- MACCABEES, BOOKS OF THE There were originally five books of
the Maccabees. The first contains a history of the war of independence,
commencing (B.C. 175) in a series of patriotic struggles against the
tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, and terminating B.C. 135. It became part
of the Vulgate Version of the Bible, and was thus retained among the
Apocrypha.
The second gives a history of the Maccabees’ struggle from B.C. 176 to
B.C. 161. Its object is to encourage and admonish the Jews to be faithful to
the religion of their fathers.
The third does not hold a place in the Apocrypha, but is read in the Greek
Church. Its design is to comfort the Alexandrian Jews in their persecution.
Its writer was evidently an Alexandrian Jew.
The fourth was found in the Library of Lyons, but was afterwards burned.
The fifth contains a history of the Jews from B.C. 184 to B.C. 86. It is a
compilation made by a Jew after the destruction of Jerusalem, from ancient
memoirs, to which he had access. It need scarcely be added that none of
these books has any divine authority.
- MACEDONIA in New Testament times, was a Roman province lying
north of Greece. It was governed by a propraetor with the title of
proconsul. Paul was summoned by the vision of the “man of Macedonia”
to preach the gospel there (Acts 16:9). Frequent allusion is made to this
event (18:5; 19:21; Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 1:16; 11:9; Phil. 4:15).
The history of Paul’s first journey through Macedonia is given in detail in
Acts 16:10-17:15. At the close of this journey he returned from Corinth to
Syria. He again passed through this country (20:1-6), although the details
of the route are not given. After many years he probably visited it for a
third time (Phil. 2:24; 1 Timothy 1:3). The first convert made by Paul in
Europe was (Acts 16:13-15) Lydia (q.v.), a “seller of purple,” residing in
Philippi, the chief city of the eastern division of Macedonia. - MACHAERUS the Black Fortress, was built by Herod the Great in the
gorge of Callirhoe, one of the wadies 9 miles east of the Dead Sea, as a
frontier rampart against Arab marauders. John the Baptist was probably
cast into the prison connected with this castle by Herod Antipas, whom
he had reproved for his adulterous marriage with Herodias. Here Herod
“made a supper” on his birthday. He was at this time marching against
Aretas, king of Perea, to whose daughter he had been married. During the