1 Maccabees 4:36-59
New Catholic Bible
Restoration of the Temple[a]
36 Then Judas and his brothers said: “Behold, our enemies have been crushed; let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it.” 37 And so the entire army assembled, and they went up to Mount Zion. 38 There they found the sanctuary desolate, the altar desecrated, the gates burned to the ground, the courts overgrown with weeds as in a thicket or on some mountain, and the chambers of the priests in ruins. 39 Then they tore their garments and uttered loud cries of mourning; they sprinkled their heads with ashes 40 and fell prostrate, with their faces to the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.
41 Then Judas designated men to engage in combat with those in the citadel while he purified the sanctuary. 42 He appointed blameless priests who were devoted to the law; 43 these purified the sanctuary and carried off the stones of the Abomination to an unclean place. 44 They discussed what should be done about the altar of burnt offerings that had been desecrated, 45 and they made the proper decision to demolish it so that it would not be a source of lasting shame to them inasmuch as the Gentiles had defiled it.[b]
Therefore, they tore down the altar 46 and stored the stones in a suitable place on the temple hill until a prophet should appear on the scene to determine what should be done with them. 47 They took unhewn stones, according to the law, and built a new altar fashioned after the former one. 48 They also repaired the sanctuary and the interior of the temple and purified the courts. 49 They made new sacred vessels and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. 50 Then they burned incense on the altar, and they lit the lamp on the lampstands to illuminate the temple. 51 Finally, they placed loaves of bread on the table and hung the curtains, thereby bringing to completion all of the work they had undertaken.
52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, 53 they arose and offered sacrifice, in accordance with the law, on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had constructed. 54 On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had desecrated it, on that very day it was dedicated with hymns, harps, flutes, and cymbals. 55 All the people prostrated themselves in adoration and praised Heaven, who had granted success to their endeavors.
56 They celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. 57 They decorated the front of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests and furnished them with doors. 58 There was great rejoicing among the people inasmuch as the disgrace inflicted by the Gentiles had been removed. 59 Then Judas, his brothers, and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days marking the rededication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days every year on the anniversary, beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Maccabees 4:36 After almost three and a half years of intense guerrilla fighting, the insurgents occupy Jerusalem. In the enthusiasm of the liberation, they put an end to the pagan profanation and reestablish the worship of God. This is the culminating moment of the Book. First the sanctuary had to be purified (see 2 Chr 29:3-17), the altar had to be rebuilt, and the constructions had to be restored. On December 14, 164 B.C., the sacrifice is celebrated. As in ancient times, the dedication is celebrated with the joyous participation of all the people. As a testimony of the times, however, is the fact that the sacred enclosure must be transformed into a fortress. This occurrence gives all their meaning to the struggles of the Jewish resistance; it is the reason why the author omits various preceding events that are recorded in 2 Mac 11:13—12:9, and records only afterward the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1 Mac 6:1-17). A new feast is instituted: “Hanukkah,” or consecration, celebrated in December, remains ever popular within Jewish families; it is also called the second Feast of Booths (Lev 23) or the Feast of Lights; it will be mentioned in the Gospel (Jn 10:22).
- 1 Maccabees 4:45 From the time of Malachi, the prophets are silent in expectation of the Prophet par excellence (see Jn 1:21; Lk 7:16). This silence was one of the greatest trials for Judaism (see 1 Mac 9:27; 14:14; Pss 73:9; 76:9; Lam 2:9; Ezek 7:26): the expectation was that he would decide questions that had remained suspended (see v. 44: was it licit to utilize the altar that had been profaned by pagan sacrifices?). The interpretation of the law will henceforth be the task of the scribes.
