What is 3 Maccabees?
One would assume, based on the title, that like 1 and 2 Maccabees, that 3 Maccabees is an account of the revolt led by Judas Maccabeus. That would be a reasonable assumption. It would also be incorrect.
Despite the title, 3 Maccabees has nothing to do with Judas Maccabeus or his family. Rather 3 Maccabees is a fictional account of Egyptian Jews under Ptolemy IV Philopater, half a century before the Maccabean period.
The basic plot is that Ptolemy was visiting Jerusalem and wanted full access to the Jerusalem Temple, including the area that only the high priest could enter in. Ptolemy is prevented from doing so and reacts by severely persecuting the Jews back in Alexandria. This persecution includes attempts to get the Jews to worship Dionysus. The story is a bit humorous in that Ptolemy unsuccessfully attempts numerous times to execute the Jews with a herd of drunken elephants. Although, this is a fictional account, there were indeed strained relations between the Jews and Greeks in Alexandria at various times.
So why is it called 3 Maccabees? Likely because it has the same tone and theme as 1 and 2 Maccabees. Just as a Jewish remnant endure persecution by Gentiles under Antiochus IV, the same thing happens here under Ptolemy IV. All three books call the Jewish people to faithfulness, even under the most difficult of circumstances.
You can find the text for 3 Maccabees online but I’m using the one found in the The New Oxford Annotated Bible.
