Alcimus’ Last Command

The note in 1 Maccabees 9:54 that the high priest Alcimus ordered the destruction of the wall of the inner temple court is taken by most scholars as a description of a historical event. This paper, however, suggests that the note should rather be read as part of a pro-Maccabean propaganda which serv...

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Veröffentlicht in:Journal for the study of Judaism
1. VerfasserIn: Lanzinger, Daniel 1982- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: Brill 2015
In: Journal for the study of Judaism
Jahr: 2015, Band: 46, Heft: 1, Seiten: 86-102
weitere Schlagwörter:B Alcimus 1 Maccabees 9:54 First book of Maccabees Maccabean revolt temple
Online Zugang: Volltext (Verlag)
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The note in 1 Maccabees 9:54 that the high priest Alcimus ordered the destruction of the wall of the inner temple court is taken by most scholars as a description of a historical event. This paper, however, suggests that the note should rather be read as part of a pro-Maccabean propaganda which serves to defame Alcimus. It is argued that, from a historical perspective, it was not Alcimus but Judas who was responsible for serious damage at the temple precinct as a result of his unsuccessful military operation against the Seleucid Acra (6:18-54). The author of 1 Maccabees tries to downplay this event and to villainise Alcimus by calling destruction what was actually restoration. The paper ends with a comparison to two other passages in 1 Maccabees (4:44-46 and 5:55-62) which shows that the suggested understanding of 9:54 fits well the strategies of legitimisation and delegitimisation that can be found throughout the book.
ISSN:1570-0631
Enthält:In: Journal for the study of Judaism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15700631-12340095