Maccabees
185BC -150BC. This family and others stayed faithful to God during the time called the silent years.
Old Testament Bible reference: this happened in the silent 400 years.
A celebrated Jewish family 170-37BC that defended the Jewish rights and customs.
Purified the temple in 164BC that had been built by Zerubbabel.
Maccabees in Hebrew means: Hammer.
Background Reading:
Hebrews 11:34
and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Maccabees against the roman army
Maccabees
This happened after Malachi was written and the Gospels had not picked up the story again.
Bible reference.