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1 Meqabyan

The First Book of Ethiopian Maccabees (1 Meqabyan) is a book found only in the Ethiopian Orthodox Old Testament and Beta Israel Mäṣḥafä Kedus biblical canon. It has 36 chapters and recounts two separate revolts against Seleucid rule over Judea.|||Ge'ez manuscripts. The text is preserved in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church canon.|||The composition of the Meqabyan must have taken place sometime in the high medieval period. Unlike other Ethiopian texts, it has no known Greek or Hebrew Vorlage.|||Canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Beta Israel Mäṣḥafä Kedus. Not recognized by any other religious tradition.|||Recounts two separate revolts against Seleucid rule over Judea, including the reign of king Alexander I Balas. Its composition stands in stark contrast to the more familiar editions of Maccabees.|||Curtin, D. P. First Book of Ethiopian Maccabees (I Meqabyan). Dalcassian Press, 2018.|||Ethiopic Meqabyan I-III: The Ancient Apocryphal Books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. 2023.|||1 Meqabyan — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meqabyan|Background and scholarly discussion.;; Ethiopian Maccabees — Internet Archive|https://archive.org/details/ethiopicmeqabyan|Full text and commentary.|||" And the sons of Israel rebelled against the king of the Greeks." — 1 Meqabyan (paraphrase)

Collection: Other Ancient Religious Texts Canon: varies

Canon Status

Canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Beta Israel Mäṣḥafä Kedus. Not recognized by any other religious tradition.

Date & Provenance

The composition of the Meqabyan must have taken place sometime in the high medieval period. Unlike other Ethiopian texts, it has no known Greek or Hebrew Vorlage.

Language & Manuscripts

Ge'ez manuscripts. The text is preserved in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church canon.

Why It Matters for Study

Recounts two separate revolts against Seleucid rule over Judea, including the reign of king Alexander I Balas. Its composition stands in stark contrast to the more familiar editions of Maccabees.

" And the sons of Israel rebelled against the king of the Greeks." — 1 Meqabyan (paraphrase)

Read the Text & External Resources

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

  • " And the sons of Israel rebelled against the king of the Greeks." — 1 Meqabyan (paraphrase) " And the sons of Israel rebelled against the king of the Greeks." — 1 Meqabyan (paraphrase)

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

Curtin, D. P. First Book of Ethiopian Maccabees (I Meqabyan). Dalcassian Press, 2018.
Ethiopic Meqabyan I-III: The Ancient Apocryphal Books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. 2023.
1 Meqabyan — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meqabyan|Background and scholarly discussion.;; Ethiopian Maccabees — Internet Archive|https://archive.org/details/ethiopicmeqabyan|Full text and commentary.