Pachon
## The Month of Pachon in 3 Maccabees Pachon is identified as the ninth month in the ancient Egyptian civil calendar. Its sole biblical mention is found in 3 Maccabees 6:38, which records that a festival celebrating a great deliverance was established to be observed annually on this date. The text states this deliverance occurred when Ptolemy IV Philopator, who had been persecuting the Jews of Alexandria, was thwarted by divine intervention.
## Historical and Cultural Context The Egyptian calendar, consisting of twelve 30-day months plus five epagomenal days, was widely used in the Hellenistic world following Alexander the Great's conquests. For Jews living in the diaspora, particularly in Alexandria, Egypt, this calendar was part of daily civic and administrative life. The mention of Pachon instead of a Hebrew month name (like Nisan or Tishrei) reflects the acculturation of the Jewish community while they maintained their religious identity. The event commemorated in 3 Maccabees is set in the 3rd century BCE, a period of significant Jewish literary and cultural activity in Alexandria.
## The Narrative of Deliverance The book of 3 Maccabees recounts a crisis where King Ptolemy IV, enraged after being prevented from entering the Temple in Jerusalem, attempts to forcibly register and persecute the Jews of Egypt. His plan culminates in a intent to have them trampled by intoxicated elephants in the hippodrome. In desperate prayer, the high priest Eleazar intercedes, and God sends two angels who terrify the king and his forces, leading to a complete reversal. The king not only releases the Jews but funds a seven-day festival of celebration. The establishment of this festival on the 8th of Pachon (3 Maccabees 6:38) creates a perpetual memorial of salvation.
## Significance for Diaspora Judaism The use of the Egyptian month Pachon is theologically significant. It demonstrates that God's saving acts were not confined to Judea. The festival, tied to a local calendar, became a powerful communal marker for Alexandrian Jews, affirming that their history and God's faithfulness were real in the land of their residence. It represents a form of inculturated worship, where a foreign timekeeping system is redeemed to commemorate a uniquely Jewish experience of divine rescue.
Biblical Context
Pachon appears only in the deuterocanonical book of 3 Maccabees 6:38. The book is included in the canon of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches but is considered apocryphal by Protestants and Jews. It is not found in the Hebrew Bible. The reference serves as a precise date for instituting an annual festival celebrating the deliverance of the Jewish community in Alexandria from persecution under Ptolemy IV Philopator.
Theological Significance
The mention of Pachon highlights the theme of God's providence and protection over His people in the diaspora. It teaches that God's saving acts occur within human history and specific cultural contexts, and that these events are worthy of perpetual commemoration. The use of a foreign calendar month underscores that God's faithfulness transcends national and cultural boundaries, being relevant to His people wherever they reside.
Historical Background
The Egyptian month of Pachon corresponded roughly to late April and May in the Julian calendar. The Egyptian civil calendar, fixed at 365 days, was in use for millennia. The event described in 3 Maccabees, while its historical accuracy is debated by scholars, is set in the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 BCE). The book itself is likely a work of the 1st century BCE or CE, reflecting the tensions and identity negotiations of the large Jewish community in Hellenistic Alexandria.