The Bible needs a visible, external authority guided by the Holy Spirit to define both the OT and NT Canons. This authority is the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

This is Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens’ depiction of Judah Maccabee’s triumph in the rebellion he led against the Seleucid Empire from 167-164 B.C. Rubens lived from 1577-1640.

1 Maccabees is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible. 2 Macc is not a sequel to 1 Macc. In fact, 2 Macc tells many of the same stories from a slightly different perspective than 1 Macc. 1 ...

The Maccabees teach us to stand up for religious liberty.” Sis said another lesson to be learned from the story is to be aware of the ways in which the example of one’s actions affects others.

As we celebrate over Hanukkah’s eight days the valor of those who rose to resist villainy - in those days and in our time - we mark the words of Maccabees both ancient and modern.

(RNS) — Hanukkah, which began Sunday, commemorates the heroic resistance of a group of Jewish rebels called the Maccabees to the Syrian Greek Emperor Antiochus IV in 167 B.C.E.