Were Seven Brothers Tortured in Front of Their Mother for Refusing Pork?

Primary: 2 Maccabees 7:1–42 · Period: Antiochus IV

What the ancient record says

Seven brothers and their mother arrested; the stated reason for torture is the king's attempt to force them to eat pork contrary to ancestral instructions. They refuse; each is tortured in succession while their mother witnesses, each refusing even after seeing the prior brother.

The king also tries to persuade the youngest with wealth, friendship, and public office; he refuses, showing both sides of coercion (reward for compliance, torture for resistance). The mother watches all seven die, encourages them to remain firm, and is then killed.

What we can and cannot prove

No Seleucid execution transcript per brother; proper description: 2 Maccabees preserves an ancient martyrdom narrative within the documented Antiochene persecution.