The Maccabees

Also known as: Judas Maccabeus and his brothers
Dates: 2nd century BC
Role: Jewish liberators and leaders of the revolt against Seleucid rule

Jewish liberators and leaders of the revolt against Seleucid rule. Purified the temple that had been defiled by the nations, and delivered their homeland from the yoke of the foreigner.

Pope Clement VIII, Jerome's Prefaces, On Worship

ON THE WORSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE SCRIPTURES. — The temple was defiled by the nations and purified by the Maccabees before the coming of Christ
"defiled by the nations and purified by the Maccabees"
ON THE WORSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE SCRIPTURES. — One of the scenes of human tenderness: the Maccabees delivering their homeland from the yoke of the foreigner
"the Maccabees delivering their homeland from the yoke of the foreigner"