1st Maccabees

The account presented in 1st Maccabees is widely recognized for its detailed chronicle of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the events leading up to the rededication of the Second Temple, which became the basis for the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. First Maccabees, also referred to as the First Book of Maccabees and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book that provides an extensive history of the Hasmonean dynasty, from the formation of a rebellion led by Mattathias against King Antiochus IV to the establishment of autonomy and independence under the ruling of the Hasmonean family. The rebellion led by Judas Maccabeus, the successor of Mattathias, culminated in the death of Judas, and the eventual declaration of Simon Thassi as High Priest by the Jewish people. The author, although unknown, is believed to have written the account in Hebrew originally, but the work now survives only in translation in Koine Greek in the Septuagint. The book is currently considered canonical scripture in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and is regarded as biblical apocrypha by some Protestant denominations.