Meqabyan facts for kids
The Meqabyan (pronounced Meh-kah-byan) are three special books found in the Old Testament of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. These books are also called the Ethiopic Maccabees or Ethiopian Maccabees. They are quite different from the books of Maccabees you might find in Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Bibles.
The heroes in these Ethiopian books are not the same as the famous Maccabees from the Hasmonean dynasty. Also, the "Five Holy Maccabean Martyrs" mentioned here are not the same as the "Woman with seven sons" who are honored as martyrs in other Orthodox churches. For a long time, these books were only available in Ethiopian languages. Recently, they have been translated into English.
The First Book of Ethiopian Maccabees
This book tells the story of a man named Meqabis from the land of Benjamin. He had three sons: Abya, Seela, and Pantos. These sons bravely stood up against a cruel king. They refused to worship the king's idols (false gods). Their story is only a small part of the book.
Later in the book, three other brothers are introduced: Yihuda, Meqabis, and Mebikyas. They led a successful rebellion against a harsh king named Akrandis of Midian. Some people think this story might be about King Alexander I Balas. He ruled the Seleucid Empire and supported the original Maccabees. In this story, Mebikyas sneaks into the king's army camp. He kills the king while he is eating dinner. The rest of the book, from chapter 16 to 36, does not talk about the Maccabees (disambiguation) revolt. Instead, it shares important events from the Old Testament. We don't know why these parts were included.
The Second Book of Ethiopian Maccabees
This book has 21 chapters. It begins by saying, "After he found the Jews in Syrian Mesopotamia." The story tells about a king of Moab named Meqabis. He fought against Israel to punish them. Later, he felt bad about his sins. He then taught the people of Israel about God's law. After King Meqabis died, a person named Tsirutsaydan brought back idol worship. He even burned the sons of Meqabis.
The Third Book of Ethiopian Maccabees
This book has 10 chapters. It starts with the words, "And the islands of Egypt shall rejoice." This book talks about being saved and about punishment. It shows these ideas through the lives of people like Adam, Job, and David.
