Hebrews 11:35 states:

> "Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection."

Critics argue that the Old Testament nowhere states that anyone suffered torture specifically because they expected a resurrection. This objection assumes the Old Testament encompasses the entirety of recognized Jewish history for the first-century author. The situation described in this verse perfectly aligns with profound historical events that occurred during the intertestamental Maccabean period. For example, history records a man named Eleazar who refused to eat pork and was offered release by Antiochus, but chose death. In another famous account, a young man about to be martyred explicitly urged his brothers to face death bravely for the explicit sake of obtaining the resurrection. The author of Hebrews is drawing upon this well-known cultural history of Jewish martyrdom.

It is sometimes claimed that the OT does not say that anyone suffered torture because they expected a better resurrection. However, it is important to remember that the OT is not the entirety of Jewish history: The situation in this verse fits well with descriptions of events that happened in the Maccabean period.

For example, a man named Eleazer who refused to eat pork was offered release by Antiochus, but refused it. In another case, a young man who was to be martyred urged his brothers to follow in his footsteps for the sake of obtaining resurrection [Att.Hb, 349-50]. The Jewish intertestamental history provides the necessary context for this verse.