The Profile of Messianism in 2 Maccabees
The Profile of Messianism in 2 Maccabees
Francis BORCHARDT
This article explores the possibility of finding messianic figures in 2 Maccabees, a Jewish work written in Greek during the second century BCE. It argues that Judas Maccabeus, a central character in the work, could be one such messiah. Although 2 Maccabees only uses the Greek terminology typical for denoting messiahs once throughout the work, and even in that case, merely referring to a fairly minor character, this article suggests that the search must extend beyond such narrow terminological limits. Instead, it argues that attention to the narrative arc and the characterization of Judas Maccabeus reveals a character who is divinely selected and protected as a political and moral leader of his people. The article suggests that these qualities are the central attributes of one type of messiah in Jewish tradition, and therefore give the impression that Judas is a messianic figure despite never being anointed with oil, never holding the throne or the high priesthood, and not being an eschatological figure.
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