episode 17 (part 1 & 2): struggling on: half-way through

EPISODE 16

4 books1-2 CHRONICLES, EZRA, NEHEMIAH

urban reconstruction and renewalby the survivors of the Babylonian exile

sponsored by the benign Persian empire.

Heroes are always ready to fight for what they believe in. But the best of heroes are always prepared to die for their faith. Stories of such heroic acts fill the two books of the Maccabees.

The name Maccabee, probably meaning "hammer," is actually applied in the Books of Maccabees to only one man, Judas, third son of the priest Mattathias and first leader of the revolt against the Seleucid kings who persecuted the Jews (1 Macc 2:4, 66; 2 Macc 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16). Traditionally the name has come to be applied to the brothers of Judas, his supporters, and even to other Jewish heroes of the period, such as the seven brothers (2 Macc 7).

The doctrine expressed in the book is the customary belief of Israel. The people of Israel have been specially chosen by the one true God as his covenant-partner, and they alone are privileged to know him and worship him. He is their eternal benefactor and their unfailing source of help. The people, in turn, must be loyal to his exclusive worship and must observe exactly the precepts of the law he has given them.