This volume in the popular Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series leads readers through a penetrating study of The First and Second Books of the Maccabees using the text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights by renowned Scripture scholars Matthew and Leeanne Thomas as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Old Testament books--information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of The First and Second Books of the Maccabees, often relating them to the teachings of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background of important biblical terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance".