Readings:
1 Maccabees 1-2
Revelation 1:9-20

1 Maccabees 1-2

The books of the Maccabees follows a couple hundred years after the events in Ezra and Nehemiah. In the intervening centuries the Persian empire was conquered by the Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great, and after his death the empire is split into several pieces ruled by his generals.

After the partition of his empire, the surviving pieces have armed struggles for dominance of the Middle East with Israel being right in the middle of the Seleucids in Syria and the Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt. T

he main story of the Maccabees is set in this period when the tyrannical Antiochus Epiphanies desecrates the temple and forces the Jewish inhabitants of the land to perform pagan sacrifices and adopt Greek rituals and customs.

This was too much to bear for Mathias and his sonsn, who lead a rebellion and established the Hasmonean dynasty that would rule the holy land until the Romans moved in a few decades before the birth of Jesus.

The first chapter summarizes this history and lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. The second chapter introduces us to the righteous family of priests who will not defile themselves by eating unclean food and offering incense to idols. Much like the idolatry ordered by Nebuchadnezzar, those who refused were to be put to death.

Revelation 1:9-20

John is praying in exile on Patmos when he hears a voice behind him. He turns to see Jesus, who is described with lots of symbolism directly from Ezekiel and Daniel. He’s standing amidst the menorah that sits in the temple and is a reference to the menorah in Ezekiel that’s fueled by the spirit of God.

The Church’s preaching is steady and true, and through it one and the same salvation radiates throughout the world. Announcing the truth everywhere, the Church is the seven-branched candlestick that bears the light of Christ.

Saint Irenaeus

Tomorrow’s Readings:
1 Maccabees 3-5
Revelation 2:1-11