Library/Deuterocanon
2 Maccabees
Not a sequel but a second camera: temple theology, resurrection of the martyrs, prayers for the dead, angels in gold armor. Where 1 Maccabees is political, 2 is liturgical and apocalyptic.
- Status
- Catholic & Orthodox deuterocanon
- Date
- c. 124–100 BCE (epitome of Jason of Cyrene)
- Languages
- Greek
- Setting
- The same revolt, told as martyr-theology
What it contains
- Heliodorus
- Martyrdoms of Eleazar and the seven brothers
- Judah’s wars
- Nicanor’s day
Why it sits outside most canons
Same deuterocanonical path; its doctrines of resurrection and prayer for the dead became Reformation flashpoints.
Themes
- Martyrdom
- Resurrection
- Temple
- Angels
Passages
2 Maccabees 7:9
The King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.