1. Judah Maccabee: Judah was the third son of Mattathias, the High Priest, who initiated the revolt against the Seleucids. Under Judah's leadership, the Maccabees gained control over Jerusalem and rebuilt the Second Temple that had been desecrated by the Seleucids. Judah is known as the military leader and a strategic mastermind behind the Maccabees' victories.
2. Mattathias: Also known as Matthias or Mattathias the Hasmonean, he was the father of the Maccabee brothers. Mattathias is credited with sparking the revolt when he refused to obey an order to sacrifice to a pagan idol, killing a Jewish collaborator and leading a small band of rebels into the wilderness to continue fighting.
3. Jonathan Maccabee: Jonathan was Judah Maccabee's younger brother and succeeded him as the leader of the Jewish resistance after Judah's death. Jonathan maintained a political alliance with the Romans, and he served as the High Priest of Israel, balancing both political and religious roles during a time of conflict.
4. Simon Maccabee: Simon Maccabee was another son of Mattathias and a brother of Judah and Jonathan. Following Jonathan's assassination, Simon became the leader of the Jewish forces. He successfully negotiated peace with the Seleucids and obtained full Jewish autonomy, ending the struggle for religious freedom.
These figures played pivotal roles in the Hanukkah story, inspiring the Jewish people in their struggle against religious persecution and leading to the recapture and rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, an event that is commemorated annually during the festival of Hanukkah.