Bible - Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha - Hannah and the seven sons
HANNAH AND THE SEVEN SONS, a story told in the second and fourth books of the Books of the Maccabees. According to this story, apparently shortly after the religious persecution of the Jews Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–64 BCE) began in 167 BCE. In the year 100 BCE, seven brothers were captured along with their mother and ordered to eat pork (see Pig) to prove their obedience to the king. Encouraged by their mother, the brothers refused to partake of the meal and, after being subjected to terrible torture, were executed, as the Aggadah relates, before their mother's eyes.
When the king offered to save the life of her youngest son by persuading him to obey the order, Hannah did the opposite, demanding that her son follow the example of his older brothers. Sources give different accounts of Hannah's death: IV Maccabees—that she threw herself into the fire; Midrash—that she lost her mind and threw herself from the roof; Joseph—that she fell dead on the bodies of her executed sons. This story, together with the story of the martyrdom of the aged priest Elazar (II Macc. 6:18–31), formed the basis of the book known as IV Maccabees.
The story is a folkloric reflection of the tragic events that occurred during the persecution of Antiochus. Josippon, basing himself on IV Maccabees, also dates the story to the time of Antiochus, while in rabbinic literature the story is connected with the persecutions of Hadrian (early 2nd century CE; Git. 57b and others). In the book of Josippon and in the treatise Gittin the name of the mother of the seven martyrs is not given; in other rabbinic sources she is called Miriam bat Tanhum; in Syriac Christian sources she appears under the names of Shamona or Maryam. However, under the influence of the association with I Sam. 2:5, the Spanish version of Josippon (Istanbul, 1510) gives the name Hannah. Thanks to the wide circulation of the Spanish (more extensive) version of Josippon and the medieval piyyut based on this version in Hebrew, Arabic and Jewish-Persian, the name Hannah became widespread. In Josippon's short version and in the literature based on it, the mother of the seven martyrs remains unnamed.
As the "Seven Maccabean brothers" (along with whom their mother is also mentioned), the martyrs were included in the Catholic calendar of saints (August 1), since their martyrdom is seen as a prototype of later Christian martyrdom (see Christianity). According to Christian Antiochene tradition, the remains of the seven martyrs and their mother were buried on the site of a synagogue (later converted into a church) in the Kerateion quarter of Antioch; this has led to speculation that the site of the martyrdom was Antioch, not Jerusalem.
History has given rise to a variety of legends regarding the burial place of the martyrs' remains, as well as to numerous poetic, dramatic, and pictorial works dedicated to the martyrs.