Excerpt from The Five Books of Maccabees in English: With Notes and Illustrations (Classic Reprint)
In his edition of the Five Books of the Maccabees Henry Cotton sets out to remedy a lack he sees in the wider public and in theologians in particular. Cotton stated at the outset that 'With a view of removing one cause of this deficiency, I have collected together the writings of some ancient Jewish authors which refer to this period.'
The rise of Babylon through to the birth of Christ is chronicled in the two well-known and three much less known books of the Maccabees. The history of the Jewish people and their religious leadership before and including the time of Josephus is immortally chronicled in these tremendously valuable works.
Cotton capably addresses variations in translations and interpretations. He delves into the possibilities opened in the text down to the extent of virtually following the journeys of travellers visiting tiny Middle Eastern villages, metaphorically rummages through linguistic variations and takes on the nature of canonical and non-canonical works.
From the first sentence of the First Book of the Maccabees to the final sentence of the Fifth, Cotton expertly weaves the works into theological, theoretical and historical context. The texts themselves are a crucial part of the fabric of Abrahamic faith across the world to this day, but the notes by Cotton allow these works to be situated within an engaging and rich world we cannot truly understand without the benefit of the sage voice of the editor pointing out familiar relationships, religious parallels and comparisons with contemporary writers. What could be a religious text alone becomes a fascinating commentary allowing for lively debate which includes the reader emphatically.