Texts in Conversation
In a prayer at the temple in 2 Maccabees, the priests call God the one who needs nothing yet chose to dwell among his people. Simon’s prayer in 3 Maccabees echoes that same description as it appeals for the temple’s protection.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Maccabees 14:35
Deuterocanon
34 Having said this, he went away. Then the priests stretched out their hands toward heaven and called upon the constant Defender of our nation, in these words: 35 "O Lord of all, though you have need of nothing, you were pleased that there should be a temple for your shekinah* among us; 36 so now, O holy One, Lord of all holiness, keep undefiled forever this house that has been so recently purified."
3 Maccabees 2:9
Pseudepigrapha
8 And when they had seen works of your hands, they praised you, the Almighty. 9 You, O King, when you had created the boundless and immeasurable earth, chose this city and sanctified this place for your name, though you have no need of anything; and when you had glorified it by your magnificent manifestation, you made it a firm foundation for the glory of your great and honored name. 10 And because you love the house of Israel, you promised that if we should have reverses and tribulation should overtake us, you would listen to our petition when we come to this place and pray.
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Notes and References
... The phraseology in the prayer in 3 Maccabees clearly draws upon the prayer in 2 Maccabees 14:35-36 and upon 2 Maccabees 3:30 ... It thus seems likely that the author of 3 Maccabees borrowed ἀπροσδεής directly from 2 Maccabees and not from the Letter of Aristeas. Second Maccabees, on its part, may be indebted to Pseudo-Aristeas for this epithet, or else we are to posit that ἀπροσδεής was more common in Jewish-Greek (and possibly also in secular Greek) literature than its few surviving instances would lead us to believe. Indeed, the concept of God and of the divine cosmos as self-sufficient and in need of nothing can be traced back to Classical Greek literature, where it is expressed in terms which are close to the term ἀπροσδεής. ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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