Judas Maccabaeus (died 161 BC)

Hebrew leader, member of the prominent Jewish Maccabee family that fought against Syrian rule in Palestine. Taking command of rebel forces on the death of his father in 166 BC, he won a series of victories that resulted in the capture of Jerusalem (164 BC). Judas made this his headquarters, and revived religious observance there by rededicating the Temple to Jehovah. This act is celebrated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. He was killed when his army was overwhelmed by superior Syrian forces at Elasa.

Judas was the son of the priest Mattathias, the first Jewish leader to fight against persecution by the Syrian king Antiochus IV. Following the capture of Jerusalem, Judas continued to strive for political independence of the Hebrew people. His brother Jonathan became leader after his death, and the Maccabee (or Hasmonaean) dynasty ruled Jerusalem as high priests until the rise of Herod the Great in 37 BC.

Judas Maccabaeus

Oratorio by Handel (libretto by T Morell), composed 9 July–11 August 1746 and first produced at Covent Garden, London, England, on 1 April 1747.