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Mattathias

File:Mattathias_medal.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Mattathias

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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.

OverviewAI-generated

Mattathias was a male kohen born in 200 BCE and died in 166 BCE. He held citizenship in the Seleucid Empire. His children included Judah Maccabee, Simon Thassi, Jonathan Apphus, and John Gaddi. He is described in sources such as The Nuttall Encyclopædia and the Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.

A quote attributed to him states, "Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me!" The subject is referenced by 132 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 17 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, Crossref, Wikiquote, MusicBrainz, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1838
Works
23

Top works

  • Arbaʻah sefarim niftaḥim
  • Shomer Yiśraʼel
  • Alfe Yiśraʼel
  • Shemirat ha-nefesh
  • Nezer Yiśraʼel

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Quotes

  • Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments: Yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances. We will not harken to the king's words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand, or on the left.
  • Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me!

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Monarch.name
Mattathias
Monarch.image
Mattathias medal.svg
Monarch.caption
An imaginary depiction of Mattathias from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (1553)
Monarch.succession
Leader of the Maccabees
Monarch.reign
167-166 BCE
Monarch.predecessor
Revolt Started
Monarch.successor
Judas Maccabeus
Monarch.dynasty
Hasmonean
Monarch.issue
Judas Maccabeus Eleazar AvaranSimon Thassi John Gaddi Jonathan Apphus
Monarch.father
John, son of Simeon
Monarch.birth_place
Judea
Monarch.death_date
166 BCE
Monarch.religion
Judaism
Monarch.burial_place
Modi'in

via Wikipedia infobox

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • History
  • First Stage of the Rebellion
  • Contribution to Religious Law
  • Context
  • In literature and liturgy
  • See also
  • References
  • Sources
  • External links

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== thumb|Mattathias appealing to Jewish refugees (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible)

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mattathias” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (5)