NANAEA nə ne’ ə (Ναναία, meaning unknown).

“Nanaea” was the name given to a Pers. goddess. She is not mentioned in either the OT or the NT, but her temple in the city of Elymais is referred to in the Apoc. (2 Macc 1:13). Other names by which she was known are Anaea (Anaitis) and Nana, the latter used esp. in Babylon. She eventually became identified with the Gr. goddess Aphrodite.

The writer of 2 Maccabees gives an account of Antiochus’ death which occurred in the temple devoted to worshiping Nanaea (2 Macc 1:13-17). The description is complicated by a confusion of historical events and an intermingling of the mythological, so that it is impossible to determine which Antiochus is in view. Some have suggested Antiochus III (d. 187 b.c.) while others postulate Antiochus VII (d. 129 b.c.), but to some degree Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) is also in the writer’s mind. Some details are erroneously drawn from 1 Maccabees 6:1-4 where the unsuccessful attempt of Antiochus IV to extract the riches of Alexander the Great from this temple is recounted. Regardless of which Antiochus is in view in 2 Maccabees 1, a conflicting story of his death is given in 2 Maccabees 9:1ff.

The leader described in 2 Maccabees 1:13-17 arrived at Nanaea’s temple under the pretext of marrying her, hoping to receive the riches of the temple as a dowry. The deception was discovered by the priests of the temple, who, in turn, laid a trap for Antiochus. When he and a small number of his men had entered the treasure room, the door was shut and locked. Then the victims were stoned to death from a hole in the ceiling, dismembered and their heads thrown to those who waited outside. This fate is depicted by the writer of 2 Maccabees as an act of God’s justice against this unrighteous king.