jan 1, 100 - 4 Maccabees

Description:

Composed anywhere between 20 and 130 CE, a date later in the range seems more likely. Originally thought to be the work of an Alexandrian Jew, it is now generally agreed the author more likely stemmed from the northeastern Mediterranean (see esp. the interest in Antioch and the literary epitaphs of 17:9-10, which refelct Jewish epitaphs in Cilicia).

The work proposes the thesis that reason and ethical considerations, epitomized in torah, can master the passions. This is shown through the examples of several martyrs. The logical argumentation mirrors the approach taken in Greek and Roman ethical works.

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