2 Maccabees 12 - Summary

Holy city at the centre of the story: plundered by Antiochus, freed by Judas, and the place where Nicanor's head is hung up

Sanctuary defended against Heliodorus, profaned and dedicated to Jupiter, cleansed on the twenty-fifth of Casleu, then threatened by Nicanor

Home of the Jews to whom the opening letters are written, and the land of Antiochus's campaigns

Seleucid capital, near which Onias is murdered at Daphne, and to which Nicanor flees after his first defeat

Land where the priests hid the altar fire at the exile, and from which Antiochus returns in disgrace before his death

The mountain from which Moses saw the heritage of God, where Jeremiah is said to have hidden the tabernacle and the ark in a cave

Cyprus is a large island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It was the home of Barnabas and an early destination for Christian missionaries. Paul and Barnabas began their first missionary journey here. The proconsul Sergius Paulus became a believer when Paul blinded the sorcerer Elymas.

Arabia was the large peninsula east of the Red Sea. Paul went to Arabia after his conversion, possibly for a time of reflection and preparation. Mount Sinai is said to be in Arabia. The Queen of Sheba came from Arabia to hear Solomon's wisdom.

Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world, was the first Canaanite city conquered by the Israelites after crossing the Jordan River. Its walls famously fell after the Israelites marched around it for seven days as commanded by God through Joshua. Jesus later passed through Jericho, healing blind Bartimaeus and dining with the tax collector Zacchaeus.