ON THE MACCABEES: I just ran across an interesting discussion of them by Jonathan Edelstein (the "Head Heeb") in which he develops a post from last year on why he might not have supported them if he had lived in their time. He concludes, "I am glad the Maccabees were there when they were needed, but if I could change the past, I would prefer to make them unnecessary." Judging the ancients by our standards is always a tricky proposition, but it makes for an intriguing thought experiment. There's lots of discussion in the comments and the various links as well.