Book of Maccabees

The First Book of Maccabees is a Jewish historical work originally composed in Hebrew, probably during the late 2nd century before the common count, describing the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the rise of the Hasmonean dynasty.

It recounts the persecution under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the rebellion led by Mattathias and his sons, the military victories of Judas Maccabeus, and the purification of the Jerusalem Temple in −164, commemorated by Hanukkah.

The narrative continues through the leadership of Jonathan and Simon, documenting the restoration of Jewish political autonomy. Although excluded from the Tanakh, it remains a major historical source for the Hasmonean period.