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My glorious brothers

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"My Glorious Brothers" was once given my by a friend, about
30 years ago. He told me it was among his favorite books. I
soon found out why. Written in a beautiful, almost poetic
style, Howard Fast (a great and prolific writer) presents the
story of the Maccabees. These were the heroes of the amazing
Jewish Revolt against the mightiest world power at that time --
the Syrian-Greek Empire. From the small village of Modin, a
father and his five sons organize a rebellion to free ancient
Israel from its cruel occupiers. It is a thrilling account,
written from the perspective of Simon -- one of the five sons.
Fighting perhaps the first "guerilla war" in human history,
the Maccabees lead their nation of farmers and scholars against
the greatest organized fighting force in the world. It is a
thrilling and inspiring story of the few against the many; the
weak against the mighty. Their triumphs and sorrows are told
in one of the most moving books I have ever read. The Holiday
called Hanukah, celebrated by Jews the world over, commemorates
this incredible story.
Over the last 30 years I somehow lost this wonderful book,
and have spent years looking for another copy. I finally found
a used copy on Amazon, and paid a small ransom for it, gladly.
I am re-reading this story and will pass this book to my son.
It is truly one of the most treasured possesions in my life.

The Maccabees were a priestly family from the village of Modyin in the vicinity of Jerusalem, who led a 30-years rebellion war in the 2nd. century BC, against the Greek King Antiochus who wanted to impose pagans religious practices on the jews. The name Maccabee was a title of honour given to Judas, one of the 5 sons of Mattathias, the hero of the Jewish wars of independence (168-164 BC). Later, the name Maccabees was given to his whole family, specially to Mattathias, the old father, as well as to Judas brothers: John, Simon, Eleazar and Jonathan. The meaning of the word Maccabee in Hebrew, may be: 1) Hammer; 2) Hammerer or 3) Extinguisher. By defeating the greeks, they began to sanctify once again, the Great Temple of Jerusalem. They used a small candle that, astonishingly, burned for 8 days. This is why, every year, jews all over the world commemorate the holydays of Hanuka with the Hanukia - an 8 candle-sticks candelabrum. The story of the Maccabees and the Maccabeean wars, was written by Howard Fast as if it was Simon's own Diary. Later, Simon, one of the Maccabees, turned to be a judge and a high priest in the Great Temple of Jerusalem. He was assassinated in 134 BC. The rebellion was described in this book in its most human and philosophical aspects. The standing of the few against the many. The love of the jewish people for its sacred land and religious practices. Their loyalty to the Word of God. Their might and heroism for principles they believed most, like freedom. The reader will have the impression that Howard Fast really lived in the same epoch. Many of the moral lessons of this epoch are very actual, nowadays.

Many Christians would be better able to understand why the Hebrew nation is so fiercely nationalistic about their homeland if they read this book. This same material appears in the Douay Bible of the Roman Catholic church. Two books that appear in the Old Testament of this bible that are not in the Protestant Old Testament are 1 Machabees and 2 Machabees. It is essentially the same story as that told by Fast. When coupled with the history of Fast himself, the book becomes even more important. The Hebrew nation will persevere because it is God's chosen people, even if certain Hebrews lose the faith and later return.

I have recommended this book to many Messianic Jews as well as Christians who want to better understand the Hebrew nation.

I remember being really taken with this book when I read it as a kid, so I found a used copy to read to my kids. We make a big deal of Hanukkah so that Jewish kids don't feel gypped compared to everyone else, but hardly anyone really knows the story of Hanukkah in all its graphic detail. We should not shrink from telling our kids this story, and Fast's book is the only popular book I know that does it. The kids will not only have a better appreciation of the meaning of this holiday, but will also have a better appreciation of current events.

When I teach world history I always give my students a project in which they are to read a piece of historical fiction and do a bit of research. This book is exactly the type of book I recommend for them to read and why I created the project in the first place. It is well-written and re-creates a little bit of the historical world for the reader.

Set in 2nd Century B.C. Israel, this is a story of national liberation and freedom of religious expression. Many Protestants will be unfamiliar with the Maccabees since Maccabees 1-4 is not included in the Protestant Bible. This book is an ideal place to start to explore that time between the exile in Babylon and the Roman occupation that is featured in the New Testament.

The main characters are 5 brothers and their father, descendents of the Tribe of Levi. They refuse to be "civilized" by Hellenized (Greek-influenced) Syrians - they want to keep their old traditions and religion. They revolt against too many taxes, too many injustices and being forced to worship Greek gods. ("Thus they 'Hellenized' us, not with beauty and wisdom, but with fear and terror and hate." - p. 33)

I strongly recommend this one. Despite being more than 50 years old, this book can stand on its own among newer and more popular works about the ancient world such as Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae in both its battlefield descriptions and its cultural explorations.

Quote from the book I particularly liked: "What does the Lord require from a man, but that he should walk humbly and love righteousness?" (p. 142)

I just finished this book. First and foremost I really enjoyed reading it. I decided to read it because I know so little about Jewish history; I had heard the name Judas Maccabeus but I didn't know who he was. I would like to say that it is wrong to consider this book primarily from the vantage point of describing the Jews. I kept asking myself if the story of the Maccabeans was considered such an important part of Jewish history, then why did so many Jews let themselves be led to the slaughter by Hitler? So, for me, this book was not so much about the Jews as it was about history. Also,to me, this book is fictionalized history, where the author tries to incorporate the facts as much as possible. Even the narrator in the story, Simon, says you can't take it as genuine fact. Regardless of that, Howard Fast does a magnificent job. It took a few pages to get into the flow, but once into the book, I was caught. I bought this book used for 2 bucks, but I am going to send for a better copy to keep. For me, the lesson in this book is not so much about how great these ancient Jews were, as it is about why man has to keep fighting wars. And as a corollary, why our societies demand slavery (of one form or another and don't kid yourself, it exists today, but in a different form). Of note, these ancient Jews made very limited use of slavery. One of my favorite teachers once said, "Wisdom comes when you put the book down". From reading this book, I felt I learned a great deal about war and slavery. And I had to ask myself the question, Do the Jews of today believe in the same God who is portrayed in this book about the Jews of 150 years B.C.?

This review is dedicated to all the sons and daughters of Israel who have fell in defence of that remarkable land.
This wonderful book is essential for any Jew who wants to learn about his or her roots, any Christian who wants to learn more about the Judaic roots of his or her faith, and anyone else who wants to learn about the soul of the Jewish people.]
This is the story of the Maccabees- 5 glorious brothers who lead the rebellion by the Jewish people of Judea, against the cruel tyranny of that land's Greek and Syrian occupiers.
It is particularly relevant today, when the Jewish State is fighting for its life against cruel and ungodly forces that have decided that the Jewish people are no longer entitled to their homeland, and that Israel must disappear.
"We where slave in Egypt - and we will never forget that we where slaves in Egypt. So it must have been then, in the long ago, when our people, twelve tribes of them, sick with wandering and longing for rest, came out of the desert and saw the wooded hills and fertile valleys of Palestine'.
Once more the Jews have returned from their homeland, this time after two thousand years of persecution, and soon the lion will be awaken in the souls of the Jewish people to protect their land, from those who would kill their children and take it way, as the Maccabees did so with the Greek and Syrian invaders.
We read how a pretty eight year old girl, Deborah, the daughter of the schoolmaster Lebel is brutally murdered on the orders of the Greek warden of Judea, Apelles, and we are reminded of the slaughter of Jewish children by Arab terrorists, who much of the world, today support. It is these many incidents of cruelty and the desecration of the Jewish peoples' holy places that leads the peace loving people of Judea to become fierce warriors who's message to the world is: "We have extracted the price of freedom, which is always counted in blood, even as Moses did, and Joshua and Gideon too. From here on, we will not ask forgiveness, only for strength, for strength."

In a chillingly familiar parallel the attitude of those who support Palestinian terror,we read of the edict by the Greek King Antiochus, that to kill a Jew is no longer a crime but a virtue".

We learn how the peaceful Hebrew people, a people who ask nothing more than to determine their own future, in their own homeland, are forced to become warlike and to avenge the blood of its children: "They will pay -for every lick of flame, for every drop of blood, for every hurt."
There is always a message of hope: 'Simon a free people cannot be conquered - for us it is always the beginning, always the beginning."
It is this hope enshrined in the depiction of the beauty of the land of Israel, the only homeland of the Jewish people, and the beauty of it's children living in peace:
"Never was Israel like this before in all it's time, for the children played without fear, laughing as they ran through the grass, and splashed in streams. On the hillsides, the white lambs bleated for their mothers, and between the rocks pink and white flowers grew. Nowhere was there a break in the terraces; layer upon layer, they climbed the slopes, and the crop was a good thing to see, so rich and verdant. Who could see such things and deny that this was the land of milk and honey, blessed and thrice blessed".

When I teach world history I always give my students a project in which they are to read a piece of historical fiction and do a bit of research. This book is exactly the type of book I recommend for them to read and why I created the project in the first place. It is well-written and re-creates a little bit of the historical world for the reader.

Set in 2nd Century B.C. Israel, this is a story of national liberation and freedom of religious expression. Many Protestants will be unfamiliar with the Maccabees since Maccabees 1-4 is not included in the Protestant Bible. This book is an ideal place to start to explore that time between the exile in Babylon and the Roman occupation that is featured in the New Testament.

The main characters are 5 brothers and their father, descendents of the Tribe of Levi. They refuse to be "civilized" by Hellenized (Greek-influenced) Syrians - they want to keep their old traditions and religion. They revolt against too many taxes, too many injustices and being forced to worship Greek gods. ("Thus they 'Hellenized' us, not with beauty and wisdom, but with fear and terror and hate." - p. 33)

I strongly recommend this one. Despite being more than 50 years old, this book can stand on its own among newer and more popular works about the ancient world such as Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae in both its battlefield descriptions and its cultural explorations.

Quote from the book I particularly liked: "What does the Lord require from a man, but that he should walk humbly and love righteousness?" (p. 142)

Yes, this is a vivid account of the Jewish struggle for freedom, but it is also a beautifully written love story. I never tire of reading it, and it never fails to elicit a tear of joy, or of grief. Howard Fast at his best.

This book captures the most important part of Hanukkah, a celebration of Jewish liberty. For anyone who wants to learn more about the kinds of lives Jews lived, why liberty is such an essential aspect of Judaism, or why we must sometimes fight for the liberty and freedom we enjoy, this is the book for them. It is beautifully written and joyous to read.