To Fight or not to Fight? Various Answers to the Foreign Politi-cal Power in the Deuterocanonical Literature

Earlier books of the Old Testament do not face the problem of living under a foreign government. This question surfaced since the Exile. There are two main contradictory answers. One possibility is a submission; it can mean avoiding politics (Sirach, Wisdom) or careers at a foreign court (Esther, Tobit, Daniel 1-6). The faithfulness to God remains a necessary condition. On the other side we meet an opposition, even a military action (1 Maccabees, Judith) and condemnation of the foreign empire (Daniel 7-12). It can be modified by the religious factor: in 2 Maccabees martyrdom is morally better and finally assures a victory.