Final proof, if proof be needed, of my level of bible ignorance is that my first encounter with the word "Maccabees" was the film title "I (heart) Maccabees" which was actually not that long ago. (I have not seen the film and would be obliged to google it if you asked me for a plot synopsis, so please do not).
You can, hopefully, picture the repeated double takes I went through, since then as it began appearing in Twitter exchanges (theist vs. atheist) and, lately, American politics.
I really must consult Wiki to find out what they are.