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.
- 4 Maccabees — Early Jewish Writings Full translation and scholarly resources.
- 4 Maccabees — Wikipedia Background and scholarly discussion.
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.