Victims and Not Violators: Scapegoat Theory and 3 Maccabees 7.10–17

Abstract

The aim of this article is to read 3 Mace. 7.10–17 thorough the lens of René Girard's four stereotypes of scapegoating. The aim is to show that there is a way to make sense of the gratuitous violence in the scene, other than the explanation provided by the text. Interpreting the story in light of a scapegoating act not only helps to explain the disproportionate degree of punishment suffered by the apostates, but also uncovers a possible literary function for this inexplicable slaughter within the context of the narrative's conclusion. Read along the lines of sacrificial victims, the execution of the apostates makes certain that Philopator and the faithful Jews stand on the same side by story's end. While the execution of the traitors signifies the transference of Philopator's blame from one Jewish group to another, the willingness of the faithful Jews to put to death their own demonstrates once and for all their unyielding loyalty to the crown.