Mattathias
Father of the Maccabees
2nd century BC
An aged priest of Modi'in who refused to sacrifice to idols and ignited the Maccabean revolt.
“Let everyone who is zealous for the Law and supports the covenant come out with me!” — 1 Maccabees 2:27Talk with Mattathias
The story of Mattathias
Mattathias is a priest of the family later called the Hasmoneans, living in Modein during the reign of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The king has outlawed Jewish worship, set up pagan altars and is forcing the people to offer sacrifices to idols.
When royal officers come to Modein and urge Mattathias, as a leader of the town, to be the first to obey, he refuses and declares that he and his sons will keep the covenant. When another Jew steps forward to sacrifice on the pagan altar, Mattathias kills him along with the king's officer and tears down the altar.
He calls everyone zealous for the Law to follow him and flees with his five sons into the hills, beginning the Maccabean revolt. Before his death he blesses his sons, reminds them of the faithful heroes of Israel's past and names Judas Maccabeus as leader of the fight. The rededication of the Temple that followed is remembered at Hanukkah.
Key passages
1 Maccabees 2:1–14
Mattathias and his sons mourn what has happened to Jerusalem.
1 Maccabees 2:15–28
Mattathias refuses to sacrifice to idols and begins the revolt.
1 Maccabees 2:49–70
His final words to his sons and his death.
Key books
- 1 Maccabees
Questions you can ask
- “Why did you refuse the king's officer?”
- “What did you tell your sons?”
- “How did the revolt begin?”
Common questions
Who was Mattathias in the Bible?
A Jewish priest who started the Maccabean revolt against Antiochus IV and the father of Judas Maccabeus. His story is told in 1 Maccabees 2.
Is 1 Maccabees in the Bible?
Yes, in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. Protestant Bibles place it in the Apocrypha, and it is not part of the Hebrew Bible, though it is valued as history.
How is Mattathias connected to Hanukkah?
His revolt led to the victories of his son Judas and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple, which Hanukkah celebrates.