You should follow him on Twitter. He's like a ray of sunlight. Who writes beautiful poetry. About being a hopeless addict trapped in a loveless relationship with a woman equally empty and desperate, hurtling towards the abyss.

I'm not familiar with any passages to that effect, but it wouldn't surprise me. There was a strong schism in ancient Jewry, particularly in the post-exilic/pre-diaspora period, between Jews who viewed Judaism as a nationalist religion and those who viewed the state as an unnecessary evil, such that living under…

Maccabees is not so much a source text as co-sourced. The Maccabee rebellion is a historical event, and Hanukkah is a (minor) holiday commemorating a victory in that rebellion. More accurately, Hanukkah commemorates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, following Maccabees' victory and cleansing of…