| Judas Maccabeus | |
|---|---|
 An imaginary depiction of Judas Maccabeus from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (1553) | |
| Leader of the Maccabees | |
| Tenure | 167–160 BCE |
| Predecessor | Mattathias |
| Successor | Jonathan Apphus |
| Died | April 160 BCE Elasa, Seleucid Empire |
| Burial | |
| Dynasty | Hasmonean |
| Father | Mattathias |
Judas Maccabaeus or Maccabeus (/ˌmækəˈbiːəs/ MAK-ə-BEE-əs), also known as Judah Maccabee (Hebrew: יהודה המכבי, romanized: Yehudah HaMakabi),[a] was a Jewish priest (kohen) and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE).
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication") commemorates the restoration of Jewish worship at the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC, after Judah Maccabee removed all of the statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses and purified it.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).