Books of the Maccabees

This volume contains the proceedings of the 69th Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense (February 1-3, 2021), which focused on new perspectives in the research into the books of 1-4 Maccabees. The contributions explore the relevance of literary approaches to the Maccabean books, either comparative readings that connect the Maccabean books with related ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern writings or narratological or intertextual approaches. The historicity of the Maccabean Books and their provenance and historiography form a second focal point. Several contributions re-assessed the contested provenance of 2 Maccabees and the historicity of 1 Maccabees. Two other new perspectives discussed in the volume concern aspects of the rich Jewish and Christian reception of Maccabean passages and the religious views presented in the four books.