Mattathias

Mattathias ben Johanan (, Mattīṯyāhū haKōhēn ben Yōḥānān; died 166–165 BCE) was a Kohen (Jewish priest) who helped spark the Maccabean Revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. Mattathias's story is related in the deuterocanonical book of 1 Maccabees and in the writings of Josephus. Mattathias is accorded a central role in the story of Hanukkah and, as a result, is named in the Al HaNissim prayer Jews add to the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) and the Amidah during the festival's eight days.

History

In all extant accounts from the Second Temple Period, Mattathias was a resident of the rural village of Modi'in, though it is not clear if he was a native. and while the account of Josephus in Antiquities matches this, the account in Wars simply states that Mattathias (or his father) was a "priest of a village called Modi'in", implying that it was his place of origin.

The account of 1 Maccabees provides the lineage of Mattathias, stating that he was a son of John (Johanan) and grandson of Simeon, a priest from the order of Joarib. "Asmonaius" or "Hasmonean" was probably meant as a family title. Like many priests, he most probably served in the Second Temple in Jerusalem, though the sources stating that he was a High Priest are relatively late and anachronistic.

Contribution to Religious Law In Jewish scripture there is no explicit mention of the prohibition of warfare on the Sabbath, nor is there any mention of refraining from battle on the Sabbath. Even so, by the Second Temple Period it is clear that combat on the Sabbath was widely viewed by Jews as forbidden, even to the extent of large scale defeat and death. Beginning with the invasion of Jerusalem by Ptolemy I Soter, In the aftermath of one such incident it is said that Mattathias directed:'Let us fight against anyone who comes to attack us on the Sabbath day; let us not all die as our kindred died in their hiding-places.' This is the earliest known rejection of the commonly accepted prohibition of fighting on the Sabbath, later on in the Second Temple Period this permission was expanded to include not only defensive actions but offensive ones too. This process is reflected in rabbinic sources where the ruling was developed and finally canonized as a Halakhic decree.

Context

This was the first step in the Maccabean Revolt, the result of which was Jewish independence, which had not been enjoyed for more than 400 years. The events of the war of the Maccabees form the basis for the holiday of Hanukkah, which is celebrated by Jews on the 25th of Kislev (on the Hebrew calendar, corresponding to mid-November to late December in the Gregorian calendar).

In literature and liturgy Mattathias is mentioned in the story of the Maccabees, found in the deuterocanonical book of 1 Maccabees, in Josephus, and in Talmudic references (Shabbat 21b, Shabbat 23a – related to the candles). He is also made reference to in chapter 28 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The "Al HaNisim" prayer, added into the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon on Hanukkah, refers to the story of the Maccabees and to Mattathias by name.