Der weitgehend verborgene Hauptakteur: Zur expliziten Rede von Gott in I Makk

It is widely known that the narrator in I Macc talks about God only very rarely, exceedingly reserved, and often by using ›heaven‹ as a replacement. What has been missing thus far are detailed studies concerning the narrative expansion of the image of God which follow the course of the text and which aside from the positioning of each specific statement also trace the expansion of the anthropological-theological conception. The study at hand attempts to contribute to the closing of this gap and wants to trace the assertion of God. In this process, both the importance of the lone figural assertion to God in 4,30, which has yet to be appreciated sufficiently, as well as an evident interaction between the outline of God as aide and savior become apparent. It is further to be observed that the narrator skillfully is able to put the Hasmoneans’ role in the restoration and preservation of the temple (and Israel’s integrity) into focus by reticently making reference to God and elaborately depicting their actions without losing sight of God’s absolute sovereignty.