ספר מעשי יהודה המקבי: על פן אחד של היסטוריוגראפיה הלניסטית

It is generally agreed that II Maccabees is a work that combines Hellenistic form with Jewish contents. The present article discusses some features of the book relating to the literary genre of a Hellenistic monograph. These features include the very fact of producing an epitome from a longer historical work (that of Jason of Cyrene), the title of the book, the preeminence of the figure of Judas and the suppression of the importance of his father and brothers, the starting point of the narrative and, finally, the fact that it concludes with the victory over Nicanor rather than with Judas' death.