The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) Introduction to the Maccabean Revolt (with Jeff Cavins) - 2025
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Oct 9, 2025 
Join Jeff Cavins, a Catholic biblical teacher renowned for his insights into the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, as he explores the Maccabean Revolt. He discusses the significance of this period in salvation history and the heroic acts of the Maccabees against Greek oppression. Expect stories of Antiochus Epiphanes' brutal policies, the origins of Hanukkah, and the poignant martyrdom of a mother and her seven sons. Cavins also highlights the importance of deuterocanonical books and how this era sets the stage for the New Testament.
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Why Canons Differ
- The Septuagint (Greek OT) was the Bible of the early Church and included books like 1–2 Maccabees.
- Protestant and Catholic canons differ because Reformers returned to the later Jewish canon, not because Catholics invented books.
Hellenization Set The Stage
- Alexander the Great spread Hellenization and set the cultural stage the Jews had to respond to.
- His death led to Ptolemaic then Seleucid rule, bringing Antiochus Epiphanes who aggressively attacked Jewish religion.
Antiochus' Persecution And Hanukkah
- Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jerusalem Temple and tried to force Jews to eat pork, provoking revolt.
- The Maccabees retook and rededicated the Temple, giving rise to the Hanukkah celebration of the oil miracle.
