2 Maccabees facts for kids

2 Maccabees is an ancient book found in some versions of the Catholic Bible. It tells the story of a brave revolt by the Jewish people against a powerful ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

The book focuses on the exciting events of the Maccabean Revolt. It ends with a big victory in 161 BC, when the Syrian general Nicanor was defeated by Judas Maccabeus. Judas Maccabeus is the main hero of this story.

About 2 Maccabees

2 Maccabees was written in Koine Greek, which was a common language at the time. It was probably written around 124 BC in the city of Alexandria, Egypt.

What is 2 Maccabees About?

This book shares some of the same history as the first seven chapters of another book called 1 Maccabees. However, 2 Maccabees tells the story in a different way. It focuses more on the deeper meanings and religious lessons behind the events.

Important Ideas in the Book

2 Maccabees talks about several important ideas. These include:

• Prayer for the dead: The idea that people can pray for those who have died.
• Martyrdom: This means dying for your beliefs or a good cause. The book has famous stories of people who bravely died for their faith.
• Intercession of the dead: This is the belief that people who have died can still help or answer prayers for those who are alive.

Images for kids

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  Vision of Judas Maccabee, a woodcut from 1860 by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld.

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  A Rider on the Horse with golden armor, who appears in Chapter 3 to fight Heliodorus. From Die Bibel in Bildern.

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  A Byzantine-style fresco from the Santa Maria Antiqua church in Rome. It was likely painted around 650 AD. It shows the woman and her seven sons (named Solomne here) and Eleazar, their teacher. Their story of martyrdom is a very famous part of 2 Maccabees.

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  A German picture from 1517 showing Jesus on the cross, the mother, and her seven sons in a boiling pot.

See also

In Spanish: Segundo libro de los Macabeos para niños