Maccabees can refer to several related historical, literary, religious, and cultural subjects.

Historical figures and movements

  • The Maccabees — the family and followers of Mattathias and his sons who led the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule in the late 2nd century BCE. The movement is most closely associated with Judah (Judas) Maccabee, and it resulted in the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple and the later rule of the Hasmonean (also spelled Hasmonean/Hashmonean) dynasty.
  • Hasmonean dynasty — the line of Jewish rulers that emerged from the Maccabean leadership; they governed parts of Judea and surrounding areas in the period following the revolt.

Books and religious texts

  • 1 Maccabees — a historical account of the revolt, written in Greek from a Jewish royalist perspective; its canonical status varies among religious traditions.
  • 2 Maccabees — a separate work covering overlapping events with a different theological and literary approach; it is an abridgement of a larger lost history and is treated as canonical in some Christian traditions but apocryphal in others.
  • 3 Maccabees and 4 Maccabees — later books that bear the Maccabee name; 3 Maccabees recounts a different persecution story and 4 Maccabees is a philosophical treatise. Their acceptance in religious canons is limited and varies by tradition.

Modern and cultural uses

  • The Maccabees — the name of a British indie rock band formed in the mid-2000s, known for albums released between 2007 and the early 2010s.
  • Various fraternal and benevolent organizations historically used the Maccabee name or imagery, drawing on the term's association with courage and communal defense.
  • Maccabee (singular) — often used as an epithet for members of the original family or for individuals exemplifying their spirit.
  • Maccabi — a modern transliteration used widely for Jewish sports clubs and organizations; this is a distinct, though etymologically related, usage.

If you are looking for a specific meaning (a historical person, one of the books, a modern group, or cultural references), check the appropriate category above to find the topic you need.