Guide
The Hasmonean Defeat of Nicanor
3rd–6th Centuries
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The spectacular defeat of the Seleucid general Nicanor is marked by a holiday on the thirteenth of Adar. In one version of the story, Nicanor’s limbs are mutilated, and in the other, his head and hand are severed. In other accounts, found in 1 Maccabees and Josephus (see “Mordecai’s Day and Nicanor’s Day”), Judah Maccabee is named as the one responsible for killing Nicanor.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
Nicanor’s Thumbs and Toes
What is Nicanor [Day] and what is Trajan [Day]? As it is taught: Nicanor was one of the Greek generals. Each and every day he would lift his hand against Judaea and Jerusalem and say: When will [they]…
Primary Source
Nicanor’s Head and Hand
A ruler of the kingdom of Greece [was] en route to Alexandria. And he saw Jerusalem and blasphemed and cursed and taunted, and said: “When I come back whole, I shall break down that tower.” One [of…
Related Guide
Ancient Rabbinic Constructions of the Past
2nd–6th Centuries