2nd Book of Maccabees

2 Maccabees 1

¹ To their brothers, the Jews who are in Egypt: greetings. The Jews, their brothers, who are in Jerusalem and in the land of Judah, wish a happy peace. ² May God bless you and remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his faithful servants. ³ May He give you all a heart to worship Him and to carry out His will wholeheartedly and willingly. ⁴ May He open your heart to His law and His precepts, and may He do there peace. ⁵ May He answer your prayers and reconcile with you, and may He not abandon you in times of misfortune. ⁶ And now we are here praying for you. ⁷ During the reign of Demetrius, in the year one hundred and sixty-nine, we Jews wrote to you when we were in the most extreme distress that had occurred during those years since Jason and his followers had betrayed the cause of the holy land and the kingdom. ⁸ They had burned the temple door and shed innocent blood. So we prayed to the Lord and were heard; we offered the sacrifice and the finest flour, we lit the lamps and set out the loaves. ⁹ Now we are writing to you again so that you may celebrate the days of the Feast of Tabernacles in the month of Casleu. ¹⁰ In the year one hundred and eighty-eight. To those in Jerusalem and Judea, the Senate and Judah, to Aristobulus, advisor to King Ptolemy, to the family of consecrated priests and to the Jews who are in Egypt: greetings and prosperity. ¹¹ Saved by God from great perils, we give him great thanks, we who are ready to fight against the king. ¹² For God himself rejected those who had arrayed themselves for battle against the holy city. ¹³ Indeed, the enemy leader having gone to Persia at the head of an army that seemed invincible, they were struck down in the sanctuary of Nanée, thanks to the cunning of the priests of Nanée. ¹⁴ Antiochus came to this place with his friends under the pretext of marrying the goddess, with the aim of seizing the treasures as a dowry. ¹⁵ The priests of Nanée displayed them and he himself entered with a small number of his people into the sacred enclosure. ¹⁶ As soon as Antiochus entered, they closed the temple and, having opened the secret door in the ceiling, they threw stones, knocked out the leader and those who were with him, cut them into pieces and threw their heads to those who were outside. ¹⁷ Blessed be our God in all things, he who has delivered the wicked to death ¹⁸ Since we were to celebrate the purification of the temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Casleu, we thought it necessary to inform you, so that you too may celebrate the days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the day of the fire that was kindled when Nehemiah, after rebuilding the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices. ¹⁹ For when our fathers were taken to Persia, the pious priests of that time, having taken fire from the altar, hid it secretly in the hollow of a dry well and they put it there so well safe, that this place remained unknown to all. ²⁰ After many years had passed, when it was God's good pleasure, Nehemiah, sent back to Judea by the king of Persia, had the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire searched for, but, as they told us, they had not found fire, but a thick liquid, ²¹ He told them to draw some and bring it to him, then, when the things necessary for the sacrifice had been placed on the altar, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the wood and what was on it with this water. ²² This order having been carried out and the moment having come when the sun, until then covered with clouds, shone forth, a great blaze was kindled, so that all were filled with admiration. ²³ While the victims were being consumed, the priests offered a prayer, and with them all those present; Jonathan began, and the others joined their voices to his., ²⁴ as well as Nehemiah. This prayer was worded as follows: «Lord, Lord, God, creator of all things, awesome and mighty, just and compassionate, who alone are king and good, ²⁵ The only liberal and only just one, all-powerful and eternal, who delivers Israel from all evil, who made our fathers your chosen ones and sanctified them, ²⁶ Receive this sacrifice for all your people Israel, preserve your heritage and sanctify it. ²⁷ Gather those of us who are scattered, deliver those who are slaves among the nations, look with favor on those who are despised and abominable, so that the nations may know that you are our God. ²⁸ Punish those who oppress us and insult us with insolence. ²⁹ Settle your people in your holy place, as Moses said.» ³⁰ In addition, the priests sang hymns. ³¹ When the sacrifice was completed, Nehemiah had the remaining water poured over large stones. ³² This done, a flame lit itself and the liquid, having received the light rays that came from the altar, was consumed. ³³ As word of this event spread, the king of Persia was informed that water had been found in the place where the captive priests had hidden the sacred fire, and that Nehemiah and his people had sanctified the sacrifices with it. ³⁴ So the king had the place enclosed and made it sacred, thus certifying the event. ³⁵ And to those who were the object of his benevolence, he distributed numerous and varied gifts. ³⁶ Now, Nehemiah's companions called this place NEPHTHAR, that is, purification, but most call it NEPHTHAI.

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¹ It is found in the public archives that the prophet Jeremiah ordered those who were being deported to take the sacred fire, as has been said, and how the prophet gave recommendations to the deportees., ² by giving them a copy of the law, so that they would not forget the precepts of the Lord and would not be led astray in their thoughts by seeing idols of gold and silver and the ornaments with which they were adorned. ³ Among other speeches of this kind that he gave them, he exhorted them never to remove the law from their hearts. ⁴ The same writings told how the prophet, on an order received from God, had the tabernacle and the ark transported with him and thus went to the mountain that Moses climbed and from where he contemplated the inheritance of God. ⁵ Arriving there, Jeremiah found a dwelling in the form of a cave and he placed the tabernacle and the ark there, as well as the altar of incense, and sealed the entrance. ⁶ Some of his companions came afterwards to mark the way with signs, but they could not find him. ⁷ Jeremiah knew about it and he rebuked them: "This place," he told them, "must remain hidden until God has gathered his people and shown them mercy.". ⁸ Then the Lord will reveal these sacred objects, and the glory of the Lord will appear, along with the cloud, as it appeared in the time of Moses and when Solomon prayed that the temple might be gloriously sanctified.» ⁹ It was also recounted in these writings that this king, possessing wisdom, offered the sacrifice of the dedication and completion of the sanctuary. ¹⁰ And as Moses prayed to the Lord and fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, so Solomon prayed and fire came down and consumed the burnt offerings. ¹¹ Moses said, "Because the sin offering was not eaten, it was consumed."« ¹² And Solomon similarly celebrated the eight days of the dedication. ¹³ These same things are therefore recounted in the archives and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, we see there again how Nehemiah founded a library and collected there the books concerning the kings and the prophets, those of David and the letters of the kings of Persia concerning their gifts. ¹⁴ Similarly, Judas gathered all the books that had been scattered during the war that we had to support and they are in our hands. ¹⁵ So if you need copies, send us messengers who will deliver them to you. ¹⁶ Therefore, as we are about to celebrate the festival of purification, we are sending you this letter; you would do well to solemnize these days with us. ¹⁷ God, who has delivered all his people and restored to all the inheritance, the kingdom, the priesthood, and the sanctification, ¹⁸ as he announced by law, will soon, we hope, have mercy on us and gather us, from all the regions under heaven, into the holy place, ¹⁹ for he has rescued us from great evils and he has purified the temple. ²⁰ The story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, the purification of the magnificent temple and the dedication of the altar, ²¹ as well as the battles fought against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator, ²² the brilliant interventions of heaven in favor of those who gloriously fought in defense of Judaism, so that, despite their small number, they reconquered the entire country and put to flight a multitude of barbarians, ²³ recovered the sanctuary famous throughout the world, delivered the city and restored the laws that were being abolished, the Lord having favored them with all his benevolence: ²⁴ All these facts, presented by Jason of Cyrene in five books, we will try to summarize in one. ²⁵ Considering the sheer volume of figures they contain and the difficulty for those who wish to follow the historical narratives in detail, due to the abundance of material, ²⁶ We have striven to make the task pleasant for those who are content with a simple reading, easy for those who are keen to commit the facts to their memory, and beneficial to all without distinction. ²⁷ For us, who have undertaken this work of abbreviation, it is not an easy task, but a labor requiring sweat and sleepless nights, ²⁸ This task is no less difficult than that of the organizer of a feast, who seeks to ensure the benefit of others. However, to earn the gratitude of many, we will gladly undertake this weighty responsibility., ²⁹ leaving it to the author to deal with each thing exactly, so that we strive to follow the rules of the summary. ³⁰ Now, just as the architect of a new house must embrace in his mind the whole of the construction, while the one who undertakes to decorate it and paint figures on it must concern himself with what pertains to the ornamentation, so, I think, it is for us. ³¹ To delve into the subject, to account for everything, to take pains over the smallest details—that is the duty of one who composes a story.,
³² But to the one whose whole purpose is to write an abridgment, it must be granted to pursue only brevity in the narratives, without adhering to a complete exposition of the facts. ³³ Let us therefore begin our relationship here, without adding anything to what has just been said; it would be madness to be verbose before telling the story and concise in the story itself.

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¹ While the inhabitants of the holy city enjoyed complete peace and the laws were still strictly observed, thanks to the piety of the high priest Onias and his hatred of evil, ² It sometimes happened that kings themselves honored the holy place and adorned the temple with magnificent gifts., ³ to the point that Seleucus, king of Asia, provided from his income all the necessary expenses for the service of sacrifices. ⁴ But a certain Simon of the tribe of Benjamin, appointed administrator of the temple, entered into a dispute with the high priest over the management of the city's market. ⁵ Since he could not prevail against Onias, he went to Apollonius, son of Thrasea, the military governor at that time of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia. ⁶ He reported to him that the sacred treasury of Jerusalem was filled with enormous sums, with an incalculable quantity of riches, in no way related to the expense necessary for the sacrifices, and that it was possible to pass all this treasure into the hands of the king. ⁷ In an interview with the king, Apollonius informed him of the riches that had been pointed out to him, and the king chose Heliodorus, who was in charge of state affairs, and sent him with orders to carry out the removal of the aforementioned riches. ⁸ Heliodorus immediately set out, under the pretext of inspecting the cities of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, but in reality to carry out the king's plan. ⁹ Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Heliodorus was received amicably by the city's high priest, then he recounted what he had been taught and explained the purpose of his presence, asking if things were really this way. ¹⁰ Then the high priest explained to him that the treasury contained the deposits of widows and orphans, ¹¹ that part of the money belonged to Hircan, son of Tobias, a very important man; that the situation was not what the impious slanderer, Simon, said, but that all these riches amounted to four hundred talents of silver and two hundred talents of gold, ¹² that, moreover, it was quite impossible to rob those who had entrusted themselves to the sanctity of this place, to the inviolable majesty of a temple venerated throughout the universe. ¹³ But he, by virtue of the orders he had received from the king, absolutely maintained that this money should be taken to the royal treasury. ¹⁴ Having therefore set a day, he was going to enter to inspect these riches before disposing of them, which caused a great disturbance throughout the entire city. ¹⁵ The priests prostrated themselves before the altar, clothed in their priestly robes, and, turning towards heaven, they prayed to Him who had made the law on deposits to preserve these goods intact for those who had deposited them. ¹⁶ Seeing the face of the High Priest, one felt wounded to the very core of one's soul, for his countenance and the alteration of his complexion attested to the agony of his soul. ¹⁷ The consternation painted on his whole person and the shuddering of his body revealed to all eyes the affliction of his heart. ¹⁸ The inhabitants rushed out of their homes in droves and prayed together that the holy place would not be subjected to disgrace. ¹⁹ WomenTheir chests covered with sacks, they filled the streets; those of the young girls who were confined inside, some ran to the doors, others towards the walls, a few looked out of the windows, ²⁰ All of them, with their hands outstretched towards the sky, were making supplications. ²¹ The dejection of this confused crowd and the anguished waiting of the high priest aroused pity. ²² While the Jews were begging the Almighty Lord to keep the deposits safe and intact for those who had entrusted them, ²³ Heliodorus was carrying out his plan. He was already there with his guards near the treasure, ²⁴ when the Lord of spirits, the Ruler of all power, made a great manifestation, so that all those who had dared to come there, struck by the power of God, were struck with powerlessness and terror. ²⁵ Before their eyes appeared a horse ridden by a fearsome and richly caparisoned rider, charging impetuously, he shook his forefeet at Heliodorus, the rider appeared to have golden armor. ²⁶ At the same time, two other young men appeared to him, full of strength, shining with a bright light and dressed in magnificent clothes, having placed one on one side, the other on the other, they whipped him relentlessly, striking him with a multitude of blows. ²⁷ Heliodorus suddenly fell to the ground, surrounded by deep darkness; he was picked up and placed in a litter., ²⁸ And this man, who had just entered the chamber of the aforementioned treasury with a large escort and all his guards, was carried away unable to help himself and having visibly experienced the power of God. ²⁹ While he lay there, under the sway of divine power, mute, deprived of all hope and all help, ³⁰ The Jews blessed the Lord who had glorified his holy place, and the temple, which a moment before had been full of terror and turmoil, was, thanks to the manifestation of the Almighty Lord, filled with joy and gladness. ³¹ Immediately some of Heliodorus' companions asked Onias to pray to the Most High and grant life to the one who lay there with only a breath left. ³² And the high priest, fearing that the king might imagine that an attack had been committed by the Jews against Heliodorus, offered a sacrifice for the life of this man. ³³ While the high priest was offering the expiatory sacrifice, the same young men appeared again to Heliodorus, dressed in the same clothes, and standing up, said to him: "Give great thanks to the high priest Onias, for it is because of him that the Lord gives you life. ³⁴ "For you, thus punished by him, proclaim to all the great power of God." Having said these words, they disappeared. ³⁵ Heliodorus offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made great vows to the One who had granted him life, then, having assured Onias of his friendship, he returned with his troops to the king. ³⁶ And he bore witness to all of the works of the great God which he had seen with his own eyes. ³⁷ When the king asked Heliodorus which man he thought was suitable to be sent back to Jerusalem, he replied: ³⁸ «"If you have any enemy or adversary of your government, send him there and he will return to you torn with blows, if indeed he survives, for there is truly a divine power in that place. ³⁹ He who dwells in heaven watches over this place and protects it; those who come there with evil intentions, he strikes and destroys.» ⁴⁰ This is how things turned out concerning Heliodorus and the preservation of the sacred treasure.

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¹ The said Simon, this informer of the treasure and of his country, spoke ill of Onias: it was he, he said, who had stirred up Heliodorus and who was the author of all the evil. ² The city's benefactor, the defender of his fellow citizens and the faithful observer of the laws, he dared to portray him as an adversary of the State. ³ This hatred went so far that murders were committed by one of Simon's supporters. ⁴ Then Onias, considering the danger of these divisions and the outbursts of Apollonius, the military governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, who was encouraging Simon's wickedness, went to see the king, ⁵ not to accuse his fellow citizens, but having in mind the general and particular interest of all his people. ⁶ For he could see that, without the king's intervention, it was impossible to pacify the situation and that Simon would not renounce his criminal enterprises. ⁷ But, after the death of Seleucus, Antiochus, nicknamed Epiphanes, having succeeded him, Jason, brother of Onias, undertook to usurp the sovereign pontificate. ⁸ In an interview with the king, he promised him three hundred and sixty talents of silver and eighty talents taken from other revenues. ⁹ He further promised to commit himself in writing for one hundred and fifty more talents, if he was allowed to establish, on his own authority and according to his views, a gymnasium with a school for ephebes and to register the inhabitants of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch. ¹⁰ The king agreed to everything. As soon as Jason had obtained power, he began to introduce Greek customs among his fellow citizens. ¹¹ He abolished the privileges that the kings, out of humanity, had granted to the Jews thanks to the enterprise of John, father of Eupolemus, who was sent as an ambassador to conclude a treaty of alliance and friendship with the Romans and, destroying the legitimate institutions, he established customs contrary to the law. ¹² He took pleasure in founding a gymnasium at the very foot of the Acropolis and he educated the noblest children by putting them to the exercises of the gymnasium. ¹³ Hellenism then grew to such an extent, and there was such a drive towards foreign customs, as a result of the excessive perversity of Jason, an impious man and by no means a high priest, ¹⁴ that the priests no longer showed any zeal for the service of the altar and that, despising the temple and neglecting the sacrifices, they hastened to take part, in the palaestra, in the exercises proscribed by the law, as soon as the call to throw the discus had been heard. ¹⁵ Disregarding the honorary functions of their country, they held the distinctions of the Greeks in high esteem. ¹⁶ That is why grave calamities befell them, and in those whose way of life they imitated and whom they wanted to resemble in everything, they found enemies and oppressors. ¹⁷ Because one cannot violate divine laws with impunity, but this will be demonstrated by subsequent events. ¹⁸ While the quinquennial games were being celebrated in Tyre, which the king attended, ¹⁹ The criminal Jason sent spectators from Jerusalem, who were citizens of Antioch, carrying three hundred silver drachmas for the sacrifice of Hercules, but those who carried them asked that this money be used, not for sacrifices, which was not appropriate, but to cover other expenses. ²⁰ Thus the three hundred drachmas were indeed intended by the one who sent them for sacrifice in honor of Hercules, but they served, according to the desire of those who brought them, for the construction of ships. ²¹ Apollonius, son of Menestheus, having been sent to Egypt on the occasion of the enthronement of King Ptolemy Philometor, Antiochus learned that this king was ill-disposed towards him and, wanting to protect himself from him, he went to Joppa, then to Jerusalem. ²² He was magnificently received by Jason and the whole city, he made his entrance by torchlight and amidst cheers, and then he similarly led his army into Phoenicia. ²³ Three years having passed, Jason sent Menelaus, brother of Simon mentioned above, to take the money to the king and pay the registration fees for important matters. ²⁴ But Menelaus commended himself to the king, paid him homage with the appearance of a high-ranking man, and had the sovereign pontificate awarded to himself, offering three hundred talents of silver more than Jason had done. ²⁵ Having received his letters of investiture from the king, he returned to Jerusalem, having nothing worthy of the priesthood and bringing only the instincts of a cruel tyrant and the fury of a wild beast. ²⁶ Thus Jason, who had deceived his own brother, who was in turn deceived by another, had to flee to the land of the Ammonites. ²⁷ As for Menelaus, he obtained power, but, as he did not fulfill his promise to the king regarding the sum he pledged, despite the demands of Sostratus, commander of the Acropolis, ²⁸ who had the collection of taxes among his duties, both were summoned to the king. ²⁹ Menelaus left his brother Lysimachus to replace him as high priest, and Sostratus left Crates, governor of Cyprus, as his replacement. ³⁰ Meanwhile, it happened that the inhabitants of Tarsus and Mallas revolted, because these two cities had been given as a gift to Antiochide, the king's concubine. ³¹ The king therefore left in haste to quell the sedition, having left behind, as his lieutenant Andronique, one of the high dignitaries. ³² Menelaus, judging the circumstances favorable, removed some gold vases from the temple and gave them to Andronicus, and he managed to sell others in Tyre and the neighboring cities. ³³ When Onias learned with certainty of this new crime of Menelaus, he addressed reproaches to him, after having withdrawn to a place of asylum, in Daphne, near Antioch. ³⁴ This is why Menelaus, taking Andronicus aside, urged him to put Onias to death. Andronicus then went to Onias and, using cunning, presented him with his right hand under oath, then, although he was suspicious, he persuaded him to leave his sanctuary and immediately put him to death, without regard for justice. ³⁵ Therefore, not only the Jews, but many from other nations were indignant and grieved by the unjust murder of this man. ³⁶ And when the king returned from Cilicia, the Jews of Antioch, as well as Greeks who were also enemies of violence, came to him concerning the unjust murder of Onias. ³⁷ Antiochus was deeply saddened and, moved with compassion for Onias, he shed tears at the memory of the moderation and wise conduct of the deceased. ³⁸ Red with anger, he immediately had Andronicus's purple robe removed, tore his clothes, and, having led him through the whole city, he degraded this scoundrel in the very place where he had carried out his impious attack on Onias, the Lord thus striking him with just punishment. ³⁹ However, a large number of sacrilegious thefts had been committed in the city by Lysimachus, in agreement with Menelaus, and the rumor had spread, and the people rose up against Lysimachus, when already many gold vessels had been scattered. ⁴⁰ Seeing the multitude rise up and minds inflamed with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men and began to carry out acts of violence, under the command of a certain Tyrant, a man advanced in age and no less in perversity. ⁴¹ But when they learned of Lysimachus' attack, some seized stones, others large sticks, some gathered ashes that were there, and tumultuously threw everything at Lysimachus' supporters. ⁴² Thus they wounded a great number of his people, killed several, put all the others to flight, and massacred the sacrilege himself near the temple treasury. ⁴³ Then, based on these facts, an investigation against Menelaus began. ⁴⁴ When the king came to Tyre, the three men sent by the Elders explained to him the justice of their cause. ⁴⁵ Seeing himself convinced, Menelaus promised Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, a large sum of money to make the king favorable to him. ⁴⁶ Ptolemy, having therefore taken the king under the peristyle, as if to take the air, made him change his mind. ⁴⁷ The king declared Menelaus innocent of the accusations against him, although he was guilty of all the crimes, and he condemned to death unfortunate men who, had they pleaded their case even before Scythians, would have been sent away innocent., ⁴⁸ and men who had defended the city, the people, and the sacred objects, suffered this unjust punishment without delay. ⁴⁹ The Tyrians themselves were outraged and gave the victims magnificent funerals. ⁵⁰ As for Menelaus, thanks to the greed of the powerful, he maintained his dignity, growing in malice and becoming a cruel scourge to his fellow citizens.

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¹ Around this time, Antiochus organized his second expedition to Egypt. ² Now it happened that, throughout the city, for nearly forty days, horsemen appeared, running through the air, wearing garments of gold and armed with lances in the manner of cohorts, ³ as well as squadrons of horses drawn up in battle order, attacks and charges from both sides, the waving of shields and a multitude of pikes, swords drawn from sheaths, arrows launched, a vivid display of gold armor and breastplates of all kinds. ⁴ That is why everyone prayed that these apparitions would be favorable to them. ⁵ A false rumor of Antiochus's death spread, and Jason took no fewer than a thousand men and launched a surprise attack on the city. The citizens rushed to the walls, but the city eventually fell, and Menelaus took refuge in the citadel. ⁶ Jason mercilessly slaughtered his own countrymen, not reflecting that a day gained from compatriots is the most sadly lost day, but imagining he was winning trophies from enemies and not from people of the same nation. ⁷ On the one hand, he failed to seize power and, on the other hand, his intrigues led to his downfall, forcing him to return as a fugitive to the land of the Ammonites. ⁸ As the end of his criminal life, he was seen closely guarded by Aretas, king of the Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by all, hated as a transgressor of the laws, execrated as the executioner of his country and his fellow citizens, ignominiously driven out to Egypt. ⁹ He who had banished so many people from their homeland perished on foreign soil, after going to Lacedaemon in the hope of finding refuge there, in consideration of their common origin. ¹⁰ He who had thrown so many men to the ground without burial, no one mourned him and paid him any last respects; he was not buried in the tomb of his fathers. ¹¹ When these events came to the king's attention, he believed that Judea was defecting. He therefore left Egypt, furious as a wild beast, and seized the city by force of arms. ¹² He ordered the soldiers to kill without mercy those who fell into their hands and to slaughter those who climbed onto the roofs of houses. ¹³ Thus were killed young men and old men, thus perished grown men, women and children, thus were slaughtered young girls and infants. ¹⁴ The number of victims during these three days was eighty thousand, of which forty thousand were massacred and as many were sold as slaves. ¹⁵ Not content with these atrocities, he dared to enter the holiest temple on earth, guided by Menelaus, a traitor to the laws and to his country. ¹⁶ And taking from his defiled hands the sacred objects and tearing away the offerings deposited by other kings to enhance the glory and dignity of this place, he handed them over to profane hands. ¹⁷ Antiochus swelled with pride in his mind, not considering that the Lord was angry for a short time because of the sins of the inhabitants of the city and that this was why he turned his eyes away from this place. ¹⁸ Otherwise, if they had not been guilty of a great many sins, he too, like Heliodorus, sent by King Seleucus to inspect the treasure, would have been flogged and repressed in his audacity upon arrival. ¹⁹ But God did not choose the people because of this place; he chose this place because of the people. ²⁰ This is why this place shared in the misfortunes of the people, as it was then associated with the blessings of the Lord, abandoned in the anger of the Almighty, it was again, when the sovereign Lord reconciled with his people, restored in all its glory. ²¹ Antiochus, having thus removed eighteen hundred talents from the temple, returned in haste to Antioch, imagining in his pride, because of the intoxication of his heart, that he could make the land navigable and the sea viable. ²² But he left officials to torment the people: in Jerusalem, Philip, a native of Phrygia, even more cruel than the one who had appointed him, ²³ to Gerizim, Andronicus and, besides these, Menelaus who, with more malice than the others, insolently raised himself above his fellow citizens ²⁴ and harbored feelings of hatred against the Jewish patriots. Furthermore, Antiochus sent the infamous Apollonius at the head of an army of twenty-two thousand men, with orders to put to death all men in the prime of life and to sell women and the children. ²⁵ Having arrived in Jerusalem, Apollonius, feigning peaceful intentions, remained quiet until the holy day of the Sabbath and, when he saw the Jews celebrating it, he ordered his troops to take up arms. ²⁶ And all those who had gone out for the spectacle, he had massacred, and, going through the city with his soldiers, he put a multitude of people to death. ²⁷ Now Judas Maccabeus, the tenth, withdrew into the desert, living like wild beasts on the mountains, with his companions, never eating anything but herbs, so as not to defile himself.

2 Maccabees 6

¹ Shortly afterwards, the king sent an old man from Athens to force the Jews to abandon the worship of their fathers and prevent them from living according to God's laws., ² and to desecrate the temple of Jerusalem and dedicate it to Olympian Jupiter and that of Gerizim to Hospitaller Jupiter, in accordance with the character of the inhabitants of the place. ³ The onset of these evils was, even for the mass of the people, very painful and difficult to bear., ⁴ because the temple was filled with orgies and debauchery by dissolute pagans and courtesans, men having relations with women in the holy courts and bringing forbidden things there. ⁵ The altar itself was covered with impure victims that the law forbade. ⁶ It was no longer possible to celebrate Sabbaths or Father's Day, or even simply to confess that one was Jewish. ⁷ A bitter necessity brought the Jews to the sacrifices which were made every month on the day of the king's birth; at the Bacchanalia festivals, they were forced to walk through the streets crowned with ivy in honor of Bacchus. ⁸ An edict was issued, at the instigation of Ptolemy, ordering that the same measures be taken against the Jews in the neighboring Greek cities and that sacrifices be made, ⁹ with orders to put to death those who refused to adopt Greek customs. Scenes of desolation were therefore everywhere before our eyes. ¹⁰ Thus two women, for having circumcised their children, were brought in, their children were hung from their breasts, they were dragged publicly through the city and thrown from the top of the ramparts. ¹¹ Others, having gone together to nearby caves to secretly celebrate the Sabbath day, were denounced to Philip and were all burned without daring to defend themselves, out of respect for the sanctity of the day. ¹² I beseech those into whose hands this book falls not to be disconcerted by these calamities and to believe that these persecutions took place not for the ruin, but for the punishment of our race. ¹³ When God does not allow long the fishermen that they go unpunished, but that he brings swift punishment upon them, is a sign of great kindness. ¹⁴ Indeed, the sovereign Master, in order to punish other nations, patiently waits until they have fulfilled the measure of their iniquities; this is not how he has deemed it appropriate to act with us., ¹⁵ so that he would not have to exact his vengeance upon us when our sins had reached their full measure. ¹⁶ Therefore, he never withdraws his mercy from us; by chastising us with adversity, he does not abandon his people. ¹⁷ Let it suffice to have recalled this truth; after these few words, we must return to our story. ¹⁸ Eleazar, one of the first doctors of the law, a man already advanced in years and of the noblest appearance, was forced, with his mouth violently opened, to eat pork. ¹⁹ But he, preferring a glorious death to a life of crime, walked willingly to his execution., ²⁰ having spat out this meat, as must those who have the courage to reject what is not permitted to be eaten out of love for life. ²¹ Those in charge of this unholy sacrifice, having known of it for a long time, took Eleazar aside and urged him to have meats brought that were permissible to use and prepared by him, and to pretend to eat the flesh of the victim, as the king had ordered., ²² so that, this being done, he might be preserved from death and benefit from the humanity due to his old friendship with them. ²³ But he, making wise reflections, worthy of his age, of the high regard given to him by his old age and the noble white hair which added to it, of the very fine life which he had led since childhood and above all of the holy legislation established by God himself, he replied accordingly, saying that he should be sent without delay to the abode of the dead. ²⁴ «"At our age, indeed, it is not appropriate to pretend, lest many young people suspect Eleazar of having, at ninety years old, embraced foreign customs. ²⁵ They themselves, then, because of my dissimulation and for a remnant of perishable life, would be led astray by me, and I would bring shame and disgrace upon my old age. ²⁶ And even if I were to escape for the present from the punishment of men, I would not, living or dead, avoid the hands of the Almighty. ²⁷ Therefore, if I now leave this life with courage, at least I will show myself worthy of my old age. ²⁸ "And I will leave to young people the noble example of a voluntary and generous death for the venerable and holy laws." Having thus spoken, he walked straight towards the instrument of torture. ²⁹ Those who were leading him there changed the kindness they had shown him a moment before into harshness, regarding the words he had just spoken as foolish. ³⁰ When he was near death under the blows, he sighed and said: "The Lord, who has holy knowledge, sees that, although I can escape death, I endure cruel pains under the sticks according to the flesh, but in my soul I suffer them with joy, out of respect for Him."« ³¹ Thus he departed this life, making his death, not only for the youth, but for all the people, an example of courage and a memorial of virtue.

2 Maccabees 7

¹ It also happened that seven brothers were taken with their mother and the king wanted to force them, by tearing them apart with whips and ox sinews, to eat pork, which was forbidden by law. ² One of them, speaking on behalf of everyone, said: "What do you want and what do you want to learn from us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the law of our fathers."« ³ The king, overcome with anger, ordered stoves and cauldrons to be placed on the fire. As soon as they were burning hot, ⁴He ordered that the tongue of the one who had spoken on behalf of all be cut out, then that the skin be removed from his head and his extremities be cut off, in front of his other brothers and their mother. ⁵ When he had been completely mutilated, he ordered that he be brought near the fire, still breathing, and roasted in the pan. While the steam from the pan spread far and wide, his brothers and their mother urged each other to die bravely. ⁶«The Lord God sees,» they said, “and he truly has compassion on us, just as Moses foretold in the song that protests to Israel, saying: ‘He will have mercy on his servants.’” ⁷ The first one having died in this way, the second was brought in for torture and after tearing off the skin of his head with his hair, he was asked if he wanted to eat pork before being tortured in all parts of his body. ⁸ He replied in the language of his fathers: "No." That is why he in turn suffered the same torments as the first. ⁹ As he breathed his last, he said: "You scoundrel, you take away our present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to eternal life, we who die to be faithful to his laws."« ¹⁰ After him, the third man was tortured. At the executioner's request, he immediately offered his tongue and bravely extended his hands. ¹¹ And he said with noble courage: "I hold these members from Heaven, but because of its laws I despise them, and it is from Him that I hope to find them again one day."« ¹² The king himself and those who accompanied him were struck by the courage of this young man, who considered the tortures as nothing. ¹³ After his death, the fourth man was subjected to the same torments. ¹⁴ As he was about to die, he said: «Blessed are those who die at the hands of men, in hope that they will be raised from the dead by God. But you, however, will not be resurrected to life.» ¹⁵ Then they brought in the fifth man and tortured him. But he, fixing his eyes on the king, ¹⁶ He said: "You, though mortal, have power among men and you do what you want. But do not believe that our race is abandoned by God.". ¹⁷ As for you, wait and you will see his great power, how he will torment you and your race.» ¹⁸ After him, the sixth was brought in. Near death, he said: "Do not delude yourself, it is we ourselves who have brought these evils upon ourselves, by sinning against our God, and so strange calamities have befallen us. ¹⁹ But you, do not imagine that you will go unpunished after daring to fight against God.» ²⁰ The mother, admirable beyond all expression and worthy of illustrious memory, seeing her seven sons die in the space of a single day, bore it generously, sustained by her hope in the Lord. ²¹ She exhorted each of them in the language of their fathers and, filled with the noblest sentiments, she strengthened her womanly tenderness with manly courage. ²² She said to them, "I do not know how you appeared in my womb, it was not I who gave you spirit and life, it was not I who assembled the elements that make up your body. ²³ Therefore, the Creator of the world, who formed man at his birth and who presides over the origin of all things, will restore to you in his mercy both spirit and life, because now you despise yourselves for the sake of his law.» ²⁴ Antiochus felt insulted and suspected an outrage in these words. Since the younger brother was still alive, he not only addressed him with exhortations, but he also promised him with an oath to make him rich and happy if he abandoned the laws of his fathers, to make him his friend, and to entrust him with high offices. ²⁵ The young man paid no attention to these offers, so the king called the mother and urged her to give the teenager advice on how to save himself. ²⁶ After he had urged her for a long time, she agreed to persuade her son. ²⁷ So, leaning towards him and mocking the cruel tyrant, she spoke thus in the language of her fathers: "My son, have pity on me, who carried you nine months in my womb, who nursed you for three years, who cared for you, nourished you and raised you to the age you are now. ²⁸ I implore you, my child, look at the heavens and the earth, see all that they contain and know that God created them from nothing and that the race of men thus came into existence. ²⁹ Do not fear this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that I may find you again, with your brothers, in the time of mercy. » ³⁰ While she was still speaking, the young man said, "What are you waiting for? I am not obeying the king's orders, I am obeying the prescriptions of the law that was given by Moses to our fathers. ³¹ And you, the author of all the evils unleashed upon the Hebrews, you will not escape the arm of God. ³² For it is because of our sins that we suffer, ³³ And if, to punish and correct us, our Lord, who is alive, has shown us his anger for a moment, he will be reconciled with his servants. ³⁴ But you, O impious and most wicked of all men, do not be foolishly proud, indulging in vain hopes, when you raise your hand against the servants of God, ³⁵ because you have not yet escaped the judgment of the Almighty God who watches over all things. ³⁶ Our brothers, after enduring a passing suffering, fell because of God's covenant for eternal life, but you, through God's judgment, will bear the just punishment for your pride. ³⁷ As for me, and my brothers, I surrender my body and my life for the laws of my fathers, begging God to soon be merciful to his people and to lead you, through torments and suffering, to confess that he is the only God, ³⁸ And may the wrath of the Almighty, justly unleashed upon our entire race, be stopped in me and in my brothers.» ³⁹ The king, overcome with fury, punished him even more cruelly than the others, unable to bear being mocked. ⁴⁰ Thus died this young man, pure from all idolatry and trusting entirely in the Lord. ⁴¹ Finally, the mother died last, after her children. ⁴² But that's enough about the sacrifices and excessive cruelties of Antiochus.

2 Maccabees 8

¹ However, Judas Maccabeus and his companions, secretly entering the villages, called their relatives to them and, joining those who had remained faithful to Judaism, they thus gathered a troop of about six thousand men. ² They begged the Lord to look upon his people, whom everyone trampled underfoot, and to have mercy on his temple, desecrated by the wicked., ³ to have compassion for the devastated city that would be at ground level and to listen to the voice of blood crying out to him, ⁴ to remember the criminal murder of innocent little children and the outrages done in his name and to show his hatred against the wicked. ⁵ Once at the head of a large troop, Maccabeus became invincible to the nations, for the anger of the Lord had turned into mercy. ⁶ Falling unexpectedly upon towns and villages, he burned them, occupying the most favorable positions, he inflicted defeats on many enemies. ⁷ He particularly favored nighttime as a time to ensure the success of these kinds of expeditions. Word of his valor spread far and wide. ⁸ Philip did not take long to see the progress this man was making and the increasingly frequent successes he was achieving, so he wrote to Ptolemy, military leader of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, to come to the aid of the king's affairs. ⁹ Ptolemy, having set to work without delay, sent Nicanor, son of Patroclus, one of the king's principal favorites, at the head of at least twenty thousand men from various nations, to exterminate the entire race of the Jews; he assigned to him Gorgias, a general very experienced in matters of the war. ¹⁰ Nicanor fully intended to procure for the king, from the sale of captives taken in Judea, the tribute of two thousand talents owed to the Romans. ¹¹ He hastened to send invitations to the coastal cities to come and buy Jewish slaves, promising to give them ninety for one talent: he did not think of the vengeance of the Almighty that would fall upon him. ¹² As soon as Judas learned of Nicanor's march, he informed his companions of the army's approach. ¹³ Then some, overcome by fear and lacking faith in God's justice, fled and went to other places, ¹⁴ The others sold all that they had left and, at the same time, they prayed to the Lord to deliver them from the impious Nicanor, who had sold them out even before the battle began: ¹⁵ if not because of them, at least in consideration of the alliances made with their fathers and because his holy and august name had been named upon them. ¹⁶ Maccabeus, having gathered together those who had remained with him, numbering six thousand men, exhorted them not to fear the enemies and not to be dismayed by the multitude of nations that marched unjustly against them, but to fight valiantly, ¹⁷ having before their eyes the shameful desecration they committed against the holy place, the outrage against the ravaged city, and the ruin of the institutions of their ancestors. ¹⁸ «"They," he said, "trust in their weapons and daring charges; we, however, place our trust in God, master of all things, who can with a sign overthrow those who come to attack us and even the universe itself."» ¹⁹ He also listed before them the ancient examples of God's protection and how, under Sennacherib, one hundred and eighty thousand men had perished, ²⁰ and how, in the battle fought against the Galatians in Babylonia, those who took part in the action being in all eight thousand, with four thousand Macedonians and the latter being in a critical situation, the eight thousand had destroyed one hundred and twenty thousand enemies, thanks to the help that had come to them from heaven and had won a great profit. ²¹ Having filled them with confidence and prepared them to die for the laws and for the fatherland through these memories, he divided his army into four corps. ²² At the head of each corps, he placed his brothers Simon, Joseph and Jonathan, giving each of them fifteen hundred men. ²³ In addition, he ordered Eleazar to read from the Holy Book, then, having given the watchword: "God's help", Judas took command of the first corps and attacked Nicanor. ²⁴ With the Almighty coming to their aid, they killed more than nine thousand enemies, wounded and maimed most of Nicanor's soldiers, and put them all to flight. ²⁵ They also took the money from those who had come to buy them. Having pursued the fugitives quite far, ²⁶ They retraced their steps, stopped by the time, for it was the eve of the Sabbath, which is why they did not continue their pursuit. ²⁷ Having therefore gathered the weapons of the enemies and collected their spoils, they celebrated the Sabbath, blessing a thousand times and praising the Lord who had delivered them for this day, having resolved to show them a beginning of mercy. ²⁸ After the Sabbath, they distributed a portion of the spoils to those who had suffered persecution, to widows and orphans, and they and their children divided the rest among themselves. ²⁹ Having done this, they all began to pray together, imploring the merciful Lord to reconcile completely with his servants. ³⁰ They also killed more than twenty thousand men from the troops who fought under the command of Timothy and Bacchides and valiantly captured high fortresses. They divided their immense booty into two equal parts, one for themselves, the other for the persecuted, the orphans and widows, as well as for the elderly. ³¹ They collected the weapons and carefully placed them all in suitable locations, and transported the rest of the spoils to Jerusalem. ³² They put to death Phylarchus, who was with Timothy; he was a very wicked man who had done much harm to the Jews. ³³ While they were celebrating their victory in their capital, Callisthenes and some others, who had given the holy doors of the temple to the flames, having taken refuge in a small house, burned them there and thus gave them the just reward for their profanations. ³⁴ The triple villain Nicanor, who had brought the thousand merchants to sell them the Jews, ³⁵ Humiliated, thanks to the Lord's help, by those he believed weaker than himself, he stripped himself of his garments of honor and, fleeing across the fields like a fugitive, without escort, he returned alone to Antioch, in despair at having lost his army. ³⁶ And he who had promised to complete the tribute to the Romans with the price of the captives of Jerusalem, now proclaimed that the Jews had God as their defender and that thus they were invulnerable, because they obeyed the laws that he had prescribed for them.

2 Maccabees 9

¹ Around that time, Antiochus had shamefully returned from the lands of Persia. ² For, having entered the city called Persepolis, he had tried to plunder the temple and oppress the city, which is why the multitude rose up and resorted to the force of arms and it came to pass that Antiochus, put to flight by the inhabitants of the country, made a humiliating retreat. ³ Since he was in the region of Ecbatana, he learned what had happened to Nicanor and Timothy's army. ⁴ Overcome with fury, he plotted to avenge on the Jews the insult of those who had forced him to flee. He therefore ordered the driver to push his chariot forward without stopping, to hasten the journey. The vengeance of heaven pursued him, for he had said in his pride, "As soon as I arrive in Jerusalem, I will make this city the grave of the Jews."« ⁵ But the Lord, the God of Israel, who sees all things, struck him with an incurable and horrible wound. No sooner had he uttered these words than he was seized by extreme bowel pain, with cruel internal torments. ⁶ It was justice, since he had torn the entrails of others with numerous and unheard-of torments. But he did not relinquish any of his arrogance., ⁷ Still filled with pride, he breathed out the fire of his anger against the Jews and ordered them to hasten their march, when suddenly he fell from the chariot which was rolling with a crash and his fall was so violent that all the members of his body were bruised. ⁸ He who just moments ago believed he could command the waves of the sea, in his superhuman pretension, he who imagined he could weigh the height of the mountains in the balance, having been thrown to the ground, he was carried in a litter, making manifest to the eyes of all the power of God. ⁹ From the body of the impious man emerged swarms of worms; while he lived, his flesh tore away in shreds with excruciating pain, and the stench of decay emanating from it afflicted the entire army., ¹⁰ and that which formerly seemed to touch the stars of the sky, no one could now wear, because of that intolerable stench. ¹¹ Then, deeply wounded, he began to recover from this great pride and to know himself, under the divine lash that redoubled his pain at every moment., ¹² And since he himself could not bear his infection, he said: "It is right to submit to God and, as a mere mortal, not to insolently equate oneself with divinity."« ¹³ But this scoundrel prayed to the Sovereign Master, who was no longer to have pity on him., ¹⁴ promising to declare the holy city free, towards which he was hastening to level it and make it the tomb of its inhabitants, ¹⁵ to make all Jews like the Athenians, whom he did not consider worthy of burial, destining them and their children to serve as food for birds of prey and wild beasts, ¹⁶ to adorn with the most beautiful offerings the holy temple which he had once plundered, to restore to it and beyond all its sacred utensils, and to provide for the expenses of the sacrifices from his own revenues, ¹⁷ and furthermore to become a Jew himself and to go about in all inhabited places proclaiming the power of God. ¹⁸ But his suffering did not subside, for God's just judgment had come upon him; it was then that, seeing his desperate state, he wrote to the Jews the letter transcribed below, in the form of a supplication and worded as follows: ¹⁹ «"To the Jews, his excellent citizens, King and General Antiochus: Greetings, health, and perfect happiness" ²⁰ If you and your children are well, and your affairs are going according to your desires, I give God the greatest glory, placing my hope in heaven. ²¹ As for me, I lie on a bed, weak, fondly remembering the marks of honor and kindness I received from you. Upon my return from the lands of Persia, having fallen into a cruel illness, I deemed it necessary to attend to the well-being of all. ²² It's not that I despair of myself, on the contrary I have great confidence that I will recover from this illness. ²³ But considering that my father, when he carried his arms into the high provinces, designated his future successor, ²⁴ so that, in the event of an unexpected misfortune or unwelcome rumors, those in the kingdom, knowing to whom matters were entrusted, would not be disturbed, ²⁵ Furthermore, considering that the bordering monarchs and neighboring princes of my states are watching the circumstances and waiting for what will happen, I have designated as king my son Antiochus, whom, more than once, when I have traveled through my upper provinces, I have entrusted to most of you, recommending him to you, and I have written to him the letter transcribed below. ²⁶ I therefore ask and beseech you to remember my kindnesses, both general and specific, and to each retain the goodwill you have shown me and my son. ²⁷ Because I am convinced that, full of gentleness and humanity, he will carry out my intentions and be condescending towards you.» ²⁸ Thus this murderer, this blasphemer, in the throes of horrible suffering, as he had made others endure, died on foreign soil, in the mountains, a miserable death. ²⁹ Philip, his childhood companion, had his body transported, but fearing the young Antiochus, he withdrew to Egypt, to Ptolemy Philometor.

2 Maccabees 10

¹ However, Maccabeus and his companions, with the help of the Lord, recaptured the temple and the city. ² They destroyed the altars that the foreigners had erected in the public square, as well as the sacred groves. ³ Then, after purifying the temple, they erected another altar and, having taken fire from stones, they took from this fire and, after an interval of two years, they offered a sacrifice, again burned incense, lit the lamps and placed the showbread on the table. ⁴ Having done this, prostrate on the ground, they prayed to the Lord not to bring such evils upon them again, asking that if they sinned again, they be punished by him as is fitting, but not to be handed over again to impious and barbaric nations. ⁵ The temple had been desecrated by foreigners on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Casleu and it happened that it was purified on the same day. ⁶ And they held a feast for eight days like the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that a little while before they had spent the feast of the tabernacles in the mountains, in caves, like wild animals. ⁷ Therefore, bearing thyrses, green branches and palm fronds, they sang hymns to the glory of him who had happily led them to purify his temple. ⁸ And they prescribed by a public edict and decree that the whole Jewish nation should solemnly observe these same days every year. ⁹ Such were the circumstances of the death of Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, ¹⁰ We will now explain what concerns Antiochus Eupator, son of this impious man, by briefly relating the evils caused by the wars. ¹¹ Upon his accession to the throne, he placed a certain Lysias in charge of affairs, who was also appointed commander-in-chief of the army of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia. ¹² Because Ptolemy, nicknamed Macron, had been the first to observe justice towards the Jews, because of the violence they had suffered, and had striven to govern them peacefully. ¹³ But for this very reason he was accused by friends of the king before Eupator and, as on every occasion he heard himself called a traitor, for having abandoned Cyprus which had been entrusted to him by Philometor and for having gone over to the side of Antiochus Epiphanes, having nothing left but a dignity without honor, he lost courage and took his own life by poison. ¹⁴ Gorgias, having become the military leader of these provinces, raised foreign troops and seized every opportunity to do the war to the Jews. ¹⁵ At the same time, the Idumeans, masters of strong fortresses, harassed the Jews, they welcomed those who were driven out of Jerusalem and tried to maintain the war. ¹⁶ Maccabeus and his companions, after praying and asking God to come to their aid, stormed the strongholds occupied by the Idumeans. ¹⁷ Having attacked them vigorously, they took control and drove back all those who fought on the ramparts, they slaughtered anyone who fell into their hands, the number of dead was no less than twenty thousand. ¹⁸ At least nine thousand men had taken refuge in two very strong towers, having with them everything necessary to withstand a siege. ¹⁹ Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, as well as Zacchaeus and his companions, in sufficient numbers to subdue them, and went away himself to where there were emergencies. ²⁰ But Simon's people, greedy for riches, allowed themselves to be bribed by some of those who were in the towers and, having received seventy thousand drachmas, they let a certain number escape. ²¹ When Maccabeus learned what had happened, he gathered the princes of the people and accused these men of having sold their brothers for money, letting armed enemies escape against them. ²² Then he had these traitors put to death and immediately seized the two towers. ²³ And, in carrying out all his military enterprises, he killed more than twenty thousand men in these two fortresses. ²⁴ But Timothy, who had previously been defeated by the Jews, having gathered a multitude of foreign troops and drawn a large cavalry from Asia, advanced to conquer Judea by force of arms. ²⁵ As he approached, Maccabeus and his companions began to pray to God, scattering dust on their heads and girding their loins with sacks. ²⁶ Prostrate at the foot of the altar, they asked the Lord to be favorable to them, to be the enemy of their enemies and the adversary of their adversaries, as the law promises. ²⁷ Having finished their prayer, they took up arms, left the city to a considerable distance, and when they were near the enemy, they stopped. ²⁸ At the first light of day, the battle began on both sides, some relying on their valor and the Lord as a guarantee of success and victory, while others took only their impetuosity as their guide in the fight. ²⁹ At the height of the battle, five resplendent men appeared from the sky to the enemy, on horses with golden bridles, and placed themselves at the head of the Jews. ³⁰ Two of them, having taken Maccabeus into their midst, kept him invulnerable, covering him with their armor, while simultaneously launching arrows and lightning against the enemies who, struck blind and filled with terror, fell in disorder. ³¹ Twenty thousand five hundred infantrymen and six hundred cavalrymen perished in this way. ³² Timothy fled to a very stronghold called Gazara, where Chereashes was in command. ³³ Maccabeus and his companions, filled with joyful zeal, besieged him for four days. ³⁴ Confident in the strength of the place, the besieged did not cease to blaspheme and utter impious words. ³⁵ As the fifth day began to dawn, twenty young men from Maccabeus's troop, whose anger had been inflamed by these blasphemies, bravely rushed the wall and, with the courage of lions, massacred everything they found before them. ³⁶ Others also went up and attacked the besieged from the opposite side, they set fire to the towers and lit pyres on which they burned the blasphemers alive, others broke down the gates and opened a passage for the rest of the army, which seized the city. ³⁷ Having found Timothy hiding in a cistern, they put him to death, along with his brother Chereas and Apollophanes. ³⁸ Having accomplished these feats, they blessed, with hymns and songs of praise, the Lord who had done great things for Israel and had given them the victory.

2 Maccabees 11

¹ Very soon afterwards, Lysias, guardian and relative of the king and regent of the kingdom, finding it difficult to bear what had just happened, ² he gathered about eighty thousand men and all his cavalry and set out against the Jews, fully intending to populate the holy city with Greeks, ³ to subject the temple to a tribute, like all other sanctuaries of the nations, and to sell the dignity of high priest each year, ⁴ not considering in this the power of God, but excessively proud of his myriads of foot soldiers, his thousands of horsemen and his eighty elephants. ⁵ Having therefore entered Judea, he approached Bethsuri, a place difficult to access, about five stades from Jerusalem, and pressed her hard. ⁶ When Maccabeus and his companions learned that Lysias was besieging the fortresses, they prayed to the Lord with groans and tears, and all the people with them, to send a good angel for the deliverance of Israel. ⁷ Maccabeus was the first to take up arms and he urged the others to expose themselves with him to danger in order to rescue their brothers. ⁸ They all set out with generous zeal and, as they were still in sight of Jerusalem, a rider dressed in white appeared at their head, waving a suit of golden armor. ⁹ Then together they blessed the merciful God and were strengthened in their hearts, ready to fight not only men, but the fiercest beasts and to pierce walls of iron. ¹⁰ They advanced in battle formation, having an ally from heaven and the Lord having compassion on them. ¹¹ Having rushed like lions upon the enemy, they laid on the ground eleven thousand infantrymen and sixteen hundred cavalrymen, ¹² and put the others to flight. Most of them escaped wounded and unarmed; Lysias himself only saved his life by a shameful flight. ¹³ But, being not lacking in sense, he reflected on his defeat and, understanding that the Hebrews were invincible, since the Almighty God fought with them, he sent them ¹⁴ to propose reconciliation under all fair conditions, and consequently offer to persuade the king of the necessity of becoming their friend. ¹⁵ Maccabeus agreed to everything Lysias proposed, having only the public interest in mind, for all the conditions that Maccabeus transmitted in writing to Lysias concerning the Jews, the king agreed to. ¹⁶ The letter that Lysias wrote to the Jews was worded as follows: «Lysias to the Jewish people: greetings. ¹⁷ Jean and Absalom, whom you sent me, having given me the document signed by you, asked me to fulfill its clauses. ¹⁸ I made known to the king everything that needed to be submitted, and he granted what was permissible. ¹⁹ If you therefore persist in your goodwill towards the government, I will also strive from now on to contribute to your happiness. ²⁰ As for certain details, I have given explanations to your envoys and mine to discuss them with you. ²¹ Take care. The year one hundred and forty-eight, the twenty-fourth of the month of Dioscorinth.» ²² The king's letter was worded as follows: "King Antiochus to his brother Lysias: Greetings. ²³ Our father having been transferred to the gods, we, wishing that those of our kingdom may attend to their affairs without disturbance ²⁴ and having learned that the Jews do not consent, as our father wished, to adopt Greek customs, but that they prefer their own particular traditions and consequently request that they be allowed to live according to their own laws, ²⁵ Desiring therefore that this nation not be disturbed either, we order that the temple be returned to them and that they may live according to the customs of their ancestors. ²⁶ You would do well to send to them and extend your hand to them, so that, knowing our intentions, they may have confidence and cheerfully attend to their own affairs.» ²⁷ The king's letter to the Jewish nation was worded as follows: "King Antiochus to the Senate of the Jews and to other Jews: Greetings. ²⁸ If you are well, that fulfills our wishes and we ourselves are in good health. ²⁹ Menelaus has informed us of your desire to return and attend to your own affairs. ³⁰ Those who set out on their journey up to the thirtieth day of the month of Xanthicus will enjoy peace and security. ³¹ Let the Jews use their food and follow their laws as before, without any of them being troubled in any way for sins committed through ignorance. ³² I have sent Menelaus, who will give you peaceful assurances. ³³ Take care. The year one hundred and forty-eight, the fifteenth of the month of Xanthicus.» ³⁴ The Romans also addressed a letter to the Jews worded as follows: «Quintus Memmius and Titus Manlius, Roman legates, to the Jewish people: greetings. ³⁵ The things that Lysias, a relative of the king, granted you, we also grant you. ³⁶ As for those documents he deemed worthy of submission to the king, send someone to us without delay, after having thoroughly examined them, so that we may present them to the king, as is fitting for you, for we are surrendering to Antioch. ³⁷ Hurry, then, send your representatives away, so that we too may know what your intentions are. ³⁸ Take care. The year one hundred and forty-eight, the fifteenth of Xanthic age.»

2 Maccabees 12

¹ With this treaty concluded, Lysias returned to the king and the Jews began to cultivate their fields. ² But the generals of the country, Timothy and Apollonius, son of Gennaeus, as well as Hieronymus and Demophon, to whom must be added Nicanor, governor of Cyprus, did not leave them in peace or live in peace. ³ However, the inhabitants of Joppa committed an abominable crime. They invited the Jews who lived among them to board boats they had prepared, along with their wives and children, as if they harbored no enmity against them., ⁴ but were acting on a decision made collectively by the city. The Jews accepted, like people who desire peace and had no suspicion. But when they were out at sea, they were sunk to the bottom, at least two hundred of them. ⁵ As soon as Judas learned of the cruelty committed against men of his nation, he gave orders to his companions and, after invoking God, ⁶ The righteous judge marched against the murderers of his brothers, set fire during the night to the port buildings, burned the ships and put to the sword those who had sought refuge there. ⁷ As the place was closed, he left, but with the intention of returning and destroying the entire city of the Joppites. ⁸ Having learned that those in Jamnia also intended to treat the Jews residing among them in the same way, ⁹ Judas similarly attacked the inhabitants of Jamnia during the night and burned the port with the ships, so that the glow of the fire was seen as far away as Jerusalem, two hundred and forty stades away. ¹⁰ As they had moved away from there for nine stades, marching against Timothy, Arabs fell upon Judas, numbering at least five thousand foot soldiers and five hundred horsemen. ¹¹ The fight was fierce, but, with God's help, Judas and his companions prevailed; defeated, the nomads asked Judas to extend his right hand to them, promising to give him cattle and to be useful to him in other things. ¹² Judas, convinced that they could indeed render him many services, agreed to grant them peace And after they had joined hands, they withdrew to their tents. ¹³ Judas then attacked a fortified city, surrounded by ramparts and inhabited by men of various nations: it was called Caspin. ¹⁴ The besieged, confident in the strength of their walls and well supplied with provisions, became rude, insulting Judas and his companions and even uttering blasphemies and impious words. ¹⁵ Judas and his followers, after invoking the sovereign Master of the world who, in the time of Joshua, toppled the walls of Jericho without battering rams or machines, rushing upon the walls like furious lions. ¹⁶ Having taken the city by the will of the Lord, they carried out an immense carnage, to the point that the nearby pond, two stades wide, seemed filled with the blood that had flowed there. ¹⁷ From there, by a march of seven hundred and fifty stades, they reached Charax, where the Jews who are called Tubians dwell. ¹⁸ They did not meet Timothy in those places, as he had been unable to do anything there, he had left, after leaving a very strong garrison in a certain place. ¹⁹ But two of Maccabeus' generals, Dositheus and Sosipater, went to attack this fortress and killed those whom Timothy had left there, numbering more than ten thousand men. ²⁰ For his part, Maccabeus, having arranged his army by cohorts, gave them command of these corps and advanced against Timothy, who had with him one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and two thousand five hundred cavalry. ²¹ Having been informed of Judas's approach, Timothy sent a messenger. women, the children and their belongings towards the place called Carnion, for it was an impregnable place and difficult to access, because of the narrow passes of the whole country. ²² As soon as Judas' first cohort appeared, terror seized the enemies, for the power of the All-Seeing One was manifesting itself to them in a frightening way, and they fled, some to one side, others to the other, so that they inflicted mutual wounds and pierced each other with their own swords. ²³ Judas pursued them relentlessly, striking down all these criminal men and causing as many as thirty thousand to perish. ²⁴ Timothy, having himself fallen into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater's soldiers, cleverly begged them to let him go safely, claiming that he held the parents and brothers of many of them in his power and that if he died, they would not be spared. ²⁵ He assured them with long speeches that he was resolved to send these men back without harming them, so the Jews released him to save their brothers. ²⁶ However, Judas marched on Carnion and the sanctuary of Atargatis, where he killed twenty-five thousand men. ²⁷ After routing and exterminating these enemies, Judas led his army against Ephron, a fortified city inhabited by a multitude of diverse nations; robust young men lined up in front of the walls, valiantly defending them, and the city itself was equipped with a quantity of machines and projectiles in reserve. ²⁸ But the Jews, having invoked the Almighty, He who by His power breaks the forces of the enemy, took control of the city and laid on the ground twenty-five thousand of the men who occupied it. ²⁹ Leaving from there, they marched against the city of the Scythians, six hundred stades from Jerusalem. ³⁰ But the Jews who resided there testified that they had been treated kindly by the inhabitants and that, in times of misfortune, they had received good services from them, ³¹ Judas and his family thanked the Scythopolitans and urged them to continue their kindness towards their people. After this, they returned to Jerusalem, just as the Feast of Weeks was about to begin. ³² After Pentecost, they marched against Gorgias, who was in command in Idumea. ³³ He went out, having with him three thousand infantrymen and four hundred cavalrymen. ³⁴ A fight broke out and a small number of Jews fell. ³⁵ A certain Dositheus, a valiant man in Bacenor's corps, seized Gorgias and, pulling him by his cloak, dragged him vigorously, wanting to take this cursed man alive, but one of the Thracian horsemen threw himself on Dositheus, cut off his shoulder and Gorgias was able to flee to Maresa. ³⁶ However, Esdrin's men had been fighting for a long time and were exhausted from fatigue, so Judas begged the Lord to show himself to be their helper and their leader in the fight. ³⁷ Then, loudly intoning the war cry with hymns in the language of his fathers, he unexpectedly fell upon Gorgias' men and routed them. ³⁸ Then Judas, having rallied his army, led it to the city of Odollam and, the seventh day of the week having arrived, they purified themselves according to custom and celebrated the Sabbath in that place. ³⁹ The following day, Judas came with his people, as was necessary, to collect the bodies of those who had been killed, to bury them with their relatives in the tombs of their fathers. ⁴⁰ They found, under the tunics of each of the dead, consecrated objects, coming from the idols of Jamnia and which the law forbids to the Jews, it was therefore evident to all that this had been the cause of their death. ⁴¹ Therefore they all blessed the Lord, the righteous judge who makes manifest the hidden things. ⁴² Then they began to pray, asking that the sin committed be entirely forgiven, and the valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves pure from sin, having before their eyes the consequences of the sin of those who had fallen. ⁴³ Then, having taken up a collection and gathered the sum of two thousand drachmas, he sent it to Jerusalem to be used for an expiatory sacrifice. A beautiful and noble action, inspired by the thought of the resurrection ⁴⁴ For if he had not believed that the soldiers killed in battle would rise again, it would have been useless and vain to pray for the dead. ⁴⁵ He also believed that a very great reward awaits those who fall asleep in piety., ⁴⁶ And this is a holy and pious thought. That is why he made this atoning sacrifice for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sins.

2 Maccabees 13

¹ In the year 149, Judas and his companions learned that Antiochus Eupator was marching against Judea with a large army. ² and that Lysias, his guardian and minister, accompanied him, each of them at the head of a Greek army of one hundred and ten thousand infantry, five thousand three hundred cavalry, twenty-two elephants and three hundred chariots armed with scythes. ³ Menelaus also joined them and, with great cunning, he stirred up Antiochus, not for the salvation of his country, but hoping to be restored to his dignity. ⁴ However, the King of Kings aroused the anger of Antiochus against this scoundrel, and Lysias having demonstrated to the king that Menelaus was the cause of all evils, Antiochus ordered him to be taken to Berea and put to death there according to the custom of the place. ⁵ Now there was in Berea a tower fifty cubits high, filled with ashes and crowned with a rotating machine which made things slide in the ashes on all sides. ⁶ It is there that the people of Berea throw down, to their deaths, the man guilty of sacrilegious theft, or even the one who has committed certain other great crimes. ⁷ Thus died Menelaus, this violator of the law, and it is very just that he was not laid in the earth. ⁸ For he had often sinned against the altar, whose fire and ashes were pure, and it was in the ashes that he died. ⁹ The king advanced, his mind filled with barbaric thoughts, ready to treat the Jews more cruelly than his father had. ¹⁰ As soon as Judas learned of it, he ordered the people to invoke the Lord night and day, so that once again, he might come to the aid of those ¹¹ who were going to be deprived of the law, their homeland and the holy temple, and that he would not allow this people, who were only just beginning to breathe, to fall under the power of the impious nations. ¹² When they had all prayed together and implored the merciful Lord with tears and fasting, remaining continually on their knees for three days, Judas addressed an exhortation to them and commanded them to be ready. ¹³ Then, having spoken privately with the elders, he resolved not to wait until the king had brought his army into Judea and taken control of Jerusalem, but to set out immediately and finish everything with the help of the Lord. ¹⁴ Therefore, abandoning the fate of arms to the Creator of the world, he exhorted his companions to fight bravely to the death for the laws, for the temple, for the holy city, for the fatherland and the institutions, and he led his army to the vicinity of Modin. ¹⁵ After giving his people the motto: "Victory by God," he chose the bravest among the young warriors and attacked the king's tent during the night, killing four thousand men in the camp, adding the largest of the elephants, with the troop he carried in a tower. ¹⁶ Finally they filled the camp with terror and confusion and withdrew with complete success. ¹⁷ When day began to break, everything was finished, thanks to the protection with which the Lord covered Judas. ¹⁸ Having thus tested the audacity of the Jews, the king tried to seize the places by trickery. ¹⁹ He marched against Bethsur, a strong Jewish citadel, but he was repelled, he suffered defeats, he was on the losing side. ²⁰ Now Judas sent to the besieged what they needed. ²¹ However, Rhodocus, of the Jewish army, revealed secrets to the enemy; an investigation was launched, he was caught, and he was put in prison. ²² For the second time, the king parleyed with the besieged, extended his hand to them, took theirs, and withdrew., ²³ attacked Judah's warriors and was defeated. But having learned that Philip, left by Epiphanius in charge of affairs, had revolted at AntiochHe was dismayed by this, he spoke kindly to the Jews, submitted and swore to all fair terms, he reconciled and offered a sacrifice, he honored the temple, and treated the holy place humanely. ²⁴ and gave Maccabeus a warm welcome, leaving him as military governor from Ptolemais to the Gerrhenians. ²⁵ But when the king came to Ptolemais, the inhabitants showed their discontent with the treaty, which they were indignant about and did not want to carry out its conditions. ²⁶ Lysias went up to the tribunal, defended the agreements as best he could, persuaded, favorably disposed minds, and left for AntiochThis is how the king's attack and retreat took place.

2 Maccabees 14

¹ Three years having passed, Judas and his companions learned that Demetrius, son of Seleucus, had set sail from the port of Tripoli with a large army and fleet, ² had taken control of the country and had put Antiochus and his guardian Lysias to death. ³ A certain Alcimus, who had previously become high priest but had voluntarily defiled himself during those times of confusion, realizing that he no longer had any hope of salvation or access to the holy altar, ⁴ came to King Demetrius in the year one hundred and fifty, offering him a golden crown with a palm branch and also some olive branches, such as it is customary to offer at the temple and, on that day, he did nothing more. ⁵ But he found a favorable opportunity for his perversity when Demetrius, having summoned him to his council, questioned him about the dispositions and designs of the Jews. ⁶ He replied: “The Jews known as the Assideans, whose leader is Judas Maccabeus, are plotting the war and the seditions and do not allow the kingdom to be at peace. ⁷ That is why, having been excluded from my hereditary honors, I mean from the sovereign pontificate, I have come here, 8 first with the sincere desire to support the interests of the king, then with the aim of also procuring the well-being of my fellow citizens, for the recklessness of these men causes the greatest evils to our whole nation. ⁹ Therefore, O king, when you have taken note of all these things, provide for the salvation of our country and our oppressed nation, according to that kindness which makes you affable towards all. ¹⁰ Because, as long as Judas is alive, it will be impossible to bring him back peace in the state. ¹¹ As soon as he had spoken in this way, the other friends of the king who hated Judas inflamed Demetrius even more. ¹² He immediately summoned Nicanor, who had commanded the elephant squadron, appointed him general for the year of Judea, and sent him on his way., ¹³ with written orders to kill Judas, disperse his companions, and install Alcimus as high priest of the Augustan temple. ¹⁴ The pagans, who had fled from Judea before Judas, gathered in troops around Nicanor, thinking that the misfortune and misery of the Jews would turn to their own advantage. ¹⁵ When the Jews learned of Nicanor's march and the attack on the nations, they covered themselves with dust and prayed to Him who had established His people forever and had continually protected His inheritance by manifest signs. ¹⁶ On the orders of their leader, they left immediately and engaged the enemy in combat at the town of Dessau. ¹⁷ Simon, Judah's brother, had engaged in combat against Nicanor, but, disconcerted by the sudden appearance of the enemy, he suffered a slight defeat. ¹⁸ However, Nicanor, learning of the worth of Judas and his companions and with what fearlessness they fought for their country, feared to submit to judgment by blood. ¹⁹ He therefore sent Posidonius, Theodotus and Mattathias to extend a hand to the Jews and receive theirs. ²⁰ After carefully considering these proposals, the general communicated them to the army and, when it became clear that everyone was of the same opinion, they agreed to negotiate. ²¹ A day was set when the two leaders would meet alone; Judas appeared and seats of honor were placed beside them. ²² However, Judas had stationed armed men in advantageous positions, fearing some sudden treachery from the enemy. They had a proper conversation. ²³ Nicanor spent some time in Jerusalem, without doing anything unjust, and he dismissed the crowds that had gathered in flocks. ²⁴ He had the most friendly relations with Judas, feeling a deep affection for him. ²⁵ He encouraged her to marry and have children; Judas married, lived happily, and enjoyed life. ²⁶ Alcimus, seeing the friendship that reigned between them, took a copy of the treaty concluded and went to Demetrius, he told him that Nicanor had designs contrary to the interests of the State, since he had designated Judas, an enemy of the kingdom, to replace him. ²⁷ The king was beside himself, inflamed by the calumnies of this scoundrel; he wrote to Nicanor that he was greatly displeased with the agreements concluded and ordered him to send him without delay to Antioch Maccabeus, laden with chains. ²⁸ Upon receiving this letter, Nicanor was dismayed; it cost him dearly to have to violate established agreements, without Judas having done anything unjust. ²⁹ But, since he was not allowed to resist the king, he sought a favorable opportunity to carry out his order by some stratagem. ³⁰ Machabée, for his part, noticing that Nicanor was acting more reservedly towards him and that their usual relations were less friendly, understood that this coldness did not bode well, he gathered a large number of his people and slipped away from Nicanor. ³¹ When Nicanor saw that he had been surprised by Judas's energetic resolve, he went to the august and holy temple, while the priests were offering the customary sacrifices, and ordered them to hand the man over to him. ³² As they swore to say they did not know where the man he was looking for was, Nicanor raised his hand toward the temple ³³ and swore, saying: "If you do not hand over Judas to me in chains, I will raze this sanctuary of God to the ground, I will destroy the altar, and I will erect here a magnificent temple to Bacchus."« ³⁴ Having spoken thus, he withdrew. For their part, the priests, raising their hands to heaven, invoked Him who has always fought for our people, saying: ³⁵ «You, Lord, who need nothing, it pleased you that the temple where you dwell should be in our midst. ³⁶ Now therefore, O Lord, holy of all holiness, preserve forever from all defilement this newly purified dwelling.» ³⁷ Now a certain Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor; he was a man who loved his fellow citizens, of very good renown, and called the father of the Jews because of his charity. ³⁸ For in earlier times, when it was necessary to avoid all commerce with pagans, he had attracted an accusation of Judaism and, with invincible constancy, he had exposed his body and his life for Judaism. ³⁹ Nicanor, wanting to give proof of his hostility towards the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to capture him, ⁴⁰ because he had no doubt that his arrest would be a great blow to the Jews. ⁴¹ This troop was about to seize the tower and force the entrance; the order had already been given to set it on fire and burn the gates. But, just as he was about to be captured, Razis threw himself on his sword., ⁴² preferring to die nobly than to fall into criminal hands and suffer outrages unworthy of his own nobility. ⁴³ But, as in his haste he had not struck the right spot, seeing the crowd rushing through the gates, he ran bravely to the top of the wall and rushed bravely into the crowd. ⁴⁴ They all immediately retreated and an empty space formed in the middle of which he fell. ⁴⁵ Still breathing and his soul ablaze, he rose, dripping with blood, and despite his horrible wounds, he ran through the crowd and, standing on a rock that stood there, ⁴⁶ Having already lost all his blood, he tore out his entrails, threw them with both hands onto the crowd and prayed to the Master of life and soul to give them back to him one day; that is how he died.

2 Maccabees 15

¹ However, Nicanor learned that Judas and his companions were stationed near Samaria and he resolved to attack them safely on the Sabbath day. ² The Jews who were following him under duress said to him, "Do not massacre them in such a ferocious and barbaric manner, but give glory to the day which has been honored and sanctified by Him who governs all."« ³ Then this triple scoundrel asked if there was a sovereign in heaven who had ordered the Sabbath day to be celebrated. ⁴ They answered him, "It is the Lord, the living God, the sovereign Master in heaven, who has commanded that the seventh day be solemnized.". ⁵ «"And I too," replied the other, "am sovereign on earth and I command that arms be taken up and that service be made to the king." Yet he did not succeed in carrying out his evil plan. ⁶ While Nicanor, in his proud self-assurance, was contemplating erecting a common trophy of Judas and his companions, ⁷ Maccabeus continued to trust, with full hope, that he would obtain assistance from the Lord. ⁸ He urged his people not to fear the attack of the nations, but, remembering the help that Heaven had granted them in the past, to count on the Almighty giving them aid and victory again at this time. ⁹ He encouraged them by quoting the law and the prophets and also reminded them of the battles they had fought, thus inspiring them with great zeal. ¹⁰ After commending their courage, he gave them his orders, simultaneously pointing out the perfidy of nations and their violation of oaths. ¹¹ When he had armed each of them, not so much with the security given by shields and spears, but with the confidence inspired by good words, he also told them a dream worthy of belief, a real vision, which delighted them all. ¹² This is what he had seen: The high priest Onias, a good man, modest in appearance and gentle in manner, distinguished in his speech and devoted from childhood to all the practices of virtue, he had seen him with outstretched hands, praying for the whole nation of the Jews. ¹³ Then, in the same way, a man distinguished by his great age and air of dignity, of an admirable appearance and surrounded by the most imposing majesty, appeared to him. ¹⁴ Onias, speaking up, had said to him: "This man is a friend of his brothers, who prays much for the people and for the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God."« ¹⁵ Then Jeremiah, extending his right hand, gave Judas a golden sword and, handing it to him, said: ¹⁶ «"Take this holy sword, it is a gift from God; with it you will crush your enemies."» ¹⁷ Inspired by these noble words of Judas, which were well able to excite courage and strengthen the souls of the young men, they resolved not to entrench themselves in a camp, but to boldly throw themselves upon the enemy and, in a fierce battle, to decide the matter, since the city, the religion, and the temple were in peril. ¹⁸ For, in this struggle, they thought less of their wives, their children, their brothers and their relatives: their greatest and first fear was for the holy temple. ¹⁹ The anxiety of the citizens who remained in the city was no less, worried as they were about the outcome of the battle that was about to take place outside. ²⁰ While everyone awaited the next outcome, while the enemies were already gathering in battle formation, the elephants were positioned in their proper places and the cavalry on the wings, ²¹ Maccabeus, seeing this immense multitude, the variety of their weaponry, the fierce appearance of the elephants, skillfully arranged, raised his hands to heaven and invoked the Lord who works wonders, for he knew that victory does not come from the strength of arms, but that it is God who decides it and grants it to those who are worthy. ²² This was his prayer: «You, Sovereign Master, who sent your angel during the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and who destroyed one hundred and eighty-five thousand men from Sennacherib’s camp, ²³ Even now, O Sovereign of the heavens, send your good angel before us, so that he may spread fear and terror. ²⁴ "By the greatness of your arm, may those who came with blasphemy on their lips against your holy people be struck down." These were his words. ²⁵ However, Nicanor and his army advanced to the sound of trumpets and war songs. ²⁶ Judas and his followers engaged in combat while invoking and praying. ²⁷ Fighting with their arms and praying to God in their hearts, they laid at least thirty-five thousand men on the ground and they greatly rejoiced in the manifest help of God. ²⁸ The deed done, as they were happily returning home, they noticed that Nicanor had fallen, wearing his armor. ²⁹ Then, amidst the shouts and confusion, they blessed the sovereign Master in the language of their fathers. ³⁰ And he who had devoted himself entirely, body and soul, to the defense of his fellow citizens, who had preserved for his compatriots the affection of his youth, Judas ordered that Nicanor's head and his hand with his arm be cut off and that they be taken to Jerusalem. ³¹ He went there himself, summoned his compatriots and the priests, and, having placed himself before the altar, he sent for those from the citadel, ³² and he showed them the head of the criminal Nicanor and the hand that this blasphemer had so insolently extended against the holy dwelling of the Almighty. ³³ Then, having cut out the tongue of the impious Nicanor, he wanted it to be given in pieces as food to the birds and the prize won by his folly to be hung in front of the temple. ³⁴ All offered blessings to the glorious Lord, saying, "Blessed is He who has kept His dwelling spotless."« ³⁵ Judas fastened Nicanor's head to the citadel, as a clear and visible sign of the Lord's help. ³⁶ By common agreement, a public edict was issued ordering that this day not be allowed to pass without solemnity., ³⁷ but to celebrate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, called Adar in Syriac, the day before the day called Mordecai. ³⁸ Thus things turned out concerning Nicanor, and since from that time the city remained in the possession of the Hebrews, I too will end my story there. ³⁹ If the arrangement of events is happy and well conceived, that is also what I wanted; if it is imperfect and mediocre, that is all I could do. ⁴⁰ For just as it is worthless to drink only wine or only water, while wine mixed with water is good and produces pleasant enjoyment, so too is it the art of arranging the narrative that charms the ears of those who read the story. And so I end here.

Notes on the 2^d Book of Maccabees

1.7 The year one hundred and sixty-ninth of the reign of the Greeks, the one hundred and forty-second before Christ. ― Demetrius II Nicator. See 1 Maccabees 10, 67. ― Jason. See further, 2 Maccabees 4, 7.

1.8 They burned, etc. See 1 Maccabees 1, verse 39 and following; 6, verse 49 and following. ― We offered, etc. Compare to 1 Maccabees 4, verse 56 and following.

1.9-10 The date given at the beginning of verse 10, the year 188 of the Seleucid era, is that of the letter contained in verses 1 to 9 and not that of the letter, which begins in verse 10, at the words: The people, etc. This second letter does not bear a date.

1.9 The scenopedia, see 1 Maccabees 10, 21. Compare to 2 Maccabees 10, verse 6 and following. ― Casleu. See 1 Maccabees 1, 57.

1.10 The year one hundred and eighty-eighth ; the one hundred and twenty-third before Christ. ― Judas, Given the time period, it could not be Judas Maccabeus, but it could be Judas the Essene, the famous prophet mentioned by Josephus (Antiquity., Book XIII, Chapter XIX). ― Hi, etc. See 1 Maccabees 10, 18. ― Aristobulus, tutor of King Ptolemy VI Philometor (181-146), is the Peripatetic philosopher of that name who dedicated his allegorical exposition of the Pentateuch to Ptolemy VI.

1.11 Against such a king Antiochus Sidetes, according to most exegetes, or Antiochus Epiphanes according to some. — Or rather Antiochus III the Great (222-187), who, according to secular authors, perished, massacred by the inhabitants of a Persian city whose temple he intended to plunder. The Romans, after having completely defeated him at Magnesia, had imposed a heavy tribute upon him, which he was unable to pay. See 1 Maccabees 8, 6-7.

1.13 Nanée, goddess of the Persians, Diana of the Greeks.

1.14 With his friends. See 1 Maccabees 2, 18.

1.18 In front, then, etc. See verse 9. ― Fire Day, etc., that is to say, the festival of the discovery of the sacred fire in the time of Nehemiah.

1.19 In Persia, that is, in Chaldea. See verse 12. ― According to tradition, the deep well would be the well now called Bir Eyoub, or Job's well, at the place where the Hinnom valley joins the Kidron valley.

1.20 It rained is preceded by And ; But this particle is purely pleonastic here; it serves only to mark the apodosis. Although it cannot be expressed in French, it has the meaning of So, in this case, that would assume.― Nehemiah was sent by the king of Persia Artaxerxes Longimanus. See the Introduction to the Second Book of Ezra.

1.23 Jonathans, high priest during the time of Nehemiah, see 2 Ezra, 12, 11.

1.26 Your portion, your heritage, your people Israel.

1.29 See 2 Maccabees 2:18. As Moses said. See Deuteronomy, 30, verse 3 and following.

1.32 It lit up, on the stones sprinkled with water (see verse 31).

1.34 Instead of had a temple built in that same place, The Greek word means: he made this place holy, sacred, inviolable.

1.36 Nephi is probably a corruption of Nephthar ; the Greek reads Nephtaei. The word Nephthar appears to be itself a corruption of Nechphar, derived from the Hebrew verb caphar, of which we find (see Deuteronomy, 21, 8), the form niccapher, For nithcaphêr, which means He has been atoned for..

2.1 In writings, etc. These writings were still in the hands of the Jews when they wrote this letter; but they have not been found for a very long time in the writings that remain of Jeremiah.

2.4 On which Moses, etc. See Deut. 34, 1.

2.8 Like when Solomon, etc. See 1 Kings, 8, 11; 2 Chronicles, 6, 14. ― He manifested them, That is to say, the Lord manifested these things, the things mentioned at the beginning of the verse.

2.9 From the consumption of the temple. The temple was not, so to speak, completely finished until it was dedicated, because only then could God be honored there according to all the rites.

2.10 Moses prayed, etc. See Leviticus, 9, 24. ― Solomon prayed, etc. See 2 Chronicles, 7, 1.

2.11 Moses said, etc. See Leviticus, 10, 16-17.

2.13 In the memoirs of Nehemiah, now lost.

2.14 Similarly, as Nehemiah had done.

2.16 The purification ; this is the festival that is being discussed in 2 Maccabees 1, 18.

2.17 The holy place ; literally, sanctification. Compare to 1 Maccabees 1, 23.

2.18 See Deuteronomy 30:3, 5; 2 Maccabees 1:29.

2.19 The Jewish letter ends here.

2.20 From this verse to the end of the chapter, preface by the author of this book. We should add that here begins a sentence that is not completed until verse 24.

2.21 The Noble. See 1 Maccabees 10, 1.― On Antiochus IV Epiphanius, see 1 Maccabees 1, verse 11 and following. ― On Antiochus V Eupator, see 1 Maccabees 3, 32.

2.22 Compare the following chapters, 2 Maccabees 3, 25-26; 5, vv. 2, 5.

2.23 The temple, the city from Jerusalem.

2.24 Jason the Cyrenian. His person and life are unknown to us. We can only plausibly assume that, being from Cyrene, an African city where Jews were numerous and spoke Greek, he himself wrote in Greek. — On Cyrene, see Acts of the Apostles, 2, 10.

2.28 The author seems to be alluding to the custom received among the ancients, of choosing one of their own at the feasts to have the task of preparing everything necessary for the feast and then ensuring that each of the guests was satisfied.

3.1 Onias. See 1 Maccabees 12, 7.

3.3 From Asia. See 1 Maccabees note 8.6. ― Seleucus Seleucus IV Philopator was the son and successor of Antiochus III the Great (187-175 BC). Under the early Ptolemies, Palestine had belonged to Egypt. It fell into the possession of Antiochus III the Great when he won a major victory at Paneas in 198 BC. When he married his daughter Cleopatra to the young Ptolemy V Epiphanes, King of Egypt, he did indeed give her the conquered provinces of Coele-Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine as her dowry, but in reality, he did not relinquish them. Thus, his son Seleucus IV inherited Palestine, as well as all of the rest of Egypt. SyriaThe reign of Seleucus IV was not particularly illustrious. He was burdened by the taxes that the Romans had imposed on his father (see 1 Maccabees (8, 7), his main concern was to obtain the money necessary to satisfy his ruthless conquerors. Hence his attempt to have the Temple in Jerusalem looted by Heliodorus. He was assassinated by Heliodorus in 175.

3.4 Temple Steward for external, or purely temporal, affairs, since, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, he was neither priest nor Levite. — The disagreement that arose between Simon and Onias must have stemmed from difficulties concerning purchases for the temple. Onias III later went to complain to the king of Syria Regarding Simon's conduct, see 2 Maccabees 4:1-6; but the sacred author does not tell us what the result of this action was. The usurper high priest Menelaus, who is mentioned later, see 2 Maccabees 4, 23, was the brother of a Simon, probably the same one being discussed here.

3.5 Apollonius, son of Tharseus…, governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, must be different from the tax collector mentioned later, see 2 Maccabees 5, 24 (see 1 Maccabees 1, 30). This is probably the Apollonius of whom Polybius speaks as a man of high standing at the court of Seleucus, and whose son, bearing the same name, was governor of Coele-Syria, the one of whom... 1 Maccabees 10, 69.

3.7 In charge of his affairs, That is to say, superintendent of his finances. Two Greek inscriptions relating to Heliodorus were found on the island of Delos in 1877 and 1879. They tell us that his father's name was Aeschylus and that he was from Antioch. One of them gives him the same title as in the Book of Maccabees, which corresponds to treasurer of the king. Heliodorus assassinated his master Seleucus IV Philopator shortly afterward (175).

3.11 Talents. See 1 Maccabees 11, 28. ― Hircan-Tobie or son of Tobias is, according to some, a son of Tobias and a sister of the high priest Onias III; according to others, he is only a grandson of Tobias, whose father was called Joseph and the same as that Hircan whose story Josephus tells and who played an important political role at that time.

3.16 his face and his color ; For the color of his face ; a grammatical figure of which the Bible provides several examples.

3.17 This, pronoun represented by the determinative article which is read in the Greek text, and which in the biblical style stands for the demonstrative and possessive pronoun.

3.19 The virgins, etc. In the East, girls almost never appear outside the home. That is why the Hebrews and the Arabs refer to them by terms that mean hidden, separated.

3.29 With all hope and healing ; For of all hope of recovery. Compare to verse 16.

3.31 At his last moment ; literally, to his last breath.

3.32 This. See verse 17 on this word.

3.39 Her. See verse 17 for more on this possessive pronoun.

4.3 Simon. See above, 2 Maccabees 3, 4.

4.4 Apollonius. See above., 2 Mac. 3, 5.

4.6 His madness, that is to say, his crazy schemes.

4.7 The Noble. See 1 Maccabees 10, 1. ― Seleucus IV Philopator. See above, 2 Maccabees 3, 3. ― Antiochus IV the Noble or Epiphanius, brother and successor of Seleucus IV (175-164). See 1 Maccabees 1, verse 11 and following. ― Jason is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua or Jesus. It was he himself, says Josephus, who changed his name in this way. He wanted to demonstrate his affinity for the Greeks and their customs. He bought the high priesthood from Antiochus Epiphanes and had his own brother, Onias III, deprived of it. For three years, around 174-171, he worked to make Jerusalem pagan. The intrigues of Menelaus, who offered a larger sum of money to the king of Syria, caused him to lose his usurped dignity. He tried, but without success, to recover it, and after wandering in Arabia and Egypt, he went to die in Lacedaemon.

4.8 Talents. See 1 Maccabees 11, 28.

4.9; 4.12 The gymnasium which we have already discussed (see 1 Maccabees 1, 15) was for grown men, while the’ephebia was intended for adolescent exercises, as expressed by the Greek word ephebia himself.

4.11 And abolishing, etc. See 1 Maccabees 8, 17. ― John, father of Eupolemus. See 1 Maccabees 8, 17.

4.13 Not a priest ; Jason is thus designated because he had usurped the title of high priest.

4.14 Unfair, because priests could not participate without committing a crime. ― The palaestra, the place dedicated to Greek gymnastic exercises and these exercises themselves. ― Puck, a small, heavy, polished metal disc that was thrown far away.

4.15 The glories of the Greeks, Greek titles and dignities, the contests in public games and the rewards that were given to the victors of the games.

4.17 The following circumstance ; the rest of this story.

4.18 The quinquennial celebrations, probably some kind of imitation of the Greek Olympic Games.

4.19 There didrachm A double drachma was worth about eighty centimes of the old francs in circulation in 1900 — Hercules was the titular deity of Tyre. — The Phoenician deity was properly called Melqart, or the king of the city, and was a solar god. The Greeks identified him with their Heracles, or Hercules.

4.20 Trireme ships, warships with three rows of oars.

4.21 Apollonius, son of Mnestheus, different from the one being discussed at 2 Maccabees 3, vv. 5, 7, is perhaps the one whom Antiochus IV Epiphanes placed at the head of the embassy he sent to Rome. Many believe that this is also the general whom this same prince sent against Judas Maccabees and who perished in the battle recounted in 1 Maccabees 3, 10. ― Ptolemy VI Philometor (181-146). ― Because of the court officials. The corresponding Greek word is obscure. Several exegetes today translate it as first reign Or inauguration of The reign of Ptolemy VI took place when this prince reached his fourteenth year, in 173 BC. From 181 BC until that date, he had been under the guardianship of his mother Cleopatra and then, after the queen's death, under that of Eulaeus and Lenaeus. Ptolemy VI reigned twice. Antiochus Epiphanes attacked Egypt several times between 171 and 168 BC. In one of these campaigns, in 171 BC, Philometor fell into the hands of the king of Syria And the Egyptians placed his brother Ptolemy VII Physcon on the throne. The two brothers reigned simultaneously for six years, from 170 to 164. At the end of this time, no longer able to agree, Philometor kept Egypt and Cyprus for himself, and Physcon received Cyrene and Libya, thanks to the intervention of Rome. Philometor thus reigned alone again until his death in 146. This is the meaning of the end of verse 21. Ptolemy VI wanted to recover the provinces of Palestine, Phoenicia, and Coele-Syria, which had been taken from Egypt by the Seleucids and had been promised as a dowry to his mother Cleopatra, but had not been returned to her (see above). 2 Maccabees 3.3. Philometor therefore made his preparations to retake these provinces by force. Antiochus Epiphanes sent Apollonius to Egypt to counter the attack, but finding that his ambassador was not taking the business of his kingdom, He went to Jaffa to prepare the city to withstand attacks from the Egyptians, and from there he went to Jerusalem.

4.23 Which has been discussed. See 1 Maccabees 3, 4. ― Menelaus, brother of Simon, He was therefore of the tribe of Benjamin and could not legitimately aspire to the priesthood, not being a descendant of Aaron. Nevertheless, he purchased the high priesthood, outbidding Jason, around the year 170. He was no less a supporter of Greek ideas and customs than Jason. However, because he failed to pay Antiochus Epiphanes the sums he had promised, he was driven from the high priesthood, and his brother Lysimachus took his place. He did not cease his intrigues, however. He stole gold vessels from the temple and offered some of them to Andronicus, an officer of Antiochus IV. When Onias III reproached Menelaus for his crimes, the latter, in revenge, had him killed by Andronicus. The Jews, having later accused Menelaus to the king himself of the crimes he continually committed, were unable to obtain justice, and his accusers were condemned to death, thanks to his treachery. He helped Antiochus Epiphanes plunder the Temple in Jerusalem; see 2 Maccabees 5, 15. The rest of his story is unknown. We only know that he finally atoned for his crimes and perished, suffocated in ashes, see 2 Maccabees 13, 3-8.

4.26 had deceived, defrauded.― Ammanites ; That is to say, Ammonites. The Vulgate reads it here, as does the Greek Ammanites ; but in 1 Kings, 14, 21, where she wears Ammanite, Hebrew and Greek themselves read Ammonite.

4.27 The citadel Greeks in Jerusalem. Compare to 1 Maccabees 1, 35.― Sostrate, By virtue of his position, he certainly had Syrian soldiers under his command. As he was responsible for collecting tribute (see verse 28), it was naturally he who should have demanded that Menelaus fulfill his promises.

4.29 The Cypriots, the inhabitants of Cyprus or Cyprus. ― Lysimachus, brother Menelaus took his brother's place while he was away from Jerusalem and proved no less wicked. He atoned for his crimes by his death (see verse 41).

4.30 Tarsus, capital of Cilicia.― Mallo, Or Mallus, a city in the same province, on the Pyramus River. ― Antiochide had received the revenues from the two cities of Tarsus and Mallo. The kings of the East customarily gave queens cities or even entire provinces for their upkeep, from which they collected revenues. The inhabitants of Tarsus and Mallo revolted, either because they were indignant at being given to an illegitimate wife, or because they feared being exploited by her.

4.31 Andronic governs at Antioch, in the absence of Epiphanius. We know nothing about this character except what is recounted in this chapter.

4.32 Menelaus, etc.; he was no longer in Jerusalem; but there was Lysimachus his deputy manager, who by his orders removed gold vessels from the temple (see verse 39).

4.33 Antioch, on the Orontes, capital of the kingdom of Syria. ― Daphne, so named because of its laurel woods, was a place of pleasure for the inhabitants of Antioch.

4.40 Tyrant, proper noun according to several exegetes. The Acts of the Apostles (see Acts of the Apostles, 19, 9) also speak of a character of that name.

4.45 Ptolemy. See 1 Maccabees 3, 38.

4.47 THE Scythians were considered by the ancients to be the most barbaric of men.

5.1 At the same time, That is, when the young King Ptolemy Philometor ascended the throne of Egypt. See 2 Maccabees 4, 21. — See also, 1 Maccabees 1, 17.

5.5 Jason. See above, 2 Maccabees 4, 7.

5.7 Ammanites. See 2 Maccabees 4, 26.

5.8 Aretas, tyrant or king Arabs The Nabataeans, who had seized Idumea and whose capital was Petra. Four Aretas, kings of the Nabataeans, are known. This one is Aretas I^er (169 BC). The one Saint Paul names, see 2 Corinthians, 11, 32, is Aretas IV Aeneas Philodemus.

5.9 Because of family ties that the Lacedaemonians claimed to have Jews, believing themselves to be descended from Abraham just as they were. Compare to 1 Maccabees 12, 21.

5.14 Chained ; That is to say, captives or prisoners. Sold as slaves.

5.16 Place. This word refers to the temple here and in verses 17, 19 and 20.

5.18 See 2 Maccabees 3, vv. 25, 27. ― Him too, Antiochus. ― Rejected, etc., prevented from carrying out his audacious undertaking.

5.21 Talents. See 1 Maccabees 11, 28.

5.22 Philip, Phrygian. See 1 Mac. 6, 14.

5.23 A Garizim, Mount Gerizim, a mountain in Samaria, is opposite Mount Ebal. Shechem is built in the valley between the two mountains. After their captivity, the Samaritans erected a temple on Mount Gerizim, which they intended to rival the temple in Jerusalem. See Jeans, note 4.20. ― Andronic, different from the one whose story is being told, see 2 Maccabees 4, 31, and otherwise unknown.

5.24 Apollonius. See above, 2 Maccabees 3, 5 and 1 Maccabees 1, 30.

5.26 As spectators military exercises.

5.27 The tenth, that is, with nine other people. The author ends his story here by mentioning the retirement of Judas Maccabeus in the desert of Judah, to prepare the account of his exploits, which he will begin in chapter 8.

6.1 From Antioch ; according to the Greek, from Athens.— If this old man, whose name is not given, was of Athenian origin, as the Greek text supposes, it is clear that he had entered the service of Epiphanes.

6.2 Hospital, Or stranger. ― As were, etc. The Samaritans who lived at the foot of Mount Gerizim were foreigners who had been transported there to replace the natives of the country who had been taken captive. ― The Olympian Jupiter was Jupiter, the inhabitant of Mount Olympus, the master of the sky and the master of the gods. Give the name of this god to Jerusalem temple, That was to desecrate the holy place by dedicating it to the worship of a false deity. Hospitaller Jupiter Jupiter was considered the defender of human rights.hospitality, the protector of guests and strangers. ― On Garizim, see 2 Mac. 5, 23.

6.7 The day of the king's birth was celebrated throughout the East. The Greek adds that this festival was celebrated every month And it is indeed certain that the kings of that time did not simply celebrate their birthdays in the month of their birth, but in every month of the year. ― The ivy was dedicated to Bacchus and his festival was celebrated by wearing crowns made from the foliage of this plant.

6.8 Which ones ; literally, that they, in the masculine, because the word cities is taken here, not for the places, but for the inhabitants of those places. ― The Ptolemies. Some Greek manuscripts bear Ptolemy, in the singular, and this reading is more plausible. It refers to Ptolemy, son of Dorymine, the enemy of the Jews, see 2 Maccabees 4, 45; 1 Maccabees 3, 38. ― The neighboring pagan cities, where there were Jews, in Phoenicia, etc.

6.11 THE caves are numerous in the vicinity of Jerusalem. ― To Philippe. See above, 2 Maccabees 5, 22.

6.15 Our sins, etc., that is to say, as soon as our sins are etc. Several give this verse an opposite meaning, based on the Greek; but we believe that this text says essentially the same thing as the Vulgate.

6.18 Eleazar was 90 years old, see verse 24; he was scribe scholar in the science of Mosaic law.

6.23 The Sheol. As we have already noted several times, the Hebrews meant by this word, not the sepulcher, THE tomb, but the underground place where souls were gathered after death.

6.24 Foreigners, that is to say, pagans.

6.25 By this feint and by, etc.; that is to say, by this pretense which I would have used to preserve a small remnant of this corruptible life.

7.1 Seven brothers ; they are generally called Maccabees But there is no agreement on the origin of this name. As for their martyrdom, the common opinion is that they suffered it at Antioch.

7.3 That we heated ; literally, that they would light underneath.

7.5 That he had been mutilated ; literally, that it was rendered useless.

7.6 See Deuteronomy 32:43. The lyrics ; literally, protest, assurance. ― In his servants, etc. This text from Deuteronomy (see Deuteronomy, 32, 36), is quoted according to the Septuagint version.

7.8 The language of his homeland ; Aramaic, which was spoken in Palestine at that time.

7.9 His last moment ; literally, his last breath. Compare to 2 Mac. 3, 31.

7.16 Mortal ; literally, subject to corruption.

7.24 Disdainful, etc.; according to the Greek: suspecting insulting language. It seems that Antiochus did not understand the language (compare verse 8) that this mother spoke to her children; but seeing them so steadfast, he suspected that she was encouraging them, and thus rendering both her threats and her tortures useless. For a friend. On the meaning of this title, see 1 Maccabees 2, 18.

7.29 In this mercy, etc. See verse 23.

7.30 What do you expect from me? literally, What are you waiting for? How do you think I am prepared?

7.36 In the alliance, etc.; that is to say, in the enjoyment of eternal life promised by the covenant that God made with their fathers.

7.42 The sacrifices laypeople. ― The excessive cruelties of Antiochus.

8.8 Philippe. See 1 Maccabees 6, 14. ― Ptolemy. See 1 Maccabees 3, 38.

8.9 Nicanor, Gorgias, see 1 Maccabees 3, 38. ― His friend, see 1 Maccabees 2, 18.

8.10 Antiochus the Great, father of Antiochus Epiphanes, having been defeated by the Romans, had to pay fifteen thousand talents for the costs of the war; the two thousand talents that Antiochus Epiphanes then owed were the remainder of this sum. Now, it was these two thousand talents that Nicanor flattered himself he would provide to the king, to curry favor with him. Talents. See 1 Maccabees 11, 28.

8.15 To deliver them, otherwise because, etc.

8.16 Seven thousand ; according to the Greek, six thousand, which agrees with verse 22.

8.19 See 2 Kings 19:35; Tobit 1:21; Ecclesiasticus 48:24; Isaiah 37:36; 1 Maccabees 7:41.

8.20 From the battleThe time and occasion of this battle are unknown. It is only known that during the reign of Antiochus the Great, the Galatians were very powerful in Asia, and that the Jews, since Alexander the Great, commonly served in the armies of the kings of Syria. ― The Macedonians, That is to say, the Greek and Syrian troops entrusted with the defense of Babylonia, along with a corps of Jews. Six thousand ; according to the Greek, four thousand. See verse 16.

8.22 From both bodies. Neither the Greek nor the Vulgate is susceptible to any other meaning. This presupposes that the army was divided into two corps or regiments, themselves divided into four companies, one of which was commanded by Judas (see, however, the following verse), and the others by his brothers. Now, each of these companies consisted of fifteen hundred men, giving us the number six thousand, as indicated in verse 16 of the Greek text. Joseph not being found elsewhere among the brothers of Judah, some believe that it is Jeans (see 1 Maccabees 2, 2), the others claim that this Joseph was simply a relative or brother-in-law of Judas.

8.23 The holy book, that is to say, one or more passages; perhaps Deuteronomy, 20, verse 2 and following. Compare to 1 Maccabees 3, 56. ― Ezra ; the Greek bears Eleazar, put in the accusative case, as the fourth complement of the verb he established from the preceding verse, and he presents Judas in himself as having read in the holy book. ― The rescue, etc.; having given them as a signal or watchword: God's help. Compare to 2 Maccabees 13, 15. ― Ezra Or Eleazar was probably a priest attached to the army.

8.26 Before, etc.; the eve of the Sabbath, which began at sunset.

8.29 Finally ; or through Hebraism, completely, forever.

8.30 Timothy. See 1 Maccabees 5, 6. — Bacchides is commonly considered to be the same as the one spoken of in 1 Maccabees 7, 8.

8.32 Philarch, known only through this passage.

8.33 Callisthenes, supporter of Nicanor.

8.35 Through the middle of the land, by the most direct and shortest route.

9.1 From Persia. See 1 Maccabees 3, 31.

9.2 See 1 Maccabees 61. ― Persepolis, One of the capitals of Persia, north of the Araxes River, in a fertile plain, it was called Istakhar under the Sassids. Burned, but not destroyed, by Alexander the Great, it remained an important city for a long time afterward, but eventually fell into complete ruin. Many monuments of the Persian kings can still be seen there.

9.3 Ecbatana, capital city of Media. ― On Ecbatana, see Tobie, 3, 7.

9.4 The tomb ; literally, the heap, the pile of corpses.

9.5 See 2 Chronicles, 16, 9.

9.6 Quite right.. Compare to 1 Mac. 7, 21.

9.8 The mountain heights ; Hebraism, for, very high mountains.

9.9 Its foul odor ; literally, its smell and infection ; a grammatical figure, of which the Bible provides a number of examples. ― From the body of this impious man, worms emerged.. Herod Agrippa I^er died of a similar illness, most likely the’helminthiasis, a disease that produces worms in the intestines, abscesses, ulcers filled with worms that spread an unbearable infection.

9.11 The divine wound ; the wound with which God had struck him.

9.13 Whose, etc.; because his prayer was the result of the severity of his illness, but in no way of a conversion of heart. Make them equal or similar to the Athenians, granting them independence and autonomy.

9.20 Farewell is expressed in Greek.

9.23 The high provinces, the provinces beyond the Euphrates. ― My father, Antiochus III the Great. He had perished trying to plunder a temple in Elymaide, as Antiochus IV Epiphanes had just done at Persepolis. See above., 2 Maccabees 1, 11. ― He designated the one who was to receive the domination, his eldest son, Seleucus IV Philopator, brother of Antiochus Epiphanes. Seleucus succeeded his father without any dispute.

9.25 The upper kingdoms are the lands beyond the Euphrates (see verse 23). Antiochus V. Eupator. See 1 Maccabees 3, 32.

9.27 He will be, etc.; literally, it will be common to you.

9.29 See this verse, 1 Maccabees 6, 14-17.

10.5 Casleu. See 1 Maccabees 1, 57.

10.7 Thyrses It properly means staffs covered with ivy or vine branches, carried by Bacchus and the Bacchantes; but it is also sometimes used to mean simple green branches. Its location, that is to say, his temple.

10.9 The Noble. See 1 Maccabees 10, 1. ― So, etc. See 1 Maccabees 6, 1-16 and 2 Maccabees 1, 13-17.

10.10 Antiochus V Eupator. See 1 Mac. 3, 32.

10.11 Lysias. See 1 Maccabees 3, 32.

10.12 Lean (to macerate) ; in Greek, long, high waist. ― Ptolemy. See 1 Maccabees 3, 38.

10.14 Gorgias. See above, 1 Maccabees 3, 38.

10.19 Joseph. See above, 2 Maccabees 8, 22. ― Zacchaeus is completely unknown.

10.20 Didrachmas. See 2 Maccabees 4, 19.

10.24 Timothy, which was mentioned above, see 2 Maccabees 8, 30.

10.26 At the foot Or at the base of the altar ; according to the Greek: at the base of the perfume altar ; That is, between the altar of burnt offerings and the vestibule of the temple. This is the place where, according to the prophet Joel (see Joel 2, 17), the priests prostrated themselves to pray in times of public calamity. ― As the law states (see Exodus 23, 22-23).

10.29 Dazzling Or brilliant, relates to five men ; but the Greek relates it more naturally, it seems, to the horses. Perhaps the decori of the Vulgate is a simple copyist's error, and should be read decoris.

10.32 Gazara. See 1 Maccabees 14, 34. ― Chéréas, brother of Timothy (see verse 37).

10.37 Apollophanes is an unknown character.

11.1 Lysias. See 1 Maccabees 3, 32.

11.3 He would benefit from it, etc., either by selling the offices and dignities of this temple, or by demanding money from those who came to offer victims there.

11.5 Having entered, etc. This war is different from the one mentioned in 1 Maccabees 6, verse 28 and following. ― Stadiums, or according to the Alexandrian version Schènes. Now the schene varied according to the place, but the smallest was worth thirty stades; which agrees better with Eusebius and Saint Jerome who indeed place the city of Bethsura at twenty miles from Jerusalem.

11.14 He would persuade the king to become their friend. King Antiochus V Eupator being only a child, Lysias could make him do whatever he wanted.

11.16; 11.22; 11.27; 11.34 Hi. See 1 Maccabees 10, 18.

11.17 Writings, that is to say, letters.

11.19 I will strive ; literally, and I, etc. See on this and, Hosea, 11, 1.

11.20 These, Those who are present here are your envoys.

11.21; 11.33; 11.38 The year one hundred and forty-eight of the reign of the Greeks, the one hundred and sixty-third BC. ― Dioscorus Or Dioscore, less well known among the Greeks; the Greek text reads Dios corinthiou, that's to say Jupiter of Corinth which is no more well known; hence the various opinions of scholars.

11.22 His brother ; honorary title. See 1 Maccabees 10, 18. ― King Antiochus V Eupator.

11.23 Our Father Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

11.25 Wishing that this nation also be at peaceLysias, who made the child king speak and act, had every interest in doing peace with the Jews, in order to be able to fight Philip, whom Antiochus Epiphanes had designated as guardian of his son on his deathbed, something Lysias refused to accept, being determined to retain a guardianship himself that would make him master of the kingdom of Syria. See 1 Maccabees 3, 32; 6, 14.

11.29 Menelaus still passed away as high priest of the Jews, having been appointed by Antiochus Epiphanes (see 2 Maccabees (4, verse 23 and following), although he was not received in Jerusalem and did not perform the functions of the priesthood in the temple. During his absence, the Jews had conferred the dignity of high priest upon Judas.

11.30; 11.33; 11.38 Xanthicus Or Xanthic. This month for Macedonians corresponds to the month of April.

11.34 Quintius Memmius And Titus Manilius. These names are written very differently in texts and manuscripts, and it is not known exactly who these characters are.

12.2 Timothy, the same one who is appointed to 1 Maccabees 5, 11, and following, verse 10, and in the rest of the chapter. ― Jerome And Demophon are unknown elsewhere. ― Apollonius, son of Genesius, is different from the other two characters of that name, one of whom was the son of Tharseus, see 2 Maccabees 3, vv. 5, 7, the other, son of Mnestheus, see 2 Maccabees 4, 21. He is also probably different from Apollonius, governor of Coele-Syria under Demetrius, see 1 Maccabees 10, 69, because at the time in question, this Apollonius was in Rome with Demetrius I^er. Apollonius, son of Genneus, was likely the father of the governor of Coele-Syria. See 1 Maccabees 10, 69. ― Nicanor, Governor of Cyprus, must be different from Nicanor, son of Patroclus, see 2 Maccabees 8, 9, elephant attendant, see 2 Maccabees 14, 12, and which is discussed at length in 1 Maccabees 7, 26-47 and 2 Maccabees from chapter 14, verse 12 to chapter 15.

12.4 Themselves, the Jews. ― Having agreed to this decree which ratified the proposal made to the Jews (see verse 3) to board boats.

12.8 Jamnia. See 1 Maccabees 4, 15.

12.9 Two hundred and forty stadiums ; about ten leagues (44 km).

12.10 With him,Judas (see verse 5). Arabs, Nomadic Bedouins, living between Egypt and Palestine and often making incursions into the land of the Philistines.

12.11 To give them their right hand. See 1 Maccabees 11, 50.

12.13 Casphin, perhaps the same city as Casbon (see 1 Maccabees 5, 36). ― Casphin was surrounded by bridges, that is to say, according to one of the meanings of the Greek word, wide earthen walls.

12.15 Jesus, that's to say Joshua. - See Joshua, 6, 1-20.

12.17 Tubianians who lived in the land of Tubin or Tob. See 1 Maccabees 5, 13. ― CharacaAccording to some, Kir, a city of Moab, on the Wadi Kerek, but according to others, since Kir was not in the land of Tob, it was simply a fortified camp, located between the Ammonites and the Syria.

12.19 Dositheus and Sosipater, lieutenants under the command of Judas Maccabeus.

12.21 Carnion, the same city as Karaim (see 1 Maccabees 5, vv. 26, 43).

12.24 Because he had, etc. Timothy means that by taking captive a great number of fathers and brothers of the Jews, they would be deceived by his death in their hope of regaining their freedom.

12.27 Ephron. See 1 Maccabees 5, 46.

12.29 The city of the Scythians or Scythopolis, the same as Bethsan. See 1 Maccabees 5, 52.

12.31 The solemn day of the weeks, Pentecost, so named because, according to the very terms of the law, it was celebrated seven full weeks after Easter (see Leviticus, 23, 15-16).

12.32 Gorgias. See 1 Maccabees 3, 38.

12.35 Marésa, city of the tribe of Judah. ― Dositheus of the Bacenors, different from the Dosithée of verses 19 and 24.

12.37 The language of his homeland, Aramaic. See 2 Maccabees 7, 8.

12.38 Odollam, in the southern part of Judah.

12.40 They found, etc. It is likely that these found items had been taken during the expedition against Jamnia (see verse 8 and following). That the law, etc. See Deuteronomy, 7, 25-26.

12.43 The drachma It was worth approximately forty centimes of the old francs in circulation in 1900. So that a sacrificeetc. This end of the verse and the following verses prove beyond doubt the resurrection of the dead and the existence of purgatory. This is why Luther classified the Books of Maccabees among the apocryphal; but the authenticity and divinity of these books are proven by arguments as solid as the authority of all the other books of the Bible. As for verses 43 and 46 in particular, we feel obliged to say, following Dom Calmet: “One does not dwell on refuting the imagination of Munster, who suspected this passage of having been added in this place; all the Greek, Latin, and Syriac copies, both printed and manuscript, bear it uniformly, like the Vulgate, and the ancient Fathers quoted it and knew it, without any variation or doubt.”

13.1 The year one hundred and forty-ninth of the reign of the Greeks, the one hundred and sixty-second BC. — For this campaign, see 1 Maccabees 6, 28-62.

13.3 Menelaus. See 2 Maccabees 4, 23.

13.4 In the same place, or, according to the Greek, as is the custom in that place.

13.5 From ashes hot. The Persians, for whom fire was a sacred element, would have believed they were profaning it by throwing those condemned to death into it; that is why they threw them into the hot ashes.

13.7 Was not, etc., that is to say, that he was deprived of the honors of burial.

13.11 Because, etc., is a reflection that the author makes separately and which is detached from the main narrative; that is why we felt it necessary to enclose it in parentheses.

13.14 Modin. See 1 Maccabees 2, 1.

13.15 God's victory, etc. See 2 Maccabees 8, 23. ― The largest of the elephants. A brief account of Eleazar's exploit is given to... 1 Maccabees 6, 43-46.

13.19 Bethsura. See 1 Maccabees 4, 61.

13.22 Donna her right hand. See 1 Maccabees 11, 50.

13.23 He engaged in combat ; previously. Compare to 1 Maccabees 6, verse 43 and following. ― Philippe, who had remained in charge of the affairs. Antiochus IV Epiphanes had entrusted power to him on his deathbed. See 1 Maccabees 6, 55.

13.24 The Gerrenians inhabited the land where ancient Gerara was located (see Genesis 20, 1), the same as Gerrus, border of Egypt. ― Ptolemaida. See 1 Maccabees 5, 15.

14.1 Demetrius I^er, son of Seleucus IV Philopator. See 1 Maccabees 7, 1-4. ― Tripoli, a Phoenician city and seaport, north of Sidon, between Byblos and Aradus at the foot of the highest part of the mountain range Lebanon, called Tripoli or the three cities, because it consisted of three distinct colonies of Sidon, Tyre, and Aradus, a trading center that remains quite important even today. ― In advantageous locations, Probably Seleucia. See 1 Maccabees 11, 8. From there, it was easy to get to Antioch, capital of the Syria.

14.3 Alcime, etc. See verse 7 and 1 Maccabees 7, vv. 5, 9, 14.

14.4 The 150th year of the reign of the Greeks, the one hundred and sixty-first before Christ.

14.6 Assidians. See 1 Maccabees 2, 42.

14.10 In the State ; literally, in business.

14.11 All ; literally, and all. See on this And, purely pleonastic, Osée, 11, 1.

14.12 Nicanor, probably the same one as the one mentioned in 2 Maccabees 8, verse 9 and following and 1 Mac. 3, 38; 7, 26.

14.16 Dessau ; The situation is unknown.

14.18 To try, etc.; literally, to make judgment by blood. Nicanor, fearing that the retreat of the Jews was a stratagem to lure him into an ambush, wanted above all to avoid a major battle.

14.19 Let them give, etc. See 1 Maccabees 11, 50.

14.21 They, the armies of the two leaders. ― Seats, etc. It was an honor reserved only for people of the highest distinction.

14.28 Agreed between Maccabeus and him.

14.31 The man, Judas Maccabeus.

14.44 Who, etc.; according to the Greek: Having promptly withdrawn, a space having been made. The crowd at the foot of the wall, seeing Razias rush forward, naturally hastened to move aside so as not to be crushed by his fall. He fell on the middle of his head ; the Greek word is: He fell on his midsection, Or in the middle of empty space ; because the Greek term kénéôn also means belly, flank And a place devoid of buildingsRazias took his own life without sufficient reason, and his conduct can only be excused by the uprightness of his intentions or by a particular divine inspiration. He did not act out of despair, but with faith, asking God to one day return to him the body he was abandoning. "His conduct was more admirable than wise," said Saint AugustineAnd Scripture recounted his death as it happened, without praising it as if it were the fulfillment of a duty.

15.1 See 1 Maccabees 7:26.

15.2 Of sanctification, of consecration, of holiness; that is to say, holy, consecrated.

15.6 And of those, etc. That's the meaning of the Greek word. common The Vulgate seems to assume as much. Raise a trophy means to erect a victory monument composed of the spoils of the enemy, or simply, figuratively, to win a triumph over the enemies.

15.12 Onias III, so often praised in Scripture. Compare to 2 Maccabees 4, 34.

15.14 Speaking. The Hebrew verb that the Septuagint and the Vulgate have consistently translated as answer, often means, as in this case, raise your voice, speak up. ― Jeremiah. See the’Introduction to this prophet.

15.17 Young men, soldiers called by this name among the Hebrews.

15.20 The animals, elephants, which, as we have already seen, are sometimes referred to by this general term in the Maccabees.

15.22 See 2 Maccabees 8, 19.

15.29 The language of their homeland, Aramaic. See 2 Maccabees 7, 8.

15.34 Its location, that is to say, his temple.

15.37 Adar. See 1 Maccabees 7, 43. ― The day before of the Feast of Spells (Phurim), in which the deliverance brought to the Jews by Mordecai was celebrated (see Esther, (Chapter 9).

15.40 In the East, water is now drunk after wine to temper its heat. The ancient peoples of the East always mixed wine with water. The Greek text conforms to this custom.