The Maccabees' Devotion to the God of Israel

The Maccabees' devotion to the God of Israel is evident in their resistance to Hellenistic pressures and their commitment to the worship of the one true God. This devotion is rooted in a long-standing tradition within Israel, where God is consistently identified as "the God of Israel" ^{[4, 5]}. This title emphasizes God's unique relationship with the Israelite people, who were considered "holiness unto the Lord" and "the first-fruits of his increase" ^[14].

The concept of God as the "God of Israel" is deeply embedded in biblical texts. For instance, Psalm 135:19 calls upon "children of Israel" and "sons of Aaron" to praise the Lord ^[2]. Similarly, Judges 5:3 declares, "I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel" ^[4]. The Septuagint version of Psalm 67:35 (Psalm 68:34 in other translations) also speaks of God's "excellency... over Israel" and calls to "ascribe ye strength unto God" ^{[3, 5]}. This consistent naming highlights a covenantal relationship, where God's identity is intertwined with His chosen people.

During the Maccabean period, this devotion became particularly pronounced as the Jewish people faced intense pressure to abandon their ancestral faith and adopt Greek customs and polytheistic worship. The book of II Maccabees, for example, records a prayer asking God to "Receive the sacrifice for all thy people Israel, and preserve thy own portion, and sanctify it" ^[1]. This prayer reflects a desire for God to uphold His covenant with Israel and protect them from assimilation. The very names of individuals in the Hebrew tradition often reflect this devotion, such as "Mahaleleel," meaning "praising God," and "Ishmachiah," meaning "cleaving to the Lord" ^{[6, 7]}.

The Jewish tradition, as seen in the Targum Jonathan, further emphasizes the singular nature of the "God of Israel." Isaiah 37:16 is rendered as, "O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, whose Shekinah dwelleth above the Cherubim! Thou art the Lord, and there is none besides Thee in all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made the heavens and the earth" ^[11]. This highlights God's sovereignty and uniqueness, a core tenet that the Maccabees fought to preserve. The Babylonian Talmud also illustrates the communal aspect of this devotion, prescribing specific blessings that invoke "the Lord our God, the God of Israel" in gatherings of increasing size, culminating in "the God of Hosts, Who sits upon" for ten thousand people ^{[12, 13, 15]}. This demonstrates a collective and public affirmation of God's identity and Israel's relationship with Him.

Patristic writers also recognized the significance of the "God of Israel." Augustine, for instance, marvels at how the "God of the Hebrews," despite the conquest of His people, proved "unconquered" by overthrowing idols and drawing Gentiles to His worship ^[9]. Lactantius, in a prayer, invokes the "God of Israel, Thy people which truly see, and which have believed in Christ," asking for grace, protection, and the fulfillment of their petitions ^[8]. These early Christian perspectives acknowledge the historical and theological continuity of God's relationship with Israel, even as they interpret it through a new covenant lens.

The devotion of the Maccabees, therefore, was not merely a political or cultural resistance but a profound theological commitment to the God who had revealed Himself to Israel. Their actions were a testament to the belief that the worship of the true God, without images or syncretism, was paramount ^[10]. This unwavering commitment to the "God of Israel" was a defining characteristic of their struggle and a continuation of a long-standing tradition within Judaism.

Sources

II Maccabees “II Maccabees 1:26 (DRC) — Receive the sacrifice for all thy people Israel, and preserve thy own portion, and sanctify it.”
Psalms “Psalms 135:19 (BBE) — Give praise to the Lord, O children of Israel: give praise to the Lord, O sons of Aaron:”
Psalms “Date gloriam Deo super Israël ; magnificentia ejus et virtus ejus in nubibus. -- Psalms 67:35”
Judges “Judges 5:3 (BBE) — Give attention, O kings; give ear, O rulers; I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
Psalms “Psalms 68:34 (Darby) — Ascribe ye strength untoGod: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Mahaleleel — praising God”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Ishmachiah — cleaving to the Lord”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 7: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius — THE FORM OF PRAYER AFTER THE PARTICIPATION. (part 2): a good mind; the God of Israel, Thy people which truly see, and which have believed in Christ: Be gracious to me, and hear me, for Thy name's sake, and bless those that bow down their necks unto Thee, and grant them the petitions of their hearts, which are for their good, and do not reject any one of them from Thy kingdom; but sanctify, guard, cover, and assist them; deliver them from the adversary and every enemy; keep their houses, and guard "their comings in and their go”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — CHAP. XIV.--OF THE FACT THAT THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS, ALTHOUGH THE PEOPLE WERE CONQUERED, PROVED HIMSELF TO BE UNCONQUERED, BY OVERTHROWING THE IDOLS,AND BY TURNING ALL THE GENTILES TO HIS OWN (part 1): SERVICE. 21. Here indeed we have a wonderful fact, which is not remarked by those few pagans who have remained such,--namely, that this God of the Hebrews who was offended by the conquered, and who was also denied acceptance by the conquerors, is now preached and worshipped among all nations. This is that God of Israel of whom the prophet spake ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 44: the time of Moses until now. The worship of the true God by images, in the eyes of the Hebrews, has ever been considered as much an act of idolatry as the worship of false gods. 3. A third argument on this subject is, that the worship of 293 Jehovah by the use of images is denounced and punished as an act of apostasy from God. When the Hebrews in the wilderness said to Aaron, “Make us gods which shall go before us,” neither they nor Aaron intended to renounce Jehovah as their God; but they desired a visible symbol of God, as the heathen h”
Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 37:16: O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, whose Shekinah dwelleth above the Cherubim! Thou art the Lord, and there is none besides Thee in all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made the heavens and the earth.”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 128a.98:13: In a group of one hundred people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God. In a group of one hundred people and him, the one reciting the zimmun says: Bless the Lord our God. In a group of one thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of one thousand people and him, he says: Bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of ten thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of Hosts, Who sits u”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 128b.98:13: In a group of one hundred people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God. In a group of one hundred people and him, the one reciting the zimmun says: Bless the Lord our God. In a group of one thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of one thousand people and him, he says: Bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of ten thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of Hosts, Who sits u”
Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 2:3: holiness unto the Lord--that is, was consecrated to the service of Jehovah (Exo 19:5-6). They thus answered to the motto on their high priest's breastplate, "Holiness to the Lord" (Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2, Deu 14:21). first-fruits of his increase--that is, of Jehovah's produce. As the first-fruits of the whole produce of the land were devoted to God (Exo 23:19; Num 18:12-13), so Israel was devoted to Him as the first-fruit and representative nation among all nations. So the spiritual Israel (Jam 1:18; Rev 14:4). devour--carrying on the image of first-fr”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 49b.13: In a group of one hundred people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God. In a group of one hundred people and him, the one reciting the zimmun says: Bless the Lord our God. In a group of one thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of one thousand people and him, he says: Bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel. In a group of ten thousand people, the one reciting the zimmun says: Let us bless the Lord our God, the God of Israel, the God of Hosts, Who sits upon ”

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