Bible dictionary

Dositheus

1. A Jew representing himself as a priest and Levite. He delivered a letter from Mordecai concerning the Feast of Purim (possibly containing the book of Esther) to Ptolemy and Cleopatra in the fourth year of their reign (Add Est 11:1).

2. One of Judas Maccabeus’s captains. With Sosipater he captured and destroyed a stronghold of 10,000 soldiers left behind by Timothy, one of Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ governors (2 Macc 12:19).

3. One of Bacenor’s men. This Dositheus was a horseman with great strength. His attempt to capture Gorgias (one of Ptolemy’s generals) was unsuccessful (2 Macc 12:35).

4. Drimylus’s son and an apostate. A general of the Seleucids, he prevented the assassination of Ptolemy (ruler of the Seleucid Empire) by Theodotus (3 Macc 1:3).

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)The classic article on this subjectSmith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)The entry on this subject

Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary) from Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. About the sources