Nicanor (/naɪˈkeɪnər/; Ancient Greek: Νικάνορ, romanized: Nīkā́nōr; died 161 BCE) was a Syrian-Greek general (strategos) who served the Seleucid Empire during the reigns of kings Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Demetrius I Soter.
Nicanor was killed, his corpse was desecrated, his head and right hand hung for public display back in Jerusalem, and a new festival was declared to celebrate his defeat.
These books were preserved by becoming part of the Septuagint, a collection of Jewish writings in Greek that would serve to become the basis of the Christian Old Testament.
The book 2 Maccabees calls him "Nicanor son of Patroclus" and says he was one of the king's chief friends (philoi), at a time when the position would imply being an advisor as well as just friendship.
2 Maccabees adds the detail that Nicanor plotted to raise money by using the army to enslave Jews and then sell them.
This would be part of a scheme to pay off a 2,000 talent debt the Seleucids owed to the Roman Republic, presumably due to the terms of the Treaty of Apamea.
2 Maccabees mentions a skirmish between forces led by Simon Thassi and Nicanor's troops at place called Dessau, but does not provide details beyond implying that the Seleucids won the battle, if inconclusively.
As part of their role in Jerusalem, there appears to have been efforts to reach out and quiet the province, and bring moderate Hellenists back into loyalty with the Seleucid government.
In the telling of 1 Maccabees, Nicanor is "one who hated Israel and was hostile to it" with orders to "wipe out the people", and is evil from the start.
Judas was wary of the offer of negotiations and avoided some sort of trap Nicanor laid to capture him, and retreated to the countryside.
Nicanor led a small group to fight a battle near Caphar-Salama, but Judas won, and the government troops retreated back to Jerusalem.