>Ironically, 1 and 2 Maccabees are not part of the canon of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh).
>As we know, Christianity uses books that were preserved by Jews but, in the case of Chanukah, Jews have made use of knowledge in books that were preserved by Christians.
Which raises the question (which I am sure has been answered in Jewish intellectual circles) “Does the absence of Maccabees in the Jewish Bible reflect tha,t although historical, it does not rise to the level of ‘inspired by God’?” And if so, why then does it reach that level in the Christian Bible?
just wondering
My personal belief is that the Maccabees were not included in the Jewish Bible because Judah Maccabee's descendants (the Hasmoneans) ruled Judea for several generations and they became corrupt. The Maccabee books were removed from the Bible because the Maccabee family fell out of favor.
And those Christians who have the two books of the Maccabees in their Bibles, they are of both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
First, it doesn't even claim to be divinely inspired. Indeed, it actually references that no prophets appeared to guide the people.
Second, it's 300 years later than Ezra & Nehemiah. The canon had already been closed.
Third, the Hasmonean dynasty quickly became Hellenized and corrupt. King Alexander Yannai, for instance, killed thousands of rabbis and chased most of the rest to Egypt.
Fourth, Maccabees II was written in Greek.
Fifth, Maccabees says a lot of nice things about the Romans.
When Chanukkah was instituted the scriptural canon had already been closed by the 'Anshei-HaKenesset HaGedolah (the Men of the Great Assembly), so the books could not be added. As to whether they were written under Ruach HaQodesh (Divine inspiration), it is theoretically possible. After all, there were many Divinely-inspired prophecies over the years in Biblical times which were not preserved or canonized because they did not deal with matters beyond their own time. The prophetic books in the TaNa"KH were canonized because they apply to all future generations (up to the coming of Mashiach).