“Maccabees,” the family nickname of the Jewish dynasty that ruled Judea from the time of the Maccabean Revolt (167 B.C.) until the Roman conquest of Palestine by Pompey in 63 B.C., usually refers to the Jewish patriot Mattathias and his five sons. This family and their descendants are more properly known as the “Hasmoneans.” The story of the clan’s early efforts to liberate the Jewish people from their Seleucid rulers is told in the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books 1 and 2 Maccabees.

Mattathias, the head of the family, served as a priest in the temple. He refused to adopt the Greek culture and resisted the policies of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) because they threatened to destroy the Jewish nation. In 167 B.C., he began what is known as the Maccabean revolt when he killed a Jew and one of Antiochus’ officials to keep them from offering pagan sacrifices in the temple. Following Mattathias’ death in 166 B.C., the struggle was continued by his five sons and grandson.

Judas (ruled from 166 to 160 B.C.), nicknamed Maccabeus or “the hammer,” was Mattathias’ third oldest son. This warrior successfully led the Jewish forces against the larger Syrian armies. He also led in the cleansing and rededication of the temple, which had been made unfit for worship when Antiochus IV ordered the sacrifice of ritually unclean animals upon its altar.

Jonathan (ruled from 160 to 142 B.C.), Mattathias’ fifth and youngest son, was a good diplomat as well as a warrior, as indicated by the treaties he established with leaders of several surrounding nations. In 152 B.C., he was named high priest.

Simon (ruled from 142 to 134 B.C.), Mattathias’ second eldest son, was even more successful at diplomacy than Jonathan and finally achieved independence for Judea. He, too, was made high priest. The office of high priest became a hereditary position in Simon’s family.

John Hyrcanus, Simon’s son, ruled from 134 to 104 B.C., a period of great Jewish prosperity. Two major Jewish groups in Palestine, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, were formed at this time. Although most of the Jewish population favored the Pharisees, John Hyrcanus gave his support to the Sadducees. Unlike his father, uncles, and grandfather, John Hyrcanus died a peaceful death following a long and successful reign.

By 103 B.C. the throne passed to Alexander Janneus who ruled until 76 B.C. His widow, Alexandra, ruled during the decade following his death. When civil war broke out between her sons Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II after her death, the conflict was eventually resolved by the Roman general Pompey the Great who designated Hyrcanus as high priest and ethnarch (a lesser title than king). The Hasmoneans continued to rule a much-reduced territory as clients of Rome until 37 B.C., when Herod, who was only related to the family by marriage, was made client king.