Mattathias
| Mattathias | |
|---|---|
An imaginary depiction of Mattathias from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (1553) | |
| Leader of the Maccabees | |
| Reign | 167-166 BCE |
| Predecessor | Revolt Started |
| Successor | Judas Maccabeus |
| Born | Judea |
| Died | 166 BCE |
| Burial | |
| Issue | Judas Maccabeus Eleazar Avaran Simon Thassi John Gaddi Jonathan Apphus |
| Dynasty | Hasmonean |
| Father | John, son of Simeon |
| Religion | Judaism |
Mattathias ben Johanan (Hebrew: מַתִּתְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן יוֹחָנָן, Mattīṯyāhū haKōhēn ben Yōḥānān; died 166–165 BCE) was a Kohen (Jewish priest) who helped spark the Maccabean Revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. Mattathias's story is related in the deuterocanonical book of 1 Maccabees and in the writings of Josephus. Mattathias is accorded a central role in the story of Hanukkah and, as a result, is named in the Al HaNissim prayer Jews add to the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) and the Amidah during the festival's eight days.