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1.MattathiasandJudah:InDefenseoftheAncestorsReligion
15
usedinhisaccount.Basicforhisdescriptionofeventsfromca.168to142is1Macc.10
ForlaterdevelopmentsintheHasmoneanperiod,heusedtheworksofPolybius,Posei-
donius,Strabo,andothers.Still,itisdifficulttobecertainwhetherhehadfullversions
athandordrewfromcitationsorsummaries.11Thereisnodoubtthathisprimarysource
intherelevantpartofhislecturewasthehistoricalworkbyNicolausofDamascus.12
ForastudyoftheuprisingandactsofthefirstHasmoneans,Josephus’accountisof
limitedvalueasitlargelyiteratesinformationknownfrom1Macc.Supplementedby
manyadditions,comments,andinterpretations,itoffersamorecomplextreatmentof
events,whichnonethelesscontainsitemsofdubiouscredibility.13Despitediscernible
deficiencies,someofwhichnodoubtresultfromJosephus’writingtechniqueandhis
useofsources,14hisstoryhastheobvious,unquestionablevirtueofbeingtheonlyex-
tanttreatmentoftheentireHasmoneanperiod.
AnotherimportantsourceofferingdetailsoftheperiodistheMegillatTaanit.15This
littlevolumecontainsalistof36daysconnectedwithhistoricaleventsfromthesecond
templeperiodthathadgreatimportanceforJews,whomaynothaveofficiallycelebrat-
edsuchanniversariesbutconsideredthemsemi-festivaldays.TheoriginalofMegillat
TaanitwasinAramaicandwasprobablycomposedsomewherebetweenthe2ndcentury
BCEand1stcenturyCE.16Ofthedayslisted,morethanadozeninvolveeventsduring
theinsurgencyledbyJudahMaccabee,Jonathan,andSimonagainsttheSeleucids,and
withdevelopmentsunderJohnHyrcanus.17Althoughidentificationofsomeofthose
eventsisthesubjectofscholarlydispute,theirplacementinthecalendarcombinedwith
theirknownyearlydatesprovidesanaccuratechronology.
Finally,onemoreworkdeservesmention:theChronographybySynkellos.Itis
auniversalhistorywrittenintheearly9thcenturyCEbyaByzantineauthor,cover-
ingworldhistoryfromAdamtoDiocletian.HisnarrativeontheHasmoneansisbased
primarilyon1Macc,2Macc,andtheworksofJosephus.Contrarytoformerbeliefs,it
10Itisamatteroflong-standingdisputewhetherJosephusknew1Maccintheshapewepresently
knowit.SeeEttelson1925:255ff.andpassim;Martola1984:10ff.;Gafni1989:116ff.;Feldman1994:41
ff.;Williams1999:108ff.
11Cf.Kasher1990:11;Sievers1990:11ff.;Sievers1994:201.
12FormoreonJosephus’accountoftheHasmoneans,seeSievers1990:10–14.SeealsoGafni1989;
Wacholder1989;Fuks1990;Feldman1994:41–68;Schwartz1994:210ff.;Eshel2008:7–8.Muchhelpin
comparingrelationshipsanddifferencesbetweenthesesourcesisofferedbySievers2001.
13ThestoryofthefirstHasmoneansincludedintheAntiquitatesisalmostathirdlongerthanin
1Macc(Feldman1994:41ff.)andsuppliesinformationoneventsotherwiseunknown(cf.Gafni1989:
116ff.,127;Feldman1994:42n.4).L.H.Feldman(1994:43–68)pointsoutthattheprincipalcauseofthe
differencesbetweentheoriginalsourceanditsparaphrasebyJosephusisinhisdifferentviewsinviewing
theHasmoneans’struggles.IntryingtoshowtheHasmoneansprimarilyasheroicleadersinastrugglefor
Judeanfreedom(yetfreedomunderstoodinpolitical,notreligioustermsasin1and2Macc),heresortedto
consciouslydistortingthepictureofevents:Feldman1994:43–68;cf.Gafni1989:119ff.
14VanUnnik1978:26ff.
15Cf.Zeitlin1922:1ff.;Lichtenstein1931/32:257ff.;Ravenna1962:384ff.;Schürer1985:163–164;
Stemberger1992:44–45.
16Lichtenstein1931/32:264.AccordingtoG.Stemberger(1992:44),itwaswrittenin1st–2ndcentury
CE.ThepresentversionoftheMegillatTaanitdiffersfromtheoriginal.InadditiontotheAramaicpart,
itincludesamuchlatercommentary(“Scholion”)inHebrew:Zeitlin1922:1–5;Lichtenstein1931/32:258
ff.,265f.;Stemberger,loc.cit.
17Zeitlin1992:77–86;Lichtenstein1931/32:273–290.
