MAC'CABEES, BOOKS OF, eerthin apocryphal writings of the Old Testament, treating chiefly of the history of the 'Maccabees (q.v.). They are usually divided into four parts, or books; the first of which—the most important—comprising the period 1715-135 n.c., relates the events which took place in Judwa, Antiochus IV. Epiphanes's misdeeds against the temple, the city, and the nation (ch. ii.); the rising of Mattathiali and his sons against the oppressor, the heroic deeds of Judah Maccabeus (iii.-ix.), of Jona than (ix.-xii.), and Simon, until the election of Johannes Hyrcanus to the dignity of high-priest. The account, which bears the aspect of strict truthfulness, proceeds chronoloOcally after the Seleueidian era. According to Origen and Jerome, this book was originally written in Hebrew. The author, probably a Palestinian, composed it partly from traditions, partly from official documents, after the death of Simon, during the high-priesthood of Johannes Hyreanus, and it was shortiv afterwards translated into Greek, Syriac, and Latin. The second book contains--1. Two letters from the Pal estinian to the Egyptian Jcws, inviting them to celebrate the feast of the reinauguration of the temple (Chanukah), (i., ii.); and 2. An extract, with introduction and epilogue, from thg tive books of the Maccabees, by Jason of Cyrene. This second portion begins with the spoliation of the temple by Hesiodorus, under Seleucus Philopator, and emls with the death of Nicanor; thus embracing the period 176-161 B.C. The two letters are spurious, and of a late date; and the extract from Jason's work—to a great extent, only an embellished repetition of the first book of the Maccabees, of a partly moralizing, partly legendary nature—contains many chronological and historical errors, and bears altogether the stamp of being written for merely religious and didactic purposes. The (late both of the original and the extract are very uncertain, but the latter does not seem to have been made before the middle of tile.lst century B.c.
These two books (SOT Chashmonaim) are the only ones received in the Vulgate, and declared canonical by the councils of Florence and Trent, and translated by Luther.
The third and fourth, however, appear to have been altogether unknown to the western church. The former of these treats of an ante-Maccabean incident: the miraculous sal vation of the Jews in Egypt whom Ptolemmus Philopator (221-204 n.c.) tried to force into idolatry. The style and general contents of this book point to an Alexandrine Ilellenist as the author or compiler (about 200 n.c.); some investigators (Ewald, Grimm), however, are of opluion that the whole is a poetical invention, intended as a typical description of the circumstances of the Jews under Caliamla. The fourth bookovrongly supposed to be identical with Josephus's Supremacy Of Reason, contains, chiefly, the martyrdom of Eleazar and the seven brothers, and is probably also the work of an Alexau. thine Jew living in Egypt—perhaps at the time of Herod the great—and belonging to the Stoic school. Declamations, dialogues, monologues,- and the like, are of frequent occurrence, and impart to the book the character of a most artificial and strained com position. There is also a so-called fifth book of Maccabees to be found in the Polyglot, but only- the Arabic and Syriac versions, not the Greek original—the unique 11IS. of which is supposed to have perished—are extant. See APOCRYPHA, BIBLE.
McCALL, GEORGE ARCHIBALD, 1802-68; b. Penn.; graduated at West Point in 1822; entered the army and was made first lieut. in 1829, capt. in 1836, and maj. in 1847. Ile served with distinction iu the Florida and Mexican wars, was made inspector.gen. in 1850, and resigned in 1833. In 1861 lie commanded h. volunteer force called the Penn sylvania " reserve corps," receiving a malgen.'s commission from that state. His corps was attached to the army of the Potomac, and he led it through part of the peninsula campaign of 1862, till the battle of Frazier's Farm, where lie was taken prisoner. He was exchanged in August, but his Lealth prevented his returning to the army, from which he resigned in Mar., 1863.