Judas Maccabaeus (HWV 63) is an oratorio in three acts composed in 1746 by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto written by Thomas Morell. Based on 1 Maccabees, it depicts the Jewish revolt against Seleucid Syrian oppression during which jews were ordered to worship Zeus. After tearing down a pagan altar, Judas retreated to the hills and gathered others who were willing to fight for their faith. Judas leads his people to victory, inspiring them to reclaim Jerusalem and rededicate the Temple. This oratorio is timely in its themes of leadership, the cry for a new state of government, the ravages of war on a society desperate for change, religious freedom and heroism.
