Maccabees

A group of Jewish rebels who took control of Judea from the Seleucid Empire which ruled from 167 to 37 BC. The Maccabees reasserted the Jewish religion and expanded the boundaries of Judea by conquest, and reduced the influence of Greek culture in Judea. May also refer to the Books of the Maccabees, which recount the history of the Maccabees.