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Apocrypha


Warfare on Shabbat: The Legacy of the Maccabees Warfare on Shabbat: The Legacy of the Maccabees
Friday, December 14, 2012 by Moshe Sokolow | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

Ezra and Nehemiah were so successful in instilling Shabbat observance that Jews refused to take up arms on Shabbat to defend themselves—with disastrous results.
The First War of National Liberation The First War of National Liberation
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 by Diana Muir Appelbaum | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

The Maccabees' revolt can lay claim to being the first war of national liberation.  Reprinted here is Diana Muir Appelbaum’s account of why the Book of Maccabees is so modern and so dangerous.
Editors' Picks
Painting Scripture Hershel Shanks, Bible History Daily. Traditional depictions of Judith's decapitation of Holofernes show a pure widow solemnly performing her gruesome duty.  The contrast with Klimt's interpretation could not be greater.