Maccabees, also spelled Machabees, (flourished 2nd century BCE, Palestine), priestly family of Jews who organized a successful rebellion against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV and reconsecrated the defiled Temple of Jerusalem.
Historical context of the Maccabees:
The name Maccabee was a title of honour given to Judas, a son of Mattathias and the hero of the Jewish wars of independence, 168–164 BCE. Later the name Maccabees was extended to include his whole family, specifically Mattathias (his father) and Judas’s four brothers—John, Simon, Eleazar, and Jonathan. Its use was also extended to John Hyrcanus, Simon’s son, who was next in succession.
