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4 Maccabees

A Hellenistic Jewish philosophical treatise using the Maccabean martyrdoms to argue that devout reason is master of the passions. Known as " the philosophical interpretation of 2 Maccabees."|||Written in Koine Greek. Added to the Septuagint as an appendix in the 1st century CE. Survives in Codex Sinaiticus and other Septuagint manuscripts.|||Composed between 140 BCE and 100 CE, most likely in the 1st century CE, before the fall of the Temple in 70 CE.|||Eastern Orthodox: Deuterocanonical. Roman Catholic & Protestant: not canonical. Jewish: not canonical.|||Hellenistic Judaism: prime example of Jewish engagement with Greek philosophy. Martyrdom theology as rational worship. Stoic and Platonic ideas in Jewish thought.|||Hadas, M. The Third and Fourth Books of Maccabees. Harper, 1953.|||deSilva, D. A. 4 Maccabees. Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.|||Renehan, R. " The Greek Philosophic Background of Fourth Maccabees." Rheinisches Museum 115 (1972): 223–238.|||4 Maccabees — Early Jewish Writings|https://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/4maccabees.html|Full translation and scholarly resources.;; 4 Maccabees — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_Maccabees|Background and scholarly discussion.|||" Reason, like a good pilot, steers the ship of the soul through the storms of passion." — 4 Maccabees (paraphrase)

Collection: Jewish Pseudepigrapha Canon: varies

Canon Status

Eastern Orthodox: Deuterocanonical. Roman Catholic & Protestant: not canonical. Jewish: not canonical.

Date & Provenance

Composed between 140 BCE and 100 CE, most likely in the 1st century CE, before the fall of the Temple in 70 CE.

Language & Manuscripts

Written in Koine Greek. Added to the Septuagint as an appendix in the 1st century CE. Survives in Codex Sinaiticus and other Septuagint manuscripts.

Why It Matters for Study

Hellenistic Judaism: prime example of Jewish engagement with Greek philosophy. Martyrdom theology as rational worship. Stoic and Platonic ideas in Jewish thought.

" Reason, like a good pilot, steers the ship of the soul through the storms of passion." — 4 Maccabees (paraphrase)

Read the Text & External Resources

Public-domain translations and scholarly databases where the text can be read online or downloaded.

External links open in a new tab. Sources are chosen for public-domain or open-access availability; always verify edition and translation when citing in academic work.

Further Reading

Hadas, M. The Third and Fourth Books of Maccabees. Harper, 1953.
deSilva, D. A. 4 Maccabees. Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.
Renehan, R. " The Greek Philosophic Background of Fourth Maccabees." Rheinisches Museum 115 (1972): 223–238.