4 Maccabees
E38029
Hellenistic Jewish philosophical work
Jewish religious text
intertestamental literature
martyrdom narrative
philosophical treatise
4 Maccabees is a Hellenistic Jewish philosophical work that uses the story of the Maccabean martyrs to argue for the supremacy of reason guided by Torah over the passions.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Fourth Book of Maccabees | 1 |
| IV Maccabees | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Hellenistic Jewish philosophical work
ⓘ
Jewish religious text ⓘ intertestamental literature ⓘ martyrdom narrative ⓘ philosophical treatise ⓘ |
| audience | Hellenistic Jews ⓘ |
| basedOnEventsDescribedIn | 2 Maccabees ⓘ |
| canonicalStatusIn |
appendix to Greek Orthodox Bible
ⓘ
generally non-canonical in Roman Catholic canon ⓘ included in some editions of the Septuagint ⓘ non-canonical in Jewish Tanakh ⓘ non-canonical in Protestant Old Testament ⓘ |
| centralConcept |
martyrdom as victory of reason
ⓘ
rational piety ⓘ self-control ⓘ |
| dateOfComposition | 1st century CE (approximate) ⓘ |
| emphasizes |
control of bodily passions
ⓘ
moral reasoning ⓘ obedience to the Law ⓘ |
| ethicalFocus |
courage in persecution
ⓘ
fidelity to Jewish law unto death ⓘ |
| focusesOnCharacter |
Eleazar
ⓘ
mother of the seven brothers ⓘ seven Maccabean brothers ⓘ |
| genre |
diaspora Jewish literature
ⓘ
philosophical discourse ⓘ |
| hasTitle |
4 Maccabees
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Fourth Book of Maccabees
4 Maccabees self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
IV Maccabees
|
| influenced | later Christian views of martyrdom ⓘ |
| language | Koine Greek ⓘ |
| literaryDevice | philosophical argumentation using historical exempla ⓘ |
| literaryForm | rhetorical oration ⓘ |
| philosophicalInfluence |
Hellenistic ethics
ⓘ
Stoicism ⓘ |
| placeOfOrigin |
Eastern Mediterranean
ⓘ
surface form:
Eastern Mediterranean (probable)
Syrian or Palestinian Jewish diaspora (hypothesized) ⓘ |
| preservedIn | manuscripts of the Septuagint tradition ⓘ |
| primaryTheme |
martyrdom for the Law
ⓘ
reason guided by Torah ⓘ supremacy of reason over the passions ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
1 Maccabees
ⓘ
2 Maccabees ⓘ 3 Maccabees ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Judaism ⓘ |
| scripturalAuthority | Torah ⓘ |
| structure | homiletic or sermon-like composition ⓘ |
| survivesIn |
Greek manuscripts
ⓘ
ancient translations and quotations ⓘ |
| usesNarrativeOf |
Maccabees
ⓘ
surface form:
Maccabean martyrs
|
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Fourth Book of Maccabees
this entity surface form:
IV Maccabees