restore their former idyllic status. Indeed, one might say that reconciliation is our book’s leitmotif, that is, the restoration of the proper relationship with God—who is, of course, unchanging. In developing this motif, the author makes much use of Deut. 32 (of which v. 36 is the only biblical verse quoted formally in 2 Maccabees), which is also quite cyclical.8 Here too, as with armies versus martyrs, 2 Maccabees seems to reflect the distinction between people who, as Jews, have the power to change