GIASONE di CIRENE. - A cultured Jew of North Africa, author of a work in 5 books, of which II Mach., except for the beginning (1, 1-2, 18), is merely an epitome (cf. II Mach. 2, 23).
This is the only information available about G. and his voluminous work. As appears from our canonical book, it extended from the attempted plundering of the Temple by Eliodoro (175 B.C.) to Giuda’s victory over Nicanore (161 B.C.).
The detailed and precise information contained in II Mach. allows one to infer that G. (from whom it derives) drew upon witnesses contemporary with the events and wrote shortly after 161. He does not appear to have used written sources. The hypothesis (Schlatter) that I Mach. also depends on G. is unfounded.
BIBL.: A. Schlatter, Jason von Kyrene. Ein Beitrag zu seiner Wiederherstellung, Monaco 1891; E. Schürer, Geschichte der jüdischen Volkes, I, 3-4ª ed., Lipsa 1901, p. 40; III, 3ª ed., ivi 1898, pp. 358-61; A. Momigliano, Prime linee di storia nella tradizione maccabaica, Roma 1930; M.-J. Lagrange, Le judaïsme avant Jésus-Christ, 2ª ed., Parigi 1931, p. 48. Francesco Spadafora