Search

This chapter describes the Hasidim of the second century BCE. These 'mighty warriors' have captivated the scholarly world for more than a century. The chapter discusses three groups of Hasidim; each occupied by militant ideologies or activities, and found in that militancy a key to understanding and a reason for a new theory. It concentrates on the first description of the Asidaioi in 1 Maccabees 2:42 and 7:12-13. The chapter turns to the second description of the Asidaioi, in 1 Maccabees 7:12-13: A group of scribes, however, gathered about Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for a just agreement. The repetition from 1 Maccabees 2:42 draws a parallel between both congregations, equating the Asidaioi and the scribes. Having read two sources that speak about the Hasidim, the chapter analyses a spiritual text of the Hasidim themselves, Psalm 149. Keywords: Asidaioi; Hasidim; Maccabean; militant ideology; Psalm