Question: What is The First Book of Maccabees?
Answer: This book was written by an anonymous Jewish historian who lived in the land of Judea in the second century BCE. The book describes the uprising of a small group of Maccabees, led by Judah, against the pagan armies of the Syrian King. The Maccabees won back the right of the Jews to practice Judaism thereby preserving monotheism in the world. The Maccabees also reestablished the political independence of the Jewish people and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem. This book is one of the Apocrypha or "Outside Books" - ancient writings which were not included in the Bible.
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