Second Temple

2 Maccabees Summary During the high priesthood of Onias, Jerusalem enjoyed peace, and the temple was honored, even receiving royal support. A dispute between Onias and Simon, a temple official, led Simon to falsely report to Apollonius, the regional governor, that the temple treasury held vast sums. This prompted King Seleucus to send his minister, Heliodorus, to seize the funds. Despite protests from Onias, who explained the money belonged to widows, orphans, and Hyrcanus, Heliodorus attempted to confiscate it. The city was in anguish, and the people prayed for divine intervention. As Heliodorus moved to seize the treasury, a miraculous vision appeared: a fearsome horseman and two young men severely beat him, leaving him near death. ...

Apochrypha Chapter Notes 2 Maccabees 3 Resources Doran, Robert, and Harold W. Attridge. 2 Maccabees: A Critical Commentary. Hermeneia–a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012. An excellent commentary on 2 Macc, provides a solid general introduction and a terse but informative line-by-line commentary. Goldstein, Jonathan A. II Maccabees: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Nachdr. The Anchor Bible 41A. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. Another excellent commentary, more detailed in both the notes and the introduction than Doran’s.