Welcome to the Mormon Maccabees Podcast! In Episode 1, host Nathanael Maccabee introduces the purpose and values of the show and tells the story behind its name: the Maccabean revolt and the origin of Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication).
The story of the Maccabees, found in 1st and 2nd Maccabees in the Apocrypha, is the story of a covenant people facing a tyrannical empire, a corrupted priesthood, and a great division between those who stayed faithful to Jehovah and those who embraced Hellenism. This episode explores why it carries so many parallels for Latter-day Saints, Book of Mormon readers, and truth-seekers today.
In this episode:
- The intentions, focus, and core values of the podcast: seeking truth, protecting freedom and agency, sanctifying ourselves, and rallying around the Book of Mormon
- Antiochus IV “Epiphanes” and the buying and selling of the high priesthood (Jason and Menelaus)
- D&C 121 and Mosiah 11: why authority comes from righteousness, not office
- The persecution under Antiochus, including the desecration of the temple and the martyrdom of Eleazar and the seven brothers and their mother (2 Maccabees 6–7)
- The idea of expiatory martyrdom and hope in the resurrection
- Covenant theology: why God permits covenant curses, how the law of justice works (Alma 42, D&C 88), and what it means that God is a “jealous” God (Hebrew qanna’)
- Mattathias, the flight into the wilderness, and the rise of Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”)
- Judah’s faith-filled leadership at Emmaus: 3,000 men against a vastly larger army
- The cleansing and rededication of the temple, and the origin of Hanukkah
- Connections to our day: apostate leadership, propaganda, persecution, the wheat and the tares, the gathering, and the transition from chaos and division to unity and power
- The spectrum of “awakening” among Latter-day Saints, and why everyone who is seeking truth is welcome here
- Reflective questions: What would you do if Mattathias were alive today?
What is Mormon Maccabees Podcast?
This podcast is dedicated to seekers of truth who embrace the core principles of Mormon faith while remaining open to learning wherever truth may be found. It primarily focuses on the Book of Mormon as the central text for understanding last days prophecy and approaching its messages from a deeper, more revelatory level, with special attention to the spirit of prophecy. The podcast resonates particularly with those who value doctrinal depth combined with intellectual honesty and a commitment to personal revelation.