Męczeństwo według 1-2 Mch

Abstract

The Books of Maccabees are a shining example of a determined strife of the spirit of the still vivacious Israel in defense of faith, God's law, noble native traditions, as well as a testimony of heroism which is not afraid of even the most sophisticated torture and martyr's death, almost superhuman courage and valor of so many heroes of this last epoch of the Old Testament, the First Covenant, before the coming of Christ – the Son of God. Later centuries will glorify the heroes' rousing valor and enrich historic facts connected with them with moving legends thus producing spiritual and religious reading that inspires the reader with great ideals. It should be stressed here, however, that the sheer fact of martyrdom, the courageous death for faith, for honorable tradition of the fathers, and for the highest values of the spirit as well as decisiveness in professing the faith up until the last moments of life and the religious truths expressed in the descriptions of martyrdom, such as the eternal life, resurrection of bodies, creating the world out of nothing, etc., are sufficient in themselves without a need to resort to legends and the apocrypha in order to pay homage to the heroes of the Maccabees epoch and worship them as Martyrs with capital M.