. . . the reference to Maccabees
(Hebrews 11:35) represents a Christian writer addressing Jews who belong to a
synagogue that uses Maccabees (Hannukah readings), but because it is likely
contested (as Mishnah debates witness), it is only used obliquely (possibly
betraying its respected but disputed status in the regions known to the
writer). We note that only 1-2 Maccabees were in some places read at synagogue
for Hannukah Sabbath. (Martin Jugie, A Complete History of the Biblical
Canon in the Christian East and West, Volume 1: Greek, Latin, and Slavic
Biblical Canon from the New Testament Until AD 1500, translated, edited and
expanded by Christiaan Kappes [N.P.: Patristic Pillars, 2022], 187 n.5)
