volume 15, issue 1, 2023, pages 51-69

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsBBDY4236
Published online: 2023-06-01
Published in print: 2023-06-30

Abstract: One of the two explicit references of Joshua in the Books of Maccabees is found in 1 Macc 2:55. Previous studies (e.g., R. Egger-Wenzel [2006], F.V. Reiterer [2007], T. Elßner [2008], J. Schnocks [2012] or Z. Farber [2016]) have mainly dealt with the issue of Joshua’s special title as judge in that verse. Elßner and Schnocks have examined the reception of Joshua’s actions and words in 1 Macc in more detail. The present study will focus on several textual references (syntagms and motifs) to the figure of Joshua, particularly in 1 Macc 1–2, that depict Mattathias with the characteristics of Joshua. In addition to being an example of intrabiblical interpretation, these references to a well-known figure from the famous ancestors, through identification with the heroic father Mattathias, also become the stock example for the heroes of the following parts of the book.