‘Time has passed since you sent your letter’: Letter Phraseology in 1 and 2 Maccabees

Abstract

This article studies how Greek letter phraseology is used in the extensive array of letter texts in 1 and 2 Maccabees. In general, letter phraseology serves the purpose of underlining the reliability of the texts concerned. It is shown that the letter texts point to a good knowledge of Greek epistolary conventions, not only on a basic phraseological level (salutations and other formulae) but also in using more sophisticated means of Hellenistic epistolography (phraseology of friendship, recommendation rhetoric). It is also suggested that some peculiar formulations in the letter of Antiochus IV in 2 Maccabees 9 are due to conscious stylistic considerations by the author of 2 Maccabees.