The Third Book of Maccabees: Literature, History and Ideology By Noah Hacham

https://www.academia.edu/2502305/The_Third_Book_of_Maccabees_Literature_History_and_Ideology?rhid=39204461211&swp=rr-rw-wc-5696008&nav_from=db2cedee-db4d-40c7-b629-8d9143aeb020 The Third Book of Maccabees is not considered to have great historical or literary value and, therefore, has not frequently been discussed in the literature. Moreover, even despite the growing academic preoccupation with Jewish Hellenistic literature, this book has remained marginal. The purpose of this study is to examine the historical significance of III Maccabees, that is to determine its place from the point of view of the Weltanschauungen prevalent in Hellenistic Jewry and the historical context in which it was composed. The basic assumption of the study is that the preliminary stage in a historical discussion of any written source, be it historiographic or fictional, is the examination of its nature and its goals. Hence, literary analysis of III Maccabees must proceed before any historical conclusions may be reached. ...