabees.
1 Maccabees covers a 40-year period.
 
 
Unlike 2 Maccabees, which was composed in Greek and which is, as the author tells us, a
summary of a lost five volume history of the Maccabees composed by Jason of Cyrene [2 Mac
2:19-31], 1 Maccabees was originally composed in Hebrew.  St. Jerome, writing the Latin
Vulgate translation of the Bible while using the great library at Caesarea Maritima, states that he
saw a copy of the Hebrew text of 1 Maccabees. In addition to Jerome's testimony the language of
the book itself bears the traces of having being translated from a Semitic language original.  1
Maccabees was probably written some time after Simon Maccabee's death [brother of Judas
Maccabee].  It was most likely composed during the reign of Simon's third son, John Hyrcanus
who ruled as ethnarch and then as priest/king of Judah from [134-104BC] and who was
succeeded by his son Aristobulus I who governed Judah as priest/king from 105-104BC.
 
In 175 BC Seleucus Nicantor's descendant Antiochus IV Epiphanes seized the throne
of Syria when his brother was assassinated. Ancient historians describe him as unbalanced,
eccentric and horribly cruel, even by the standards of his own age. During his reign
while Judah was under the control of the Seleucids, the last legitimate descendant of the Zadok
line of High Priests, Onias, was murdered in 170BC.   Onias' brother, Jason, secured the high
priesthood by bribing King Antiochus [see 2 Maccabees 4:7].  Like many Jews of the period who
favored Greek culture he altered his name from the Hebrew "Joshua" to a similar Greek name,
Jason.  After Jason's appointment he led a contingent of the wealthy and priestly aristocracy
of Jerusalem who were in favor of the advancement of Greek culture in Judah in approaching the
Syrian king asking permission to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem to promote Greek
culture.  Antiochus gave his wholehearted support.  The majority of the Jews however, was
conservative and resisted this movement to introduce Greek culture.  Strained relations were
stretched to the breaking point when Menelaus, the brother of high priest Jason, expelled his
brother from the priesthood by force.  Antiochus reacted with bloody thoroughness by violently
suppressing the disorder and plundering the Temple treasury [it helped pay for his unsuccessful
expedition against Egypt].  Despite the resistance of the majority of Jews Antiochus became
determined to impose Hellenistic religion and culture by force.  His officials were ordered to
suppress Jewish worship, to destroy their sacred books, and to institute the celebration of Greek
festivals and sacrifice to Greek gods in the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem.  An altar of Zeus
Olympios was erected in the Temple and the perpetual Tamyid Sacrifice was abolished.  This
order fulfilled the prophecy of the "abomination of desolation" prophesied by the Prophet Daniel
in Daniel 8:13.  These practices and other outrages contributed to the Revolt of the Maccabees,
led by the priest Mattathias, son of Hasmon, and his 5 sons.
 
Leadership of the sons of the priest Mattathias, known as the Maccabees is recorded in the Books
of 1 and 2 Maccabees:
 
SUMMARY OF 1 MACCABEES
BIBLICA  

L #10 THE REVOLT OF THE MACCABEES

PERIOD
  JUDAS "the hammer" JONATHAN SIMON
FOCUS 166-160 160-142 143-134
 
COVEN SINAI COVENANT
ANT
SCRIPT 1:1------4:36-------8:1---------9:23--------12:1-------12:39------13:1------15:15---15:25-16:24
URE
  Intro Reded- Alliancewith  Appo Alliancewith Rome Dece Conti Renewe Treac
- ication Rome/ in-ted & Sparta it of n-ued d h-ery
DIVISIO ducti of Murder high Tryp strug alliance &
N on the Tem of Judah priest ho gle with Ro murd
  & ple ; & again me er;
revol oppre murd st succe
t s-sion er oppre -eded
resum s- by
es sion son,
John
  Mattathias and his sons Jonathan becomes political and Simon serves as high
  unleash the Holy War religious leader priest/ruler of Judah
TOPIC Hellenists attempt to destroy Jews continues struggle to maintain Judah reestablished as a
  Judaism by enforcing Greek their religion and culture theocracy (full
culture independence only from
129-63 BC)
   
LOCATI JUDAH - JERUSALEM
ON  
 
   
TIME c. 40 YEARS [174 - 134 BC]
   
 
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 2:1-7, 15-28: Mattathias Unleashes the Holy War
Question: Who is the Phinehas mentioned in 2:26 and what is the significance of the
reference?  Hint: see Numbers 25:6-15
Answer: He was a priest and the grandson of Aaron who killed the Israelite Zimri, a leader of
the tribe of Simeon, who was committing a sacrilege against the Law of God.  Phinehas'
judgment of Zimri was considered a righteous act just as Mattathias' action is considered an act
of righteousness in defense of the Law.
 
 THE SONS OF MATTITHIAS WHO SERVED AS LEADERS OF JUDAH
 
SON SIGNIFICANCE
JUDAS [Yehudah Leader of the rebellion against the
=Yahweh's people] Seleucid kingdom of Antiochus Epiphanes. He successfully
Surnamed "the defeated Seleucid commanders, drove the Greeks out
hammer"; 3rd son of Jerusalem and was able to purify and rededicate
the Temple.  He made a treaty with the Romans [1Mac
8].  Demetrius I Soter, king of Syria defeated Judas' army and
killed him in 160 AD
JONATHAN He accompanied Judas in the campaign to remove the
[Yehonatan = Yahweh threatened Jews of Gilead to the territory of Judah [1 Mac
has given] Surnamed 5:17, 24].  After the death of his older brother in 160BC he was
Apphus; 5th son elected leader of the Jewish forces [1 Mac 9:28-31].  In c. 152
BC Demetrius I of Syria formed an alliance and made him high
priest. He renewed his brother's alliance with Rome and also
made an alliance with Sparta.  He was captured through
treachery by Tryphon [regent of the Syrian boy king Antiochus
VI] and ransomed, but after Jonathan's brother Simon paid the
ransom Jonathan and his sons were murdered.
SIMON [Simeon = In 1 Mac 2:65 he is called "a man of discretion" and is
"heard" as in Yahweh respected as councilor in the Maccabean wars.  He was sent by
heard, see Genesis his brother to defend the Israelites of the Galilee from the
29:33]; 2nd son. Syrians but finally evacuated the population.  After Jonathan
Surnamed Thassi was appointed high priest by Antiochus VI he was appointed
governor. He was unable to save his brother and his nephews
when they were taken captive.  He supported Syrian Greek
Demetrius II against the regent Tryphon and in return for his
support achieved the goal of the Maccabean wars: remission of
tribute and practical independence [1 Mac 13:36 ff].  Simon's
administration gave the first period of peace that Judah had
known for a generation [1 Mac 14:4ff].  He refused to take the
title of "king" because he was not of the house of David and
instead adopted the title "prince of the people of God" [1 Mac
14:28], although he did accept the position of high priest for
which he, likewise was not eligible since he was not a
descendant of the line of Zadok from Aaron.  This was a
problem which haunted the Hasmonean line during its entire
history.  The excuse was that he held the office "until a true
prophet should appear" to decide the question [1 Mac 14:41].
Simon and his sons were treacherously assassinated by his son-
in-law Ptolemy Abubus, governor of Jericho. 
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 4:36-61: Purification of the Temple
The Seleucid Greeks had sacked and profaned the Temple:
"After his conquest of  Egypt, in the year 143 [of the Seleucid era = our time 165 BC], Antiochus
turned about and advanced on Israel and Jerusalem in massive strength.  Insolently breaking
into the sanctuary, he removed the golden altar and the lampstand for the light with all its
fittings, together with the table for the loaves of permanent offering, the libation vessels, the
cups, the golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the golden decorations on the front of the
Temple, which he stripped of everything.  He made off with the silver and gold precious vessels;
he discovered the secret treasures and seized them and removing all these he went back to his
own country, having shed much blood and uttered words of extreme arrogance." 1 Maccabees
1:20-24
 
"On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 [December 167 BC], the king built the appalling
abomination on top of the altar of burnt offerings; and altars were built in the surrounding
towns of Judah." 1 Maccabees 1:54
 The appalling abomination was a statue of Zeus erected on Yahweh great bronze Altar of
Sacrifice. 
 
Question: What were the "stones of pollution" that had to be removed in verse 43?
Answer: Stone idols of Greek gods and goddesses that had been set up in the sanctuary.
 
On the 15th of December 164 the Altar of Yahweh was rededicated.  Read 2 Maccabees 10:1-
8 for another account of the rededication. 
Question: The people decided to declare a feast day to commemorate the rededication.  How did
they decide to celebrate this new feast? See 10:6-8
Answer: they decided to celebrate in the same manner as the Feast of Shelters
[Tabernacles].  This was one of the 3 pilgrim feasts ordained in the Sinai Covenant [and one of
the 7 Annual Sacred Feasts] to be kept as the last feast of the year in the fall and which was to
last for 8 days. 
 
Question: The Feast of Dedication, known as the Feast of Hanukkah [means "dedication"], was
not a sacred feast ordained by God but a feast of thanksgiving that the people initiated.   Did
Jesus ever keep this feast?  See John 10:22
Answer: Yes He did in December of 29 AD, three months before His Passion.
 
Judas Maccabeus was like another Joshua leading the Children of Israel against their
enemies.  He was a military leader but he did not neglect the spiritual side of warfare. Please
read 2 Maccabees 12:38-45.
 Question: What did Judas' men discover on the dead bodies of Jewish soldiers that distressed
them?
Answer: They discovered the dead men had amulets or tokens to gentile gods under their tunics
as a sort of "good luck" talisman.  This was strictly forbidden under the Law.
Question: What did Judas do for the dead men?  Also see 2 Maccabees 12:46
Answer: He took up a collection in order to make a sin sacrifice for the dead as well as having
the men offer prayers.  The author points out that this is because Judas and his men believed in
the resurrection of the dead.   This is the earliest statement of the doctrine that prayers for the
dead are beneficial.  The hope was that if these men had lived upright lives except for this one
lapse that they could make restitution for this lapse in the grave [Sheol in Hebrew] and that
prayers of the faithful could benefit them in making restitution.  It is similar to what St.
Paul spoke of in1Corinthians 3:10 when he wrote that our "bad works" would be burned away so
only the good would be left.  The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory compliments Judas' hope that
prayers and sacrifice would benefit those men who were in the grave.  Catholics believe that
prayers offered on behalf of the faithful who have achieved their hope of salvation but have not
yet been admitted into the presence of God because of accountably for some sins which has kept
them in Purgatory can be aided by those who pray for them.  Reflecting on this subject St.
Gregory the Great wrote: "As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final
Judgment, there is a purifying fire.   He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come.  From this sentence
we understand tht certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to
come."   [also see Catechism of the Catholic church 1030-32]
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 8:1-32: The Alliance with Rome
Question: Judas was impressed that the Romans were not ruled by a king [see 8:14]. Why?
Answer: Rome at this time was a republic and was not ruled by a king but by an assembly that
represented the people, an unusual form of government in the ancient world.  The idea of
freemen ruling themselves [only ruled by God] without a king was of course the way Israel was
first established.
 
The Romans were more than happy to establish relations with rebel groups who were fighting
monarchies who were not subject to Roman rule.  However, what seemed a good alliance for
Judas was to cause unimagined trouble for Judah in a century.  At this time Rome had already
conquered and reduced to the position of vassal states the kingdoms of Philip king
of Macedonia at Cynoscephalae in 197BC, and the Selelucid king Antiochus the Great at
Magnesia in 189 BC. Rome had also reduced most of Asia Minor to the position of a Roman
client kingdom, as well as asserting Rome's power in crushing the rebellion of Philip of
Macedonia's son Perseus at Pydna in 168BC.  In 146BC with the defeat of the Achaean League
and the destruction of Corinth all the kingdoms of Greece will be reduce to a Roman
province.  The vast quantities of wealth from foreign tribute that flowed into Rome's treasuries
only made the Romans greedier.  The Roman Republic had developed an insatiable lust for
wealth, power, and slaves and was constantly looking for new territory to conquer.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 9:14-22: The Death of Judah "The Hammer"
In April/May of 160 the Syrians sent huge force after Judas and his men.  When Judas' army saw
the size of the Syrian army many men deserted.  The superior force overwhelmed Judas and the
remaining Jews.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 9:28-31, 37-66: Jonathan Takes Command
Jonathan, Judas youngest brother is chosen by the people to be their next commander.  On good
terms with the Syrian Greek ruler Jonathan is appointed high priest and is given jurisdiction over
3 Samarian provinces.  [see 1 Maccabees 10:21, 38]
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 11:1-19: Judah caught between Egyptian and Syrian Empires
The Greek Ptolemys of Egypt and the Greek Seleucids of Syria were often at odds over who
controlled the Levant.  Jonathan formed an alliance with the Syrian Greeks who recognized him
as the high priest and agreed to exempt Judah [Judea in Greek] from tribute taxes.  In return
Jonathan supported King Demetrius with Jewish troops during a revolt in his country, but when
his throne was secure he became a threat to the Jews causing Jonathan to switch sides and
support a rival to the Seleucid throne. 
 
Question: What was Jonathan promised for switching sides?
Answer: The rival, young king Antiochus VI through his regent Trypho confirmed Jonathan as
high priest, appointed him ruler over the four districts [ethnarch], and made his brother Simon
governor of the region of Tyre.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 12:39-53; 13: 25-30: The Death of Jonathan
Question: How was Jonathan betrayed?
Answer: Trypho deceived Jonathan by inviting him to a conference, convinced him to dismiss
most of his armed escort and then took Jonathan captive and killed his bodyguard.  Even though
Jonathan's brother Simon paid the ransom, Trypho murdered Jonathan [13:15-22] and his sons.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 13:31-42: Simon, High Priest and Ethnarch
Question: What is Simon's response to Trypho's treachery?
Answer: He switches sides again and seeks an alliance with Demetrius with the same
understanding about tax relief.  Simon is priest/king of Judah and governor of 3 other provinces,
although still a vassal of Syria.  Simon makes his son John the commander of all Jewish forces
and continues the alliance with both Rome and Sparta in Greece [14:16-23].  Rome is on the
move bringing more and more Mediterranean kingdoms under Roman rule.
 
Please read 1 Maccabees 16:1-24: John Hycanus - Independence
Question: How was Simon killed?  See 1 Maccabees 16:11-17
Answer: He is betrayed by his own son-in-law the governor of Jericho
 
In 10:21 Simon's son John or Jonathan Hyrcanus becomes Priest/king.   He will rule as high
priest from 134 BC until his death in 104BC.  He begins the line of the Hasmonean monarchy.
HASMONEAN MONARCHY
 
The Hasmoneans were the members of the family of the priest Mattathias who ruled Judah from
the end of the Maccabean wars to the conquest of the Romans under General Pompey in
63BC.  The name "Maccabees" is given to the warrior sons of the priest Mattathias and the name
Hasmonean to their descendants from 135/4 BC to Roman conquest.  The title Hasmonean is
derived from the Hebrew name Hasmon, the name of Mattathias' father.
 
These are the descendants of Simon Maccabee who ruled as priest/kings of Judah:
NAME & RELATIONSHIP RULRD SIGNIFICANCE

John Hyrcanus I, son of 135/4-105 BC Became independent of foreign Greek rule

Simon son of Mattathias the after the death of Antiochus VII in
priest 128BC.  Extended rule over Edom and forced
Idumenas to convert.  Destroyed Samaritan
temple on Mt. Gerizim.
 Aristobulus I, son of John 105-104 BC Assumed title of king.  Imprisoned mother
and brothers.  Assassinated.
Alexander Jannaeus 104-76 BC Successfully extended the Jewish kingdom
[Jonathan], brother of almost to the limits of the
Aristobulus I ancient kingdom of David. Admired Greek
culture. Invaded by Seleucid kings Demetrius
III & IV.  Deep divisions with the
conservative Jewish Pharisees.
Salome, widow of 75-67 BC Named as ruler in her husband's
Alexander Jannaeus will. Appointed Hyrcanus II, the son of
Alexander as high priest and kept the
ambitions of the younger son, Aristobulus II
in check.  After her death civil war between
the brothers broke out.  Both sons appealed
to Rome to settle the dispute.  In 63 BC
Roman general Pompey ended the
Hasmonean monarchy, made Judah the
Roman province of Judea, and appointed
Hyrcanus II as high priest.

John Hyrcanus II, son of 63-37 (?)BC Last of the Hasmons. Appointed high priest
Alexander Jannaeus and ethnarch by the Romans.  Murdered by
Herod
 
 
Rome Conquers Judah
 
In 66BC the Roman Empire's broad arm stretched eastward across the Mediterranean Sea to
subdue and reestablish order in the rebellious Roman provinces and client kingdoms of Asia
Minor.  The whole system of credit and finance, the very prosperity of Rome, was inextricably
bound up with the tribute revenues of these Asiatic provinces.  The Roman statesman-general,
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, more familiarly known to history as Pompey the Great, son-in-law
and rival of Julius Caesar, was dispatched to prosecute the war against the rebel Mithridates King
of Pontus and to restore to Rome the most valuable revenues of the East.  Pompey was successful
in his campaign to defeat the rebellious Mithridates. He proceeded to reestablish Roman
authority and to secure the continued flow of tribute from the various provinces and client
kingdoms into the coffers of Rome; thereby safeguarding the financial credit as well as the glory
of the Empire.  Then flushed with victory, Pompey and his legions swept southward, illegally
taking complete control of the old Greek Selecuid Syrian kingdom. The kingdom of Syria, torn
apart by various claimants to the throne, resisted with more of a whimper than a howl and fell
like an overripe plum into greedy Roman hands. Satisfied with their "feast" of conquest the
Romans set up their winter camp and looked forward to the next harvest.  This time, the prize
came seeking them.
 
It was during the winter of 63BC while Pompey was camped with his victorious Roman legions
at Damascus, Syria that the princes Hyrancus II and Aristobulus II of Judah, sent emissaries to
him pleading for his support.  These brothers, descendants of the heroic Maccabees and the last
heirs of the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty, were locked in a deadly war of succession. Each brother
in an effort to break the deadlock submitted his claim to the throne of Judah to the Roman
general.   When Pompey decided in favor of rule by Hyrancus, under the guidance and protection
of Rome, prince Aristobulus defiantly claimed the throne for himself and with his loyal army
took possession of Judah's capital, the holy city of Jerusalem.  Now the fist of that long Roman
arm, under the command Pompey, reached out to squeeze the holy city of Jerusalem into
submission. 
 
The Roman siege of Jerusalem began in the early spring of 63 BC.  Jerusalem was a naturally
fortified city built 2400 feet above sea level on the crest of the central range of the mountains
of Judah.  The walled city was constructed on three mountain ridges with the steeply sloped
Kidron valley to the East and the equally steep Wadi-er-Rababy, the biblical Ge-Hinnom, on the
West.  These steep slopes gave the city an excellent defensive position, which could be stormed
only on the North.  The city of Jerusalem also had a guaranteed source of water from the Gihon
Spring, which provided a continuous flow of water to the city through an underground
tunnel. Despite the natural barriers and other fortifications, intrigue allowed the lower sections of
the city to fall to the Romans.  Prince Aristobulus was captured and imprisoned, but his followers
refused to submit and fortified themselves in the walled precincts of the sacred Temple where
they managed to hold out against the Romans for three months.  Prior to the arrival of the Roman
army, the Jews had dug a defensive trench on the Temple's most vulnerable north side.  The
trench was a formidable sixty feet deep and two hundred and fifty feet broad.  It was across from
this site that General Pompey built his military camp, ordering his soldiers to fill in the ditch and
to raise a bank from which his 1st BC century state-of-the-art siege engines would do the most
damage.  Three months later when all was prepared, Pompey brought in his mechanical siege
engines and battering-rams from the city of Tyre. 
 
During the siege General Pompey had already perceived that because of their piety in strict
obedience to their Law the Jews would not fight or even defend themselves on their most holy
day, Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.  He determined, therefore to direct the force of his assault
against the Temple Mount on each of the Jewish Sabbaths.  Placing the siege engines on the bank
the Roman engineers had prepared for them, the Roman soldiers began to mercilessly batter the
entire Temple Mount area with large stones.  Huge boulders cascaded in a relentless deadly
downpour into the Temple precinct and yet, with death and destruction raining all around them
the Jewish priests within the Temple walls continued to offer, as prescribed in their Law, the
daily sacrifice of two perfect male lambs offered for the salvation of the entire covenant people
to the One True God; a sacrifice that was doubled on the Sabbath.  This was the sacrifice to
Yahweh known as the "Standing" (as in perpetual) Sacrifice, or in Hebrew as
the Tamyid [pronounced tah-meed] Sacrifice.  This daily whole burnt offering was such an
important Covenant obligation that the entire 12 hours of the daytime, and the daily ritual of
the Temple, including the hours of prayer, revolved around this holy sacrifice.
 
On the Sabbath of the 23rd of Sivan the Temple ramparts fell and twelve thousand defenders and
their families who had sought sanctuary in the Temple were slaughtered.  Since it was the
Sabbath most of the Jews refused to defend themselves, many leaped from the Temple walls to
their deaths, and none surrendered.  The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus reporting on the
events a century later would write that so great was the piety of the Jews that the priests
continued without fail to offer the daily Tamyid Sacrifice as prescribed by the Law of the Sinai
Covenant even though their brother priests were dying all around them: 
 
"..and anyone may hence learn how very great piety we exercise towards God, and the
observance of his laws, since the priests were not at all hindered from their sacred ministrations
by their fear during this siege, but did still twice each day, in the morning and about the ninth
hour [3PM], offer their sacrifices on the altar; nor did they omit those sacrifices, if any
melancholy accident happened, by the stones that were thrown among them; for although the
city was taken on the third month, on the day of the fast, upon the hundred and seventy-ninth
Olympiad, when Caius Antonius and Marcus Tullius Cicero were consuls, and the enemy fell
upon them, and cut the throats of those that were in the Temple, yet could not those that offered
the sacrifices be compelled to run away, neither by the fear they were in of their own lives, nor
by the number that were already slain, as thinking it better to suffer whatever came upon them,
at their very altars, than to omit anything that their laws required of them; and that this is not a
mere brag, or an encomium to manifest a degree of our piety that was false, but is the real
truth..."
-The Antiquities of the Jews, 14.4.3
 
The Romans appointed the last Hasmonean ruler, John Hyrcanus II, ethnarch and high priest of
the Roman province of Judea. John's role was restricted to religious activity, but the Romans
gave the real political power to John's able Idumean [Edom] associate Antipater who was
appointed Roman procurator [governor] of Judea.  Antipater was a wily politician who strove to
win the favor of the great Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar-- and he succeeded. It was
Antipater's goal to establish his own family dynasty.  Toward that end he married an Arabian
princess names Cypris who gave him 5 children. At his death in 43BC he saw his sons well
established as Roman allies.  He was able to appoint his oldest son Herod as strategos of
the Galilee in 47BC when Herod was only 25 years old.  Julius Caesar's successor, Marc Antony
who inherited the Eastern Roman provinces when the empire was divided after Julius Caesar's
death, saw to it that Antipater's son, and Antony's good friend, Herod was appointed King of the
Jews in 40BC but does not secure his throne until 37 BC.  Herod murdered the last Hasmonean
ruler, John Hyrcanus II and forced his granddaughter, Mariamme, to marry him, giving his claim
to the throne some legitimacy since Herod was not a Jew.  He ruled Judea as Rome's puppet king
from 37BC - 1BC, establishing the Herodian kings of Judea and a historical legacy as Herod the
Great, king of the Jews and enemy of the child Jesus of Nazareth.
 
Daniel's prophecy of the 4th Beast and the coming of the Messiah in Daniel 7:9-27 was fulfilled
in the subjugation and domination of the entire Mediterranean by the Roman armies of the
Roman Republic and later, Roman Empire which swallowed up Judah in 63 BC.  This empire
was, however defeated by a Kingdom with armies and swords'it was defeated by an army of
apostles who carry the Word of God as their only defense.
"Then I asked about the 4th beast, different from all the rest, very terrifying, with iron teeth and
bronze claws; it ate its victims, crushed them, and trampled their remains underfoot; and about
the 10 horns on its head--and why the other horn sprouted and the 3 original horns fell, and why
this horn had eyes and a mouth full of boasting and why it looked more impressive than its
fellows.   This was the horn I had watched making war on the holy ones and proving the
stronger, until the comin of the One most venerable who gave judgment in favor of the holy ones
of the Most High, when the time came for the holy ones to assume kingship.  [...] And kingship
and rule and the splendors of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the people of the
holy ones of the Most High, whose royal power is an eternal power, whom every empire will
serve and obey."  Daniel 7:19-22, 27.
 
From the time of Adam Yahweh-Elohim formed 7 Covenants with a selected group of men and
with the people He had called to be His holy nation'the Children of Israel.  These Covenants had
served to preserve the "promise seed", to guide and govern the Covenant people, and to provide
the promise of a future redeemer.  The 6th century BC prophet Daniel had prophesized the
coming of the "Anointed One" –the Messiah [Daniel 7: 7:13-14] who would establish everlasting
rule through a glorious 5th Kingdom [Daniel 2:44-45;].  For the Jews of Judea the Babylonians,
Persians, Greeks and Roman Empire had fulfilled Daniel's prophecy of the 1st -
4th Kingdoms.  The Jews were longing for the coming of another David to rid them of their
Roman oppressors and to establish everlasting rule through the promised 5th Kingdom.  It was
also significant to them that it was now a thousand years since Yahweh had formed His covenant
with King David when he had conquered Jerusalem and made it Yahweh's holy city.  According
to Jewish tradition a thousand years before David, Yahweh had established His 3-fold Covenant
with father Abraham.  The people of God found the pattern significant-- a thousand years from
Abraham to David, and a thousand years from David to...the Messiah!!??? 
 
The faithful remnant of Israel watched and waited and remembered the promise Yahweh made to
another great prophet'Yahweh's faithful Prophet Jeremiah: "Look the days are coming, Yahweh
declares, when I shall make a  New Covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah),
but not like the covenant I made with their ancestors [...].  No, this is the covenant I shall make
with the House of Israel when those days have come, Yahweh declares.  Within them I shall
plant my Law, writing it on their hearts.  Then I shall be their God and they will be my
people.   There will be no further need for everyone to teach neighbor or brother, saying 'Learn
to know Yahweh!'  No, they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, Yahweh declares,
since I shall forgive their guilt and never more call their sin to mind." Jeremiah 31:31-34
 
THE SEVEN MAJOR COVENANTS OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT
COVENANT SIGN TEXT
1.         Adam    
-fertility Tree of Life Genesis 1:28-30
-dominion over the earth Genesis 2:15-17
2.      Noah and the earth    
-never destroyed by flood Rainbow Genesis 8:21-9:1-17
again  
3.      Abraham = 3-fold    
-land             Circumcision Genesis 15:1-18
-nation (descendants) On the 8th day Genesis 17: 1-27
-world wide blessing Genesis 18:18 & 22:18
 4.      Moses & Israel    
-Sinai Covenant Ark of the Covenant  
establishing divine liturgy Tabernacle Exodus 19 forward
& covenant sacraments 10 Commandments  
5.  Aaron & Sons   Leviticus 2:13
-perpetual ministerial Salt      Numbers 18:9
priesthood
6.  Phinehas                     
-perpetual priesthood in Seamless robe & miter Numbers 25:11-15
Covenant of Peace  
(prefigures Christ)
7.   David            
-dynasty and throne forever Throne/ Temple 2 Samuel 7:11-17
secure
Michal Hunt                                  
 
Questions for discussion:
Question: In 2 Maccabees 12:38-45 Judas makes a grim discovery.  On the bodies of some
Jewish soldiers pagan amulets are discovered.  The soldiers probably carried them as "good luck
charms" but these men have broken Yahweh's command against idol worship and there is great
concern for the souls of these fallen brothers.  What does Judas do in an attempt to safeguard
their salvation?
Answer: He takes up a collection to be sent to Jerusalem to have a sin sacrifice offered and
prayers made on their behalf in the belief that the dead might be released from their sin in
Sheol. "Then all blessed the ways of the Lord, the upright judge who brings hidden things to
light, and gave themselves to prayer, begging that the sin committed might be completely
forgiven. [...]For had he not expected the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous
and foolish to pray for the dead, whereas if he had in view the splendid recompense reserved for
those who make a pious end, the thought was holy and devout. Hence, he had this expiatory
sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from their sin." 2 Maccabees
12:40c-42a, 44-45
 
Sheol or Abraham's Bosom was the abode of the dead. There was no hope of heaven in the Old
Covenant.  The gates of heaven were closed because no animal sacrifice was perfect enough to
remove sin.  In the Old Covenant both the blessings and the punishments were temporal, not
eternal, and so both the righteous and the unrighteous awaited the coming of the Savior who
would free them from the grave.  The righteous waited in comfort but the unrighteous in penalty
for their sins [see Luke 16:22-26] and there was the hope that those who died in their sins could
someday be released [see Matthew 18:34-35].  After His death, Jesus from the tomb descended
to the abode of the dead, preached to those imprisoned there and saved those who believed in
Him "In the spirit he went to preach to the spirits in prison.  They refused to believe long ago
while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah's time when the ark was being built."[1
Peter 3:19]. 
 
Question: Sheol was emptied of its dead by Christ who died for all humanity for all time.  Sheol
was no longer necessary for the righteous dead because through Jesus Christ the gates of heaven
have been opened to them but what about those who die in venial sins?  Can a single sin like
failing to declare all you income on your income tax keep you from heaven?  Is there a remedy
of purification for someone who inadvertently sins and dies before having the opportunity to
confess and repent?
Answer: There is a remedy now as there was then.  CCC # 1030 "All who die in God's grace
and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but
after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter to joy of
heaven.   # 1031 "The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the
elect..."   #1030 "This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already
mentioned in Sacred Scripture: 'Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead,
that they might be delivered from their sins.'...." [see CCC# 633; 1030-1032; 1 Peter 1:7; 3:18-
22; 4:6; Matthew 12:31 (Jesus speaks of pardoning the dead in the Age to come); 1 Corinthians
3:15].
 
Judas Maccabee was a messiah to his people'a messiah with a small "m".  He is best remembered
for liberating Jerusalem, cleansing the Temple of Yahweh and establishing the Feast of
Dedication, known as Hanukkah.  At that feast the Jews rejoiced "with thanksgiving,
and  branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, hymns and songs:
because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel."[1 Maccabees 13:51].  For the Jews of
Jesus' time in the 1st century AD Judas and his brothers were the last great Jewish heroes.
Question: When Jesus attended the feast of Hanukkah in John 10:22 and at other times in His 3
year ministry, for example when he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday [see John 12:12-13],
and in the beginning and end of his 3 year mission, how did He imitate Judas Maccabee's
actions?  Compare 1 Maccabees 15:5 with Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46;
John 2:13:16; 12:12-13.
Answer: Twice Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem, at the beginning of His ministry as
recorded in John's Gospel chapter 2, and again during His last week in Jerusalem [see Matthew
21:12-13, etc]. 
Question: The cleansing of the Temple in Matthew's Gospel is preceded by Jesus' triumphal ride
into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday when the crowds greeted Jesus with palm branches'like the
branches used in the Feast of Dedication [Hanukkah] in both books of  Maccabees. But there is a
reverse image of this event in Revelation 7:9-17.  What is the significance of these two
events?  How are the crowds different in John 12:12-13 and in Revelation 7:9-17.
Answer: Both crowds in John's Gospel and in Revelation greet Jesus the palm branches. In the
Revelation passage the multitude is Jesus' new nation'a nation of glorious Saints, bearing fruit
filled branches and inheriting the Kingdom of God.  If John is the author of both works, as
Church tradition attests, it would seem that he intends us to see a parallel drawn by the fact that
the word translated as "palm" = phoenix occurs only two times in the New Testament, in John
12:13 and in Revelation 7:9.  Judas' cleansing of the Temple and the palms of the feast of
Hanukkah prefigure Jesus' cleansing of the world as God's earthly Temple, He destroys a great
enemy as Judas did but His enemy was sin and death not the Greeks, and Jesus prepares the way
for the fruitful New Covenant Israel, the Universal Catholic Church bearing fruit in the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth.
 
"Then the angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and
flowing crystal clear.  Down the middle of the city street, on either bank of the river was the tree
 of life, which bears twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which
are the cure for the nations." Revelation 22:1-2.
 
 
Readings for Biblical Period #11: JESUS THE MESSIAH
The Announcement of the birth of Luke 1:1-25
John the Baptist  
The Annunciation Luke 1:26-38
The Birth John the Baptist Foretold Luke 1:1-25
The Annunciation Luke 1:26-38
The Visitation of Mary and the Luke 1:39-80
Birth of John the Baptist
The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem Luke 2:1-21
The Baptism of Jesus and the Luke 3:1-18; John 1:19-
Temptation in the Desert 34; Luke 4:1-13
Jesus' Galilean Ministry Luke 4:14-9:50
The Bread of Life Discourse     John 6
The Transfiguration Luke 9:28-36
The Jesus' Judean Ministry Luke 9:51- 19:27
The Last Visit to Jerusalem John 12:1-28; Matthew 23:13-
39
The Last Supper Luke 22:1-23
Jesus Passion and Death John 18:1-11; Matthew 26:57-
66; John 18:28-19:16; Luke
23:24; Mark 15:21-27;
Luke 23: 33-34; John 19:23-
27; Mark 15:33-34; Luke
23: 39-44; Matthew
27:45; John 19:28-30; Mark
16:42-47; John 19:31-36; Luke
23:45-56
The Resurrection          Luke 24:1-49
The Ascension Luke 24:50-53; Matthew
28:16-20; Acts 1:1-11
                                               
Resources and recommended reading:
1.      Anchor Bible Commentaries: 1 Maccabees & 2
2.      Navarre  Bible Commentaries
3.      The History of Greece, Will Durant
4.      Our Oriental Heritage, Will Durant
5.      Caesar and Christ, Will Durant
6.      The Works of Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, The Wars of the Jews

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