Similarities Between 1st And Second Maccabees

From 167-164 BCE, a series of conflicts between the Jewish people and the Seleucid's occurred that are referred to as the Maccabean Revolt. Two books of the Jewish bible, 1st and 2nd Maccabees, offer slightly different depictions of the events of the Revolt. However, as sources that are nearly two millennia old, it is important to consider their historical reliability. When trying to discern fact from fiction and gain a better understanding of the Maccabean Revolt, it is useful to consider who the authors of 1st and 2nd Maccabees were and what emotions these authors hoped to invoke in readers.
It is likely that 1st and 2nd Maccabees were written by a Jewish author, given the tone that the author of 1st Maccabees takes about to the Hellenization of Judea and given the prologue of 2nd Maccabees. In 1st Maccabees, the author describes the Hellenizing

influencers in Judea as being "renegades" who "misled many" (1 Macc. 1:11) He continues to discuss how those in Judea who adopted Hellenistic practices had, "sold themselves to evil" (1 Macc. 1:15). Offering such a harsh characterization of those who adopted Greek practices does not sound like the writing of a Greek or anyone who supported Hellenistic ideals.
Additionally, in the prologue of 2nd Maccabees the author identifies the source of the majority of the book as Jason of Cyrene, a Jewish historian (2 Macc. 2:23). Hence, even if the author of 2nd Maccabees was not Jewish, he drew the majority of his information from a Jewish historian. However, evidence also suggests that the author of 2nd Maccabees was Jewish. Jason, brother of Onias, obtained the High Priesthood through bribery and sought to Hellenize Judea with the building of a gymnasium (2 Macc. 4:7-10). The author of 2nd Maccabees describes Jason as having "surpassing wickedness," as well as being, "ungodly and no true high priest" (2 Macc. 4:13). Once again, this harsh description of someone that adopts Greek customs is unlikely to have come from a Greek.
It is also important to consider the emotions that the authors of 1st and 2nd Maccabees seek to invoke in their readers. In 1st Maccabees, the author portrays a feeling of the Maccabees receiving divine support against a moral evil, as Judas pled with his men to "Cry to Heaven, to see whether he [God] will favor us and remember his covenant with our ancestors" (1 Macc. 4:10). They defeat the camp of gentiles and a detachment that they later encounter, and the author describes the day as a "great deliverance" in Israel (1 Macc. 4:25).
In 2nd Maccabees, the author offers justifications for King Antiochus's two attacks on Jerusalem that are not mentioned in 1st Maccabees, which suggest a more unbiased telling of the events.

He indicates that the reason for the initial attack on Jerusalem is that Antiochus Epiphanes believed that Judea was in a state of revolt due to the actions of Jason (2 Macc. 5:11-14). However, the author later insinuates that Antiochus sent Apollonius to attack Jerusalem, "In his malice towards the Jewish citizens" (2 Macc. 5:23-24). This contrasts the notion that the author believes that the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes were justified and makes any bias of the book unclear. Chapter Seven of 2nd Maccabees details the brutal torture and murder of 7 Jewish brothers and their mother for their refusal to break the covenant by eating swine's flesh. (2 Macc. 7). The brothers display conviction and resilience, while subjected to unspeakable cruelty for their beliefs. The author clearly intends for the reader to feel pity for the Jewish people based off of this description and characterizes the villainous nature of Antiochus

Epiphanes.
Understanding the authors' perspectives and the emotions that they are trying to invoke in the readers is important when considering the reliability of the books. The Maccabean Revolt was clearly a bloody conflict that included many brutal instances of slaughter and torture that are reprehensible in the context of modern conventions on warfare. However, it is difficult to discern using solely these two sources the true events of the conflict. The fact that both books seem to be written by Jewish authors and aimed at invoking feelings of pity and support for the Maccabees makes them questionable sources. However, the great detail that they offer about the atrocities committed by Antiochus Epiphanes make it clear that Antiochus Epiphanes' control of Judea was a period of change, persecution, and conflict for the Jewish people.