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Think of any small, proud civilization swept over by a military colossus. Consider, for example, Native Americans trying to keep their heritage alive today. The elders maintain ancient stories and ceremonies, but it is a constant battle against the power of television, Wal-Mart, and alcohol. Even the proudest elder must sometimes doubt whether the traditions can survive.

Such is the backdrop for most of the Apocrypha. Sometimes with serene confidence, sometimes with anxious triumphalism, these books instruct Israel on how to maintain its faith in the face of polytheistic, syncretistic temptation. In Baruch, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Tobit, and several stories added to the end of Daniel, pagan society seduces and worries even though it does not directly threaten.

There are few signs of overt persecution but plenty of suggestion that the distinctive faith of Israel needs stiffening. The books respond with several repeated themes. One is an abhorrence of idolatry—a frequent Old Testament theme that forcefully contradicts Greek religion. Another theme is Torah-keeping, which addressed God's moral purposes and also, through ceremonial requirements, erected tremendous social barriers between Greek and Jew.

Some books emphasize the high priest and Temple—two elements of Jewish life not open to Gentiles. A frequent emphasis on God's wisdom seems to say, "You think Greek philosophy has something to say? Nothing like the wisdom that comes from God himself!"

Overall, these books respond to a seductive world by insisting that the Jews stick to their separate identity. Anything Greek society has, Jews have it better. God cares for his people, whereas idols—staples of Greek religion—are witless fakes that can offer nothing. God's wisdom outdoes pagan philosophy. Maintenance of Jewish identity through Torah and Temple is the only true security in a difficult world.

The tone changes dramatically in First and Second Maccabees. These books tell how Antiochus Epiphanes sought to unify his empire by imposing Greek religion. Seduction is not in question. Violence is.

Antiochus desecrated the Temple, slaughtering a pig on its altar before turning it into a temple of Zeus. He executed people for practicing circumcision or for keeping food purity laws. In reaction, the priest Mattathias and his sons led a bloody guerrilla uprising against Antiochus and his successors. They mainly succeeded, winning a modicum of independence for the Jewish state. The festival of Hanukkah began with their liberation and purification of the Temple.

Just as in the rest of the Apocrypha, 1 and 2 Maccabees assume that Israel has the only true religion, and that idolatry is the final treachery. True Israel defends the land and the Temple, clinging to the laws of ritual purity and of kosher diet. The most famous martyr passage in the Apocrypha, in 2 Maccabees 7, tells of a mother and her seven sons whom Antiochus tortures to death for refusing to eat pork. Their heroic bravery, refusing to compromise their faith in the smallest degree, is inspiring.

Another kind of martyr, however, dominates 1 and 2 Maccabees: the soldier who falls in battle, fighting for Jerusalem and its Temple. On the eve of battle, the Maccabean troops pray to God for victory. They fast; they read the Law. They are pious, devoted Jews. They are also courageous and ferocious Jews whose bravery ultimately defeats their enemies. The greatest hero is Judas Maccabeus, an outstanding general who led his outnumbered army to victory upon victory.

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December 9 2002, Vol. 46, No. 13