CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Alfred C. Barnes BS1823 .cm" """"""* '■""'"* ^'^TlllHiMniiinLi»S?i&^^^ '" ^"fll'sh / wit olin 3 1924 029 308 503 The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029308503 THE FIVE BOOKS OF MACCABEES IN ENGLISH. WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, BY HENRY COTTON, D.C.L. ARCHDEACON OF CASHEL, AND LATE STUDENT OP CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD. OXFORD, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. MDCCCXXXII. TO THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, AND SCHOLARS, OF TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN, TO WHOSE VALUABLE LIBRARY I HAVE HAD MOST LIBERAL ACCESS, THE PRESENT PUBLICATION IS INSCRIBED, IN TESTIMONY OF RESPECT AND REGARD. CONTENTS. Preface p. vii Introduction xi The Greek text of Eleazar's prayer xxxix Genealogy of the Maccabees xliii ' of the family of Herod xliv Chronological table xlv Book 1 1 II 43 Ill 147 IV 219 V ; 277 Index 447 PREFACE. It is well known, that the history of the period intervening between the days of Nehemiah, where the accounts of the Old Testament close, and the birth of Jesus Christ, is very insufficiently attended to by the greater part of our students in theology. For this defect there is indeed some show of reason : for the history of these times is scanty and incomplete ; the narra- tives themselves being few in number, and moreover lying detached and dispersed in various places, with the single exception of the writings of Josephus, With a view of removing one cause of this deficiency, I have collected together the writings of some ancient -Jewish au- thors which refer to this period, translating some, and correcting the current versions of the rest : and have endeavoured to il- a 4 viii PREFACE. lustrate or confirm their statements, by no- ticing accounts of the same transactions, which are to be found in the works of Greek and Roman historians. Of the five books presented in this vo- lume, only two are familiar to the genera- lity of readers, as being found in the edi- tions of our English Bible. As for the others, scarcely one student in a hundred has heard their names ; and perhaps not one in a thousand may have read a line of their contents. Yet, since they all contain interesting and valuable matter, I have here brought them together in an English dress^ arranged in such a form as to be consulted or perused with the greatest ease and best prospect of advantage. The history of each book, and of my la- bours upon it, will be found detailed in the Introduction. I have merely to add here a few words, on the occasion which has caused their appearance. Driven from my parish, by the violence of that storm which has suddenly burst upon the heads of the Irish clergy, — at once PREFACE. ix reducing to the verge of ruin a body of men who were peaceably pursuing the du- ties of their holy calling, under the pre- sumed sanction and protection of the laws, — men, against whom, be it remembered, no charge has been produced, either of moral or ministerial delinquency; — and thus com- pelled to seek temporary shelter at a dis- tance from my home : — I judged it right to employ some portion of the leisure thus thrown upon my hands, in an occupation, which, while it was not unsuitable to ray profession, might also hereafter have its use. Doubtless the present work is susceptible of numerous improvements : and even in the same hands its execution might have been less faulty, under more favourable cir- cumstances. Whatever literary aids this city could furnish, I have sought out, and have endeavoured to make available : but we cannot hope to find in every place all the works requisite for pursuing inquiries into points of ancient literature, nor every where to command the ample resources of X PREFACE. the Bodleian Library or the British Mu- seum. For the omissions and imperfections, aris- ing from this and other causes, I have to entreat the reader's kind forbearance : and to hope that, even in its present state, this publication may not be wholly unsuccess- ful, in calling the attention, more especially of students in divinity, to an important supplement to the inspired records of Holy Writ ; — to a very instructive portion of Jewish history; — to those transactions, in which the Maccabaean family, "according " to the prophecies which went before" con- cerning them, took for some time so distin- guished and influential a part, on behalf of the favoured country, the peculiar people of God. H. C. Dublin, 26th April, 1832. INTRODUCTION. M. HE portion of Jewish history, which is com- prised between the return from Babylon and the birth of Jesus Christ, commends itself to our con- sideration on a variety of grounds. Restored to their liberty and home by Cyrus, and furnished, both by him and several of his suc- cessors, with liberal supplies of all things neces- sary for their purpose, the Jews commenced and brought to a happy conclusion, the building of their « Second House." (B. C. 515.) Some few years afterwards, under the guidance of Nehe- miah, they repaired the walls and private dwell- ings of Jerusalem ; and, both there and through- out the other cities of Judaea, once more esta- blished the name and semblance of a people, and employed themselves, as heretofore, in the ordi- nary occupations of civil life. But their condition was not such as it had been in the former golden days of their prosperity: their numbers were diminished, their resources were impaired, their limits circumscribed, their authority restricted ; since now they were no longer governed by independent princes of their own, but were subjected to the uncertain and ar- xii INTRODUCTION. bitrary controul of governors appointed by the kings of Persia. We thus see them already placed in a new posi- tion : they are also entering on a new career of action ; as being now brought into immediate con- tact with other nations ; and about to bear their part in the fulfilment of those prophecies of Da- niel, which speak of the rise and progress of the Grecian empire in Asia, and of the treatment which the religion and fortunes of the Jews should experience at the hands of the successors of Alex- ander. Unable, by their numbers and position, to maintain their independence as a state, we find them falling alternately under the sway of Syria or of Egypt ; and suffering perpetual annoyance from the mutual quarrels which arose between these states, in addition to the positive persecu- tions, on religious grounds, which they under- went from Ptolemy Philopator, (B. C. 217.) and from Antiochus Epiphanes. One short bright space in their history suc- ceeds, when resistance to religious tyranny pro- cured for them civil freedom also : when under the leadership of the Asmonajan princes they obtain- ed, not merely independence, but some portion of renown and splendour. This light, however, was soon quenched through the bane of internal dissensions ; and by the grow- ing influence of the Romans, who now began to appear on the Eastern stage, and to take an active part in the politics of Asia and Egypt, they were consigned to the hands and dominion of a half- INTRODUCTION. xiil stranger in the person of Herod the Great ; who wielded a sceptre, which he had obtained through rivers of blood, really at the will and beck of a Roman commander, though nominally retaining the name and diadem of a sovereign ; because the Word of God had announced that "the sceptre " should not depart from Judah," till the Shiloh, the Messiah, should appear. Mixed up as we have seen the Jews to have been during the above-named period, with the affairs, not only of Asia, but also of Greece and Rome, we might reasonably expect to find ample notices concerning them in the several Greek and Roman historians. To a certain extent this ex- pectation has been realized : we still possess vari- ous and valuable information on Jewish matters, in the works of classic authors which are yet re- maining ; and there is ground for believing that much more of the same stamp and value has been lost to us, through that common misfortune which has deprived these later ages of so large a portion of the literary treasures bequeathed by the learned of former days. Polyhius, of Megalopolis in Arcadia, who flou- rished during the times of the Maccabees, and is known and valued for the extent and accuracy of his observations, had particular reasons for direct- ing his attention to the Jewish affairs of his day ; inasmuch as he was not only acquainted with the general outline of their proceedings, but enjoyed the personal and close friendship of Demetrius the Second, whose escape from Rome he certainly xiv INTRODUCTION. was privy to, and perhaps had originally advised. Polybius left behind him. a history in forty books : of these, no more than five entire, with fragments of twelve others, have been preserved to the pre- sent time : but from these small remains we learn to estimate the extent of our loss : and, judging from that portion of Jewish history which we find in these fragments, we might have expected from his unmutilated works very considerable acces- sions of important information. Diodorus Siculus lived during the reigns of Hyrcanus and Herod : he wrote a history of Ro- man affairs in forty books ; of which only fifteen are now remaining, with extracts from some few of the rest. We collect that Diodorus had given particular attention to Jewish matters : in his 34th book he speaks of the bad character which that nation bore amongst foreigners, and relates seve- ral of the acts of Antiochus Epiphanes. Again, in a fragment of the fortieth book, there is evi- dence that he had written a narrative of Pom- pey's expedition against Jerusalem ; as he begins with the words 'H/Ae«f t\ fj.iX\ovrei miaypa^eiv tov irpoi 'lov'iaiovs iroXeis-ov, &c. : but all which now re- mains of this, whatever it might have been, is merely the introductory part, relating to the early history and habits of the Jews, such as they were believed by Diodorus to be. For the preservation of even this short fragment we are indebted to the most learned and diligent Photius, patriarch of Constantinople. Another historian, who was contemporary with Herod the Great, is Dionysms of Halicarnassus : INTRODUCTION. xv but, as the plan of his work did not embrace the period of time with which these books are con- cerned, we are not to expect from him any thing either of corroborative or corrective information. Strabo, the eminent Greek geographer, like- wise, flourished before the death of Herod. He is said to have written some historical books ; but these unfortunately are lost. This author is very frequently quoted by Josephus ; and there is good ground for supposing that if his works had sur- vived, they would have contained much valuable matter connected with this period of Jewish his- tory. Livy, who was alive during the time of Herod and Augustus, is well known to have related every thing belonging to Koman history with considerable minuteness of detail : but a very large portion of his great work has perished through lapse of time, and especially that part which con- tained the transactions belonging to the period of the Maccabees : had these survived, there is little doubt that, from the close connexion at this time existing between the affairs of Syria and Rome, ample notice and information upon various points of this our history would have been found in the pages of Livy. Besides these writers, most of whom were liv- ing during the times of which the five books of Maccabees treat; and all of whom wrote their accounts or histories before Josephus published his great work on Jewish history, and therefore could not have been either biassed or informed at secondhand by him : — we find others, of high xvi INTRODUCTION. name and great celebrity, who have taken more or less pains in transmitting to posterity some memorials of the Jews and their aflfairs. Tacitus, who lived at a time when the Jewish name and nation was either odious or utterly de- spised at Rome, after the final overthrow of Jeru- salem, — has left to us, in the fifth book of his His- tories, a short account of the origin and customs of the Jews ; defective indeed and distorted, as rather through prejudice than ignorance. He re- lates the expedition of Pompey against Jerusa- lem ; and probably in the latter part of that book, which unhappily has perished, had given a fuller detail of the part which the Romans took in the concerns of Judaea, from the eommencement of Augustus' reign till the destruction of the Holy City by Titus. Plutarch, who flourished about thirty years after the destruction of Jerusalem, has incidental notices of the Jews and their afiairs. Appian, about twenty or twenty-five years later, composed, among other works, a History of Syria : in which he relates the transactions of Antiochus the Great and his successors on the Syrian throne ; likewise the deeds of Pompey in Judaea, and his putting an end to the dynasty of the Seleucidae. Athenceus is said to have written a history of Syria ; but not a vestige of it is now remaining. He flourished at the close of the second century after Christ. Besides the above named, Dion Cassius and some other authors are known to have touched INTRODUCTION. xvii more or less on points of Jewish history ; but from none of them have we obtained, or at least do we now possess, any thing like a continuous or comprehensive work upon the subject. It is manifest that all these united, interesting as they certainly are, and affording valuable con- firmation of accounts derived from another quarter, are very far from supplying us with any thing like a complete history of the times, or furnishing that accurate or continuous information concern- ing the Jews and their transactions during this period, which we should greatly have desired to possess. We turn therefore, not more naturally than ne- cessarily, to the Jewish historians themselves ; and enquire what amount of information we can gather thence, checked, and (if need be) corrected, by the concurrent testimonies of the writers of other na- tions. I say checked and corrected: for it is re- membered that for all this portion of Jewish his- tory we lack the infallible direction of inspired guides. The historical books of the Holy Scrip- ture reach no lower in point of time than to Ne- hemiah (B. C. 434.) : and from the Prophets who lived after the captivity, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi, we gather little or nothing of historical relation ; and even Malachi, the last of these, wrote at a period nearly four hundred years antecedent to the birth of Christ. We are dependant therefore upon such accounts as are transmitted to us by Josephus, who lived and wrote subsequently to the destruction of Je- b xviii INTRODUCTION. rusalem by Titus ; and by certain other writers, whose relations, less known than his, or, at least, less studied, though some of them are prior in point of time, and perhaps superior in accuracy on many points, are here collected and exhibited in attempted order, as separate yet not useless links of a much to be desired chain. Although the entire five treatises bear the same name, that of " JBooJes of Maccabees" it is to be borne in mind that this connection between them is more nominal than real. Composed, perhaps at different times, by different authors, in different languages, on'^ifferent subjects, they may derive importance and usefulness from juxta-position and a common name : but at the same time it is neces- sary that the reader should be furnished with a separate account of each ; more especially, since I have _felt jt rj ght to invert the order of some of them which are more familiar to common readers, with the view of making a chronological arrange- ment subservient to the purposes of general inform- ation. BOOK I. The first book, commonly known as the third, contains the history of not more than eight or nine years. It opens with the battle of Raphia, which was fought between Antiochus the Great, king of Syria, and Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt ; in the third year of the 140th 01ympiad,^of Rome 537,— of the Seleucidse 96,— before Christ 217. The principal event recorded in it is the attempted punishment and extraordinary deliverance of the INTRODUCTION. xix Jews at Alexandria. This transaction, as we learn from chap. ii. took place during the high- priesthood of Simon, son of Onias, who succeeded to that oflBce in the year B. C. 211. This book in time is prior to both the second and the third, and in authority is considered su- perior to the latter*: although Philostorgius, a writer of the fourth century, declares it " mon- " strous" and full of improbabilities. Its author is unknown : he is supposed to have been a Jew of Alexandria ; indeed some, as Franciscus Junius, attribute both this and the Book of Wisdom to Philo: and the work is thought by Dr. AUix (" Judgment of the Jewish Church") to have been written during the reign of Ptolemy Philopator, or a little after the Book of Ecclesiasticus, about two hundred years before Christ. The Greek text is considered to be the Original. There is a Syriac version of it, to be seen in the Polyglott Bibles of Paris and London, and a lite- ral Latin Jrom this Syriac is given in the Bible of P. de la Haye. There is no ancient JLatin; but a modern one, by Nobilius, is in the Polyglotts. Calmet observes, that the Latins, so far as he knew, had never quoted this book: nor does it appear in their earlier printed Bibles ; the first edition in which he had found it was one printed by Froben, of the year 1538. The book also appears in the German Bibles, in a version made by Jo. a Mr. Milman, in his His- of sound learning speak of it tory of the Jews, flippantly with respect : and Grotius calls the Third (First) Book disdained not to comment on a " romantic story," and " a it, as well as on the other two " legend." But ancient writers books. b2 XX INTRODUCTION. Circemberger, first printed at Wittemburg in 1554. It was translated into French by Calmet, and is found in the third volume of his " Literal " Commentary on the Bible." Although it was reckoned Canonical by some of the Fathers, and is contained in most manuscripts of the Septuagint ; yet, as it never found its way into the Vulgate translation, nor was received by the western church, our authorized English Bibles have not usually contained it. Yet an English ver- sion of it was put forth by Walter Lynne^ in a small volume, in 1550 ; which in the next year, with some few alterations, and many corrections of the spelling, was appended to a folio Bible printed by John Daye. — ^About 170 years afterwards, a new translation of it was published by Whiston, in his " Authentic Documents," 21 vols. 8vo. 1719 and 1727. And a third version, made by Clement Crutwell, was added to his edition of the Bible with bishop Wilson's notes, 3 vols. 4to. Bath, 1785. Having compared each of these with the Greek text, I think Whiston's version to be the most faithful of the three ; but have not at all considered myself as hound to retain it, wherever an examination of the Original suggested an alter- ation as advisable. ^ Lynne dedicates his book rich, which he had translated, to lady Anne, duchess of So- and was publishing in the merset : and assigns as his same volume ; and that it reason for the publication, was to be found in no Eng- that the work was often quoted lish Bible except one which in the Table, or Concordance, John Daye was then printing, compiled by Bullinger and This edition of Lynne was others of the church of Zu- reprinted in 12mo, in 1563. INTRODUCTION. xxi The book, in reality, does not belong to the his- tory of the Maccabees ; since it relates events which took place fifty years before their time. But it has been remarked, that the expression " Maccabee" was adopted by the Jews to desig- nate any one who had suffered persecution for re- ligion ; in honourable remembrance of that family, which so nobly fought and fell, in the sacred cause of their country and their God. The events of this book are not found in the historical works of Josephus: but in the Latin portion (where the Greek is wanting) of his second book against Apion, a somewhat similar transac- tion is related as having occurred ; not indeed under Ptolemy Philopator, but fifty or sixty years later, during the reign of Ptolemy Physcon. There is good reason for believing that Josephus is here in error. BOOK II. The second book, or ihe first of our English Bibles, contains a clear and succinct account of events which befell the Jews during the space of forty years ; namely, from the accession of Antio- chus Epiphanes, to the death of Simon Macca- baeus, in the 135th year before Christ. Its author is unknown ; and its original lan- guage has been greatly controverted. Origen and St. Jerome assert, that they had seen the original in Hebrew ; but this is considered to have been lost. Yet it is to be observed, that Dr. Kennicott, in his "Dissertatio Generalis," cites two MSS., one of which. No. 474, is preserved at Rome, " Libr. b3 xxii INTRODUCTION. " Maccab. Chaldaice," written early in the 13th century : a second, No. 613, existing at Hamburg, " Libr. Maccab. Hebraice," written in the year 1448. Archbishop Ussher, following St. Jerome, says, " it is a book exactly translated out of the " Hebrew, and containeth every where the brevity " and Hebraisms of it." Annals of the World. Michaelis, in " Biblioth. Oriental, part. XII." (as quoted by Harles in his edition of Fabricius,) as- serts that Josephus took his account of these trans- actions from the Hebrew book of Maccabees, and did not consult the Greek version. Theodotion has by some writers been considered as its trans- lator into Greek : and the book is thought to have been compiled partly from the memoirs collected by Judas Maccabaeus, and partly from those of John Hyrcanus, whose leadership began at the period where this book leaves off, and who more- over himself has been regarded by some persons as its author. Others again, as Beveridge, in his " Codex Canonum Vindicatus," contend that both books were originally written in Greek. There is in bishop Walton's Polyglott Bible a Syriac version of this book, made from the Greek : also an ancient Latin one ; respecting which, see Sabatier in the Prolegomena to his edition of the Hebrew Bible : there is likewise a modern Latin translation, by Nobilius. It deserves to be noticed, that a short history of king Antiochus, in Hebrew, but differing in many points from the account given in this book of Maccabees, is printed, accompanied by a Latin version, by Bartoloccius in his " Bibliotheca Rab- INTRODUCTION. xxiii " binica," (torn. I. p. 383, &c.) who states it to be found in the Ritual of the Spanish Jews. Fabri- cius, in his " Codex Pseudepigraphus Veteris Tes- " tamenti," (torn. I. p, 1165,) has reprinted the Latin version of Bartoloccius, but without his long and learned notes ; in which he maintains that the author of the work is unknown, but that beyond doubt it was compiled from the Talmud. Christopher Wagenseil reports that he had dis- covered a manuscript of the same work, in Chal- dee, in the dirty study of a Jew at Nicolasburg in Moravia. Wagenseil translated this into Latin, and his version is said to be remaining in the public library at Leipsic. In Archbishop Marsh's library at Dublin is a small Hebrew roll on parchment, without points, containing this history of Antiochus and of "John " the son of Mattathias ;" of which the beginning (and probably the whole) agrees with that which has been published by Bartoloccius. BOOK IIL The third book, or second of our Bibles, con- tains, under the form of an abridgment, some ac- count of the transactions of about fifteen years, commencing with a period ten or twelve years earlier than the preceding book. Jason, one of the Jews who were living at Cyrene in Africa, appears to have described, in five books, the prin- cipal transactions of the Jews during the reigns of Seleucus IV, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Antio- chus Eupator. His work was abridged, by order of the Sanhedrim of Jerusalem, (as is asserted by b 4 xxiv INTRODUCTION. Sixtus Senensis,) by some unknown writer ; who has also added to the book, as we now possess it, the acts and death of Nicanor, derived from some other source. It is observable, that the two epi- stles occurring at the beginning of the work be- long to a later period ; and these, in the opinion of Grotius, may have been taken from the records of the Jewish synagogue at Alexandria. By the style, and also by the manner of computation, which differs from that of the preceding book, the abridger at least, if not the, author, appears to have been a Hellenistic Jew. The work exists in Greek, but is not known in Hehrexv. It has been attributed to Philo, and to Josephus ; and by Leo Allatius, to Simon Macca- baeus. It is thought to be the M.aKKa^mKm 'EiriTOfM] mentioned in the " Stromata" of Clemens Alexan- drinus. In point of authority and historic value it is considered far inferior to the former book, from which it differs in several particulars. There is a Syriac version of it in the London Polyglott. A German translation was published in 1786, by Jo. G. Hasse, accompanied by several critical dis- quisitions ; the author of which is of opinion that it was written about B. C. 1 50, by some Egyptian Jew, namely, the same person who composed the book of Wisdom, attributed to Solomon. The English version of the second and third books, which appears in the present volume, is that of our authorized Bible ; but corrected in very many places by aid of the various readings from Greek manuscripts, furnished in the folio Oxford Septuagint, edited by Holmes and Parsons. INTRODUCTION. xxv As these two have generally accompanied the Bibles throughout the western church, they have, much more than all the others, engaged the atten- tion both of critics and commentators. A Har- mony of them was composed and printed, though never published, by a French author, named Ni- colas Toinard, who died in 1706. There seems great reason to regret the non-appearance of this work, from the high character which is bestowed on its author by cardinal Noris, in his " Epochse " Syro-Macedonum," 4to. 1696. At p. 78, Noris thus expresses himself : " Spero fore ut hunc no- " bis nodum solvat Nieolaus Toinardus Aurelia- " nensis, in Harmonia libri utriusque Maccabaeo- " rum. Nam cum in sacra seque ac profana his- " toria sit versatissimus, idemque peregrinarum " linguarum peritissimus, simulque veterum num- " raorum Regum Syrise aliorumque curiosus per- " scrutator et interpres doctissimus, in laudato' " opere typis quidem impresso sed nondum pub- ' " lici juris facto, historiam Maccabseorum ac re- " rum ab iis gestarum tempora summa eruditione " explicabit." Again, at p. 244 : " Idem etiam " qui totara banc messem inetet, longe probabilio- " rem eorundem interpretationem exhibebit, quam " et ipse veluti ab oraculo emissam cum plausu " excipiam." A short ordo temporum accompanies Houbi- gant's preface to these books, in his edition of the Hebrew Bible, 4 vols, folio, 1753. Information illus- trative of the Maccabaean history from coins may be found in " Vaillant's Historia Regum Syriae," fol. 1732. xxvi INTRODUCTION. A Latin version, or rather Harmony, is said (by Harles, " Introductio ad Ling. Grsec." toni. II. part. 21. p. 54i.) to have been commenced by Jo. Melchior Faber of Anspach, in a dissertation en- titled, " Harmonia Maccabaeorum," Onoldini, 1794. This treatise I have not seen. BOOK IV. The fourth book, such as we now possess it, contains the history of the martyrdom of Eleazar and the seven brethren, under Antiochus Epipha- nes ; together with mention of Heliodorus' at- tempt to plunder the temple at Jerusalem. It exists in Greek, in the Alexandrian manu- script of the Septuagint; and from thence was printed by Dr. Grabe, about 125 years ago, and was reprinted at Oxford in 1817, 8vo., and again in the folio Septuagint by Parsons. (In fact it had appeared in Greek Bibles at least so long ago as the year 1545.) From the various readings of this last edition I have been enabled to correct the text of 1817, which is extremely faulty. The author of this fourth book is not known for a certainty ; but it has been generally attri- buted to Josephus ; with whose treatise De Mac- cahcBis, or De imperio rationis, it certainly agrees very much ; yet not entirely, as may be readily seen upon a close comparison. Its character as a composition is highly spoken of both by Augustin and Jerome : the former of whom thus expresses himself in his Sermo de Maccahms : " Quorum mirabiles passiones cum " legerentur non solim audivimus, sed etiam vidi- INTRODUCTION. xxvii " mus et spectavimus." Augustin. Oper. torn. V. p. 850. And Jerome, at greater length, and with still warmer admiration, thus writes on the sub- ject : " Quid memorem insignes Macchabseorum ' victorias ? qui ne illicitis carnibus vescerentur, ' et communes tangerent cibos, corpora obtulere ' cruciatibus ; totiusque orbis in ecclesiis Christi ' laudibus praedicantur, fortiores poenis, ardentio- ' res quibus comburebantur ignibus. Victa sunt ' in eis omnia crudelitatis ingenia, et quicquid ira ' persecutoris invenerat, patientium fortitudo su- ' peravit. Inter poenas magis paternae legis quam ' dolorum memores : lacerantur viscera, tabo et ' sanie artus diffluebant, et tamen sententia per- ' severabat immobilis : liber erat animus, et mala ' prsesentia futurorum spe despiciebat. Lassa- ' bantur tortores, et non lassabatur fides : frange- ' bantur ossa, et volubili rota omnis compago ' nervorum atque artuum solvebatur, et in im- ' mensum spirantia mortem incendia consurge- bant: plenae erant ferventis olei sartagines, et ad frigenda sanctorum corpora terrore incredi- ' bili personabant : et tamen inter haec omnia pa- ' radisum anirao deambulantes, non sentiebant ' quod patiebantur sed quod videre cupiebant. ' Mens enim Dei timore vallata flammas superat ; ' varios tormentorum spernit dolores. Cumque ' semel virtuti se tradiderit, quicquid adversi eve- ' nerit calcat et despicit." Hieron. Epist. 100. Oper. tom. I. p. 613. edit. Vallarsii. In fact, this is the treatise which, by Athana- sius and other ancient writers, is understood by " the fourth book of Maccabees :" yet Sixtus Se- xxviii INTRODUCTION. nensis, in his Bibliotheca Sancta, asserts that he had seen in the library of Sanctes Pagninus, a learned friar, a manuscript calling itself the fourth hook, but very difFerent from the above, and con- taining the acts of John Hyrcanus : [thus follow- ing the series of history of our second book.] This manuscript was never published, and the library of Sanctes Pagninus, at Lyons in France, was destroyed by fire : I shall therefore subjoin a translation of the whole account, as given by Sixtus. " The fourth book of Maccabees, which the " synopsis of Athanasius classes among the apo- " cryphal books, contains the history of thirty-one " years ; that is, the acts of John Maccabaeus, " who, from having conquered Hyrcanus, took " that surname. After the treacherous murder of " his father Simon by Ptolemy, John succeeded " both to the high-priesthood and the chieftaincy; " and instantly led out an army against his fa- " ther's murderer. He afterwards entered into " a treaty with Antiochus king of Syria, upon " whose death he took by force of arms many " cities of Syria. He was the first Jewish leader " who employed hired soldiers. He dug up three " thousand talents which were buried in the tomb " of David. He renewed the treaty which his " father had entered into with the Romans. He " conquered and put to flight Antiochus Cyzice- " nus king of Syria. After a siege of a year, he " levelled with the ground the rival city of Sa- " maria ; and, by bringing the course of some " streams over the spot, utterly erased all traces INTRODUCTION. xxix ' of the vanquished city. He renewed the walls ' of Jerusalem, which had fallen down through ' age. " After these successful achievements, he dies in the thirty-first year of his authority, (being ' a man illustrious in three distinct characters, as * a priest, a general, and a prophet,) in the ' hundredth year before Christ ; at which period ' the fourth and last book of the Maccabees ends. The commencement of which book is thus, as it ' is found in a Greek manuscript which I have ' read in the library of that very learned preacher ' Sanctus Pagninus : Kat />i£t« to av€KTav6^vai tov ' Y,ifM)va eyev^Bvj laavvrji; viog avrov a,p')(iepevi avr avrov. ' The series of the history, and the narrative, are almost the same with those which are in the ' thirteenth book of Antiquities of Josephus ; ' but the style abounds with Hebrew idioms, and ' is very unlike his. It is most probable that ' this work was translated, by some unknown ' hand, from 'the Book of Days' (Chronicles) of ' the priesthood of John, of whom it is written at ' the end of the first book of Maccabees, ' The rest of the sayings of John, &c. &c.' " From the above, it clearly appears that those persons are mistaken, who think that the fourth ' book of Maccabees is that in which Josephus ' has described the martyrdom of the Maccabsean ' mother and her seven sons ; which book also is ' found in some Greek Bibles, with the title, loo-zWou ek roiig MaKKct/Saiovs" Sixti Senensis Biblioth. lib. i. sect, 3. But Calmet, in his " Dictionary of the Bible," XXX INTRODUCTION. under the article " Maccabees," supposes that Six- tus was mistaken in his opinion of this being the true fourth book : and that probably what he saw was that work which in Arabic has been printed in the Paris and London Polyglotts, [namely my fifth book:] this latter however contains much more than Sixtus takes notice of, and reaches down to the birth of Jesus Christ. In his " Literal Comment on Scripture," Calmet has given our fourth book both in Latin and French. I do not believe that it has ever yet appeared in English ; except in a very loose paraphrase, in L'Estrange's translation of Josephus, folio, Lon- don, 1702 : but Whiston, a subsequent translator of that author, does not consider it as the pro- duction of Josephus, and therefore has wholly passed it by, for reasons which may be seen at the end of his version of the treatise against Apion. I have endeavoured to suit the style and language to those of the preceding books, as closely as was consistent with a careful adherence to the Original. BOOK V. The fifth book, although Calmet supposes that it was originally written in Hebrew, and from thence was translated into Greek, is not now known to exist in either of those languages. We have it in Arabic, and also in Syriac. It is a kind of Chronicle of Jewish affairs, commencing with the attempt on the treasury at Jerusalem made by Heliodorus, (with an interpolation of the INTRODUCTION. xxkI history of the Septuagint version composed by- desire of Ptolemy,) and reaching down to the birth of Jesus Christ : or, speaking accurately, to that particular point of time, at which Herod, almost glutted with the noblest blood of the Jews, turned his murderous hands upon the members of his own family ; and completed the sad tragedy of the Asmonaean princes, by the slaughter of his own wife Mariamne, her mother, and his own two sons. The Arabic of this book, with a Latin version of it by Gabriel Sionita, first appeared in the Paris Polyglott Bible of Le Jay, with no other notice than the following preface. " Liber hie a " cap. 1 usque ad 16 inclusive inscribitur 'II. " Machaheeorum ex Hehrceorum translatione,' uti " in calce ejusdem cap. 16 videre est. Reliquus " vero liber simpliciter notatur ' II. Machahceo- " rum^ continuata tamen cum antecedentibus ca- "^pitum serie. At cum neque textui Syriaco, qui " praecipuae inter Orientales auctoritatis est, neque " Graeco, neque Vulgatae editioni consonet, (quan- " quam in omnibus ferme Orientalium extet codi- " cibus,) ilium in calce horum Bibliorum reposui- " mus, et quidem destitutum apicibus suis : tum " ne cuiquam inter caeteros Canonicos libros recen- " seri a nobis videatur : tum quia secundus Macha- " baeorum, qui pro Canonico habetur, ex integro " nobis extat, quanquam sub nomine primi. Habes " tamen in hoc quaedam ex primo et secundo ; " quaedam vero alia hactenus forte in lucem non " edia quae tibi non injucunda fore speramus : " quandoquidem liber totus est quaedam historiae xxxii INTRODUCTION. " continuatio, ab ipsis Machabaeis deducta usque " ad regnum Herodis et prsefecturam Pilati ", et " consequenter Christi Domini tempora. Tandem " hoc unum scias velimus, nos ea bona fide textum " expressisse, ut ne ea quidem quae facile emendari " poterant mutaverimus." The appearance of this book in the Paris Poly- glott, without any account of the Manuscript from which it had been taken, or any farther parti- culars connected with its publication, is thought to have arisen from the quarrels which were con- tinually taking place between two of the editors of the Oriental department of that Bible, Gabriel Sionita and Abraham Ecchellensis. From the Paris edition it was copied into the London Poly- glott of Bishop Walton. Its author is wholly unknown. He may have been contemporary with Josephus, but was not Josephus himself; as may be proved by many differences from that historian, and some con- tradictions of him, collected instances of which may be seen in Calmet. That he lived after the capture of Jerusalem by Titus may be evidenced by the expression occurring at chap. ix. " till after " the third captivity:" and again, in chap. xxi. " till the destruction of the second House." It has been supposed to have been compiled from the Acts of each successive high priest. In three places, chap. xxv. 5, Iv. 25, and lix. 96, mention is made of " the author of this book ;" but who is <= This appears to be a mistake, as will be perceived on referring to the note on chap. lix. verse 25. INTRODUCTION. xxxiii the person designated by this expression, it is not perhaps easy to say. The book contains some remarkable peculiari- ties of language ; such as " The House of God," and "The Holy House," for the Temple: — "the " land of the Holy House," for Judcea : — " the " city of the Holy House," for Jerusalem : — the exclamations, " to whom be peace ! " and " God be " merciful to them," used in speaking of the dead : — "the men of the west:" — the "great and good " God," (answering to the " Deus Optimus Maxi- " mus" of Roman authors ;) and the same expres- sion is found in the Samaritan Chronicle : — " the " land of the sanctuary :" in the Samaritan Chro- nicle Jerusalem is called " the sanctuary," and its king, " the king of the sanctuary." I may here remark, in passing, that this Sama- ritan Chronicle exists in an Arabic translation, made from the Hebrew, but in the ancient Sama- ritan characters, in a manuscript which formerly belonged to the learned Joseph Scaliger, and is now preserved in the public library at Leyden. It begins from the death of Moses, (whence it obtained the title of " the book of Joshua,") and ends with the emperor Antonine. I am not aware that it has ever been published ; but Hottinger has given an epitome of it in his " Exercitationes " Anti-morinianae," 4to. 1644 ; and several ex- tracts in his " Smegma Orientale," 4to. 1658: it is also briefly mentioned by Basnage, in his " His- " tory of the Jews," II. i. 2. The learned Dr. Huntington, who about a hun- dred and thirty years ago travelled into the East, xxxiv INTRODUCTION. and visited the town of JSichem, where he found only small and miserable remains of the Samari- tans, saw there a " Samaritan Chronicle" different from that which is mentioned by Scaliger, and less copious, but still embracing the period from the Creation to the time of Mahomet. This book he brought over with him to England, and it is now deposited among the Huntington MSS. in the Bodleian library. A chronological abstract of it appears in the " Acta Eruditorura" for 1691 : where it seems to have been continued by some unknown hand down to the year of Christ 1492. In the "Biblia Maxima" by Jo. de la Haye, 19 tom. folio, Paris, I66O, the Latin version of Le Jay's Polyglott is reprinted, but with the omission of the first nineteen chapters. A French translation of this Jifth book, from the Arabic, appears, with other apocryphal writ- ings, in the Appendix to De Sacy's Bible : and Calmet has given a version of a portion of it, viz. of chapters xx to xxvi ; being so much as contains the acts of John Hyrcanus, namely, that part only which Sixtus Senensis had seen, and had considered to be the legitimate fourth book. He adds, that the entire book had been recently pub- lished in French by M. Baubrun, in the third vo- lume of Le Maitre's Bible, fol. Paris. This I have not seen. I do not know that it has hitherto appeared in English. I have rendered it from the Latin version of the Arabic text printed in the Poly- glotts ; taking care to adhere as closely as possi- ble to my copy, lest a translation of a translation INTRODUCTION. xxxv should be found to have wholly lost sight of the Original, if too much liberty were allowed ; only endeavouring, as before stated, that the English should bear some resemblance to that of the other Maccabaic books. In the several notes and illustrations from hea- then authors subjoined to the text, I have thrown upon various parts of it whatever light I was able to procure. But at the same time I have been unwilling to quote at length the corresponding pas- sages of those authors, lest the volume should be swelled to a bulk disproportionate to its worth. On the Canonical authority sought to be affixed to two of these hooks. It is well known to the learned, that of these five books, those which are commonly called the first and second have been usually attached to co- pies of the Bible throughout the western church ; and by the adherents to the see of Rome they are, even at this day, deemed to be of Canonical au- thority. The ground for this may perhaps be sought, and found, in an overstrained interpreta- tion of those approving terms in which several of the early Fathers spoke of these books, either as faithful or edifying narratives. But, on the question of their having been con- sidered as the work of inspiration, and in such a character admitted either into the Jewish or early Christian canon, I shall beg permission to adduce one single testimony from each of these two churches ; which, as it is that of a writer of high character, and is direct and unambiguouSj I trust c 2 xxxvi IIS^TRODUCTION. may be thought decisive of the question, accord- ing to the maxim of Aristotle, el? maTos [i-dprvi iKa- vos. For the Jewish canon, hear Josephus, in his first book against Apion, sect. 8. 'Atto le 'Apra^ep^v reug 8* oiy^ Ofj^oiai ^^icotm rots wpo ainwv, ha, to [/.i^ ye- veaSat t^v tZv irpo(f>'/irav aKpifirj ^lo&Qyyjv. " But from " Artaxerxes down to our own times, all events " are indeed recorded : but they are not consi- " dered equally worthy of belief with those which " preceded them, because there was not an exact " succession of prophets as before." And for the Christian church, no less an autho- rity than St. Jerome distinctly affirms, " Macha- " bseorum libros legit quidem ecclesia, sed eos " INTER CANONICAS SCRIPTURAS NON RECI- " PIT." Praefat. in Proverb. Salomonis. One might have thought, that this solemn as- sertion, coming from so high a quarter, would have been decisive : that a Roman catholic at least would have bowed with implicit deference to the recorded judgment of this learned Father, to whom he owns himself indebted for his Bible. And so indeed he did, during earlier and better times. But Rome found troubles come upon her : doubts arose, and objections were made, and must be met at all events : and the third book of Mac- cabees offered too fair a field, of dreams, and vi- sions, and miraculous appearances, and a (fancied) recommendation of prayers for the dead, to be neglected by that church. The council of Trent boldly pronounced the two books Canonical ; and INTRODUCTION. xxxvii as such they are professedly received by all the adherents of the Roman see. It is sad however, to see some of her learned followers betraying their distrust of the grounds upon which they are bidden to stand ; and such men as P. de la Haye, and Calmet after him, driven to the miserable shift of attempting to find reasons for the propriety of their being deemed Canonical, from the mere fact of St. Paul's having used, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. xii. 35, where he is speaking of the martyrs, the expres- sion, aXXoi t hvixmavirrBtjaav — " which torture," say they, " Eleazar suffered !" as if therefore it neces- sarily followed, that the particular book which de- tails these his sufferings must be, not only that one which the Apostle had in view, but moreover must have been written by divine inspiration, and consequently be Canonical ! The reader, who desires to see this point treated in detail, is referred to " Jo. Rainoldi censura li- " brorum apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti, ad- " versum Pontificios," 21 tom. 4to. Oppenheimii 1591 : and to Archbishop Ussher's " Summary of " Christian Religion." I may also take leave to mention, that the ques- tion of the Canonical character of these books was warmly debated in Germany, about the middle of the last century, by Froelich and the two Werns- dorfs ; the former of whom denied, and the latter maintained, their title to that high distinction. The contest began by some observations made in a publication of Froelich, entitled " Annales Re- " gum Syrise," 4to. 1744. To these E. Werns- c3 xxxviii INTRODUCTION. dorf replied, in " Prolusio de Fontibus Historiae " Syriag in Libris Maccabseorum," 4to. Lipsise, 1746. Froelich rejoined, in " Prolusio in Examen " vocata," 4to. 1746. G. Wernsdorf then entered the field, with a " Coraraentatio de Fide Histo- " rica Librorum Maccabasorum," 4to. 1747 ; and was supported by an anonymous Jesuit, who published a treatise entitled, " Authoritas Libro- " rum Maccabaeorum canonico-historica adserta," 4to. Viennse, 1749. In 1754, Froelich repub- lished his " Annales," and probably replied to all the arguments of his opponents : for in the Pre- face he states, " post ultimum anno 1749, pro li- " bris Maccabaeorum finitum certamen, silentium " et pax." What may be the character or merits of these last-named publications, I am unable to judge or pronounce ; as not a single one of them was to be procured in any public or private library in Dub- lin. — Nor have I been able to meet with " Mi- " chaelis on the Maccabees," 4to. 1774 : nor " Charles Wilson's Version of the apocryphal " books, with critical and historical Observations," 8vo. 1801 : nor the dissertations said to be con- tained in the " Bibliotheca Historica" of Meuselius: nor the " Harmony" by J. M. Faber, Svo. 1794, &c. &c. : a perusal of which treatises, together with many others illustrating the same subject, might perhaps have considerably diminished the imperfections of the present work. The Prayer of Eleazar, occurring in Book I. Chapter vi. It will be at once perceived and allowed, that both the imagery and language of this prayer are highly poetical, although the words themselves have never yet been submitted to the strict rules of a metrical arrangement. Batr/Xeu fjieyakoKpoiTtoj), inpiffre, tioanoKpaTtep ©ee, tijv Tracrav hiaKv/Sepvav ev olKTipfKoli KTiatv, emSe em 'A/3^«ajCA (Titepjxa hrt ■yjyiao'fj.ivov TeKva laACW^, fxepihof 'rjyiaafj.ev^^ <7ov hnov ev ^evv) yvj o^iKUg aTroAAu/xevov, itarep. Sw ^apoua irXyjBvvovra apjj.aai, TOTrptv Aiyinrrov Tavrvjf ^vva(7Tyiv, hrapBevra avofhoi Bpdaei xat ykwo'ayj fMyakopp'^- fMVi, <7vv Tyj mrepyjcpdvo) arpotTia. TtavTO^poyovg omwkeaag, (peyyog eititftavag e\eovg 'lapov/ik yevei. nil Tov avaptdfji'^TOH ^wdfj-ea-i yavpaiBevra, 'Zevva.yjjpeif^ I3a6vv 'Aa-a-vptwv (SaaiXea, Popart tvjv irdaav vitc/y^iipiov ^-q ka^ovTo, y-fiv, kou fjieTeiDpiaBivTix hrt t^v dynxn aov irokiv, I3apicx, XaXovvTU KOfUirte kou dpaaei o-y ^ecrvora eOpava-ag, eK^i^Xov ^eiKviii eBvecri iraXKols to aov Kparo?. Si Toiig Kara t^v Ba^vkuiviav rpetf eTXipovg, icvpi ryjv tfjiij^v aiiBaipeTug ^e^ioKora;, elf to (jjiq Aar/seSo-a; toIs k€- votg, \idnnvpov ^poo-tcrecf Koif^ivov, eppvata /*exP' T/)<%Of ditri- jxdvTovi, (pXoya iraaiv lirmeiJ.i^a? toi( incevavrioig. Sv TOV ha^oXai? 6ovov Xeova-i kkto, y^f picpivTa Byjpa} /3opav AavivjX elf a)? avfffayes a(7ivrj. Tov T€ 0vdoTpe^ovi ev yaaTpr kyitov? 'Icovav TfiKOfM-Vov oiv v/Spt^ofAevoii. c 4 xl THE PRAYER OF ELEAZAR. E/ &€ aa-e^etaii Kara, t^v onroiKiav o yS/o? ijfwv evitryrj- Tat, pv(Toi[j.evos vjfJiais airo eyOpav yeipos, a)( irpoaipyj oeawoTa avokeffov oj/AKf [Jiopw. M5) TOif fiaratoti ot [/.areuo^poves evXoyi^a'dTWffav eiti t^ tSiv vfyanYJiuevm a-oii aiiakela,, Xeyovrei, ouSe o Qeof avrwv eppvcraro avrovg. Su 8e, Ttaffav akKy)v Kai ^vvao'Teiav eyuv aitaaav, Alwvte, vvv eJTiSe, IXerjcrov vifms rovg Ka9 v^piv avofMiv. aXoyiarov ck tov ^v [/.eSiarafjievovg ev evi^ovkcov rpoTrw. riTojIaTW Se edvrj a-vjv ^vvafxtv aviKviTov a-'^fiiepov, evTifAe, tvvafi.tv e/uv, hri trwrripia, \aKv family and name. Kara KoiKrjv Svpiaii iroXetov as nphs t Antiochus the Great, king ttjv h'ytmrov. (Polybius.) Coins of Syria, the son of Seleucus struck here are still extant. B 2 BOOK I. B. C. 217. But one Theodotus*^, intending to complete a treacherous design which he had, took the best of the arms which Ptolemy had formerly intrust- ed to him, and approached by night to Ptolemy's tent, as intending himself alone to kill him, and thereby to put an end to the war. But Dositheus, 4 called the son of Driraylus, by birth a Jew, but one who afterwards forsook his religion and estranged himself from the ordinances of his forefathers, taking Ptolemy out of the way, caused a certain obscure person s to lodge there in his stead; who accordingly received that punishment which was intended for the other. Now when a sharp battle took place, and sue- 5 cess seemed rather to favour Antiochus^, Arsinoe' went frequently up and down among the troops ; and exhorted them with lamentation and tears, having her hair in disorder, to fight manfully for themselves and for their children and wives ; pro- mising to give to every one, if they conquered, two f This individual^ who here e Polybius relates in detail is so lightly spoken of, ap- this attempt of Theodotus; pearSj from Polybius's account, adding, that he wounded two to iave been a person of con- persons, and slew the king's siderable importance. He was ^hysician^ who probably is the by birth an ^toUan, was high person here alluded to. Po- in the confidence of Ptolemy^ lyb. V. 81. by whom he was advanced to •> In fact Ptolemy's left posts of the utmost conse- wing had been vanquished and quence, and at length was put to flight ; so that Antio- made governor of Coelosyria. chusjyoung and inexperienced Having from some cause in- in the field, was fully per- curred the king's ill graces, suaded that the victory was his and suspecting that his life ovni : nor was he undeceived was in danger, he took the till it was too late to repair resolution of separating him- the disaster, self from his former master, • This princess is also men- and thenceforth espoused the tioned by Polybius, as zeal- interests of king Antiochus. ously assisting Ptolemy in the See Polybius, V. 40, and 61. battle. B.C. 214. CHAP. I. 3 6 minae'^ of gold as a reward. By which means it came to pass that their enemies were destroyed ^ in the battle™, and many of them were taken pri- 7 soners also. Ptolemy therefore, having over- g (. come this treachery, determined to go and ^ie. encourage the neighbouring cities " ; by doing which, and by making presents to their temples, he made his subjects to be full of courage. 8 But when the Jews had sent to him some of their council" and elders, to salute him and to bring with them presents, and to congratulate with him on past events ; it came to pass that he felt a stronger desire to take a journey to them with all speed. 9 Now when he was come to Jerusalem, he of- b. c. fered a sacrifice to the Most High God, and ^^*" returned thanks, and did what was then proper in 10 that place P. Moreover, when he was on the spot, he was astonished at the diligence and decency there observed. And wondering at the good order ^ There is the Hebrew, the that 8ca(j}deipe(r6ai iv x^ip<^v vo/im Attic, the Romany and the is a classical expression, used Egyptian mina ; each differ- by Polybius and other Greek ing from the others in value, writers. Of the same class is If the last be the one here els x^P"* ^m^ea-dai, to resist meant, as is most probable, it hand to hand, which we find is equivalent to thirty-two He- in Diodorus Siculiis. brew shekels (or eight ounces) "°- Polybius is severe upon of gold : so that two such the fickle readiness with which minse would be worth, in our these cities received and hailed present money, about sixty the victor, guineas. " Gr. rtpovcria, a word which 1 The particulars of this usually denotes the Roman se- battle of Raphia are well and nate, but is used to express the minutely given by Polybius, Jewish Sanhedrim or Great lil). V. Council, in these books, also ™ Gr. iv x^ipovoniais 8iacj}da- in that of Judith, and by Jo- prjmi. The reading has been sephus. questioned,but surely without P Namely, in the court of reason. Every one remembers the Gentiles. B 2 4 BOOK I. B. C. 214—212. about the holy place, he took a design to manage matters so, that he might enter into the temple it- B. c. selfi. But when they said that this could 11 214—212. jj(j|. |jg done, because it was not lawful for even persons of their own nation to enter into that place ; no, not for all the priests themselves, but only for the superior of them all, the high priest, and even for him but once in a year : — he would by no means be dissuaded. And when the law"" to this 12 effect was read in his presence, he would by no means cease offering himself: but said that he must go in; and "even if they are deprived of that ho- " nour, I must not be so deprived." He asked also 13 this question — why none of those who attended any other temples hindered him from entering into them ? And when a certain person inadvertently 14 said, that this was an unlucky fiction^ of his : he answered, " Now that this has been done, from 15 " whatever cause it may, why shall I not enter at " all events, whether you will or no ?" Then the priests fell down in their holy gar- 16 ments, and prayed the Most High God to assist them in the present distress, and to avert the vio- lence of him who was making this wicked attempt <1 Here is meant the inmost somewhat doubtful. Grotius recess, the Holy of Holies. would read UpaTeveaOai for re- >" And besides these ordi- paTeiea-dcu. CrutweU translates nances of the Law of Moses, the passage, " that it was Antiochus the Great, in his " monstrously wicked." The benevolence towards the Jews, sense seems to be, that "this had issued a public decree "very thing," viz. his entering that no foreigner should enter into other temples, " was im- into the temple without their " pl-operly done," (qu. irpaT- will and permission. Joseph. Tco-^at?) Or, "that they mind- Ant. XII. 3. " ed their business badly in ^ Gr. kokSis avTb Toiiro repa- " thus allowing him to go in." TeiecrBai. The sense appears B.C. 212. CHAP. I. 5 upon them : and they filled the temple with cries 17 and tears. And they which were left in the city were troubled, and came running, as thinking the affair to be something new and wholly unexpected. 18 The virgins also, who were shut up* in private cham- bers, together with their mothers, rushed out; and . sprinkling ashes and dust upon their heads, filled 19 the streets with groans and lamentations. And those who lately were adorned in wedding gar- ments, leaving their marriage-chambers", and that decent modesty which belonged to them, ran 20 about the city together in disorder. And as for the young children, both their mothers and nurses who had charge of them, left these, one in one place, one in another; some in their houses, others in the streets, without any regard : and went in 21 troops together to the most high temple. And various was the prayer of the whole company on 22 account of this his unhallowed attempt. Together with these were the bolder citizens, who would not bear his persevering in the business, and his 23 resolution to effect his purpose. And crying out, that they must arm themselves for this onset, and courageously die for the Law of their fathers, they occasioned no small stir^ in the place: and having with diflSculty been dissuaded by the seniors y and elders, at last these also retired to the same station of prayer. 24 As for the multitude, they continued as before, 25 in the same manner, praying. While the elders t Gr. KaraKXao-Toi, called by x'^'''/™= ^^ in Homer, rerpftxei Philo, irapdevot 6iiKajiev6jievai. S dyopr). II. B. 95. Compare 2 Mace. iii. 19. y Gr. yr/paioi ; whom Gro- ^ Gr. Toiis irpos dwavTrjaiv tius conceives to be the mem- diaTerayp,€vovs iraarovs. bers of the council or Sanhe- X Or;, confusion. Gr. rpa- drim. 6 BOOK I. B.C. 211. who were about the king tried in many ways to divert his proud mind from his intended purpose. But he, in a haughty manner, and disdaining^ all 26 their persuasions, began now to make an advance; as thinking to accomplish his declared design. Which, when his attendants perceived, even they 27 turned to join with our people in calling upon • Him who has all power, to give help in the pre- sent distress, and not to overlook this lawless and proud behaviour. Now from the reiterated and vehement cry of 28 the multitude united together there was an incon- ceivable sort of noise ^ : for one might suppose 29 that not the men alone, but the very walls and the ground echoed again ; as if the whole multi- tude at that time chose to die rather than that place should be profaned. CHAPTER II. The prayer of Simon. Ptolemy is baffled. His cruel edicts. •^ Thereupon the high priest Simony bow- 1 B.C. ing his knees before the holy place, and ^"- spreading out his hands in reverent form, ' Or, " sending them all and Vaillant, in his " Histo- " aside :" or, " dismissing all " ria Ptolemaeorum/' assigns "other considerations :" Gt. it to the eighth year of that nivra napanefi^^as, (or vavras). king's reign, viz. B. C. 212. " Gr. aveiKflo-Tos rts fiv /3ojj. But, if we support the read- Homer uses a similar expres- ing in the text of ver. 1 of sion, 0017 8' axT^e(TTos opapei. this chapter, that " the high ^ There is some uncertainty " priest Simon prayed for the respecting the exact time at " people," we must carry the which the transactions men- occurrence a few years on- tioned in this book took place, ward; as it is allowed that Archbishop Ussher, in his Simon did not succeed to that " Annalsof the World," places office until B. C. 211. Ptolemy's iU-usage of the c The son of Onias II. and Jews under the yearB. C. 216; father of Onias III. : he sue- B.C. 211. CHAP. II. 7 2 made the following prayer : " O Lord, Lord, king ' of heaven, and ruler of all creation. Holy in the ' holies'^, the only Governor, the Almighty ; — ' give ear unto us who are afflicted by this wicked ' and profane man, puffed up with insolence and strength. For thou, who hast created all things, ' and rulest all things, thou art the righteous Go- ' vernor, and judgest those who do any thing in ' insolence and pride. Thou didst destroy them ' who in former times worked wickedness, among ' whom were the giants '', trusting in their ' strength and courage, by bringing upon them ' an immense mass of water. Thou didst burn ' up with fire and brimstone the Sodomites, work- ers of wickedness, who were infamous for their ' iniquities ; and madest them an example^ to ' those who should come afterward. Thou shew- ' edst thy dominion by trying the vaunting bold ' Pharaoh, (who had enslaved thy people the holy ' Israel,) with many and various kinds of punish- ' ment, whereby thou madest known thy great ' strength. And when he pursued them with his ' chariots and the multitude of his troops, thou ' didst drown him in the depth of the sea : and ' didst carry through unhurt those who trusted « on thee, the Lord of the whole creation. Who ' also, after they had experienced the works of 9 « thy hands, praised thees, the Almighty. Thou, ceeded to the high priesthood dom, xiv. 6, "theproud giants" n the year B.C. 211. He are mentioned, in allusion to .s thought to have been the Genesis vi. 4. See also Eccle- person of whom that eulogy siasticus, xvi. 7- is pronounced in the book of ^ Compare 2 Peter ii. Q; Ecclesiasticus, chap. 1. and Jude, ver. 7- d Gr. "Ayie iv ayiots. S See the fine song of Moses, e So in the book of Wis- on the deliverance of the Is- B 4 8 BOOK I. B. C. 211. ' O King, when thou hadst created the boundless 'and immeasurable earth, didst chuse this city, 'and sanctify this place for thy names, who ' stand est in need of nothing^ : and hast glorified 'it by thy magnificent presence, and compacted ' it for the glory of thy great and honourable name. And out of love to the house of Israel, 10 ' thou promisedst' truly that if we should fall off ' from thee, and distress J should overtake us, and we should come to this place and pray; thou ' wouldest hear our supplication. And indeed 11 ' thou art faithful and true. " And since, when our fathers were often in 12 ' affliction, thou hast afforded them assistance in ' their low estate, and hast delivered them out of 'great dangers : — Lo now, O holy King, we are 13 ' afflicted on account of our many and great sins: ' we are also become subject to our enemies, and ' are fainting in our infirmities. Now in our 14 ' calamity'^ this insolent and profane man endea- * vours to dishonour this holy place, which has ' been set apart upon earth for thy glorious ' name. Thy habitation indeed is the heaven of 15 ' heaven*, unapproachable™ by men. But because 16 ' thou hast been pleased to place thy glory ' among thy people Israel, thou hast sanctified raelites, at Exodus xv. 1 — 19. J See Deuteron. iv. 30. g See 1 Kings xiv. 21 ; k Literally, " our fall/' (or 2Chron. vii. 15. xii. 13; Ezra prostration,') Gr. KaToirTaxrei.. vi. 12 ; Nehemiah i. 9, &c. 1 See 1 Kings viii. 27 ; ^ T^ rmv airavTwv arrpoaheei. 2 Chron. ii. 6 ; vi. 18. So at 3 Mace. xiv. 35, God is «> So at 1 Tim. vi. 16, Christ said to be rSi/ SKmv djrpotrSeijs. is said to dwell " in the light Compare Acts xvii. 25. " which no man can approach • See 1 Kings viii. and ix. " unto." and 2 Chron. vi. and vii. B-C. 211. CHAP. II. 9 17 " this place. Do not thou take vengeance" on us " by the pollution of these men : neither do thou 18 " punish us by their profanation : that the trans- " gressors may not glory " in their fury, nor re- " joice in the pride of their tongue ; saying, ' We " have trodden down p the house of sanctification, " as the houses of abominations 1 are trodden 19 " down.' Blot out our sins, and disperse our " errors, and send the light of thy mercy upon 20 " us at this hour. Let thy mercies prevent US'" " quickly : and put praises into the mouth of us " who are fallen down and become contrite in our " souls, by giving us peace." 21 Here the all-seeing God, who is before all things. Holy in the holies, heard our righteous supplication ; and chastised him who was greatly 22 exalted with insolence and boldness : shaking him this way and that way, as a reed is shaken by the wind ; so that he lay upon the floor without the power ^ of exertion, and paralysed in his limbs, and not even able to speak, being overtaken with 23 a just judgment. Whereupon his friends and body-guards, when they saw that speedy and sharp punishment which had overtaken him, be- ing afraid lest he should even die ; struck with overwhelming fear they quickly drew him out of the place. " See the same sentiment a word of frequent occurrence expressed at 3 Mace. x. 4 ; in the Septuagint version, de- and also below, chap. vi. 10, noting idols. of this book. "^ See precisely the same ° See Psalm xxv. 2. words at Psalm Ixxix. 8. P Compare Isaiah Ixiii. 18 ; ^ Gr. carpoKTov, a word fre- Daniel viii. 13. quently used by Polybius in pl(Tm els pears from a passage in Jo- rfiv Trpoavvea-TciKiievrjv avdevrlav. sephus^ Ant. XI. 8. 'Hyovv- CrutweU whoUy omits this to yap tov tovtov yapjov eirt^d- clause. See Grotius's note on 6pav Tolr Trapavo/iieiv — ^ovX^a-o- the place. /xevois yevc(r6ai : where it sig- * Precisely the same thing nifies^ " they considered that had been granted to their an- " his marriage would become cestors by Ptolemy Lagus. See " a step (or stepping-stone) to Josephus, Ant. XII. 1. And " those who wished to trans- at a still earlier period Seleu- " gress the laws." ''Eiri^aipa cus Nicator had honoured was the name of an engine of them in a similar manner, by war used in sieges ; as may creating them citizens of An- be seen in Vitruvius, who tioch. Joseph. Ant. XII. 3. translates it " Accessus, sen *> That is, with the Mace- " ascendens machina." See donians who had been planted Vitruv. de Architect. X. 19. at Alexandria by Alexander and the note of Philander and his successors. on the passage. It is also <= Gr. ras rijy nokeas eva-f- used by Polybius, and by Di- fieias imfiddpas trrvyovvTcs. The odorus Siculus. sense of the word im^cSpa ap- 12 BOOK I. B.C. 210. ing assistance. They also abhorred those of them- selves who had apostatized; and deemed them the enemies of their nation; and excluded them from common intercourse and the advantages of social life. CHAPTER III. Ptolemy's persecuting edict against the Jews. Now as soon as this wicked man was informed 1 B c of these things, he was so enraged as not ^^*'- only to be very angry with those Jews who dwelt at Alexandria, but also he became a more grievous adversary to those who dwelt in the country": and commanded to make haste and ga- ther them all together^, and put them to death in the most cruel manner. While these things were in agitation, a malig- 2 nant report went forth against our nation, from those men who were consenting to this wicked project ; a handle being given for this their de- sign, upon the complaint of those apostates that we forbade them to communicate with us in our ordinances. But the Jews continued to preserve 3 unchangeable their good will and fidelity to their kings. But, as they worshipped God, ^nd ordered 4 their conversation according to his law, they made a separation in some points, and rejections •= of some a Namely, in the country forward, in disparagement of parts of Egypt. the Jews, by the historian l> Viz. to Alexandria. Diodorus Siculus : Eclog. lib. c The Greek text has Ka- XXXIV. and XL.: others Ta(TTpo(j>ds : but Grotius pro- are mentioned (as erroneous- nounces that by all means we ly) by Dio Cassius : and Ta- must read cmo&Tpo^as, re- citus has left on record some jections. Several of these na- curious particulars, exhibiting tionalpeculiarities are brought the imperfect knowledge and B. C. aiO. CHAP. III. 13 others : on which account to some persons they 5 appeared odious. Yet by adorning their conver- sation^ with the works of the righteous, they had 6 become well approved by all men. But those foreigners^ paid no regard to that character for good deeds of the nation everywhere so much y spoken of : but made a great noise about the sepa- ration which they made from others, in their "ways of worship and sorts of food : and said, that these men were not sociable either with the king or with his armies ; but that they were disaffected ^, and greatly opposed to the success of their af- fairs : so that they covered them with no small 8 blame. Now those Greeks, who were in the city, and were in no wise injured hy them, observing the unexpected disturbance which was raised, and unforeseen concourses of people about these men, were indeed unable to help them, for the consti- 9 tution B of the government was tyrannical : yet loose notions which even the dominions : " There is a cer- polished Romans then had, " tain people, scattered abroad respecting a people lately sub- " and dispersed among the dued by their own generals. " people in all the provinces Hist. V. 2j &c. " of thy kingdom : and their d Doing that which St. Paul " laws are diverse from all recommends to the Christian " people, neither keep they converts, at Coloss. iv. 5, and " the king's laws : therefore 1 Thess. iv. 12, " Walk ho- " it is not for the king's profit " nestly" [in wisdom] " to- " to suffer them." Esther, iii. " wards them that are vnth- 8. See also the Apocryphal " out." additions, xiii. 5. See, like- e Namely, the Macedoni- wise Josephus's justification ans, settled at Alexandria. of his nation in these particu- f It is remembered that the lars, in his Antiquities, XVI. same charge was made by Ha- 10. man, the Agagite,when he per- S Gr. hiABfcns : which Schle- suadedkingAhasuerus to issue usner contends to mean here an edict for a general massa- no more than a simple edict, ere of the Jews throughout his 14 BOOK I. B.C. 210. they used exhortations in their favour, and were very sorry for them, and thought these things would have a change; for that so vast a body of men who had done no harm through ignorance'' would not be thus overlooked hy their God. And 10 besides, certain of their neighbours and friends and partisans called some of them together pri- vately, and plighted their faith to protect them, and to use every endeavour for their assistance. Ptolemy then, as exulting in his present pros- 11 perity; and having no regard to the power of the Most High God; but supposing that he should continue always in the same design, wrote this epistle against them : " King Ptolemy Philopator 12 " to his commanders and soldiers in Egypt and " elsewhere, joy and health. I myself am in health, 13 " and our affairs also are prosperous. Since our 14 " last expedition into Asia, as you yourselves " know, has, through the unforeseen' assistance " of the gods to us, and by our own fortitude, " justly been brought to a happy conclusion ; we 15 " determined to treat the nations which inhabit " Coelosyria and Phoenice, not with force of arms, " but to nurse them with kindness and great ten- *' derness, and willingly to do them good. And 16 " having bestowed great revenues on the temples " of the several cities, we proceeded as far as " Jerusalem : and went up with an intention to " honour the temple of these wretches, who will " never leave off their madness. Now those men 17 ^ Gr. fi.r)hkv rryvoriKos. Com- ers unanimously translate the pare 3 Mace. xi. 31. word as if it had been a.irpo6w. > The Greek text reads r^. See Schleusner's Lexicon dTrpom-ara : but the interpret- Vet. Test. B.C. 210. CHAP. III. 15 " in word took our coming thither kindly, but in " their behaviour insincerely^' : for, when we in- " tended to go into their holy place, and to ho- " nour it> with excellent and most noble gifts : 18 « they, carried away with their ancient pride, pro- " hibited our entrance, not having experienced™ " our power by reason of that kindness which we 19 " shew to all mankind. And making manifest " their ill-will towards us, and being the only na- " tion in the world which is insolent towards " kings and towards its own benefactors, they are " not willing to bear anything kindly". 20 « Now we, being moved by the madness of these " men, though we had returned home with vic- " tory, and had come back into Egypt with the " testimony of having met all nations with kind- " ness, have done that which was fit for us to do. 21 " And in the midst of these things we have de- " clared to all men our forgiveness of their na- " tion ; and on account of their assistance in war " and the innumerable aflFairs with which from " the beginning we innocently intrusted them °, " we earnestly endeavoured to change them, and " were willing to bestow on them the privileges " of citizens of Alexandria, and to make them ^ Gr. vodas. " any thing which is fair and 1 As several kings had done " equitable." yvjfo-Mv appears before, according to the ac- to be opposed to v66as {insin- count given by Josephus, Ant. cerely) above in ver. 17. See XII. 3. the same word occurring again "1 Gr. airo^emojievoi Ttjs r)fie- at ver. 23. ripas a\Krjs. ° Josephus relates that Pto- n Gr. oiSh yvrjo-iov ^ovKovtu lemy Lagus intrusted several ip€iv. or, the sense may be, of his garrisons to the keep- " will not behave themselves ing of the Jews. See also " kindly:" or, " will not bear ch. vi. 25, of this book. 16 BOOK I. B. C. 210. " companions of our priests p for the time being. " But they, taking this offer in a contrary light, 22 " and by that wicked habit which is natural to " them % rejecting the good and inclining per- " petually to that which is evil ; did not only 23 " turn away from that inestimable privilege, but " abhorred both publicly and privately "^ those few " amongst themselves who were favourably dis- " posed towards us : ever expecting that by their " infamous course of procedure we should speedily " change our just measures. " Wherefore, we both being well assured by 24 " certain signs that these men do in every way " bear us ill-will ; and providing lest, upon any " sudden trouble which may come upon us here- " after, we should have these wicked wretches be- " hind our backs as traitors and barbarous ene- "mies: have given order, that as soon as this 25 " epistle is brought to youj^the same hour you " seize on these people who are dwelling among " you, together with their wives and children ^, . " with insult and vexation ; and send them to us " every way secured in iron bonds, that they may " suffer an inevitable and ignominious death, such P Gr. tS>v aei Upiav. Gro- customs^ may be seen in Taci- tius proposes a preferable tus^ Histor.V. 2, 4, and 5. 4-eading, iepav, " the ancient" ' Gr. Xdyoi re koi a-iyfj. (or perpetual) " rites of our s There is a remarkable " religion." similarity between this epistle q It is too notorious that of Ptolemy and that of Ar- the Jews universally bore a taxerxes, written at the sug- bad name among surrounding gestion of Haman^ which is nations: and the strange no- mentioned at Esther, iii. 13; tions which even the learned and is given at length in and polished Romans could the apocryphal part of that allow themselves to entertain book, xiii. 4 — 7. respecting their origin and B.C. 210. CHAP. III. 17 26 " as is suitable to the disaffected. For when once " all these have been brought to punishment to- " gether, we suppose that during the rest of our " time our affairs will be perfectly established, in 27 " security and the best condition. And whoso- " ever shall conceal any individual of the Jews, " from an old man to an infant and the very suck- " lings, he and all his family shall be racked to 28 « death with the severest tortures. But whoso- " ever is willing to discover any of them, he shall " thereby obtain the substance* of him who fell " under punishment, and two thousand drachmae " of silver" besides out of the royal treasury. He " shall also be made free, and shall be crowned. 29 " And every place where a concealed Jew shall " be by any means caught, let it be made impas- " sable'' and be burned with fire : and it shall be " rendered wholly useless to every mortal being " for all time to come." 30 The form, then, of that epistle was to this effect. t This custom, which has yivea-6a>. So in the letter of more or less obtained among Artaxerxes recorded in the both ancient and modern na- apocryphal part of the book tionSj appears to be recognised of Esther, it is commanded in the Old Testament, 2 Sam. that every place which dis- xvi. 3, 4 : where David con- obeys the king's command be fiscates the property of Me- waAeov fiovov avBpairoLs &^aTos, phibosheth, and gives it to his oXXo km Brjpms kcu mruvois els accuser Ziba. r6v airarra xpovov ex6tv TifuDpiav. 2 Sam. vi. 14, David is said B.C. 210. CHAP. IV. 19 of the slowness of their feet^ through old age and the hurry of a forcible removal, obliged, without any regard to shame, to walk at a quick pace. 6 Nay, the young women, who had lately entered into the marriage-chamber in order to enjm) ma- trimonial society, were made to partake of groans instead of pleasure ; and being defiled with dust sprinkled on their hair, which was moist with ointment, and led along unveiled, with one accord they sang lamentations instead of wedding-songs, as being torn to pieces with vexations unknown^ 7 in the country. And, like public captives^, they were dragged by force to an embarkation on board ship. / 8 Their husbands also, wearing halters, instead of garlands, about their necks, in their flourishing and youthful vigour, instead of feasting and juve- nile relaxation, passed the rest of their nuptial days in lamentations, as seeing the grave lying 9 open immediately beneath their feet. And they were conveyed like beasts, led in the confinement of iron bonds : some of them fastened by the neck to the benches of the ships ; others having their 10 feet made fast in indissoluble fetters. And besides all this, they were shut out from the light by the thick planks 8 which lay above them; that their d Or, "While they (viz. the * Gr. o-xuX/iois SKKocdvea-i,, a " king's officers and soldiers) kindred phrase to that which " forced the sluggishness of appears above, at ver. 4, e'^- " their crippled feet to a quick a\Xow Tifuapims. " pace, without any regard to ^ Or, " like captives they " shame, through the hurry of " were publicly dragged." " a forcible removal." The S It appears that they were Greek text is somewhat ob- thrust down into the lowest ggm-e. part (the hold) of the vessel ; C 2 20 BOOK I. B.C. 210. eyes might be wholly in the dark ; and that they might receive the treatment of traitors during their whole voyage. When these men therefore had been carried 11 thus unto the port called Schedia^, and the jour- ney by water was ended, according to the king's former decree ; he gave further orders to put them into the Hippodrome', which was before the city, a place of vast circuit, and very fit for exposing them to the view of all who entered into the city, or who went out thence into the country to so- journ : that they might hold no communication with his forces, nor might have the favour of wallsJ to enclose them. But as soon as this was done, the king, hearing 12 that those of their nation who lived in the city went out privately and frequently to bewail that opprobrious misery of their brethren, — ^fell into a 13 passion; and gave command to treat those also ex- actly in the same way as the others ; and not at all to abate to them the punishment which the others suffered. And that the entire race should 14 be enrolled by name : not now with a view of forcing them to that painful way of worship which we briefly explained before'': but in order to have them tortured miserably according to^his edict, and at last to destroy them utterly in the space of so as to be deprived as much * See a description of this as possible both of light and building in Strabo, b. XVII. fresh air. j That is, " might not be ^ A place in Lower Egypt, " honoured so far as to be possessing a harbour, distant " admitted within the city about thirty miles from Alex- " walls." andria. k Namely, at ch. -ii. 29. B.C. 210. CHAP. IV. 21 15 one day. The registering of them therefore was made with bitter diligence and zealous perseve- rance from sun-rising to sun-setting, not being 16 completely ended' for forty days. But the king was greatly and continually filled with joy ; or- daining festivals in the temples of all his idols ; with a mind far erring from the truth, and a pro- fane mouth, praising such gods as were deaf, and could neither speak to nor assist them ; and utter- ing unbecoming expressions against the Most High God. 17 Now after the aforesaid space of time, the scribes addressed themselves to the king, informing him that they could no longer make the enrolment of the Jews by reason of their immense number ; 18 there being still a great number throughout the country, some of them abiding quietly at home, others being scattered here and there ; so that the business was impracticable, even for all the com- 19 manders in Egypt. But after he had threatened them severely as having been bribed in order to procure their escape, it turned out that he became 20 fully satisfied on that point : when they said, and proved, that both the paper"* and pens which they used had failed them. This was the powerful operation of that invincible Providence which gave help to the Jews from heaven. 1 The sense appears to be, used is x'V^^P'"^' manifestly that the registering continued adoptedfromtheLatintongue; during forty days, and even several instances of which then was not finished. See usage^we have in the New w. 18, 19. Testament, familiar to every ™ The Greek word here scholar. C 3 22 BOOK I. B.C. 210. CHAPTER V. The Jews ordered to be destroyed by elephants. The king's irresolution. Then calling to him Hermo, who had the care i of the elephants, being full of fierce anger, and to- tally unchangeable through rage ; he commanded 2 that against the next day they should dose all the elephants, in number five hundred*, with large handfuls of frankincense^ and a great quantity of undiluted wine ; and when they had been mad- dened by the copious supply of this drink, they should then introduce them to meet and destroy •= the Jews. He then, having given this command, 3 returned to his banquet, having collected round him those of his friends and of his army who were the greatest enemies to the Jews. But Hermo, 4 the commander of the elephants, performed exactly what had been ordered. And the servants, who 5 were appointed to that business, going out in the evening, bound the hands of the poor wretches, and took all other care necessary to secure them ; supposing that the whole tribe would together, that very night^, receive their final destruction. *» Bochart suspects some * Gr. irpbs (rvvdvT-qa-iv rov error in this number; as Pto- fwpov twv 'lovSalav,- " that the lemy had only seventy-three " Jews by them might meet elephants at the battle of Ra- " their death." phiaj and several of these were ^ Jt may seem strange that lost there. (Hierozoicon, torn, the servants should have iina- I. p. 260.) gined this, seeing that the ^ The stimulating effects of elephants were ordered to be this drug were early known^ ready for the next morning. and are mentioned by Diosco- Grotius therefore would alter rides and Pliny. the punctuation, and by join- B.C. 210. CHAP. V. 23 6 Now the Jews, who seemed to the heathen to be destitute of all protection, by reason of the con- finement in chains which environed them on all 7 sides, did all with an unceasing cry and with tears call upon the Almighty Lord, the supreme Dis- poser of all power, their merciful God and Father: 8 beseeching him to change the unholy design against them ; and to deliver them, by a glorious manifestation of himself, from that fate which was 9 ready at their feet. So the earnest supplication of these Jews ascended up to heaven. 10 But Hermo, having given to the merciless ele- phants their potion, and filled them with a plenti- ful supply of wine and crammed them with frank- incense, was early at the palace in the morning to 11 inform the king thereof. But He% who bestows what He pleases upon all men, had cast upon the king a sleep, a thing which from all eternity has been considered good in the night, but now was 12 sent in the day. And he was detained in a most sweet and deep slumber, through the operation^ of the Lord of all things : being greatly disappointed of his unlawful purpose, and mightily deceived in 13 his immutable contrivance. But the Jews, haying escaped the appointed hour, praised their holy ing twvxov with da-tjidXeiav , tov jSairiXea. Nor do the va- would render the passage, rious readings resolve the in- " the servants took all other tricacy. Grotius explains the " care necessary to secure text agreeably to the transla- " them^^r that night." tion here given. e The Greek text of this * Nonne lapsus est in hoc verse is obscure^ and possibly loco Schleusnerus, qui voces corrupt : Tovto S air alavos masculas fjbiiTTa koI ^aSel cum Xpovov KTia-iia koKov ev wktI koi v. foeminea evcpyela conjungen- fi/ifpa eTripdWofievov viro tov x"- das censuerit ? Confer Lex. pi^ofievov naxTiv, ols au avros 6e- Vet. Test. X^crp virvov nepos dwe Gr. TJj irapavofu^ i^oba. have afforded space for the 26 BOOK I. B.C. 210. was for which all this had been so diligently done by him. Now this was the operation of God who dis- 28 poseth all things, who had planted in his mind an entire forgetfulness of the plans which before he had contrived. But Hermo and all his friends explained to him 29 that the beasts and the troops are ready, " accord- " ing to thine earnest desire, O King." But he, 30 filled with great wrath at their words, (because that through God's providence all his sense about these matters was scattered to nought,) looking steadfastly on Hermo with threats, said, " If your "31 " parents ° or children had been here, they should " have furnished a glorious prey for the wild " beasts, instead of these blameless Jews ; who " have shewn in a remarkable degree, to me and " to my ancestors, an entire and unshaken fidelity. " And indeed, but for that affection which our 32 " education together and your usefulness ° has " kept up, you should have been put to death in- " stead of these." So Hermo underwent an unexpected and dan- 33 gerous threatening; and was cast down in his eyes and countenance. The king's friends also 34 "^ I do not know that any Aa'^iX^ OoLvav avri tS>v dveyKKr)- commentator has noticed this rau speech of Ptolemy as being 'E/iot ^te] koI Trpoyovoitr inois in verse : yet it will be seen hehayjUvav that the greater portion of it 'OXoffp^ep^ /Se^ai'av via-nv c^6xas (with the help of some criti- 'lotiSaiW. QThe last word is cal emendation) forms toler- probably a Gloss.] Kat irep able trimeter Iambics : el fir) 8ia t^v ttjs (rwrpo^ias El (TO! yoveis Traprjirav fj iralSav crropyfiv, leat t^s xptla?, to ^fjv yovai, avri Tovratv i(rTeprj6r)s. L'H] rijvhf Sripa-iv dyplois icTKev- o Or, " office which you dcav " hold:" Gr. t^s xP^ias. B.C. 210. CHAP. V. 27 coming out secretly p one by one with a sad coun- tenance, sent away the assembled multitudes each 35 to his own private afFairs. And when the Jews had heard what the king had said, they praised the glorious God and King of kings, having ob- tained from Him this second assistance also. 36 But the king after the very same manner ap- pointed another banquet, and invited Ms friends 37 to turn their minds to mirth. And calling for Hermo, he said to him with threats, " How often, " O thou wretch, must I give fresh orders to thee 38 " about these same people ? Arm the elephants " once again for to-morrow, for the annihilation « of the Jews." 39 But his kinsmen who were seated with him at the banquet, wondering at his unstable mind, said 40 thus : " O king, how long wilt thou trifle with us, " as though we were irrational brutes ? command- " ing us now this third time to destroy these men ; " and then, when the business was begun'', repent- 41 " ing and rescinding thy Jbrmer orders: by rea- " son of which the city is disturbed through ex- " pectation ; and, being filled with assembled " groups of people, has been in frequent danger " of being pillaged in various ways." 42 Upon this the king, exactly like another Pha- laris, filled with absurdity, and counting for no- thing those changes of mind which had been wrought in him respecting the visitation ' of the P Gr. vireKpeav, " gradually " ing ashamed steal away "stealingaway,asifashamed." " when they flee in battle." Compare 2 Sam. xix. 3^ " The 1 Gr. iirX tZv irpayfiATav. " people gat them by stealth "" Gr. ima-Kowriv, which may " into the city, as people be- signify either " punishment" BOOK I. B.C. 210. Jews; swore vehemently a most impious oath% determining that without delay he would send these people into the other world, foully trampled to death by the knees* and feet of the elephants. And that he would send an army into Judaea and 43 quickly level it with the ground by fire and sword; and speedily would destroy with fire that " temple " of theirs, which (said he) we are not allowed to " enter"," and would make it destitute of those who offer sacrifice for all time to come. Then his friends and kinsmen departing, over- 44 joyed and with belief in him, disposed the troops in the most proper parts of the city for securing it. But the governor of the elephants, having 45 driven the animals, as I may say, into a state of or " deliverance." See the word occurring at Luke xix. 44, also in chap. iii. of the Wisdom of Solomon, ver. 20. (where by the way it is very incorrectly translated) and in several other parts of the same book. ' Gr. oreKiaTaTov e^e^ctiacrev SpKov, an oath which was not likely to be fulfilled. t Gr. cv y6va(ri Kal wocrl. Whiston takes no notice of the word knees, and Grotius pronounces the phrase a He- braism. But there is reason to think that each word has an intended and distinct mean- ing ; and that the author was acquainted with the habits of the animals which he is de- scribing. Bochart, (Hierozoic. I. p. 261, &c.) commenting on this passage, mentions that it was customary with ele- phants trained for war to use both their knees and feet for treading down and crushing their enemies; and refers to Elian's History of Animals for confirmation of his re- mark. .Slian observes, jro- Toviicvav 8e rav aKuTKOjiivav, Kai aKoafievav Tois yovairi, Spa^os TToXiij tS)V otrreo)!' avvTpi^ixivmv oKoverai kcu wSppcoBev : which fully bears out Bochart in his assertion. Ml. Hist. Anim. VIII. 10. And Hirtius, de Bello Africano, sect. 72, re- lating the bravery of a soldier when attacked by an elephant, uses the following words: " Quum elephantus rulnere " ictus — in lixam inermem " impetum fecisset, eumque " sub pede subditum, deinde " genu innixus pondere suo " — premeret et enecaret." 1 Gr. Tov a^aTov avT&u fifuv vaov. B.C. 210. CHAP. V. 29 madness by highly-scented potions of wine mixed with frankincense, they being decked out in fear- 46 ful array ^ : — about daybreak, the city being al- ready filled with countless multitudes about the Hippodrome y, he entered into the court, and called out the king to the business before him. 47 Then he, having his wicked mind filled with fierce anger, rushed forth with all his retinue ^ and with the beasts : resolving to behold, with an untouched heart and with his own eyes, the painful and mi- serable destruction of the aforementioned Jews. 48 But the Jews, when they saw the dust raised by the elephants going out of the gate, and by the armed force which followed, and by the march of the multitude ; and heard the tumultuous noise : 49 thinking that moment to be the last of their lives, the conclusion of their most woeful expectation, they betook themselves to lamentations and wail- ings ; they kissed one another, embracing their relatives and falling about their necks, fathers on their sons, and mothers upon young girls, and other women who had new-born babes at their breasts drawing their last milk. 50 Nevertheless, having regard to those former as- sistances which they had received from heaven, throwing themselves flat down with one accord, and removing the infants from their breasts, they cried out with an exceeding great cry, beseeching the Lord of all power to shew pity on them, by X Gr. (po^epais KarecrKfvaa-- Y See abovCj chap. iv. 11. Iieva a-Kfvdis. Thus Diodorus ^ Gr. /Sapet : or the word Siculus (lib. XVII.) speaks may signify " in all his might, of elephants, KaTairXjiKTiK&s k€- " in all the weight of his an- Koa-iirjixivovs. " ger," T^r opyfjs ^apeias. 30 BOOK I. B.C. 210. the manifestation of his presence, who were now at the gates of the other world. CHAPTER VI. Eleazar's prayer. The Jews are wonderfully delivered. Now one Eleazar, a man eminent among the 1 priests of the country, a man already stricken in age, and adorned through life with every kind of virtue, bidding the elders who were about him to call upon the holy God, offered up the fol- lowing prayer : " O King% most powerful, most high, almighty 2 " God, who governest the whole creation in mer- " cies : Look, O Father, upon the seed of Abra- 3 " ham, upon the children of Jacob sanctified to " thee, the people of thy sanctified portion, strang- " ers in a strange land, and perishing unjustly. " Thou didst destroy with all his host, by drown- 4 " ing, Pharaoh the former ruler of this Egypt, " when he abounded with chariots and was elated " with lawless confidence, and with a tongue speak- " ing great things ; having caused the light of " thy mercy to shine upon Israel's race. Thou, 5 " Lord, didst break in pieces Sennacherim, the " cruel king of Assyria, who was puflfed up with " his innumerable armies ; who had already sub- " dued the whole earth with his spear ^, arid being a Undoubtedly the language commentators are silent on of this prayer is poetry, as the point : both the senti- will appear to any one who ments and language are very inspects the original, which is fine. printed at the end of the in- ^ Gr. Bopan t^k iraa-av fmo- troduction ; although it is xelpiov ijSij Xa^ovra yqu. The neither divided nor stopped expression is common among in the proper manner, and the the classic authors ; in whom B.C. 210. CHAP. VI. 31 6" <( « cc lifted up with pride against thy holy city, spake harsh things in insolence and boasting ; making thy power conspicuous to many nations. Thou didst deliver, unhurt even to a hair of their head, the three companions in the land of Baby- lon, who voluntarily exposed their lives to the fire that they might not worship vain gods, by shedding a dew = throughout the fiery furnace, whilst thou sentest the flame "^ upon, all their ad- versaries. " Thou didst restore to the light of day, unhurt, Daniel, who through spiteful calumnies had been cast for a prey to the fierce lions under ground. Thou, Father, didst shew again to all his house- hold unharmed^, Jonas, who was pining away^ we meet with SopvoKaros, 6o- piBr/paTOS, doplKTrjTOs, dopiKTynros, &C. •^ Gr. SiaTTupou Spo(Tls Tmevfia 8p6crov 8ia(7vpi^ov. d " Because the king's com- " mandment was urgent, and " the furnace exceeding hot, " the flame of the fire slew " those men that took up " Shadrach, Meshach, and A- " bednego." Daniel iii. 22. = In the apocryphal epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, which is preserved in the Ar- menian church, and was trans- lated into EngKsh from that language by lord Byron, is the following apposite and ex. pressive phrase upon this sub- ject of Jonah's complete pre- servation : " Neither was any " part of his body corrupted; " neither was his eyebroro " bent down." ^ Gr. TrjKOjKvov : namely in mind, not in body. The rea- der will readily call to mind the expressions of the pro- phet, as recorded in his se- cond chapter : " Then Jonah " prayed unto the Lord his " God, out of the fish's belly, " and said ; ' I cried by rea. " son of my affliction unto " the Lord: — the waters com- " passed me about, even to " the soul : the depth closed " me round about, the weeds " were wrapped about my " head. — When my soul faint- " ed within me, thou heardest " me,' " &c. 32 BOOK I. B. C. 210. *' unpitieds in the belly of the whale bred in the " depths of the sea. " And now, O thou who hatest insolence, plen- 9 " teous in mercy. Protector of the Universe, shew " thyself quickly to them of the race of Israel, who " now are injuriously treated by abominable, law- " less heathens. And if our life has been guilty 10 " of impieties during our captivity, deliver us " from the hand of our enemies, and do thou, O " Lord, destroy US'* by whatever death' thou dost " chuse. Let not these followers of vanity bless 11 " their vain idols over the destruction of thy be- " loved, saying,' Even their God has not delivered " them'^.' But do thou, O eternal One, who hast 12 " all might and all dominion, now look upon us ; " pity us, who through the causeless insolence of " wicked men are to be deprived of life like trai- " tors. O God, whom we honour, who hast all 13 " power, let the heathens dread thy invincible " might this day, on the deliverance of the race of " Jacob. The whole multitude of infants and 14 " their parents supplicate to thee with tears. Let 15 " it be shewn to all nations that thou, O Lord, art " with us, and hast not turned away thy face from " us : but even, as thou hast said^ that not even " when they were in the land of their enepies * " thou wouldest overlook them, so bring it to pass, " O Lord." g Gr. di8ii)v. shakeh, the general of Sen- •i Compare David's prayer, nacherib, to this effect, in at 2 Samuel xxiv. 14. and see 2 JKings xviii. and Isaiah above, ch. ii. I'J. xxxvi. Also Psalm Ixxix. IOl ^ > Gr. liop^, which more par- 1 Compare Levit. xxvi. 42. ticularly denotes, in Scripture, Deuieron. xxx. 3j 9, 10. death bi/ pestilence. B. C. 210. CHAP. VI. 33 16 Now as soon as Eleazar had ceased praying, the king with the beasts and the whole marching array™ of his army arrived at the Hippodrome. 17 And the Jews beholding it cried aloud to hea,ven ; insomuch that even the adjoining valleys, echoing back the sound, created an uncontrollable wailing throughout the whole army. 18 Then the most glorious, almighty, and true God, manifesting his holy countenance, opened the doors of heaven ; from whence two glorious and terrific angels descended, visible to all except 19 the Jews : and stood against them, and filled the enemies' army with confusion and fear, and bound 20 them in bonds which could not be loosed. The king's own person also became horror struck", and oblivion seized on his violent and angry boldness. 21 And they turned back the elephants" upon the Greek of Josephus, in this passage^ is lost : the Latin ver- sion runs thus : " Physcon " Ptolemaeus cum adversum ' exercitumquidemOnisepug- ™ Gr. Kftfyvdyfiari, expressing the noise and bustle necessa- rily attendant on such move- ments. ^ Gr. {m6(f>piKov TO tr£/«j tov ^acriKeas cyevrjBr]. ° Josephus relates a similar act of violence attempted a- gainst the Jews, with similar success and several corre- sponding circumstances, in his second book against Apion. But this is said to have oc- curred under the reign of Ptolemy Physcon, sixty or seventy years later than the event described in our text. Yet from the general simila- rity appearing in the two ac- counts, it has been judged, not unreasonably, that in re- ality the thing occurred only once, but has been differently related by historians. The " nare praesumeret, omnes ve- " ro Judesos in civitate posi- " tos cum filiis et uxoribus " capiens nudos atque vinctos " elephantis subjecisset, ut ab " eisconculcati deficerent ; et " ad hoc etiam bestias ipsas " inebriasset, in contrarium " quae prseparaverat evenere. " Elephanti enimrelinquentes " sibi appositos Judaeos, im- " petu facto super amicos " ejus, multos ex ipsis intere- " mere. Et post haec Ptole- " mseus quidem aspectum ter- " ribilem contemplatus est, " prohibentem se ut illis no- " ceret hominibus." Joseph, c. Apion. II. 5. D 34 BOOK I. B. C. 210. armed troops which were following, and they trampled upon them and destroyed them. And the king's anger was turned into pity and 22 tearsj, on account of what he formerly had de- vised. For when he heard the cry, and saw them 23 all prostrate ready for destruction, shedding tears, he angrily threatened his friends, saying : " You 24 " abuse P the royal authority, and have outdone " tyrants in barbarity ; and even me your bene- '^ factor you are now endeavouring to remove both " from my authority and my life, by secretly de- " vising measures disadvantageous to my king- " dom. Who has brought away, each from his 25 " home, and absurdly collected together here, " these men who were faithfully guarding the " fortresses i of our country ? Who has encora- 26 " passed with such lawless indignities these men " who from the beginning have in all things sur- P Gr. jrapa^acriXfueTe, a very his Antiquities^ ch. 1, and 3. expressive word : " you as- where he states that Ptolemy " sume a power to which you LaguSj finding that the inha- " have no claim." Grotius bitants of Jerusalem were es- weU observes, that the Greeks pecially to be depended on often use the preposition iraph. for honourable keeping of in this sense in compound their oaths and engagements, wordSj such as •napaao^ii^fa, ira- intrusted many of his for- paavvdyco, &c.; also that an tresses to their hands, and equivalent expression occurs bestowed on several of them in Terence, " quandoquidem the freedom of Alexandria, so " solus regnas." that they were placed on a q Josephus, c. Apion. lib.II. par with his Macedonians; says, "O/iota 8e 'Ake^dvSpov Kai exacting from them an oath nToKepmos 6 Adyov irepl tS>v ev that they would continue ' AXe^avbpe'u}. KaroiKovvrav i(j)p6- faithful to his descendants vr/a-ev Kol yap ra Kara t^v At- for his sake. And well in- yim-Tov aiiTois ivex^ipurc (j>pov- deed they appear to have ful- pia, iTLiTTms ap,a Kal ycvvaias v- tilled the trust reposed in Xd^eiv vnoXaji^avav. The same them. Compare ch. iii. 21, is asserted by him, in similar supra. terms, in the twelfth book of B. C. 210. CHAP. VI. 85 " passed all nations in good-will towards us, and " frequently have undertaken the greatest dangers 27 " of all men for our sake f Loose, loose utterly, " the unjust bonds : send them away in peace to " their own homes, having asked their forgiveness 28 « of what has been already done. Set free the " sons of the almighty, heavenly, living God, who " from the days of our ancestors until this pre- " sent time has vouchsafed to our affairs an unin- " terrupted prosperous stability." 2^ Thus he spake ; and the Jews being released in a moment blessed the holy God their deliverer, 30 having that instant escaped from death. Then the king returning to the city called for him who was over his revenues, and commanded him to supply the Jews with wines and other things re- quisite for a feast during seven days : resolving that in the place wherein they had expected to meet destruction, in that they should keep a festi- val of deliverance with all joyfulness. 31 Then those who before were reviled and were near to death, or rather were entering into it ; in- stead of a bitter and most lamentable fate, formed together a festive party ■■ to celebrate their preser- ' vation ; and parted the place ^ which had been pre- r Gr. KaOiova Tr]ptov, which purav, they fixed up tents in strictly may denote " the cup various places, in imitation of " of salvation," equivalent to the feast of tabernacles. The the expression irorripiov a-aTt]- old translation of 1550 ren- plov, in Psalm cxvi. 13 ; and ders the passage, "they point- to rrSTov o-arripiov occurring be- " ed out with their stoles the low, ch. vii. 18. The verb icvlCopxu, " to drink or feast," " pointed to be slain." But occurs in Polybius, and is also see Luke ix. 14 ; ^ where the used by the seventy inter- expression RaraKKivare avrovs ureters. kKictms ava ircvTrjKovra, is ren- s Qy\ rdnov kKutims KortpA- dered in our version, "make D 2 36 BOOK I. B, C. 210. pared for their fall and funeral, into several tents, (or companies,) being filled with gladness. And 32 leaving off their doleful strain of lamentation, they again took up the hymn* of their fathers, praising the Saviour and wonder-working God : and hav- ing put away from them all groaning and wailing, they formed themselves into dances as a sign of peaceful joy. In like manner also the king made 33 a great feast on this occasion, and without ceasing made acknowledgments to Heaven in a magnificent way, on account of the unexpected deliverance which had befallen them. And they, who before gave them up as lost and 34 about to be devoured by birds", and had joyfully registered them ; now groaned for that they had clothed themselves in shame, and their fire-breath- ing^ boldness was ingloriously quenched. But the Jews, as we have said already, having 35 formed the aforementioned dance, passed the time in feasting, with joyful thanksgivings and psalms. And made a common decree on this occasion 36 through all the dwellings of their pilgrimage y for after generations ; and appointed to celebrate the above-named days as days of gladness : not for the sake of drinking and gluttony % but by reason of " them sit down by fifties in passages of Scripture, a company. ^ Gr. kw, ttjv irvpmvovv roXfuiv * Probably, as Grotius re- dxXeras ia-^a-fiivoi. Tlvpmvovs, marks^ the 136th Psalm ; iripTrvoos, and nvpmveova-a, are which, we learn from 1 Chro- expressions occurring in the nicies xvi. 41, 2 Chron. v. classic authors. 13, vii. 3, Ezra iii. 11, y Gr. eVt jraa-av ttjv irapoi- &c., was their usual hymn of Kimi airav. Compare chap, vii „ „ 19; or the words may mean, " Compare 3 Mace. ix. 15. " for all the time of their See also Genesis xl. 19 ; " sojourning." Ezech. xxxix. 4, and other z The old translation of B. C. 210. CHAP. VII. 37 that deliverance which they had received through 37 God. And they addressed themselves to the king, desiring their dismissal to their own homes. 38 Now they had registered them from the five and twentieth day of Pachon% to the fourth day of Epiphi, during forty days : and they deter- mined their destruction from the fifth day of Epi- 39 phi** until the seventh, for three days. In which the Lord of the universe did most gloriously ma- nifest his mercy, and delivered them all together without hurt. 40 And they feasted, being supplied with all things by the king, until the fourteenth day, wherein 41 they made address for their dismissal. And when the king had acceded to^ their request, he wrote for them to his commanders in every city the sub- joined epistle, to the following generous purport ■*- CHAPTER VII. Ptolemy's letter vn favour of the Jews. Their happy re- turn home. 1 " King Ptolemy Philopator to the commanders " in Egypt, and all who are set over our affairs, 2 " joy and health. We ourselves are well, as also 1550 renders hX., "not to bib forty days of registering to " and bowl '\a, for gluttony;" have included from the 20th thus incidentally illustrating of May to the 29th of June, the English habits and games " Or^ " had commanded of the age of king Edward " them : " Gr. mivmvea-as ai. VI. Tovs. Compare ch. vii. 12. » This Egyptian month ^ Gr. lieydkoijnixas rrfv cKre- answers nearly to our April viav exovaav. JosephuSj on a and May. similar occasion^ uses the ^ Answering nearly to our phrase, • wpocr6ea/ai ypaiijiara June and July, and to the inrta-xero fteydkoTrpeiras exovra. Macedonian Panemus. Arch- Antiq. xii. c. 2. bishop Ussher reckons these D 3 S8 BOOK I. B. C. 210. " are our children, the great God having directed " our affairs according as we wish. " Certain of our friends, out of ill-nature, did 3 " frequently press hard upon us, and persuade us " to collect in a body the Jews who were in our " kingdom, and to punish them with the strange " punishments^ of traitors. Alleging that our af- 4 " fairs would never be firmly settled, by reason of " that disaffection'' which these men have towards " all other nations, until this were done. Who also, 5 " having brought them in bonds with vexation, as " slaves, or rather as traitors, attempted to put " them to death without any examination or in- " quiry, having cloked themselves" in a more than " Scythian barbarity. But we upon this most 6 " severely threatened them, out of that equity " which we bear towards all men, and with diffi- " culty granted them their lives ; and acknow- " ledging that God of heaven, who has protected " the Jews in safety ; and constantly has fought " for them as a father for his children : and call- 7 " ing to mind that firm, friendly affection, which " they have had for us and our ancestors ; " we have in justice released them from all blame, " on any account whatsoever. And have enjoined q " them every one to return to their own homes, " no person in any place doing them harm, or re- " proaching them with the things which have " been done to them without all reason. For 9 " know ye, that if we shall maliciously devise evil » Compare chapter iv. 4, « Gr. vo/wv Skv6S)v aypwripav and the note there : also iiiweTropinjfUi'oi aii&rrjra. The 3 Mace. ix. 6. expression is remarkable, sig- •> See, above, the note on nifying literally "fastening chapter iii. 7- " around them as a cloak." B. C. 209. CHAP. VII. 39 " against these men, or at all grieve them, we shall " ever inevitably have not man, but the Most High " God, the Lord of all povi^er, opposed to us, for " the avenging of such deeds. Fare ye well." 10 But the Jews having received this epistle, did not immediately hasten to begin their journey: but petitioned the king that those of the Jewish race who had voluntarily transgressed against the holy God and the law of God, might meet through them such punishment as they had deserved ''. 11 Alleging that they who had transgressed the Di- vine commands for their belly's sake, would never be well affected ** even to the king's aflfairs. 12 He then, admitting what they said to be true, and approving it, gave them full liberty to destroy those who had transgressed the law of God, in every place within his kingdom : and this with all freedom, without 2^0^ further authority or inspec- 13 tion*^ from the king. Hereupon, having paid him ^ See Deuteron. xiii. 6 — surrendered their religious 10. In subsequent times the belief, and others still held it Jews were compelled to ask under every prospect of dis- permission from their foreign advantage, Constantius re- rulers to execute this law : tained the latter in his ser- as at Esther vi. 8 — II, and vice, and dismissed all the here. So likewise the Jews former; remarking, that those hypocritically reply to Pontius men were never likely to be Pilate, " It is not lawful for faithful to the king^ who so " us to put any man to readily had consented to re- " death." John xviii. 31. nounce their God. By pre- = Grotius, in a note on this cisely similar reasoning. Anti- passage, cites the act of Con- ochus the Great assured him- stantius Chlorus, father of the self of the Jews' fidelity to- emperor Constantine; who, wards him : ■ninaafmi. yap wishing to put to a proof the eSvovs airois ea-fo-dm rmv fijie- fidelity and principle of his repav v\aKas, 8ia rtjv rrp6s tov officers, threatened all of them Qebv avrav fitri^etav. Joseph, with the loss of their digni- Antiq. xii. 3. ties unless they renounced ^ Gr. avev na.a-r)s ^curiKiKrjs Christianity. And when some i^ova-ias r) eVto-Kc^eraf. D 4 40 BOOK I. B. C. 209. their acknowledgments as was fit, their priests and all the multitude, singing aloud the halleluia, de- parted with joy. And whenever they met with 14 any one of their countrymen who had been pol- luted, they punished him upon the spot, and slew him with marks of public ignominy. And on that 15 very day they slew above three hundred men; and passed it as a festival with joy, having mastered and punished the profane. But they 16 themselves, who had adhered to God unto death, having had full enjoyment of their deliverance, departed from the city crowned with garlands of all sorts of most fragrant flowers, with joy and shouting ; giving thanks in praises and most me- lodious hymns to the eternal God of their fathers, the Saviour of Israel. And having reached Ptolemais^, which, on ac- 17 count of the peculiar product of the place, is called " the rose-bearing," where the fleet waited for them according to their common decree, seven days ; there they made a feast of deliverance'', the 18 king having generously supplied them with all things which each might want for his journey even to his own home. And having arrived in peace with becoming 19 thanksgivings, they resolved to celebrate there also these days as days of joy for the time* of S A city of Egypt, which soil, plead very forcibly in Calmetj not without reason, favour of the opinion which supposes to be Rosetta; which Calmet has advanced, is situate on the coast, be- ^ Gr. itotov a-ar^piov, which tween Alexandria and Dami- compare with the note above, etta. Some commentators at ch..vi. 31. differ ; but the situation on • Gr. irri t6v xP°^°^> " i" the sea, and the modern name " remembrance of the time." expressing the produce of the Compare ch. vi. 36. B. C. 209. CHAP. VII. 41 20 their sojourning. Which also having consecrated to that use by setting up a pillar and an oratory'' in the place of their festive solemnity, they de- parted unhurt, free, overflowing with joy, secured by the king's command from all harm by land, 21 sea, or river, each to his own home. And having now greater authority than before among their enemies, with glory and fear ; not being despoiled of their goods by any one throughout the journey. 22 And all of them recovered all their goods accord- ing to the registry ' ; so that those who held any thing belonging to them, restored it to them with the utmost fear™, the Most High God having worked wonders throughout for their deliverance. 23 Blessed be the Deliverer of Israel, for endless ages. Amen. k Gr. irpoa-fvxn, (the same translation of 1550^ is ren- as oucos wpo(T£V)fis) a word dered by^ " bill of attainder." well known both from the " Compare the departure New Testament and Jose- of the Israelites from Egypt, phus. in ExoduSj chap. xii. ; also 1 Or, " inventory/' Gr. Psalm cv. 38. dwoypacfnjs ; which, in the old END OF BOOK I. THE SECOND BOOK OF MACCABEES: CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF ABOUT FORTY YEARS, VIZ. FROM 175 TO 135 BEFORE CHRIST. CHAPTER I. The cruelties of Antiochus EpipJicmes to the Jews. 1 And it happened, after that Alexander, son of Philip the Macedonian, who came out of the b. c. land of Chittim*, had smitten^ Darius king '^^^■ of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his 2 stead, the first over Greece "=: and made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings 3 of the earth : and went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him ; whereupon " " Wherever the ' land of ed out. See Numbers xxiv. " Chittim' or 'the isles of 24; Isaiah xxiii. 1. 12; Jer. " Chittim' are mentioned in ii. 10 ; Ezek. xxvii. 6 ; Dan. " scripture, there are evi- xi. 29, 30. " dently meant some coun- ^ Namely, at the decisive " tries or islands in the Me- battle of Arbela in Persia, " diterranean." Bishop New- fought in the year 331 B. C. ton on the Prophecies, I. 5. « Meaning Syria and Egypt, Here Macedonia seems to be which were so called by the the country particularly point- Jews. 44 BOOK II. B.C. he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. And 4 he gathered a mighty strong host, and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings ^, and they became tributaries unto him. And after these things he fell 5 sick, and perceived that he should die. Wherefore he 6 called his servants ; such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive ^- So Alexander reigned twelve 7 years, and then died. And his servants bear rule 8 every one in his place. And after his death, they 9 all put crowns upon themselves ; so did their sons after them many years : and they multiplied evils *^ in the earth. And there came out of them a wicked roots, 10 "i Or " kingdoms ;" for the Alexandrian manuscript reads Tvpawi&v, not Tvpdvvcov, e The generality of histo- rians give a different account. See Justin, ch. 13, and Quin- tus Curtius, book X. ch. 5 and 10. QuintuSj however, admits the prevalence of a report that Alexander during his lifetime had arranged the succession to his dominions, but he gives no credit to the story : "■ Credidere quidam " testamento Alexandri dis- " tributas esseprovincias; sed " famkm ejus rei, quanquam " ab auctoribus tradita est, " vanam fuisse comperimus." I may here observe, once for all, that this and other devia- tions of our author from com- monly received accounts, are discussed and partly explain- ed by Albericus Gentilis, in a Dissertation appended to the First Book of Maccabees, which is printed in the fifth volume of the " Critici Sa- " cri." t Josephus explains this, by saying of these successors, (rTau Se tovtodv, koI irpbs aKKrjKovs (jiiKoniJun/iievaiv, vwep Ttjs ISias apx^s, rroKepovs re (7V- vcp^eTs Koi p^Kpoiis trvve^aive yi- veaBai, koi tSs iroKeis KOKona- 6eiv, KoL TToXXois ev Tols dyaciv aTrojSaXXnv Tav oiKifropav, as Kol TfjV Svpiau airdirav V7r6 Uro- Xe/iaiov Tov Adyov, Sarnjpos rdre XpiP'OriCovTos, TO ivdvna iraBfiv avTOv Tjj irrucKritrei. Ant. XII. 1 . g The Greek word pi'fa, which properly signifies a root, and metaphorically an origin, is also used to denote the branches, or offspring from that root. Thus Jesus Christ is called the root of Jesse, (Isai. i. 10,) the root of Da- vid : (Apoc. V. 5; xxii. 16): B. C. 174. CHAP. I. 45 Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes^ son of b ^ Antiochus the king', who had been an ^^^• hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year'' of the king- b. c. 11 dom of the Greeks. In those days went ^'^^• there out of Israel wicked men', who persuaded many, saying, Let us go, and make a cove- b. c. jiant with the heathen who are round about ^'^'^• us : for since we departed from them, many evils 12 have befallen us. And the word seemed good in 13 their eyes. Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, and he gave them license to do after the ordinances 14 of the heathen : whereupon they built a place of and such is the signification of the word in the present ^ Appian relates, that he obtained this name of Epi- phaneSj (signifying not only illustrious, but also one who appears unexpectedly,') be- cause, when his brother Se- leucus had been dethroned and put to death by Heliodo- rus, a conspirator, who seized his kingdomj Antiochus then on his way from Rome where he had been detained as a hostage, was generously as- sisted by Eumenes and Atta- ins kings of PergamuSj who deposed the usurper, and placed him on the throne of Syria, to the joy of his sub- jects. Appian. de rebus Sy- riacis, c. 45. But Poly bins (cited by Athenaeus) calls him Epimanes (madman) instead of Epiphanes, from the wild- ness and inconsistency of his behaviour, several instances of which he gives. Polyb. Pragm. XXVI. 10. Com- pare Diodorus Siculus, de Virtutibus et Vitiis excerpt, lib. XXVI. and XXXI. ' Commonly called, Antio- chus the Great. k Viz. of the sera of the Seleucidse, which began from the capture of Babylon by Seleucus Nicator, B. C. 312. This is the reckoning of time used throughout the books of Maccabees. The Syromace- donian (or Greek) year really commenced in the autumn : but, as the author of the^first book of Maccabees usually reckons according to the Jew- ish mode, of beginning the year in the spring, a diflFer- ence of six months is some- times observable between the accounts given of the same transaction in the^r*^ and in the second book. 1 Namely, Menelaus the brother of Jesus (or Jason) 46 BOOK II. B. C. 170. exercise "" at Jerusalem, according to the customs of the heathen : and made themselves uncircum- 15 cised", and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do evilo. Now when the kingdom was established before 16 B. c. Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt?, ^'*'" that he might have the dominion of the two realms. Wherefore he entered into Egypt with 17 a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navyi, and made war is against Ptolemy ^ king of Egypt : but Ptolemy was afraid of him, and fled ; and many fell down slain. Thus they won the strong cities in the 19 land of Egypt, and he took the spoils of the land of Egypt. And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt ^, 20 he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude : and entered proudly into 21 the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar. the high priest, and his party; P See Daniel xi. 25, &c. who found the majority of 5 Gr. ordX^, which indeed their countrymen adverse to may also signify a land-force. their political views. Joseph. ^ Surnamed Philometor, the Antiq. XII. 6. sixth king of that race. ™ Gr. yvfivouriov, a Gymna- * See Daniel xi. 28. Jose- sium. phus relates, that although ^ A thing expressly forbid- Antiochus met with success den by St. Paul. See 1 Cor. in the beginning of his cam- vii. 18. paign against Egypt, he was '- ° The phrase is Hebrew, compelled to abandon all and occurs frequently in the thoughts of possessing him- Old Testament. The very self of that kingdom, the Ro- words of this passage, koX mans having sent to him a iwpd6r)(rav tov Troirj(rai to irovrj- peremptory message to de- pbv, are found at 2 Kings, part home, xvii. 17- (Sept. version.) B. C. 170. CHAP. I. 47 and the candlestick of light^and all the vessels 22 thereof. And the table of the shew-bread, and the pouring-vessels, and the vials, and the censers of gold, and the vail, and the crowns ', and the golden ornaments which were on the front of the 23 temple, all which he pulled off. He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious " vessels : also he took the hidden treasures which he found. 24 And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and 25 spoken very proudly. Therefore there was great mourning in Israel, in every place where they 26 were ; so that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and 27 the beauty of women was changed. Every bride- groom took up lamentation, and she who sat in 28 the marriage-chamber was in heaviness. The land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with con- fusion. 29 And after two years fully expired'', the king sent his chief collector y of tribute unto the ^.c. cities of Judah ; and he came unto Jerusa- '^®- 30 lem with a great multitude, and spake peaceable words unto them in deceit: and they believed him, and he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel. 31 And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and t See Zechariah vi. 14. " years of days;'' a manifest ^ Gr. iirtBviMjTo., " vessels Hebraism. " of desire :" the same ex- y Namely, Apollonius, who pression occurs at Daniel xi. is mentioned again at 3 Mace. 8, and Hosea xiii. 15. v. 24 — 27. * Gr. hv6 errj fjnepap, " two 48 BOOK II. B.C. 170. walls thereof on every side. But the women and 32 children took they captive, and possessed them- selves of the cattle. Then builded they the city 33 of David with a great and strong wall, and with mighty towers, and it became a strong hold ^ for them. And they put therein a sinful nation % 34 wicked men, and they fortified themselves therein. They stored it also with armour and victuals, and 35 when they had gathered together the spoils of Je- rusalem, they laid them up there, and so they be- came a sore snare : for it became a place to lie in 36 wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel altogether. Thus they shed innocent 37 blood on every side of the sanctuary'', and defiled the sanctuary : insomuch that the inhabitants of 38 Jerusalem fled because of them : whereupon the city was made an habitation of strangers, and be- came strange ,to those who were born in her, and her own children left her. Her sanctuary was 39 laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her ho- nour into contempt. As had been her glory, so 40 was her dishonour increased, and her high estate was turned into mourning. Moreover, king Antiochus wrote to his whole 41 kingdom, that all should be one people, and every one should leave his own laws : so all the heathen 42 z Called Acra, or " the \o\, avofwi, da-e^eis, are used " Tower," or citadel. to denote the Gentiles as con- s' " He placed therein a tradistinguished from the " Macedonian garrison." Jo- Jews. Particular instances sephus. It may be well to re- may be referred to in Schle- mark here, once for all, that usner and other writers on in these apocryphal books, no the New Testament, less than in those of the New ^ See Psalm Ixxix. 1 — 3. Testament, the words afiapTco- B. C. 170. CHAP. I. 49 agreed, according to the commandment of the 43 king. Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and pro- 44 faned the sabbath. For the king had sent letters by the hand of messengers unto Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, that they should follow laws 45 strange to the land: and forbid burnt-offerings, and sacrifice, and drink-offerings in the sanctuary; and that they should profane the sabbaths and 46 festival days : and pollute the sanctuary and holy 47 people : set up altars, and temples, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh and unclean •= 48 beasts : that they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation : 49 to the end they might forget the law, and change 50 all the ordinances. And whosoever would not do according to commandment of the king, he said, 51 he should die. According to all these words wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commmanding the cities of 52 Judah to sacrifice, city by city. Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit, every one who forsook the law, and so they committed 53 evils in the land : and drove Israel into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for suc- cour. 54 Now on the fifteenth day oithe month Casleu"*, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they b. c. set up the abomination^ of desolation upon ^^''• c Gr. Koa/ci, " common,'' as and December, expressed in St. Peter's vi- e Namely, the statue of sion at Acts x. Jupiter Olympius. Compare d The ninth Jewish month, 3 Mac. vi. 2. See also Da- answering to our November niel xi. 31. E 50 BOOK II. B. C. 167. the altar, and builded «c?o^altars throughout the cities of Judah on every side ; and burnt incense 55 at -the doors of the houses, and in the streets. And when they had rent in pieces the books of 56 the law which they found, they burnt them with fire. And wheresoever was found with any the 57 book of the testament, or if any consented to the law, the king's commandment' was, that they should put him to death. Thus did they by their 58 might unto Israel every month, to as many as were found in the cities. Now on the five and 59 twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the iifo^altar, which was upon the altar of. burnt- offerings. At which time, according to the com- 60 mandment, they put to death the women who had caused^ their children to be circumcised. And they 61 hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them which had circum- cised them. Howbeit, many in Israel were, fully 62 resolved and confirmed in themselves, not to eat unclean things. Wherefore they chose rather to 63 die, that they might not be defiled with the meats, " and that they might not profane the holy cove- nant : so then they died. And there was very 64 great wrath upon Israel. CHAP. II. The firmness ofMattathias, In those days arose Mattathias the son of John, 1 the son of Simeon % a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin''. And he 2 f Gr. ras nepireTfiriKuias, a Josephus adds, " the son " who had circumcised j" for "of Asamonaeus:" whence this we learn that this operation family bore afterwards the ti- was sometimes performed by tie of Asmonsean princes, women. b WeUs, in his Geography B. C. 167. CHAP. II. 51 had five sons, Joannan, who was called Caddis : 3 Simon, who was called Thassi : Judas, who was 5 called Maccabaeus : Eleazar, who was called Ava- 6 ran, and Jonathan, who was called Apphus. And when he saw the blasphemies •= which were cora- 7 mitted in Judah and Jerusalem, he said. Wo is me ! wherefore was I born to see this overthrow of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there when it was delivered into the hand of the enemies, and the sanctuary into the hand of 8 strangers ? Her temple is become as a man with- 9 out glory. Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. 10 What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom, 11 and gotten of her spoils ? All her ornaments are taken away, of a free-woman she is become a 12 bond-slave. And behold, our sanctuary ^, even our beauty and our glory, is laid waste, and the 13 Gentiles have profaned it. To what end there- 14 fore shall we live any longer ? Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sack- cloth, and mourned very sore. 15 In the mean while the king's officers, such as compelled the people to revolt, came into the city of the Old Testamentj states^ to the latter opinion, which that " the situation of this indeed seems to be well sup- " place (where was the se- ported. " pulchre of the Maccabees) " Gr. ^aa-^jiLas, which " is not well agreed on : some here denotes not merely wick. " placing it not very far from ed words, but also deeds, such " Jerusalem, while others will as idolatry and the like. " have Modin to lie much far- "i Gr. to ayia, literally, holy " ther westward, namely, on things; the expression used " the coast, or not far from for the sanctuary throughout " the coast, of the Mediter- this book. " ranean sea." He inclines e2 52 BOOK II. B. C. 167. Modin, to make them sacrifice. And when many 16 of Israel came unto them, Mattathias also and his sons came together. Then answered the king's 17 officers, and said to Mattathias on this wise ; Thou art a ruler, and an honourable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and bre- thren. Now therefore come thou first, and fulfil 18 the king's commandment, like as all the heathen have done, yea, and the men of Judah also, and such as remain at Jerusalem : so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king's friends, and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold, and many rewards ^. Then Mat- 19 tathias answered and spake with a loud voice. Though all the nations which are under the king's dominion ^ obey him, to fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments : yet will I and my sons and 20 my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. God forbid, that we should forsake the law and 21 the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king's 22 words, to go aside from our religion, either on the right hand, or the left. Now when he had left speaking these words, 23 there came one of the Jews in the sight of all, to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, accord- ing to the king's commandment. Which thing 24 when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he « forbear e Gr.ajrooToXoisj which Gro- g The rendering is unsatis- tius declares to mean properly factory; and there is here a viaticum quo aheuntem prose- remarkable variety of reading quimur. in the Greek text. The Va- f Or. TO. hi oiK\a. It is a Hebrew " drove away thoSe who were phrase, abundantlyto be found " appointed to hinder such in Scripture. " their circumcision." Antiq. P See Gen. xxii. XII. 6. ' See Gen. xli. o Gr. Ka\ OVK eSaxav Ktpas t^ '" See Numb. XXV. E 4 56 BOOK 11. B.C. 166. " word, was made a judge in Israel'. Caleb, for 56 " bearing witness before the congregation, received " an heritage of the land'. David, for being mer- 57 " ciful*^, gained to himself the throne of an ever- " lasting kingdom^. Elias, for being zealous and 58 " fervent for the law, was taken up into hea- " veny. Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, by believ- 59 " ing, were saved out of the flame''. Daniel, for 60 " his innocency, was delivered from the mouth of " lions a. And thus consider ye throughout all 61 " generations, that none who put their trust in " Him, shall fail. Fear not then the words of a 62 " sinful man ; for his glory shall be dung and " worms. To-day he shall be lifted up, and to- 63 " morrow he shall not be found, because he is re- " turned into his dust'', and his thought is come to " nothing. Wherefore, ye my sons, be valiant, and 64 " shew yourselves men in the behalf of the law, " for by it shall ye obtain glory. And behold, I 65 " know that your brother Simon is a man of coun- " sel, give ear unto him alway : he shall be a " father unto you. As for Judas Maccabseus, he 66 " hath been mighty, and strong, even from his " youth up : let him be your captain, and fight " the battle of the people. Take also unto you 67 " all those who observe the law, and avenge ye " the wrong of your people. Recompense fully 68 " the heathen, and take heed to the command- " ments of the law." So he blessed them, and 69 » See Josh. i. y See 2 Kings ii. t See Numb. xiv. z See Dan. iii. ™ Or, for his piety : see a See Dan. vi. Schleusner in v. eXeoi. b See Psalm cxlv. 4. X See 2 Sam. ii. B.C. 166. CHAP. III. 57 70 was gathered to his fathers. And he died in the hundred forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the sepulchres of his fathers, at Modin, and all Israel made great lamentation for him. CHAPTER III. The valiant acts of Judas Maccabceus. 1 Then his son Judas called Maccabaeus rose up 2 in his stead. And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they who were joined with his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel. 3 So he gat his people great honour, and put on a breast-plate as a giant, and girt his warlike ar- mour about him, and he fought battles, protecting 4 the host with his sword. In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his 5 prey. . For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those who vexed his 6 people. Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were con- founded together, and deliverance was made to 7 prosper in his hand. He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his me- 8 morial is blessed for ever. Moreover, he went through the cities of Judah, and destroyed the ungodly out of them, and turned away wrath 9 from Israel : so that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to perish. 10 Then ApoUonius* gathered together the Gen- tiles, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight 11 against Israel. Which thing when Judas per- a The governor of Samaria. See above, chap. ii. 29. 68 BOOK II. B.C. 166. ceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him : many also fell down slain, but the rest fled. Wherefore Judas took 12 their spoils, and ApoUonius' sword also, and there- with he fought all his life long. Now when Seron, the captain t> of the army of 13 Syria, heard say, that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war; he said, I will get me a 14 name and will be honoured in the kingdom ; for I will go fight with Judas, and them that are with him, who despise the king's commandment. So 15 he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Israel. And 16 when he came near to the going up of Bethoron" Judas went forth to meet him with a small com- pany. Who, when they saw the host coming to 17 meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we are ready to faint with fasting all this day? Unto whom Judas answered, 18 It is no hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few ; and with the God of heaven it is all one to deliver with many"^ or with few; for the victory of battle standeth not in the multi- 19 tude of an host, but strength cometh from heaven. They come to us in the abundance of pride and 20 iniquity, to destroy us and our wives and children, and to spoil us : but we fight for our lives and our 21 ^ Gr. 6 apxav, Josephus phraim^ north-west from Je- calls him governor of Coelo- rusalem. See Josh. x. 10, 11. Syria. 1 Chron. vii. 24. <= A town lying within the ^ See 1 Sam. ch. xiv. 6, borders of the tribe of E- 2 Chron. xiv. 11. B.C.166. CHAP. III. 59 22 laws. Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face : and as for you, be ye not 23 afraid of them. Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown^ before him. 24 And they pursued them in the going down of Bethoron, unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them ; and the residue fled 25 into the land of the Philistines. Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and great dread to 26 fall upon the nations round about them ; insomuch that his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas. 27 Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation : wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even 28 a very strong army. He opened also his treasure*^, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding 29 them to be ready for every need. Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treasures failed, and that the tributes e in the country were small, because of the dissension, and plague which he had brought upon the land by taking away the 30 laws which had been of old time ; he feared that he should not, as in former times, have sufficient for his charges, and for the gifts, which before he had given with a liberal hand : for he had abounded above the kings ^ that were before him. ^ Josephus informs us, that (^opoi and (j>opoX6yoi. Seron himself was slain in ^ Thus it had been prophe- this battle. sied of him by Daniel, that f See Daniel xi. 24. " he shall do that which his S Or, " the collectors of " fathers have not done, nor " tributes were few :". for the ''' his fathers' fathers : he shall Greek MSS. vary between " scatter among them the 60 BOOK II. B.C. 166. Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, 31 he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money. So he left Lysias, an honourable man, 32 and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king, from the river Euphrates, unto the borders of Egypt ; and to bring up his son An- 33 tiochus, until he came again. Moreover, he deli- 34 vered unto him the half of his forces, and the ele- phants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them which dwelt in Judaea and Jerusalem : to wit, that he 35 should send an array against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place ; and that he should place strange chil- 36 dren in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot. So the king took the half of the forces which 37 remained, and departed from Antioch' his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries J. Then Lysias chose Ptoleraee the son of Dory- 38 menes, and Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends : and with them he sent forty 39 thousand ^o#-men, and seven thousand horse-men, to go into the land of Judah, and to destroy it, as " prey-j and spoilj and riches." the parts adjoining the Eu- Dan. xi. 24. Compare Jo- phrates^ and remote from the seph. Antiq. XII. 11. sea. So Polybius calls the i A celebrated city of Syria, goverimients of Upper Asia on the river Orontes : near it ras ava o-arpaireuK. Lib. III. et was the grove called Daphne. V. So also we read in Jose- See a description of it in the phus oi Si/a> rdiroi — ol Sva fidp- XVIth book of Strabo. jSapot — ij &va x^P°- — ^'^'1 ''" J Gr. ras iirava x^P^Sj i- e. avarrepiKo. /iepri, in Acts xix. 1. B.C. 166. CHAP. III. 61 40 the king commanded. So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Em- 41 maus'', in the plain country. And the merchants of the country hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, and servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves ; a power also of Syria, and of the land of the Philistines^, joined themselves unto them. 42 Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders, (for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them ;) 43 they said one to another. Let us restore the de- cayed estate of our people, and let us fight for 44 our people, and the sanctuary. Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and 45 ask mercy and compassion. Now Jerusalem was uninhabited as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in, or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold : the heathen had their habitation in that place, and joy was taken away from Jacob, and ^ A village situate seven other nations were oXAd^uXotj miles and a half from Jerusa- which was equivalent to /3ap- lem, Luke xxiv. 13. ^apoi ; and to the Romans, on 1 Gr. oKXocjtvXcau. This word the contrary, the Greeks were in its primary signification aKK6(f>v\oi. Among the Jews denotes any person who is the- word was used to express not of the same country with all Gentiles generally ; but the writer, an alien j and in more particularly the race of this sense it is used by Thu- Philistines. In both these cydides and other classic au- senses the expression occurs thors. To the Greeks all in the books of Maccabees. 62 BOOK II. B.C. 166. the pipe and the harp ceased. Wherefore the 46 Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha™, over against Jerusalem ; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed afore- time in Israel. Then they fasted that day, and 47 put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes; and laid open the book of 48 the law, for which the heathen had sought dili- gently to paint in them the pictures" of their idols. They brought also the priests' garments, 49 and the first-fruits, and the tithes ; and the Naza- rites° they stirred up P, who had accomplished their days. Then cried they with a loud voice toward 50 heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away ? For thy 51 sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness and brought low. And 52 lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us : what things they imagine agaiaist us, thou knowest. How shall we be able to stand 53 against them, except thou, O God, be our help ? Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with 54 a loud voice. And after this, Judas ordained cap- 55 tains over the people, even captains over thou- sands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens. But as for such as were building 56 "» See Judges ch. xx. 1, Numb, xxxiii. 52. 1 Sam. vii. 5, 2 Kings xxv. o For the particulars of the " And by these means to Nazarites and their vowSj con- render them useless and abo- suit Numb. vi. 2 — 21. minable to the Jews, who by P Gr. rjyeipav, " put for- their law were expressly for- " ward/' Grotius. Compare bidden to use any such repre- Amos ii. 11. sentations. See Levit. xxvi. I, B.C. 166. CHAP. IV. 63 houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful i, those he commanded that they should return every man to his own 57 house, according to the law. So the camp re- moved, and pitched upon the south side of Em- 58 maus. And Judas said. Arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations which are assembled together against us, 59 to destroy us and our sanctuary. For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calami- 60 ties of our nation and our sanctuary. Neverthe- less, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do. CHAPTER IV. The wars of Judas. The sanctuary cleansed. 1 Then took Gorgias five thousand^o^-men and a thousand chosen horse-men, and the army re- 2 moved by night ; to the end that he might rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and smite them sud- denly. And the men of the fortress were his 3 guides. Now when Judas heard thereof, he him- self removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite the king's army which was at 4 Emmaus, while as yet the forces were dispersed 5 from the camp. In the mean season came Gorgias by night into the camp of Judas : and when he found no man there, he sought them in the moun- tains : for said he. These fellows flee from us. 6 But as soon as it was day, Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men, who, never- ■ Namely, of Dathema. named. 8 Called Mizpeh in the * Perhaps the town of Sy- books of Judges and Samuel, ria, called Raphana by Pliny. The same with Malle above- 74 BOOK II. B. C. 164. heathen which are round about us are assembled unto them, even a very great host. He hath also 39 hired the Arabians to help them, and they have pitched their tents beyond the brook, ready to come and fight against thee. Upon this Judas went to meet them. Then Timotheus said unto 40 the captains of his host. When Judas and his host come near the water-brook, if he pass over first unto us, we shall not be able to withstand him : for he will mightily prevail against us. But if 41 he be afraid, and camp beyond the river, we shall go over unto him, and prevail against him. Now 42 when Judas came near the water-brook, he caused the scribes of the people to remain by the brook : and he charged them all, saying. Suffer no man to pitch his tent, but let all come to the battle. So 43 he went over first unto them, and all the people after him ; then all the heathen being discomfited before him, cast away their weapons, and fled unto the temple" which was at Carnaim: but they 44 took the city, and burnt the temple, with all who were therein. Thus was Carnaim subdued, neither could they stand any longer before Judas. Then Judas gathered together all the Israelites 45 who were in the country of Galaad, from the least unto the greatest, even their wives and their children, and their stuff, a very great host, to the end they might come into the land of Judah. Now when they came unto Ephron, (this was 46 a great city in the way as they should go, very well fortified,) they could not turn from it, either on the right hand or the left, but must needs pass » Viz. of the goddess Atargatis. See 3 Mace. xii. 26, and the note there. B.C. 164. CHAP. V, 75 47 through the midst of it. Then they of the city- shut them out, and stopped up the gates with 48 stones. Whereupon Judas sent unto them with peaceable words, saying, We will pass through your land to go into our own country, and none shall do you any hurt ; we will only pass through on foot : howbeit, they would not open unto him. 49 Wherefore Judas commanded a proclamation to be made throughout the host, that every man should pitch his tent in the place where he was. 50 So the soldiers pitched, and assaulted the city all that day and all that night, till at the length the 51 city was delivered into his hands : and he slew all the males with the edge of the sword, and rased the city, and took the spoils thereof, and passed through the city, over them which were slain. 52 And they passed over Jordan, into the great 53 plain before Bethsan^. And Judas was gathering together those who were hindmost, and exhorting the people all the way through, till they came 54 into the land of Judah. So they went up to mount Zion with joy and gladness, where they offered burnt offerings, because not one of them were slain until they had returned in peace. 55 Now what time as Judas and Jonathan were in the land of Galaad, and Simon his brother in X Or Bethshean^ a consider- 3d book of Maccabees^ chap, able city, situate in the tribe xii. 29. See Josephus, XII. of Manasseh, about two miles 12 : and Herodotus, who in east of Gilboah, in the neigh- his first book relates that ir- bourhood of the river Jordan: ruption of the Scythians into it is often mentioned in the Egypt and Palestine, from books of Joshua, Judges, and which it is thought by most Samuel. The Greeks called authors to have derived its it Scythopolis; under which name, name also it appears in the 76 BOOK II. B.C. 164. Galilee before Ptoleraais; Joseph, the son of Zacha- 56 rias, and Azaiias, captains of the army, heard of the valiant acts and warlike deeds which they had done. Wherefore they said. Let us also get 57 us a name, and go fight against the heathen who are round about us. So when they had given 58 charge unto the army which was with them, they went towards Jamnia. Then came Gorgias and 59 his men out of the city to meet them in battle. And so it was that Joseph and Azarias were put 60 to flight, and pursued unto the borders of Judaea : and there were slain that day of the people of Israel, about two thousand men. Thus was there 61 a great overthrow among the children of Israel, because they were not obedient unto Judas and his brethren, but thought to do some valiant act. Moreover, these men came not of the seed of those 62 by whose hand deliverance was given unto Israel. And the man Judas and his brethren were greatly 63 renowned in: the sight of all Israel, and of all the heathen wheresoever their name was heard. In- 64 somuch that the people assembled unto them with joyful acclamations. Afterward went Judas forth with his brethren, 65 and fought against the children of Esau in the land toward the south ; where he smote Hebron y, and the towns thereof, and pulled down the for- tress of it, and biu-nt the towers thereof round about. From thence he removed to go into the 66 land of the Philistines, and passed through Sama- y This had formerly been the southern portion of Judeea, one of the towns of Judah : during the captivity of Baby- but after that the Idum^eaas^ Ion, they made Hebron their had possessed themselves of principal city. B. C. 164. CHAP. VI. 77 67 ria. At that time certain priests, desirous to shew their valour, were slain in battle, for that 68 they went out to fight unadvisedly. So Judas turned aside to Azotus in the land of the Philis- tines ; and when he had pulled down their altars, and burnt the carved images of their gods with fire, and spoiled their cities, he returned into the land of Judah. CHAPTER VI. The death qfAntiochu& Epiphcmes. The wars of Judas. The heroic act of Eleazar. 1 About that time, king Antiochus travelling through the high countries*, heard say, that Ely- mais'' in the country of Persia, was a city greatly 2 renowned for riches, silver and gold : and that the temple •= which was in it was very rich, wherein were coverings of gold, and breast-plateS, and shields, which Alexander son of Philip the Mace- donian king, who reigned first among the Gre- 3 cians, had left there. Wherefore he came and sought to take the city, and to spoil it; but he was not able, because the design was made known 4 to them of the city. And they rose up against him in battle : so he fled, and departed thence 5 with great heaviness, to return to Babylon. More- over, there came one who brought him tidings a Namely, on the Euphra- the city meant. See chap. ix. tes. See the note at chap. iii. 1. 37. " Viz. of Diana, according •> The Greek varies between to Josephus and Polybius: 'EXu/iaiff and eV ''EKiiuus ; and but Appian alleges that it it is disputed whether this be was of Venus.- In the third thenameof aregionorof acity. book, chap. i. 13, the Deity is In the third book of Macca- called Nannaea, or Nanea. bees, Fersepolis is said to be 78 BOOK II. B.C. 164. into Persia, that the armies which went against the land of Judah were put to flight : and that 6 Lysias, who went forth first with a great power, was driven away by the Jews ; and that they were made strong by the armour, and power, and store of spoils, which they had gotten from the armies, whom they had destroyed: also that they had 7 pulled down the abomination which he had set up upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had compassed about the sanctuary with "high walls as before, and his city Bethsura. And it came 8 to pass when the king heard these words, he was astonished, and sore moved: whereupon he laid him down upon his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not befallen him as he looked for. And there he continued many days : g for his grief was constantly renewed upon him, and he made account that he should die. Where- lo fore he called for all his friends, and said unto them. The sleep is gone from mine eyes, and my heart faileth for very care. And I thought with 11 myself. Into what tribulation am I come, and how great a flood of misery is it wherein now I am ! for I was thought bountiful, and was beloved in my power : but now I remember the evils which 12 I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of gold and silver which were therein, and sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judaea without a cause. I perceive therefore that for this cause these 13 troubles are come upon me, and behold I perish through great grief in a strange land. Then 14 called he for Philip, one of his friends, whom he made ruler over all his realm. And gave him the 15 crown, and his robe, and his signet-ring, to the B. C. 163. CHAP. VI. 79 end he should bring up his son Antiochus, and 16 nourish him up for the kingdom. So king An- tiochus died there ^ in the hundred forty and ninth 17 year. Now when Lysias knew that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus his son (whom he had brought up, being young) to reign in his stead, and his name he called Eupator. 18 About this time they which were in the tower, were shutting up the Israelites round about b. c. the sanctuary, and seeking always their ^^^• 19 hurt, and the strengthening of the heathen. Where- fore Judas purposed to destroy them, and called 20 aU the people together, to besiege them. So they came together, and besieged them in the hundred and fiftieth year, and he made mounts for shot* 21 against them, and other engines. Howbeit, cer- tain of them escaped from the siege, and to them some ungodly men of Israel joined themselves. 22 And they went unto the king, and said. How long will it be ere thou execute judgment, and avenge 23 our brethren ? We have been willing to serve thy father, and to walk after his decrees, and to obey 24 his commandments ; for which cause they of our nation besiege the tower, and are alienated from us ; moreover, as many of us as were found were put to death, and our inheritances were plundered. 25 Neither have they stretched out their hand against d Viz. at Babylon, or near describing the siege of Echi- it. Polybius relates that he num, and signifies " spots died at Tabse, a town of Per- " chosen for planting the Ba- sia, near to Babylon; and that " listse." His words are, KaJ he shewed symptoms of mad- rpeir rfaav ^eXoordo-eir \\Ao^6- ness shortly before his death. Xow wv o )>,hi etj TdKavrialas, oi Polyb. XXXI. 11. Se SvoTpiaKovTaiJ.miovsi^e^ahXov e Gr. /SeXoo-TOo-ew, which is \idovs. Lib. IX. 41. See Je- a word used by Polybius in remiah xxxii. 24. 80 BOOK II. B.C. 163. us only, but also agaiOst all their borders. And 26 behold, this day are they besieging the tower at Jerusalem, to take it: the sanctuary also, and Beth- sura have they fortified. Wherefore, if, thou dost 27 not prevent them quickly, they will do greater things than these, neither shalt thou be able to rule them. Now when the king heard this, he was angry, 28 and gathered together all his friends, and the cap- tains of his army, and those who had charge of the horse. There came also unto him from other 29 kingdoins, and from isles of the sea, bands of hired soldiers. So that the number of his army was an 30 hundred thousand foot-men, and twenty thousand horsemen, and two and thirty elephants exercised in battle. These went through Idumsea, and 31 pitched against Bethsura, which they assaulted many days, making engines of war ; but they o/" JBethsura came out and burnt theni with fire, and fought valiantly. Upon this Judas removed from 32 the tower, and pitched in Bathzachariasf, over against the king's camp. Then the king rising 33 very early marched fiercely with his host toward Bathzacharias, where his armies made them ready to battle, and sounded the tnunpets. And to the 34 end they might provoke the elephants to fight, they shewed ef theih the blood of grapes and mul- * This seems to have been given to the elephants ; re- a place of small note;, not else- ferring^ for the fact, to 3 where mentioned. Josephus Mace. v. 10 : and he believes describes it as being seventy that this sense of the verb Set- stadia distant from Bethsura. Kvia can be supported by in- e Gr. cbei^av. Schleusner stances drawn from the New contends, that this liquid was Testament. I can scarcely not merely exhibited, but also agree with him on the point. B. C. 163. CHAP. VI. 81 35 berries. Moreover they divided the beasts among the companies ; and for every elephant they ap- pointed a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and with helmets of brass on their heads ; and for every beast were ordained five hundred horsemen 36 of the best. These were ready at every occasion : wheresoever the beast was they were, and whither- soever the beast went, they went also, neither de- 37 parted they from him. And upon the beasts there were strong towers of wood, which covered every one of them, and were girt fast unto them with devices : there were also upon every one, two and thirty'' strong men' who fought upon them, be- 38 sides the Indian who ruled him. As for the rem- nant of the horsemen, they set them on this side and that side, at the two parts of the host, stirring them up'' and covering their flanks with them. 39 Now when the sun shone upon the shields of gold and brass, the mountains glittered therewith, and 40 shined like lamps of fire. So part of the king's army was spread upon the high mountains, and part on the valleys below, and they marched on •> Bochart (Hierozoicon, thinks that the author omit- tom. I. p. 261, &c.) objects ted the number altogether, strongly to this number, so and that the words SiJo Koi much larger than that which rpicixovTa are merely an inter- approved authors assign to polation from verse 30, where one elephant, namely, two, that number of elephants is three, six, rarely ten or twelve, mentioned. See however Pliny, He adduces an ingenious con- VIII. 7, as cited by Grotius. jectural emendation, viz. that ' Josephus says, " archers." instead of livbpes Swdfieas 8vo ^ The Greek text of the Koi rpianovTa ol iroKejiovvTes eir latter portion of this verse is avTois, we should read avSpes obscure : KaToa-eiovrcs koi kuto- Swd/ieas 8io fj rpels anovrlois Where he had been de- " Namely, Tripolis, as men- tained a hostage, through the tioned in 3 Mace. xiv. 1 ; and policy of the Roman senate. Josephus agrees. Finding after two applications * Namely, at Antioch eVi that his departure never would ^dipvrjs, the regal seat of the be permitted, he concerted kings of Syria: for an ac- with some friends the means countof which city see Strabo,- of escape, and by their assist- lib. XVI. ance was enabled to quit Rome B. C. 162. CHAP. VII. 85 was that his forces had taken Antiochus and Ly- 3 sias to bring them unto him. And the thing was made known to him, and he said, " Shew me not 4 " their faces." So his host slew them : and De- metrius was set upon the throne of his kingdom. 5 And there came unto him all the wicked and un- godly men of Israel, having Alcimus (who was 6 desirous to be high priest) for their captain. And they accused the people to the king, saying, Judas and his brethren have slain all thy friends and 7 have driven us out of our own land. Now there- fore send some man whom thou trustest, and let him go and see the entire destruction which he hath made amongst us, and in the king's land, and let him punish them and all them who aid them. 8 Then the king chose Bacchides a friend of the king, who ruled ^ in the country beyond the river, and was a great man in the kingdom, and faithful 9 to the king. And him he sent with that wicked Alcimus, whom he made high priest, and com- manded him that he should take vengeance on 10 the children of Israel. So they departed, and came with a great power into the land of Judah ; and he sent messengers to Judas and his brethren 11 with peaceable words deceitfully. But they gave no heed to their words ; for they saw that they 12 were come with a great power. Then did there assemble unto Alcimus and Bacchides, a company 13 of scribes to require justice. Now the Assidaeans were the first among the children of Israel who 14 sought peace jof them. For said they. One who e Josephus styles him " Governor of Mesopotamia." G 3 86 BOOK II. B.C. 163. is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come with this army, and he will do us no wrong. So he spake 15 unto them peaceably, and sware imto them, say- ing, We will procure the harm neither of you nor your friends. Whereupon they believed him : 16 howbeit, he took of them threescore men, and slew them in one day, according to the words which he wrote f, "The flesh of thy saints have 17 " they cast out, and their blood have they shed " round about Jerusalem, and there was none to " bury them." Wherefore the fear and dread of 18 them fell upon all the people, who said. There is neither truth nor justice in them ; for they have broken the covenant and oath which they made. After this removed Bacchides from Jerusalem, 19 and pitched his tents in Bezethe, where he sent and took many of the men who had forsaken him, and certain of the people also ; and when he had slain them, he cast them into the great pit. Then committed he the country to Alcimus, 20 and left with him a power to aid him: so Bac- chides went to the king. And Alcimus contended 21 for the high-priesthood. And unto him resorted 22 all such as troubled the people, who, after they had gotten the land of Judali into their power, did much hurt in Israel. Now when Judas saw 23 all the mischief which Alcimus and his company had done among the Israelites, even above the heathen ; he went out into all the coasts of Judaea 24 round about, and took vengeance on those who had deserted from him, so that they were re- strained from going forth into the country. But 25 * Namely^ the author of Psalm Ixxix. E Or Bethzetho, a village. B.C. 162. CHAP. VII. 87 when Alcimus saw that Judas and his company had grown strong, and knew that he was not able to withstand them, he went again to the king, and said all the evil of them that he could. 26 Then the king sent Nicanor*', one of his honour- able princes, a man who bare deadly hate unto Israel, with commandment to destroy the people. 27 So Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a great force ; and sent unto Judas and his brethren deceitfully 28 with peaceable words, saying, Let there be no battle between me and you : I will come with a 29 few men that I may see your faces in peace. He came therefore to Judas, and they saluted one another peaceably. Howbeit, the enemies were 30 prepared to take away Judas by violence. Which thing, after it was known to Judas, to wit, that he came unto him with deceit, he was sore afraid 31 of him, and would see his face no more. Nicanor also, when he saw that his counsel was dis- covered, went out to meet Judas in battle beside 32 Capharsalama' : where there were slain of Nica- nor's side about five thousand men, and the rest fled into the city of David. 33 After this went Nicanor up to mount Sion, and there came out of the sanctuary certain of the priests, and certain of the elders of the people, to salute him peaceably, and to shew him the bumt- 34 sacrifice which was offered for the king''. But he mocked them, and laughed at them, and abused' ^ Called by Josephus, " his ^ Concerning the sacrifice " most intimate and faithful and prayers customarily ofFer- " friend, who had fled from ed up for the king by the " Rome with him." Jews, see Ezra vi. 10. i A village in the neigh- ' Gr. efiiavep, he defiled ; bourhood of Jerusalem. either by spitting upon them, G 4 88 BOOK II. B.C. 162. them shamefully, and spake proudly : and swore 35 in his wrath, saying. Unless Judas and his host be now delivered into my hands, if ever I come again in peace, I will burn up this house: and with that he went out in a great rage. Then the priests entered in, and stood before 36 the altar and the temple, weeping, and saying. Thou, O Lord, didst choose™ this house to be 37 called by thy name, and to be a house of prayer and petition for thy people : be avenged on this 38 man and his host, and let them fall by the sword: remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to continue any longer. So Nicanor 39 went out of Jerusalem, and pitched his tents in Beth-horon, where an host out of Syria met him. But Judas pitched in Adasa", with thi-ee thousand 40 men, and there he prayed, saying, O Lord, when 41 they which were sent from the king of the Assy- rians" blasphemed, thine angel went out and smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand of them : even so destroy thou this host before us this day, 42 that the rest may know that he hath spoken wick- edly against thy sanctuary, and judge thou him according to his wickedness. So the thirteenth day of the month AdarP the 43 host joined battle: and Nicanor's host was dis- comfited, and he himself was first slain in the battle. Now when Nicanor's host saw that he 44 was slain, they cast away their weapons, and fled. or by using contumelious and stadia from Beth-horon. blasphemous expressions. o See 2 Kings xix, Isaiah " See Deuteron. xii. 5. 11. xxxvii. 14 i Isaiah Ivi. 7, &c. &c. P Answering to our Feb- n A village, which Jose- ruary and March, phus says is distant thirty B.C. 161. CHAP. VIII. 89 45 Then they pursued after them a day's journey, from Adasa until thou come to Gazera, sounding 46 an alarm after them with their trumpets. Where- upon, they came forth out of the towns of Judaea, round about, and outflanked them ; so that they, turning back upon those who pursued them, were all slain with the sword, and not one of them was 47 left. Afterwards they took the spoils, and the prey, and smote off Nicanor's head, and his right hand, which he stretched out so proudly; and brought them away, and hanged them up towards 48 Jerusalem. For this cause the people rejoiced greatly, and they kept that day a day of great 49 gladness. Moreover, they ordained to keep yearly 50 this day, being the thirteenth of Adar. Thus the land of Judah was in rest a little while. CHAPTER VIII. Judas makes a league with the Romans. 1 Now Judas had heard of the fame of the Ro- mans, that they were mighty in power, and b.c. such as would lovingly accept all who joined ^^^■ themselves unto them, and make a league of amity 2 with all who came unto them ; and that they were men of great valour. It was told him also of their wars and noble acts which they had done among the Galatians*, and how they had con- » Namely, the Gauls of Greats they incurred the re- Asia, or Gallo-graeci ; who, sentment of the Romans, who migrating from Gaul under sent Cneius Manlius to pun- Brennus and other chiefs, ish them; and from this ge- passed over into Asia, and neral they experienced two after some time established signal defeats, at Ancyra and themselves in the countries at mount Olympus, A.C. 189. on the river Halys. Becom- See Livy, XXXVIII. 12 — ing allies of Antiochus the 26. 90 BOOK II. B.C. 161. quered them, and brought them under tribute. And what they had done in the country of Spain 3 for the winning of the mines of the silver and gold which is there : and that by their policy and 4 patience they had conquered all the place, (though it were very far from them,) and the kings also who came against them from the uttermost part of the earth, till they had discomfited them, and given them a great overthrow, so that the rest did give them tribute every year. Besides this, how 5 they had discomfited in battle Philip, and Perseus king of the Citiras'', with others who lifted up themselves against them, and had overcome them. How also Antiochus*^ the great king of Asia, who 6 came against them in battle, having an hundred and twenty elephants, with horsemen and cha- riots, and a very great army, was discomfited by them ; and how they took him alive, and cove- 7 nanted that he, and such as reigned after him, should pay a great tribute, and give hostages, and an appointed sum ^. And the country of India, 8 and Media ^ and Lydia, and of the goodliest coun- ^ Namely, Macedonians, agreej) and suggests^ that See chapter I. i. Philip was perhaps we ought to read conquered by the Romans in Ionia and Mysia, which in- the first, and Perseus in the deed were given to Eumenes second Macedonia war ; by by the Romans ; whereas the subjugation of whom an neither of the other two had end was put to the Mace- belonged either to them or to donian empire. Antiochus. In fact, the pre- " See the accounts of these cise terms imposed by the transactions given by Poly- Roman senate after the de- bius and Livy. feat of Antiochus, are furnish- d Gr. bm Or Gilgal, as in Joshua e There is a variety of read- iv. 19. Drusius thinks that inghere. Possibly it may de- - we ought to read Galilee in signate Adasa, named above, this passage. at chap. vii. 40. Compare « Perhaps the same as book V. chap. 17. 2. Arbatta, mentioned above, at B.C. 161. CHAP. IX. 95 8 time to gather them together. And he was dis- tressed: but nevertheless, unto them which re- mained, he said. Let us rise and go up against our enemies, if peradventure we may be able to 9 fight with them. But they dehorted him, saying. We shall never be able : let us now rather save our lives, and hereafter we will return with our brethren, and fight against them : for we are but 10 few. Then Judas said, God forbid, that I should do this thing, and flee away from them : if our time be come, let us die manfully for our bre- thren, and let us not leave behind a stain upon 11 our honour. With that the host of Bacchides removed out of their tents, and stood over against them, their horsemen being divided into two troops, and their slingers and archers going be- fore the host, and they which marched in the 12 fore-ward were all mighty men. And Bacchides was in the right wing : so the host drew near on 13 the two parts, and sounded their trumpets. They also of Judas's side, even they sounded their trum- pets also, so that the earth shook at the noise of the armies, and the battle was joined from morn- 14 ing till night. And Judas perceived that Bac- chides and the strength of his army were on the right-side ; and all who were hardy in heart went 15 with him : and the right wing was discomfited by them, and they pursued after them unto the 16 mount Azotus. But when they of the left wing saw that they of the right wing were discomfited, they followed upon Judas and those who were 17 with him, hard at the heels from behind : where- upon there was a sore battle, insomuch that many 18 were slain on both parts. Judas also was killed, 96 -BOOK II. B.C. 161. and the remnant fled. Then Jonathan and Simon 19 took Judas their brother, and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers in Modin. Moreover, 20 they bewailed him, and all Israel made great la- mentation for him, and mourned many days, say- ing, " How is the valiant man fallen, who deli- 21 " vered Israel !" As for the other things ^ con- 22 cerning Judas and his wars, and the noble acts which he did, and his greatness, they are not written : for they were very many. Now after the death of Judas, the wicked be- 23 gan to lift up their heads in all the coasts of Israel, and there rose up all such as wrought iniquity. In those days also was there a very great famine, 24 hy reason whereof the country revolted, and went with them. Then Bacchides chose the wicked 25 men, and made them lords of the country. And 26 they made inquiry and search for Judas's friends, and brought them unto Bacchides, who took ven- geance on them, and used them despitefuUy^. So 27 there was a great affliction in Israel, the like whereof was not since the time that a prophet ^ was not seen amongst them. For this cause all Judas's friends came together, 28 and said unto Jonathan, Since thy brother Judas 29 died, we have no man like him to go forth against our enemies and Bacchides, and against them of our nation, which are adversaries to us. Now 30 therefore we have chosen thee this day to be our prince and captain in his stead, that thou mayest ^ Gr. TO. nepuTira rav \6ytav. of the prophet Malachi ; a g Gr. fvcirai^ev avTois, lite- period of more than two hun- rally, " he mocked them." dred years. ^ That iSj since the death B.C. 161. CHAP. IX. 97 31 fight our battles. Upon this, Jonathan took the governance upon him at that time, and rose up 32 instead of his brother Judas. But when Bac- chides gat knowledge thereof, he sought to slay 33 him. Then Jonathan and Simon his brother, and all who were with him, perceiving that, fled into the wilderness of Thecoe ', and pitched their tents 34 by the water of the pool Asphar. Which when Bacchides understood, he came over Jordan with all his host upon the sabbath-day. 35 Now Jonathan had sent his brother John, a captain of the people, to pray his friends the Na- bathaeans'^, that they might leave with them their 36 baggage, which was much. But the children of Jambri came out of Medaba, and took John ' and all which he had, and went their way with it. 37 After this came word to Jonathan and Simon his brother, that the children of Jambri were mak- ing a great marriage, and were bringing the bride from Nadabatha with a great train, as being the daughter of one of the great princes of Chanaan. 38 Therefore they remembered John their brother, and went up and hid themselves under the covert 39 of the mountain. Where they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, there was much ado, and great baggage: and the bridegroom came forth, and his friends and brethren, to meet them with drums and instruments of musick, and many wea- 40 pons. Then Jonathan and they which were with him, rose up against them from the place where * Or Tekoah, as written at Bethlehenijtowards the south. 2Chron. xx. 20, and Jer, vi. 1 . k See above, chap. v. 25. It appears to have been situ- 1 And put him to death ; as ate at no great distance from appears by verse 42. H 98 BOOK II. B.C. 161. they lay in ambush, and made a slaughter of them in such sort, that many" fell down dead, and the remnant fled into the mountain, and they took all their spoils. Thus was the marriage turned into 41 mourning, and the noise of their melody into la- mentation. So when they had avenged fully the 42 blood of their brother, they turned again to the marsh of Jordan. Now when Bacchides heard hereof, he came on 43 the sabbath-day unto the banks of Jordan with a great power. Then Jonathan said to his company, 44 Let us go up now and fight for our lives, for it standeth not with us to-day, as it was yesterday and the day before : for, behold, the battle is be- 45 fore us and behind us, and the water of Jordan on this side and that side, the marsh likewise and wood, neither is there place for us to turn aside. Wherefore cry ye now unto heaven, that ye may 46 be delivered from the hand of your enemies. With 47 that they joined battle ; and Jonathan stretched forth his hand to smite Bacchides, but he turned back from him. Then Jonathan and they which 48 were with him leapt into Jordan, and swam over unto the farther bank : howbeit, the other passed not over Jordan unto them. So there were slain 49 of Bacchides' side that day about a thousand" men. Afterward returned Bacchides to Jerusalem, 50 and repaired the strong cities in Judaea, the fort in Jericho, and Emmaus, and Beth-horon, and Beth-el, and Thamnatha Pharathoni, and Taphon, with high walls, with gates, and with ™ Josephus reckons them " Josephus doubles the at four hundred. number. B. C. 158. CHAP. IX. 99 51 bars. And in them he set a garrison, that they 52 might work malice ° upon Israel. He fortified also the city Bethsura, and Gazara, and the tower, and put forces in them, and provision of victuals. 53 Besides, he took the chief men's sons in the coun- try for hostages, and put them into the tower at Jerusalem to be kept. 54 Moreover, in the hundred fifty and third year, in the second month, Alciraus commanded b. o that the wall of the inner court of the ^^■ sanctuary should be pulled down p ; he pulled 55 down also the works of the prophets. And as he began to pull down, even at that time was Alci- mus plagued, and his enterprises hindered : for his mouth was stopped, and he was taken with a palsy, so that he could no more speak any thing, 56 nor give order concerning his house. So Alcimus died at that time with great torment. 57 Now when Bacchides saw that Alcimus was dead, he returned to the king, whereupon the land of Judah was in rest two years. 58 Then all the ungodly men held a council, say- ing. Behold, Jonathan and his company are b. c. at ease, and dwell without care : now there- ^^^■ fore we will bring Bacchides hither, who shall 59 take them all in one night. So they went and con- 60 suited with him. Then I'emoved he, and came with a great host, and sent letters privily to his adherents in Judaea, that they should take Jona- than and those who were with him : howbeit, o Gr. Tov €x6paiveiv. it signi- between Jew and Gentile, but fies " to do harm, or mis- that all should have equal pri- '' chief." vilege of access to the inner P So that thenceforward no court, which in former times distinction should be made had been open to Jews alone) h2 100 BOOK II. B. C. 158. they could not, because their counsel was made known unto them. Wherefore they took of the 61 men of the country who were authors of that mis- chief, about fifty persons, and slew them. After- 62 ward Jonathan and Simon, and they which were with him, got them away to Bethbasi % which is in the wilderness, and they repaired the decays thereof, and made it strong. Which thing when 63 Bacchides knew, he gathered together all his host, and sent word to them which were of Judaea. Then went he and laid siege against Bethbasi ; 64 and they fought against it a long season, and made engines of war. But Jonathan left his bro- 65 ther Simon in the city, and went forth himself into the country, and with a certain number went he forth. And he smote Odonarces "■ and his bre- 66 thren, and the children of Phasiron in their tent. And when he began to smite them, and to ad- 67 vance with his forces, Simon and his company went out of the city, and burnt up. the engines of war, and fought against Bacchides, who was dis- 68 comfited by them, and they afflicted him sore : for his counsel and travail was in vain. Wherefore, 69 he was very wroth at the wicked men who gave him counsel to come into the country, insomuch that he slew many of them, and purposed to re- turn into his own country. Whereof when Jona- 70 than had knowledge, he sent ambassadors unto him, to the end he should make peace with him, and deliver them the prisoners. Which thing he 71 1 Josephus calls it " Be- ing, and no less uncertainty " thalaga^ a village in the about the person designated. " wilderness." Probably he was one of the " Or Odoarres, or Odomera. captains of Bacchides, or some There is great variety of read- of his allies. B. C. 153. CHAP. X. 101 accepted, and did according to his demands, and sware unto him, that he would never devise evil 72 against him all the days of his life. When there- fore he had restored unto him the prisoners whom he had taken aforetime out of theland of Judah, he returned and went his way into his own land, neither came he^ any more into their borders. 73 Thus the sword ceased from Israel : and Jonathan dwelt at Machmas*, and began to govern the peo- ple; and he destroyed the ungodly men out of Israel. CHAPTER X. The negociations of Alexander and Demetrius with Jona- than. The death of Demetrius. 1 In the hundred and sixtieth year, Alexander* the son of Antiochus surnamed Epipha- b.c. nes, went up and took Ptolemais : for the ^^^" people had received him, by means whereof he s Gr. Koi oil irpoa-edfTo iri i\- the subject of Alexander's ge- 6elv; the same phrase occurs nuineness, I think that the at verse 1 of this chapter. best evidence on the point is t Or Michmashj as at 1 Sam. that which is furnished by xiii. 2, &c. ; a town situate himself. He took the pains about nine miles north from to inscribe himself on his Jerusalem. coins, Qeoirarap ; which looks 3 Namely a younger bro- very much like the act of one ther of Antiochus Eupator, who distrusted his own cause, whom Demetrius had put to Several of these coins are yet death, (ch. vii. 4.) But it is remaining in cabinets. Three maintained by authors of ere- of them are figured by Vail- ditj that in reality this was lant, in his " Historia Regum no son of Antiochus Epipha- " Syriae," folio, p. 138 — 140: nes, but an impostor named also in " Frcelichii Annales BalaSj who for purposes mere- "Regum Syrise," fol. 1754. ly political, was set up and p. 64, &c. and in Gough's encouraged in his assumption " Coins of the Seleucidse," of the Syrian throne. See 4to, Lond. 1803, Tab. xii. Appian ; and Justin, XXV. p. 79- As historians are divided on H 3 102 BOOK II. B.C. 153. reigned there. Now when king Demetrius heard 2 thereof, he gathered together an exceeding great host, and went forth against him to fight. More- 3 over, Demetrius sent letters unto Jonathan with loving words, so that he magnified him. For said 4 he, Let us first make peace with him, before he join with Alexander against us ; else he will re- 5 member all the evils which we have done against him, and against his brethren, and his people. Wherefore he gave him authority to gather to- 6 gether an host, and to provide weapons, that he might aid him in battle : he commanded also that the hostages which were in the tower should be delivered to him. Then came Jonathan to Jerusalem, and read 7 the letters in the audience of all the people, and of them which were in the tower : who were sore 8 afraid, when they heard that the king had given him authority to gather together an host. Where- 9 upon they of the tower delivered their hostages unto Jonathan, and he delivered them unto their parents. And Jonathan settled himself in Jerusa- 10 lem, and began to build and repair the city. And U he commanded the workmen to build the walls, and the mount Sion round about with square stones, for fortification : and they did so. Then 12 the strangers who were in the fortresses which Bacchides had built, fled away: insomuch that 13 every man left his place, and went into his own country. Only at Bethsura certain of those who 14 had forsaken the law and the commandments, re- mained still : for it was their place of refuge. Now when king Alexander had heard what 15 promises Demetrius had sent unto Jonathan: B. C. 153. CHAP. X. 103 when also it was told him of the battles and noble acts which he and his brethren had done, and of 16 the pains which they had endured, he said. Shall we find such another man ? now therefore we will 17 make him our friend and confederate. Upon this he wrote a letter, and sent it unto him, according 18 to these words, saying, " King Alexander to his 19 " brother Jonathan, sendeth greeting : We have " heard of thee, that thou art a man of great 20 " power, and meet to be our friend. Wherefore " now this day we ordain thee to be the high " priest"^ of thy nation, and to be called the king's " friend, (and therewithal he sent him a purple " robe'', and a crown of gold,) and require thee to " take our part, and keep friendship with us." 21 So in the seventh month of the hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast of the tabernacles, Jona- than put on the holy robe, and gathered together forces, and provided much armour. 22 Whereof when Demetrius heard, he was very 23 sorry, and said ; What have we done, that Alexan- der hath anticipated us, in making amity with the 24 Jews to strengthen himself? I also will write unto them words of encouragement, 3x16. promise them dignities'^ and gifts, that they may be with 25 me to aid me. He sent unto them therefore to this effect : " King Demetrius unto the people of 26 " the Jews, sendeth greeting : Whereas ye have " kept covenants with us, and continued in our ^ This office continued in which could not be assumed Jonathan's family until the without permission, days of Herod the Great, * Gr. \oyovs v^ovs, which from which period it became perhaps may signify " words no longer hereditary. " of commendation." e A mark of high dignity, H 4< 104 BOOK II. B.C. 153. " friendship, not joining yourselves with our ene- " raies, we have heard thereof, and are glad. " Wherefore now continue ye still to be faithful 27 " unto us, and we will well recompense you for " the things ye do in our behalf; and will grant 28 " you many immunities, and give you rewards. " And now do I free you, and for your sake I re- 29 " lease all the Jews from tributes, and from the " customs of salt, and from crown-taxes^- And 30 " from that which appertaineth unto me to re- " ceive for the third part of the grain, and the " half of the fruit of the trees, I release it from " this day forth ; so that they shall not be taken " from the land of Judah, nor from the three go- " vernments which are added thereunto out of the " country of Samaria, and Galilee ^, from this day " forth for evermore. Let Jerusalem also be holy 31 " and free, with the borders thereof, both from " tenths and tributes. I also yield up my autho- 32 " rity over the tower which is in Jerusalem, and " give it to the high priest, that he may set in it e Gr. tTTc." Now when Jonathan and the people heard these 46 B Q words, they gave no credit unto them, nor 152. received them, because they remembered the great evil which he had done in Israel ; for he had afflicted them very sore. But with Alexan- 47 der they were well pleased, because he was the first who entreated of peaceable words with them, and they were confederate with him always. Then gathered king Alexander great forces, and 48 B c camped over against Demetrius. And after 49 1^1- the two kings had joined battle, Deme- trius's host fled: but Alexander followed after i» That is, in different cities of Judsea, according as they may require such aid. B. C. 151. CHAP. X. 107 50 him, and prevailed against them. And he conti- nued the battle very sore until the sun went down: and that day was Demetrius slain. 51 Afterward Alexander sent ambassadors to Pto- lemy', king of Egypt, with a message to this ef- 52 feet : " Forasmuch as I am come again to my " realm, and am set on the throne of my fathers, " and have gotten the dominion, and overthrown 53 " Demetrius, and recovered our country : (For " after I had joined battle with him, both he and " his host was discomfited by us, so that we Sit in 54 " the throne of his kingdom.) Now therefore let " us make a league of amity together, and give " me now thy daughter to wife : and I will be " thy son-in-law, and will give both thee and her 55 " gifts, according to thy dignity." Then Ptolemy the king gave answer, saying, Happy be the day wherein thou didst return into the land of thy fathers, and sattest in the throne of their king- 56 dom. And now will I do to thee, as thou hast written : meet me therefore at Ptolemais, that we may see one another ; and I will marry my 57 daughter to thee, as thou hast said. So Ptolemy went out of Egypt himself and his daughter Cleo- patra, and they came unto Ptolemais in the hun- 58 dred threescore and second year : where king Al- exander meeting him, he gave unto him his daugh- ter Cleopatra, and celebrated her marriage at Pto- lemais with great glory, as the manner of kings is. 59 Now king Alexander had written unto Jona- 60 than, that he should come and meet him. Who thereupon went honourably to Ptolemais, where i Surnamed Philometor, the son of Ptolemy Epiphanes. 108 BOOK II. B. C. 148. he met the two kings, and gave them and their friends silver and gold, and many presents, and found favour in their sight. At that time certain 61 pestilent fellows of Israel, men of a wicked life, as- sembled themselves against him, to complain of him : but the king did not attend to them. And 62 the king commanded, and they stripped Jonathan of his garments, and put on him a purple robe : and they did so. Also he made him sit near him- 63 self, and said unto his princes. Go with him into the midst of the city, and make proclamation, that no man complain against him of any matter, and that no man trouble him for any manner of cause. Now when those who complained of him saw his 64 glory, according to the proclamation, and himself clothed with a purple robe, they fled all away. So the king honoured him, and wrote him amongst 65 his chief friends, and made him a general, and governor of a province^. Afterward Jonathan re- 66 turned to Jerusalem with peace and gladness. Furthermore, in the hundred threescore and 67 2_c. fift^ year, came Demetrius i, son of Deme- 148. trius, out of Crete into the land of his fa- thers. Whereof when king Alexander heard tell, 68 he was right sorry, and returned into Antioch. Then Demetrius made ApoUonius™ the governor 69 ^ Gr. fiepihapxrjv. Grotius, tive jiepihapxia occurs at 3 Es- howeverj in a note on this dras i. 5, 10, where it is used passage^ and also on 3 Mace, to signify the division of of- V. \0, contends that pepiSdp- fice or dignity among the Le- xr/s denotes vaerelj prmpositus vites: also again at ch. v. 4; mensce, a person appointed to viii. 28, &c. sit at the head of a royal • Demetrius Nicator, the table as a post of dignity : son of Demetrius Soter. See but query the correctness of Justin. this opinion. See Josephusj '^ This name is of very fre- Antiq. XII. 7- The substan. quent occurrence during this B.C. 148. CHAP. X. 109 of Coelosyria his general, who gathered together a great host, and camped in Jamnia", and sent unto 70 Jonathan the high priest, saying, Thou alone lift- est up thyself against us, and I am laughed to scorn for thy sake, and reproached : and why dost thou vaunt thy power against us in the moun- 71 tains? Now therefore, if thou trustest in thine own strength, come down to us into the plain field, and there let us try the matter together: for 72 with me is the power of the cities. Ask, and learn who I am, and the rest who take our part, and they shall tell thee, that thy foot is not able to stand before our face; for thy fathers have been 73 twice" put to flight in their own land. Wherefore now thou shalt not be able to abide the horsemen, and so great a power in the plain, where is neither 74 stone nor flint?, nor place to flee unto. So when Jonathan heard these words of ApoUonius, he was moved in his mind ; and chusing ten thousand men, he went out of Jerusalem, and Simon his brother 75 met him to help him. And he pitched his tents against Joppe : but they of Joppe shut him out of the city, because ApoUonius had a garrison there. 76 Then Jonathan laid siege unto it: whereupon they of the city let him in for fear : and so Jonathan period of Jewish history. Pri- from Rome of Demetrius, who deaux mentions altogether six afterwards promoted him "to persons so called. The one honour. here spoken of is judged to "A town on the coast of be the son of that ApoUonius the Mediterranean, not far who also was governor of Cce- from Joppe. losyria at the time when He- ° See above, ch. v. 60, and liodorus attempted to plunder ix. 6, 18. the temple of Jerusalem, (2 P This seems to allude to Mace. ii. 5.) and to have been the mode of defence which the friend and fellow-fugitive the Jews had adopted. 110 BOOK II. B.C. 148. won Joppe. Whereof when Apollonius heard, he 77 took three thousand horsemen, with a great host of footmen, and went to Azotus as one who was journeying through it ; and therewithal marched forth into the plain, because he had a great num- ber of horsemen, in whom he put his trust. Then 78 Jonathan followed after him to Azotus, where the armies joined battle. Now Apollonius had left a 79 thousand horsemen in ambush behind them. And 80 Jonathan perceived that there was an ambush- ment behind him ; for they had compassed in his host, and cast darts at the people, from morning till evening. But the people stood still, as Jona- 81 than had commanded them : and so the enemies' horses were tired dpayya, * Perhaps villages, or else as it did before, in the very towers, immediately adjoining same words, at ch. vi. 38. to the city. B.C. 146. CHAP. XI. Ill 87 great pomp. After this returned Jonathan and his host unto Jerusalem, having many spoils. 88 Now it came to pass when king Alexander heard these things, he honoured Jonathan yet 89 more; and sent him a buckle" of gold, as the use is to be given to such as are of the king's blood : he gave him also Accaron'', and all the borders thereof, in possession. CHAPTER XI. The death of Alexander, and of Ptolemy. The exploits of Jonathan. 1 And the king of Egypt ^ gathered together a great host, as the sand which is upon the b. c. sea-shore, and many ships, and sought, '^®' through deceit, to get Alexander's kingdom, and 2 join it to his own. Whereupon he took his jour- ney into Syria in peaceable manner, so that they of the cities opened unto him, and met him : for king Alexander had commanded them to meet 3 him, because he was his father-in-law. Now as Ptolemy entered into the cities, he set in every 4 one of them a garrison of soldiers to keep it. And when he came near to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of Dagon which was burnt, and Azo- tus and the suburbs thereof which were destroyed, and the bodies which were cast abroad, and them which he had burnt in the battle ; for they had " Gr. iropTT-qv. See Jose- the most northern of the five phusj Ant. XIII. 4. It was cities belonging to the Phi- a mark of high distinction listines. among the Persians, Greeks, » Namely, Ptolemy Philo- and Romans. metor. '" Accaron, or Ekron, was 112 BOOK II. B.C. 146. made heaps of them by the way where he should pass. Also they told the king whatsoever Jona- 5 than had done, to the intent he might blame him: but the king held his peace. Then Jonathan met 6 the king with great pomp at Joppe, where they saluted one another, and slept. Afterward Jona- 7 than, when he had gone with the king to the river called Eleutherus'^, returned again to Jerusalem. King Ptolemy therefore, having gotten the domin- 8 ion of the cities by the sea, unto Seleucia'' upon the sea-coast, imagined wicked counsels against Alexander. Whereupon he sent ambassadors unto 9 king Demetrius, saying ; Come, let us make a league betwixt us, and I will give thee my daugh- ter, whom Alexander hath, and thou shalt reign in thy father's kingdom : for I repent that I gave 10 my daughter unto him, for he sought to slay me. Thus did he slander him, because he was desirous 11 of his kingdom. Wherefore he took his daughter 12 from him, and gave her to Demetrius, and was estranged from Alexander, so that their hatred was openly known. Then Ptolemy entered into Antioch, where he 13 set two crowns upon his head, the crown of Asia, and of Egypt. In the mean season was king Alex- 14 ander in Cilicia, because those who dwelt in those parts had revolted from him. But when Alexan- 15 ^ This river runs "into the most celebrated among the Mediterranean sea, to the numerous cities built by Se- north of Tripolis. See Wells's leucus, to nine of which he Geography, and the authors gave the same name (Seleu- there cited. cia). See Appian. de Rebus " Situate near the coast, Syriacis, c. 57. For its situa- upon the river Orontes. This tion and military importance, is accounted by Appian the consult Polybius, V. 58, 59. B.C. 14,5. CHAP. XI. 113 der heard of this, he came to war against him : whereupon Ptolemy brought forth his host, and met him with a mighty power, and put him .to 16 flight. So Alexander fled into Arabia, there to be ] 7 sheltered ; but king Ptolemy was exalted : for Zabdiel'^ the Arabian took off Alexander's head, 18 and sent it unto Ptolemy. King Ptolemy also died^ the third day after, and they which were in 19 the strong holds were slain one of another. Sy this means Demetrius reigned*^, in the hundred threescore and seventh year. 20 In those days Jonathan gathered together them which were in Judaea, to take the tower g ^ which was in Jerusalem : and he made i'*^- 21 many engines of war against it. Then certain ungodly persons, who hated their own people, went unto the king, and told him that Jonathan be- 22 sieged the tower. Whereof when he heard, he was angry; and immediately removing, he came to Ptolemais, and wrote unto Jonathan, that he should not lay siege to the tower, but come and 23 speak with him at Ptolemais in great haste. Ne- vertheless, Jonathan, when he heard this, com- manded to besiege it still: and he chose certain of the elders of Israel, and the priests, and put 24 himself in peril ; and taking silver and gold, and raiment, and divers presents besides, he went to d Josephus calls him Zab- calls him Rhabilus ; and Dio- delus : [|and in Polybius we dorus Siculus, Diodes ! read of an Arabian chief « Of wounds received in named Zabdibelus, who head- the battle mentioned at verse ed the Arabian allies of An- 15. (Josephus.) tiochus Magnus against Pto- ^ And thenceforward took lemy Philopator. Polyb. V. the surname of Nicator, " the 71.] Stephanus Byzantinus " Conqueror." 114 BOOK II. B.C. 145. Ptolemais, unto the king, where he found favour in his sight. And though certain ungodly men of 25 the people had made complaints against him, yet 26 the king entreated him as his predecessors had done before, and promoted him in the sight of all his friends; and confirmed to him the high-priest- 27 hood, and all the honours which he had before, and gave him preeminence among his chief friends. Then Jonathan desired the king, that he 28 would make Judaea free from tribute, as also the three governments, with the country of SamariaS; and he promised him three hundred talents. So 29 the king consented, and wrote letters unto Jona- than of all these things, after this manner: "King 30 " Demetrius unto his brother Jonathan, and unto " the nation of the Jews, sendeth greeting : The 31 " copy of a letter, which we wrote to our cousin " Lasthenes concerning you, we have written also " to you, that you may know it. King Demetrius 32 " unto his father Lasthenes'', sendeth greeting : " We are determined to do good to the people of 33 " the Jews, who are our friends, and keep cove- " nants with us, because of their good-will to- " wards us. Wherefore we have ratified unto 34 " them the borders of Judaea, with the three go- " vernments of Apherema, and Lydda, and Ra- " mathem, which are added unto Judaea from the " country of Samaria •, and all things appertaining S Gr. Koi Tj]v 'SajiapeiTiv. tan forces, who had assisted But probably koi is an error Demetrius to regain his king- for Kara, these three govern- dom. See above, ch. x. 67. ments being in and near Sa- i That is, Samaria, Galilee, maria, (Grotius). Compare and Peraea. See also Jose- V. 34. phus. Ant. XIII. 8. ^ The general of the Cre- B.C. 14.5. CHAP. XI. 115 " unto them, for all such as do sacrifice in Jerusa- " lem, instead of the royal dues which the king " received of them yearly aforetime out of the 35 " fruits of the earth, and of trees. And as for " other things which belong unto us, of the tithes " and customs pertaining unto us, as also the salt- " pits, and the crown-taxes'^, which are due unto " us, we discharge them of them all for their re- 36 « lief 1. And nothing hereof shall be revoked from 37 " this time forth for ever. Now therefore, see " that you make a copy of these things ; and let " it be delivered unto Jonathan, and set upon the " holy mount in a conspicuous place." 38 After this, when king Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him, and that no resistance was made against him, he sent away all his forces, every one to his own place, except the bands of strangers, whom he had gathered from the isles of the heathen : wherefore all the forces of his fa- 39 thers hated him. Moreover, there was one Try- phon ™, who had been of Alexander's part afore, who, seeing that all the host murmured against Demetrius, went to Simalcue" the Arabian, who brought up Antiochus° the young son of Alexan- 40 der. And earnestly entreated him to deliver him this young Antiochus, that he might reign in his father's stead : he told him therefore all which k See above, at ch. x. 29. him Malchus„ Possibly the 1 Gr. iwapKas : which also same person is meant who at may signify " liberally," or ver. 17- is called Zabdiel. " sufficiently." ° Namely, the son of Alex- "1 His name was Diodotus, ander Balas, by Cleopatra, an Apamsean: he subsequent- daughter of Ptolemy : on ly assumed that of Tryphon. coming to the throne, he took "■ The readings of this name the surname of Theos. vary greatly. Josephus calls I 2 116 BOOK II. .B.C. 145. Demetrius had done, and how his forces were at enmity with him ; and there he remained a long season. In the mean time Jonathan sent unto 41 king Demetrius, that he would cast those of the tower out of Jerusalem, and those also in the for- tresses : for they continually fought against Is- rael. And Demetrius sent unto Jonathan, saying, 42 I will not only do this for thee and thy people, but I will greatly honour thee and thy nation, if opportunity serve. Now therefore thou shalt do 43 well, if thou send me men to help me ; for all my forces are gone from me. Upon this, Jonathan 44 sent him three thousand strong men unto Anti- och : and when they came to the king, the king was very glad of their coming. Howbeit, they 45 which were of the city gathered themselves toge- ther into the midst of the city, to the number of an hundred and twenty thousand men, and would have slain the king. Wherefore the king fled into 46 the court, but they of the city kept the passages of the city, and began to fight. Then the king 47 called to the Jews for help ; who came unto him all at once, and dispersing themselves through the city, slew that day in the city to the number of an hundred thousand. Also they set fire on the 48 city, and took many spoils that day, and delivered the king. So when they of the city saw that the 49 Jews had got the city as they would, their cou- rage was abated ; wherefore they made supplica- tion to the king, and cried, saying, Grant us peace, 50 and let the Jews cease from assaulting us and the city. With that they cast away their weapons, 51 and made peace : and the Jews were honoured in the sight of the king, and in the sight of all who B. C. 144» CHAP. XI. 117 were in his realm, and they returned to Jerusa- 52 lem, having great spoils. So king Demetrius sat on the throne of his kingdom, and the land was 53 quiet before him. Nevertheless, he dissembled in all which ever he spake, and estranged himself from Jonathan, neither rewarded he him accord- ing to the beneiits which he had received of him, but troubled him very sore. 54 After this returned Tryphon, and with him the young child Antiochus, who reigned and b. c. 55 was crowned. Then there gathered unto ^*^' him all the forces which Demetrius had put away, and they fought against Demetrius, who turned 56 his back and fled. Moreover, Tryphon took the 57 elephants, and won Antioch. At that time young Antiochus wrote unto Jonathan, saying, I confirm to thee the high-priesthood, and appoint thee ruler over the four governments p, and to be one of the 58 king's friends. Upon this he sent him golden vessels to be served i in ; and gave him leave to drink in gold, and to be clothed in purple, and to 59 wear a golden buckle. His brother Simon also he made captain from the place, called the ladder "■ of 60 Tyrus, unto the borders of Egypt. Then Jona- than went forth, and passed over the river, and through the cities there; and all the forces of Sy- ria gathered themselves unto him to help him : and when he came to Ascalon, they of the city P Namely^ the three named "^ Gr. KX//i(i|, a high moun- above, at verse 34j and Pto- tain so called, lying between lemais, mentioned at chap. x. Tyre and Ptolemais. See a 39. short description of it in Jo- q Gr. ;(pt)o-a)/iaTa koi Sioko- seph. Bell. II. 17- The name viav ; literally, '' a service of was applied to other places " gold." also. See Polybius V. 72. I 3 118 BOOK II. #. C. 144. met him honourably. From whence he went to 61 Gaza, but they of Gaza shut him out ; wherefore he laid siege unto it, and burned the suburbs thereof with fire, and spoiled them. Afterward, 62 when they of Gaza made supplication unto Jona- than, he made peace \rith them, and took the sons of their chief men for hostages, and sent them to Jerusalem, and passed through the country unto Damascus. Now when Jonathan heard that De- 63 metrius' princes were come to Cades which is in Galilee, with a great power, purposing to remove him out of the country^; — He went to meet them, 64 and left Simon his brother in the country. Then 65 Simon encamped against Bethsura, and fought against it a long season, and shut it up. But they 66 desired to have peace with him, which he granted them, and then put them out from thence, and took the cityj and set a garrison in it. As for Jo- 67 nathan and his host, they pitched at the water of Gennesar*, from whence betimes in the morning they gat them to the plain of Nasor. And behold, 68 the host of strangers met them in the plain ; who having laid men in ambush for him in the moun- tains, came themselves over against him. So 69 when they which lay in ambush rose out of their places, and joined battle, all who were of Jona- than's side fled; insomuch that there was not one 70 of them left, except Mattathias the son of Absa- lom, and Judas the son of Calphi, the captains of the host. Then Jonathan rent his clothes, and 71 cast earth upon his head, and prayed. Afterwards 72 ® Or, " from his office :" drian, dn-o Tfjs x^P"^- the Vatican MS. reads, dwo * The lake of Gennesareth. TTJs xp^^"' '• l"it the Alexan- B. C. 144. CHAP. XII. 119 turning again to battle, he put them to flight, and 73 so they ran away. Now when his own men who had fled saw this, they turned again unto him, and with him pursued them to Cades, even unto 74 their own tents, and there they camped. So there were slain of the heathen that day, about three thousand men : and Jonathan returned to Jeru- salem. CHAPTER XII. Jonathan renews the league with the Romans and Lace- dcEmonians. He is made prisoner hy Tryphon. 1 Now when Jonathan saw that the time served him, he chose certain men, and sent them to Rome, to confirm and renew the friendship which they 2 had with them. He sent letters also to the Lace- daemonians*, and to other places for the same pur- 3 pose. So they went unto Rome, and entered into the senate-house, and said, " Jonathan the " high priest, and the people of the Jews, sent us " unto you, to the end ye should renew the friend- " ship which ye had with them, and league, as in 4 " former time." Upon this the Romans gave them letters unto the governors of every place, that they should bring them into the land of Judah in peace. 5 And this is the copy of the letters which Jonathan 6 wrote unto the Lacedaemonians : " Jonathan the " high priest, and the elders of the nation, and the " priests, and the other people of the Jews, unto " the Lacedaemonians their brethren, send greet- 7 " ing : There were letters sent in times past unto tt The Greek text here and for supposing that only the in other passages has Siraprta- inhabitants of Sparta itself TMs, but there is no ground are intended. I 4 120 BOOK II. B. C. 144. " Onias'' the high priest from Darius <=, who " reigned then among you, to signify that ye are " our brethren, as the copy here underwritten " doth specify. At which time Onias entreated 8 " honourably the ambassador who was sent, and " received the letters, wherein declaration was " made of the league and friendship. Therefore 9 " we also, albeit we need none of these things, for " that we have the holy books of Scripture in our " hands to comfort us, have nevertheless attempted 10 " to send unto you, for the renewing of brother- " hood and friendship, lest we should become " strangers unto you altogether : for there is a " long time passed since ye sent unto us. We 11 " therefore, at all times, without ceasing, both in " our feasts and other convenient days, do re- " member you in the sacrifices which we oiFer, " and in our prayers ; as is right, and as it becometh " us to think upon our brethren : and we are right 12 " glad of your glory. But as for us, many troubles 13 " and many wars have environed us ; forsomuch as " the kings who are round about us, have fought ^ Probably he was the se- that name is mentioned by cond of that name, the son of Pausanias and Livy : and the Simon the Just. chronologers make Arius con- c Josephus (Antiq. XIII. temporary with the high priest 8.) contends and justly, that Onias; namely, the second of the word ought to be Arius, that name; for, although some not Darius, a name unknown writers have attributed the among the Lacedaemonians, transaction to Onias III, the In the Greek, as in the Eng- son of Simon, we must re- lish, there is merely the dif- member that Jonathan's letter ference of a single letter ; and speaks of it as of a thing long the mistake may have arisen past ; and also, that before from the similarity of form Onias III. succeeded to the between A and A. Grotius high-priesthood, the regal go- decides Arius to be the true vernment had ceased to exist reading. A Spartan king of at Sparta. B.C. 144. CHAP. XII. 121 14 " against us. Howbeit, we would not be trouble- " some unto you, nor to others of our confederates 15 " and friends in these wars: for we have help from " heaven which succoureth us, so that we are de- " livered from our enemies, and our enemies are 16 " humbled. For this cause we have chosen Nu- " menius the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the " son of Jason, and sent them unto the Romans, " to renew the amity which we had with them, 17 " and the former league. We commanded them " also to go unto you, and to salute you, and to " deliver you our letters concerning the renewing 18 " of our brotherhood. Wherefore now ye shall 19 " do well to give us an answer thereto." And this is the copy of the letters which Arius senf^ 20 to Onias. " Arius king of the Lacedaemonians, 21 " to Onias the high priest, greeting: It is found " in writing, that the Lacedaemonians and Jews " are brethren % and that they are of the stock of 22 " Abraham : now therefore, since this is come to " our knowledge, ye shall do well to write unto us 23 " of your welfare. We do write back again to " you, that your cattle and goods are ours, and " ours are yours. We do command therefore our ^Theold translation, "which dsemonians were. Dorians, de- " Oniares sent," was unintel- rived from the Pelasgi, who ligible, and had arisen from a sprung from the descendants faulty reading, fjv direa-TeiKev of Abraham and Keturah, 'Owapijy, instead of 'Oi/ia''Ap€tos. mentioned in Genesis xxv. Josephus recites this epistle. The Cretans have been sup- with some slight difference, posed to form the connecting (more in words than matter,) link. See Tacit. Hist. V. 2: in his Antiquities, XII. 5. and consult along dissertation e See Shuckford's Connec- on the subject by Calmet, in tion of Sacred and Profane his " Literal Comment on the History, book X. The Lace- " Bible." 122 BOOK II. B. C. 144. " ambassadors to make report unto you on this "wise." Now when Jonathan heard that Demetrius' 24 princes were come to fight against him with a greater host than afore, he removed from Jerusa- 25 lem, and met them in the land of Amathis^: for he gave them no respite to invade his country. He sent spies also unto their tents, who came again, 26 and told him, that they had appointed to come upon them in the night-season. Wherefore so 27 soon as the sun was down, Jonathan commanded his men to watch, and to be in arms, that all the night long they might be ready to fight : also he sent forth sentinels round about the host. But 28 when the adversaries heard that Jonathan and his men were ready for battle, they feared and trem- bled in their hearts, and they kindled fires in their camp s. Howbeit, Jonathan and his company 29 knew it not till "the morning: for they saw the lights burning. Then Jonathan pursued after 30 them, but overtook them not : for they were gone over the river Eleutherus. Wherefore Jonathan 31 turned aside to the Arabians, who were called Za- badaeans'', and smote them, and took their spoils. And removing thence, he came to Damascus, and 32 so passed through all the country. Simon also 33 went forth, and passed through the country unto Ascalon, and the strong holds there adjoining ; / Or,HamathjOnthe north- gem recorded in Grecian and ern border of the Holy Land, Roman history. Compare Jo- called in Scripture " the en- seph. Antiq. XIII. 9. " tering into Hamath." ^ Probably the word ought g Add, " and fled." See in to be Nabathceans, as Jose- Xenophon's Anabasis, and phus writes it. See ch. v. 25. other instances of this strata- B. C. 144. CHAP. XII. 123 from whence he turned aside to Joppe, and won 34 it. For he had heard that they would deliver the fortress unto them which took Demetrius' part ; wherefore he set a garrison there to keep it. 35 After this came Jonathan home again, and call- ing the elders of the people together, he consulted with them about building strong holds in Judaea ; 36 and making the walls of Jerusalem higher, and raising a great mount between the tower and the city, to separate it from the city, that so it might be alone, that men might neither sell nor buy' in 37 it. Upon this they came together, to build up the city; and part o/*the wall toward the brook on the east side was fallen down''; and they repaired that 38 which was called Caphenatha. Simon also set up Adida, in Sephela', and made it strong with gates and bars. 39 Now Tryphon sought to get the kingdom of Asia, to put the crown on himself, and to stretch forth his hand against Antiochus ™ the king. 40 Howbeit he was afraid that Jonathan would not suffer him, and that he would fight against him ; wherefore he sought a way how to take Jonathan, •And thus might be com- 1 This word appears to mean pelled to surrender the ob- generally, " a plain." Here noxious tower through want it seems to be taken for the of provisions. See the result southern part of the great of this manoeuvre at ch. xiii. plain of £sdraelon mentioned 49, 50, 51. at Judith i. 8, and particu- ^ There is a variety of read- larly to denote the open conn- ing on this passage ; Kal ^yyia-e try round Eleutheropolis, a Tov Tclxovs Tov x^''I^PP°''':i ^^d city of eminence in later times, Koi sTreirev tov relxovs t. x- -If situate to the west of Jerusa- the former be adopted, we lem. must translate it, " and their ™ See the successful issue " work approached to the of this treachery at ch. xiii. " wall toward the brook." 31. 124- BOOK II. B.C. 144 that he might kill him. So he removed, and came to Bethsan. Then Jonathan went out to meet 41 him with forty thousand men chosen for the battle, and came to Bethsan. Now when Tryphon saw 42 that Jonathan came with so great a force, he durst not stretch his hand against him : but received 43 him honourably, and commended him unto all his friends, and gave him gifts, and commanded his armies to be as obedient unto him as to himself. Unto Jonathan also he said. Why hast thou put 44 all this people to so great trouble, seeing there is no war betwixt us ? therefore send them now 45 home again, and choose a few men to wait on thee, and come thou with me to Ptolemais, and I will give it thee, and the rest of the strong holds and forces, and all who have any charge : as for me, I will return and depart : for this is the cause of my coming. So Jonathan believing him, did 46 as he bade him, and sent away his host, who went into the land of Judah. And with himself he re- 47 tained but three thousand men, of whom he left two thousand in Galilee, and one thousand went with him. Now as soon as Jonathan entered into Ptole- 48 mais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates, and took him, and all them which came with him they slew with the sword. Then sent Tryphon an host of 49 footmen and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great plain, to destroy all Jonathan's company. But when they knew that Jonathan and they 50 which were with him were taken' and slain, they encouraged one another, and went close together prepared to fight. They therefore which followed 51 upon them, perceiving that they were ready to B.C. 144. CHAP. XIII. 125 52 fight for their lives, turned back again. Where- upon they all came into the land of Judah peace- ably, and there they bewailed Jonathan, and them which were with him, and they were sore afraid ; 53 wherefore all Israel made great lamentation. Then all the heathen who were round about them sought to destroy them : for, said they, They have no captain, nor any to help them : now therefore let us make war upon them, and take away their me- morial from amongst men. CHAPTER XIII. Simon made captain. His acts. Jonathan's death, bu- rial, and monument. Tryphon seizes the kingdom. 1 Now when Simon'' heard that Tryphon had gathered together a great host, to invade the land 2 of Judah and destroy it ; and saw that the people was in great trembling and fear, he went up to 3 Jerusalem, and gathered the people together; and gave them exhortation, saying, Ye yourselves know what great things I and my brethren, and my father's house, have done for the laws and the sanctuary, the battles also and troubles which we 4 have seen. By reason whereof all my brethren are slain for Israel's sake, and I am left alone.- 5 Now therefore be it far from me that I should spare mine own life in any time of trouble : for I 6 am no better than my brethren. Doubtless I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary, and our wives and our children : for all the heathen 7 are gathered to destroy us of very malice. And he rekindled the spirit of the people, as soon as a The second son of Mattathias, and elder brother of Judas. 126 BOOK II. B. C. 144. they heard these words. And they answered with 8 a loud voice, saying, Thou art our leader instead of Judas and Jonathan thy brother. Fight thou 9 our battles, and whatsoever thou commandest us, that will we do. So then he gathered together 10 all the men of war, and made haste to finish the walls of Jerusalem, and he fortified it round about. Also he sent Jonathan the son of Absalom, and 11 with him a great power, to Joppe : who casting out them which were therein, remained there in it. So Tryphon removed from Ptolemais with a 12 great power to invade the land of Judah, and Jonathan was with him in ward. But Simon 13 pitched his tents at Adida, over against the plain''. Now when Tryphon knew that Simon was risen 14 up instead of his brother Jonathan, and meant to join battle with him, he sent messengers unto him, saying. Whereas we have Jonathan thy brother 15 in hold, it is for money which Jonathan thy bro- ther owed to the king's treasure from the office which he held, that we detain him. Wherefore 16 now send an hundred talents of silver, and two of his sons for hostages, that when he is at liberty he may not revolt from us, and we will let him go. Hereupon Simon, albeit he perceived that 17 they spake deceitfully unto him, yet sent he the money and the children, lest peradventure he should procure to himself great hatred of the peo- ple : who might have said. Because I sent him 18 not the money and the children, therefore is Jonathan dead. So he sent the children and the 19 hundred talents : howbeit Tryphon dissembled, '' Namely, of Sephela, mentioned above at ch. xii. 38. B.C. 143. CHAP. XIII. 127 20 neither would he let Jonathan go. And after this came Tryphon to invade the land, and destroy it, going round about by the way which leadeth unto Adora": but Simon and his host marched against 21 him in every place wheresoever he went. Now they which were in the tower, sent messengers unto .Tryphon, to the end that he should hasten his coming unto them by the wilderness, and send 22 them victuals. Wherefore Tryphon made ready all his horsemen to come that night : but there fell a veiry great snow, by reason whereof he came not. So he departed, and came into the country 23 of Galaad. And when he came near to Bascama^, 24 he slew Jonathan, who was buried there. After- ward Tryphon returned, and went into his own land. 25 Then sent Simon, and took the bones of Jona- than his brother, and buried them in Mo- b. c. 26 din the city of his fathers. And all Israel ^*^- made great lamentation for him, and bewailed him many days. 27 Simon also built a monument upon the sepul- chre of his father and his brethren, and raised it aloft to the sight, with polished stone behind and 28 before. Moreover, he set up seven pyramids one against another, for his father and his mother, 29 and his four brethren. And on these he made cunning devices, about the which he set great pil- lars, and upon the pillars he made all their ar- mour for a perpetual memory, and by the armour <= Or Dorah, a town lying ^ Calmet judges this to be in the southern part of Ju- Bezek, a town not far from daea, near the borders of Idu- Bethsan. maea. 28 BOOK ir. B.C. 143. hips carved, that they might be seen by all who ail on the sea. This is the sepulchre which he 30 lade at Modin, and it standeth yet^ unto this ay. Now Tryphon dealt deceitfully with the young 31 ing Antiochus, and slew him^. And he reigned 32 (1 his stead, and crowned himself king of Asia, nd brought a great calamity upon the land. Then Simon built up the strong holds in Ju- 33 sea; and fenced them about with high towers, nd great walls, and gates, and bars; and laid up ictuals in the strong holds. Moreover, Simon 34 hose men, and sent to king Demetrius, to the nd he should give the land an immunity, because 11 which Tryphon did was to spoil ». And king 35 )emetrius sent to him according to these words : nd answered him, and wrote him a letter, to this fFect : " King Demetrius unto Simon the high 36 8 So said Josephus : and rightly corrects this slip of 5 reported Eusebius, in the the author's memory, by re- jurth century after Christ, marking that the brothers, iee Eusebius rrepi tS>v romKav whose sepulchres were at Mo- mfidrav rav iv t!j Seta ypaxjijj, din, were the true Maccabees, ublished (together with a the sons of Mattathias : but /atin version of it, by St. Je- that the martyrs, whose relics ome) by Vallarsius, from a were exhibited at Antioch, rreek MS. of the tenth cen- were the seven brethren tor- ary in the Vatican Library, tured to death by Antiochus, 1 vol. III. of the works of to whom the name of Mac- It. Jerome, p. 248. Mrj&eclfi, cahees was commonly, though lege M Grotius (from the Latin) sufficient importance to coin corrects this to Gedor, or Ge- money in the days of the em- dora ; which is a town in the peror Adrian. Josephus addsj south of the Holy Landj bor- that Tryphon fled thence to dering on the territory of the his native place Apamea, Philistines and Idumsea. where he was taken and slain, B.C. 138. CHAP. XVI. 143 invade Judzea, and to take the people prisoners, 41 and slay them. And when he had built up Ce- dron, he set horsemen there, and an host of foot- men, to the end that issuing out they might make outroads upon the ways of Judaea, as the king had commanded him. CHAPTER XVI. John defeats Cendebceus. Simon and his sons are slain treacherously by Ptolemy son ofAbubus. 1 Then came up John from Gazara, and told Simon his father, what Cendebseus had b.c. 2 done. Wherefore Simon called his two ^^^' eldest sons, Judas and John, and said unto them ; I and my brethren, and my father's house, have ever from our youth unto this day fought against the enemies of Israel ; and things have prospered so well in our hands, that we have delivered Israel 3 oftentimes. But now I am old, and ye, by God's mercy, are of a sufficient age : be ye instead of me and my brother, and go out and fight for our na- 4 tion, and the help from Heaven be with you. So he chose out of the country twenty thousand men of war with horsemen, who went out agiainst Cen- 5 debaeus, and rested that night at Modin. And when as they rose in the morning, and went into the plain, behold, a mighty great host both of foot- men and horsemen came against them : howbeit 6 there was a water-brook betwixt them. So he and his people pitched over against them : and when he saw that the people were afraid to go over the water-brook, he went over first himself, and then the men seeing him, passed through after 7 him. That done, he divided his men, and set the 144 BOOK II. B. C. 135. horsemen in the midst of the footmen : for the enemy's horsemen were very many. Then sounded 8 they with the holy trumpets : whereupon Cende- bseus and his host were put to flight, so that many of them were slain, and the remnant fled to the strong hold. At that time was Judas, John's 9 brother, wounded: but John still followed after them, until he came to Cedron% which Cendeb(Bus had built up. (And they fled even unto the 10 towers in the fields of Azotus ;) wherefore he burnt it with fire: so that there were slain of them about two thousand men. Afterward he returned into the land of Judah in peace. Moreover, Ptolemseus the son of Abubus was il B.C. made captain over the plain of Jericho, ^^' and he had abundance of silver and gold. For he was the high priest's son-in-law. Where- 12 fore his heart being lifted up, he thought to get the country to himself, and thereupon consulted deceitfully against Simon and his sons to destroy them. Now Simon was visiting the cities which 14 were in the country, and taking care for the good ordering of them : at which time he came down himself to Jericho, with his sons Mattathias and Judas, in the hundred threescore and seventh year, in the eleventh month, which is the month Sabat: where the son of Abubus receiving them deceit- 15 fully into a little hold, called Docus'', which he had built, made them a great banquet: howbeit he had hidden men there. So when Simon and 16 ^ See the note at ch. xv. " may be seen to this day." 39. It was also called Dagon ; and ^ This is said to have been is mentioned again at 5 Mace. " a strong tower situate near ch. xx. " JerichOj the ruins whereof B. C. 135. CHAP. XVI. 145 his sons had drunk largely, Ptolemy and his men rose up, and took their weapons, and came upon Simon into the banqueting-place, and slew him, 17 and his two sons, and certain of his servants. In which doing he committed a great treachery, and recompensed evil for good. 18 Then Ptolemy wrote these things, and sent to the king<=, that he should send him an host to aid him, and he would deliver him the country and 19 cities. He sent others also to Gazara to take John : and unto the captains of thousands he sent letters to come unto him, that he might give them 20 silver and gold, and rewards. And others he sent to take Jerusalem, and the mountain of the temple. 21 Now one had run afore to Gazara, and told John that his father and brethren were slain ; and {said 22 he) Ptolemy hath sent to slay thee also. Hei-eof when he heard, he was sore astonished : so he laid hands on them which were come to destroy him, and slew them ; for he knew that they sought to make him away. 23 As concerning the rest of the accounts of John, and his wars and worthy deeds which he did, and the building of the walls which he made, and his 24 doings; behold, these are written in the chronicles of his priesthood"*, from the time he was made high priest after his father. « Archbishop Ussher re- Gr. iv TTJ 6kii\r€i, Koi iv rij philosojiher, and is mentioned oKfifj, literally, " in our trouble by Clemens Alexandrinus and "and crisis;" but fairly enough Eusebius. (Ussher.) translated as above. ^ Namely, Antiochus Epi- ^ See below, ch. x. 6 — 8. phanes. e It does not appear to be • Gt. e^efipaa-e, literally, ascertained who this Judas " caused to boil over ;" that was: various opinions con- is, " expelled through the cerning him may be seen at " heat and agitation of water," one view in Basnage's History as Suidas explains the word. B.C. 125. CHAP. I. 149 " they were slain in the temple of Nanaea'' by the 14 " treachery of Nanaea's priests. For Antiochus, " as though he would marry her, came into the " place, and his friends who were with him, to re- 15 " ceive money in name of a dowry. Which, when " the priests of Nansea had set forth, and he was " entered with a small company into the compass " of the temple, they shut the temple as soon as 16 " Antiochus was come in: and opening a privy " door of the roof, they threw stones like thunder- " bolts, and struck down the captain and his com- " pany, hewed them in pieces, smote off their " heads, and cast them to those who were with- 17 " out. Blessed be our God in all things, who " hath delivered up the ungodly. 18 " Therefore, whereas we are now purposed to " keep the purification of the temple upon the five " and twentieth day of the month Casleu, we " thought it necessary to certify you thereof; that " ye also might keep it, as the^a*^ of the taber- " nacles, and of the fire, which was given us when " Neemias' offered sacrifice, after that he had 19 " builded the temple and the altar. For when " our fathers were led into Persia, the devout " priests of that time took the fire of the altar " privily, and hid it in a hollow place of a pit™ " without water, where they kept it sure, so that 20 " the place was unknown to all men. Now after k This appears to be a Per- where, however, there is not sian name for Diana, or per- one syllable concerning the haps Dea Mater. But see fire here mentioned, the account given at 2 Mace. " The Greek text here is vi. 1, &c., and Grotius' note somewhat obscure : iv KoiKaiian on the place. (jipearos rd^iv e;)(oi/Tor dvvdpov. 1 See Nehemiah ch. L 3 im BOOK III. B.C. 125. " many years, when it pleased God, Neemias being " sent from the king of Persia, sent some of the " posterity of those priests who had hid it, for the " fire : but when they told us they found no fire, " but thick water ; then commanded he them to 21 " draw it up, and to bring it : and when the sa- " crifices were laid on, Neemias commanded the " priests to. sprinkle the wood and the things laid " thereupon with the water. When this was 22 " done, and the time came that the sun shone, " which afore was hid in the cloud, there was a " great fire kindled, so that every man marvelled. " And the priests made a prayer whilst the sacri- 23 " fice was consuming, {I say,) both the priests and " all the rest, Jonathan beginning, and the rest " answering thereunto, as Neemias did. " And the prayer was after this manner ; ' O 24 " Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, who art " terrible and strong, and righteous, and merciful, " and the only and gracious King. The only 25 " giver of all things, the only just, almighty, and " everlasting, thou that deliverest Israel from all " evil, and didst choose the fathers, and sanctify " them : receive the sacrifice for thy whole people 26 " Israel, and preserve thine own portion, and " sanctify it. Gather together those who are 27 " scattered from us ; deliver them which serve " among the heathen ; look upon them which are " despised and abhorred ; and let the heathen know " that thou art our God. Punish them which op- 28 " press us, and with pride do us wrong. Plant thy 29 " people again in thy holy place, as Moses hath " spoken"." And the priests sung psalms of 30 " Perhaps the allusion is to Deuteron. xxx. 3 — 8. B. C. 125. CHAP. II. 151 31 " thanksgiving. Now when the sacrifice was " consumed, Neemias commanded the water which "was left to be poured" on the great stones. 32 " When this was done, there was kindled a flame : " but it was consumed by the light which shined 33 " from the altar. So when this matter was known, " it was told the king of Persia, that in the place " where the priests who were led away had hid " the fire, there appeared water, and that Neemias " and his company had purified the sacrifices 34 " therewith. Then the king enclosing the place, " made it holy, after he had tried the matter. 35 " And the king took many gifts, and bestowed 36 " thereof on those whom he would gratify. And " Neemias and his party called this thing Neph- " thar, which is as much as to say, a cleansing : " but by the generality it is called Nepthai." CHAPTER II. The letter continued. The author's design in this booh. 1 " It is also found in the records, that Jeremy " the prophet commanded them which went into "captivity", to take of the fire, as it hath been 2 "signified: and how that the prophet, having " given them the law, charged them which went " into captivity not to forget the commandments " of the Lord ; and that they should not err in " their minds, on beholding images of gold and 3 " silver, with their ornaments. And with other " such speeches exhorted he them, that the law 4 " should not depart from their hearts. It was o Gr. eKe\eva-e \t6ovs fteifd- we ought to read Karaxieiv. vas KOTaa-xelv. The Greek is * Gr. rour fifTayivofUvovs. obscure. Perhaps for (caracrxeix , L 4 152 BOOK III. B.C.125. " also contained in the same writing, that the " prophet, being warned of God, commanded the " tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he " went forth into the mountain, where Moses " climbed up, and saw the heritage of God. And 5 " when Jeremy came thither, he found a hollow " cave ; wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the " ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped " the door. And some of those who followed him 6 " came to mark the way, but they could not find " it. Which, when Jeremy perceived, he blamed 7 " them, saying, As for that place, it shall be un- " known until the time that God gather his people " again together, and be merciful unto them. " Then shall the Lord shew them these things, 8 " and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the " cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses, and " as when Solomon desired that the place might " be honourably sanctified. It was also declared, 9 " that he, being wise, offered the sacrifice of dedi- " cation, and of the finishing of the temple. And as 10 " Moses prayed unto the Lord, and the fire came " down from heaven, and consumed the sacrifices : " even so prayed Solomon also, and the fire came " down, and consumed the burnt-ofFerings. And 11 " Moses said, Because the sin-offering was not " eaten ^, it was cons'umed. So also Solomon kept 12 " those eight days. " The same things also were reported in the 13 " writings and commentaries of Neemias ; and " how he, founding a library, gathered together " the acts of the kings and the prophets, and of •> See Leviticus, ch. x. 16 — 18. B.C. 125. CHAP. II. 153 " David, and the epistles of the kings concerning 14 " the holy gifts. In like manner also Judas " gathered together all those things which were " dispersed by reason of the war which we had, 15 " and they remain with us. Wherefore, if ye " have need thereof, send some to fetch them 16 " unto you. Whereas we then are about to cele- " brate the purification, we have written unto " you ; and ye shall do well, if ye keep the same 17 " days. But it is God who delivered all his " people, and gave them all an heritage, and the " kingdom, and the priesthood, and the sanc- 18 " tuary", as he promised in the law. For we " hope in God that he will shortly have mercy " upon us, and gather us together out of every " land under heaven, unto the holy place : for he " hath delivered us out of great troubles, and 19 " hath purified the place." NOW as concerning Judas Maccabaeus, and his 20 brethren, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar; and the wars 21 against Antiochus Epiphanes, and Eupator his son ; and the manifest signs which came from heaven unto those who behaved themselves man- fully to their honour for Judaism : so that being 22 but a few, they overcame the whole country, and chased barbarous multitudes ; and recovered again the temple renowned all the world, over, and freed the city, and upheld the laws, which were about 23 to be dissolved, the Lord being gracious unto them with all favour: things which have been 24 declared by Jason of Gyrene in five books — we will assay to abridge in one volume. For considering <= Gr. Tov ayuuTiiov, literally, " sanctification." 154 BOOK III. B. C. 1^5. the infinite number^ and the difficulty which they find who desire to enter deeply* into the narra- tions of the story, for the variety of the matter ; 25 we have been careful, that they which will read might have delight, and that they which are desirous to commit to memory, might have ease ; and that all, into whose hands it comes, may have profit. Indeed to us, who have taken upon 26 us this painful labour of abridging, it was not easy, but a matter of sweat and watching ; even 27 as it is no ease unto him who prepareth a ban- quet, and seeketh the benefit of others : yet for the pleasuring of many we will undertake gladly this painful task ; leaving to the author the exact 28 handling of every particular, and labouring to follow the rules'" of an abridgment. For as the 29 master-builder of a new house must care for the whole building ; but he who undertaketh to deck it with painting and sculpture s, must seek out fit things for the adorning thereof: even so I think it is with us. To stand upon every point, and 30 discourse of all things at large, and to be curious in particulars, belongeth to the first author of the story : but to study brevity, and avoid much 31 labouring of the work, is to be granted to him who will make an abridgment^. Here then let 32 us begin the narrative ; only adding thus much to d Gr. 7-6 x"/*« '■£1' apidfiav, " in," meaning, " to paint in the multitude, either of events " encaustic," a species of deco- or of narratives to be con- ration in which the nations of sidered. antiquity delighted to indulge ^ Gr. ela-KVKke'urdcu, literally, their taste. " to involve themselves." '» Gr. /ieToxjipaa-iv, literally^ ^ Gr. vmrypapiiois, "lines a " transmutation," either into " traced for a pattern.'' another form or another lan- g Gr.' iyKaUiv, " to burn guage. B. C. 176. CHAP. III. 155 that which hath been said before; for it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue to a story, and to be short in the story itself. CHAPTER III. Heliodorus" attempt to plunder the temple of Jerusalem. 1 Now when the holy city was inhabited with all peace, and the laws were kept very well, b.c_ because of the godliness of Onias* the high *®'- 2 priest, and his hatred of wickedness ; it came to pass, that even the kings themselves did honour the place, and magnify the temple with their best 3 presents^; insomuch that Seleucus'^ king of ^c Asia, of his own revenues, bare all the i^^- costs belonging to the services of the sacrifices. 4 But one Simon of the tribe of Benjamin, ^ q who was made governor of the temple, fell ^76. out with the high priest about evil doings'* in the 5 city. And when he could not overcome Onias, he went to ApoUonius the son of Thraseas, who then 6 was governor of Ccelosyria and Phcenice ; and told him, that the treasury in Jerusalem was full of infinite sums of money, so that the multitude of their riches was innumerable ; and that these did not belong to the account of the sacrifices, but » The third of that name, ter : he was the son of Anti- son of Simon II : he sue- ochus the Great, and elder ceeded to the high-priesthood brother of Antiochus Spipha- in the year 191 B.C. nes. ^ Gr. aTTooToXats. See Jose- ^ Gr. napavoixias : but seve- phus, Antiq. XII. 2, &c. ral manuscripts read dyopavo- The word occurs in this sense nias, the office of agorano- also at 3 Esdras ix. 51. 54. mus, or aedile : a matter in Compare the note « at 2 Mace, which it was likely that Simon ii. 19. would raise a quarrel. <5 Called Philopator, or So- 156 BOOK III. B. C. 176. that it was possible that all of them might fall into the king's power. Now when ApoUonius came to the king and 7 had shewed him of the money whereof he was told, the king chose out Heliodorus his treasurer % and sent him^ with a commandment to bring away the foresaid money. So forthwith Heliodorus 8 took his journey, under a colour of visiting the cities of Coelosyria and Phcenice, but indeed to fulfil the king's purpose. And when he was come 9 to Jerusalem, and had been courteously received by the high priest of the city ; he told him what intelligence was given of the money, and declared wherefore he came, and asked if these things were so indeed. Then the high priest told him, that 10 there was money laid up for the relief of widows and fatherless children : and some also belonging n to Hircanus, grandson of Tobias s, a man of great dignity, and not as that wicked Simon had mis- informed : the sum whereof in all was four hun- dred talents of silver, and two hundred of gold : and that it was altogether impossible that wrong ]2 should be done unto them, which had com- mitted it to the holiness of the place, and to the majesty and inviolable sanctity of the temple, honoured over all the world. But Heliodorus, 13 because of the king's commandment given him, 8 Gr, Tov eVi rS)v irpayfmTcov. the treasurer would be the There is a various reading, officer sent^ in a case where Xpr]iiaT(ov, which our trans- the seizing of treasure was lators have followed. If we the business to be performed, take the other reading, we * See Daniel's prophecy ought to render it, as the concerning the deeds of Seleu- Douay version does, " him cus, at ch. xi. 20, &c. " who was over his affairs : " S Concerning this man con- but it seems most likely that suit Josephus, Antiq. XII. 4. B.C. 176. CHAP. III. 157 said. That in any wise, this must be brought into the king's treasury. 14 So at the day which he appointed, he entered in to order the overseeing of this matter : where- fore there was no small agony throughout the 15 whole city. But the priests, prostrating them- selves before the altar in their priests' vestments, called unto heaven upon him who made a law concerning things given to be kept, to preserve these sums safely for such as had committed them 16 to be kept. Then whoso had looked the high priest in the face, it would have wounded his heart: for his countenance, and the changing of his colour, declared the inward agony of his mind. 17 For the man was compassed round with a fear, and bodily stupor, by which it was manifest to them which looked upon him, what sorrow he had 18 in his heart. Others ran flocking out of their houses to a general supplication, because the place 19 was like to come into contempt. And the women, girt with sackcloth under their breasts, collected in great numbers in the streets ; and the virgins who were kept in, ran some to the gates, and some upon the walls, and others looked out of the win- 20 dows. And all, stretching forth their hands toward 21 heaven, made supplication. Then it was pitiful to see the promiscuous falling down of the multi- tude, and the fearful expectation of the high priest 22 in great agony. They then called upon the Al- mighty Lord, to keep the things committed of trust safe and sure for those who had committed 23 them. But Heliodorus was executing that which was decreed. 24 Now as he was there present himself with his 158 BOOK III. 6.0.176. guard about the treasury, the Lord of spirits'', and the Prince of all power, caused a great apparition; so that all who presumed to come in with him were astonished at the power of God, and fainted, and were sore afraid : for there appeared unto 25 them a horse with a terrible rider upon him, and adorned with a very fair covering; and he ran fiercely, and smote at Heliodorus with his forefeet ; and it seemed that he who sat upon the horse had complete armour of gold. Moreover, two other 26 yoimg men appeared before him, notable in strength, excellent in beauty, and splendid in apparel; who stood by him on either side, and scourged him continually, and gave him many sore stripes. And Heliodorus fell suddenly unto 27 the ground, and was compassed with great dark- ness : but they which were with him took him up, and put him into a litter. Thus him who lately 28 came with a great train, and with all his guard into the said treasury, they carried out, being unable to help himself with his weapons : and manifestly they recognised the power of God. He 29 then, by the hand of God, was cast down, and lay speechless without any hope of life. But they 30 praised the Lord who had miraculously honoured his own place : and the temple, which a little afore was full of fear and trouble, when the Almighty Lord appeared, was filled with joy and gladness. Then straightway- certain of Heliodo- 31 rus' friends prayed Onias, that he would call upon the Most High, to grant him his life, who lay utterly at the last gasp. So the high priest, sus- 32 ^ The Greek text varies here, between Trveviidrav and wareptoy. B.C. 176. CHAP. IV. 159 pecting lest the king should misconceive that some treachery had been done to Heliodorus by the Jews, offered a sacrifice for the health of the man. 33 Now as the high priest was making an atone- ment, the same young men, in the same clothing, appeared and stood beside Heliodorus; saying, Give Onias the high priest great thanks, insomuch as 34 for his sake the Lord hath granted thee life : and seeing that thou hast been scourged from heaven, declare unto all men the mighty power of God. And when they had spoken these words, they 35 disappeared. So Heliodorus, after he had offered sacrifice unto the Lord, and made great vows unto him who had saved his life, and saluted Onias, 36 returned with his host to the king. Then testi- fied he to all men the works of the great God, 37 which he had seen with his eyes. And when the king asked Heliodorus who might be a fit man to 38 be sent yet once again to Jerusalem, he said ; If thou hast any enemy or traitor, send him thither, and thou shalt receive him well scourged, if he escape with his life : for in that place, no doubt, 39 there is an especial power of God. He himself who dwelleth in heaven, hath his eye on that place, and defendeth it ; and he beateth and de- 40 stroyeth them which come to hurt it. And the things concerning Heliodorus, and the keeping of the treasury, fell out on this sort. CHAPTER IV. Jason is made high priest. He introduces _ Gentile Ju- shions. He is supplanted hy Menelaus. The murder of Onias. 1 But the aforesaid Simon, who had been the 160 BOOK III. B. C. 175. betrayer of the money and of his country, spake slanderously of Onias, that it was he who had terrified Heliodorus, and had been the worker of these evils. And him, who was a benefactor of 2 the city, a careful tender of his countrymen, and zealous for the laws, he dared to call a traitor. But when their hatred went so far, that even 3 murders were committed by one of Simon's fac- tion ; Onias, seeing the danger of this contention, 4 and that ApoUonius, as being the governor of Coelosyria and Phcenice, did rage, and increase Simon's malice ; — ^went to the king, not to be an 5 accuser of his countrymen, but seeking the good of all, both public and private : for he saw that it 6 was impossible that the state should continue quiet, and Simon leave his folly, unless the king did look thereunto. But after the death of Seleucus, when Antio- 7 B c chus, called Epiphanes, succeeded to the 175- kingdom ; Jason the brother of Onias la- boured underhand to be high priest, promising 8 unto the king, by intercession*, three hundred and threescore talents of silver, and of another revenue eighty talents : besides this, he promised 9 to assign an hundred and fifty more, if he might have licence to set him up a place for exercise'', and for the training up of youth in the fashions of the heathen, and to inscribe those of Jerusalem citizens of Antioch. Which when the king had 10 granted, and he had gotten into his hand the rule, he forthwith brought his own nation to the Greek * Or, " in a conversation:" '' Gr. yvfivaa-iov. Compare Gr. St tvrev^eas. 2 Macc. i. 11 — 15. B.C. 174. CHAP. IV. 161 11 fashion. And the royal privileges granted of spe- cial favour to the Jews, by the means of John the father of Eupolemus, who went ambassador to Rome for amity and aid, he threw aside : and putting down the forms of government which were according to the law, he brought up new 12 customs against the law. For he built gladly a place of exercise under the citadel itself; and bringing into training <= the chief of the young men, he made them wear a hat. 13 Now such was the height of Greek fashions, and increase of heathenish manners, through the ^ q exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly ^^'*'' 14 wretch, and not high priest ; that the priests had no inclination to serve any more at the altar; but despising the temple, and neglecting the sacrifices, hastened to be partakers of the unlawful allow- ance in the place of exercise, after the challenge"* 15 at the Discus ; not esteeming the honours of their fathers, but liking the glory of the Grecians best 16 of all. By reason whereof sore calamity came upon them : for they had them to be their ene- mies and avengers, whose modes they followed so earnestly, and unto whom they desired to be alike 17 in all things. For it is not a light thing to do wickedly against the laws of God : but the time following will declare these things. « Gr. Tovs Kprn-'uirovs rav ing : yet, from a quotation €fiPa>v vwordira-au virh 'Trtratrov from " Hippolytus de Anti- riyep. Here Schleusner sus- " christo," given by Wessel- pects the word viroTav 'Afliji'aioi' as a proper name, and Trap' dvBp&Trois Xeyopevmv ^ vo- have rendered it " Atheneas, pi^opAvav 6cS>v fj baipovav, irpoa-- " an old minister, well versed en 8e fipiuov, etSmXa hayyero, " in all the heathenish rites to. piv Kexpvarapeva, tu 8e rip- " as well as in cruelty." (fx.ea'piva a-roKals diaxpvo'ois. ^ But Josephus says, " Ju- All this took place at his " piter Hellenius," Ant. XII. grand festival at Daphne: and 5. It is notorious that Anti- Athenaeus adds, that the ex- ochus Epiphanes was a most pence was supplied partly zealous worshipper of all new from the sums of which he B.C. 167. CHAP. VI. 171 3 were = who dwelt in the place. And sore and grievous, even to the common people, was the 4 presence ^ of this mischief. For the temple was filled with riot and revelling, by the Gentiles ; who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the sacred precincts ; and besides that, 5 brought in things which were not lawful. The altar also was filled with profane things, which 6 the law forbiddeth. Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath-days, or the feasts of his forefathers, or to profess himself at all to be a 7 Jew. And in the day of the king's birth every month they were brought by bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices ; and when the feast of Bac- chus was kept, the Jews were compelled to go in 8 procession to Bacchus, carrying ivy «. Moreover, there went out a decree to the neighbour cities of the Grecians, by the suggestion of Ptolemy*^, against the Jews, that they should observe the same mode of living, and be partakers of their 9 sacrifices : and whoso would not conform them- selves to the manners of the Greeks, should be put to death. Then might a man have seen the pre- 10 sent misery. For there were two women s brought who had circumcised their children ; whom when they had openly led round about the city, the babes hanging at their breasts, they cast them 11 down headlong from the wall. And others who had defrauded Ptolemy Phi- ^ Gr. fi ima-raa-is : signify- lometor while a boy^ partly ing both the coming oiij and from the contributions of his continuance^ of the evU. friends, and partly from the « Compare I Mace. ii. 19, many temples which he had and the note there, robbed. 'UpotnAriKfi 8e /cm to f See above, ch. iv. 45. TrXriara tUv 'lepav. S Compare 2 Macc. i. 60 — " Gr. Kadas fTvyjfavov, 63. 172 BOOK III. B.C. 167. had run together into caves near by, to keep the sabbath-day secretly, being discovered to Philip'', were all burnt together; because they scrupled to defend themselves, for the honour of the most sa- cred day. Now I beseech those who meet with this book, 12 that they be not discouraged for these calamities; but that they judge those punishments not to be for the destruction, but for a chastening, of our nation. For it is a token of his great goodness, 13 when wicked doers are not suffered any long time, but forthwith fall into punishments. For not as 14 with other nations, whom the Lord patiently for- beareth to punish, till they be come to the fulness of their sins, so dealeth he with us. Lest that, 15 being come to the height of sin, afterwards he should take vengeance on us. And therefore he 16 never withdraweth his mercy from us. And though he chasten with adversity, yet doth he never forsake his people. But let this be said by 17 way of remembrance. But we must come to the declaring of the matter in few words. Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged 18 man, and of a very well-favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine's flesh. But he choosing rather to die glo- 19 riously, than to live stained with such an abomi- nation, spit it forth, and came of his own accord to the torment. As it behoved them to come, 20 who are resolute to stand out against such things as are not lawful Jbr love of life to be tasted. But they which had the charge of that wicked 21 feast, for the old acquaintance they had with the li For an account of Philip, see ch,. v. 22. B.C. 167. CHAP. VI. 173 man, taking him aside, besought him to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the king ; 22 that in so doing he might be delivered from death, and for the old friendship with them, find favour. 23 But he, taking on him a discreet consideration, and as became his age, and the excellency of his ancient years, and the honour of his grey head whereunto he was come', and his most honest edu- cation from a child, or rather the holy law made and given by God ; answered accordingly, and desired them straightways to send him to the 24 grave. For it becometh not our age {said he) to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, being fourscore years old and 25 ten, were now gone to a strange religion : and so they through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little time, and a moment longer, should be led astray by me, and I should get to myself a stain 26 and pollution upon my old age. For even though for the present time I should be delivered from the punishment of men : yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive nor dead. 27 Wherefore now manfully exchanging this life, I will shew myself such an one, as mine age re- 28 quireth ; and leave a noble example to such as be young, to die willingly and courageously a noble death, for the venerable and holy laws. And when he had said these words, immediately he 29 went to the torment : they which led him, chang- ing the good-will they bare him a little before, into hatred, because the foresaid speeches, as they ' Gr. TTjS fjriKTtjTOV Koi iiTU^avovs iToKms. ' 174 BOOK III. B. C. 167. thought, were madness. And when he was ready 30 to die with stripes, he groaned, and said ; It is manifest unto the Lord, who hath the holy know- ledge, that whereas I might have been delivered from death, I nmv endure sore pains in body, by being beaten ; but in soul am well content to suf- fer these things, because I fear him. And thus 31 this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of virtue, not only unto young men, but unto the generality of his nation. CHAPTER VII. The constancy and death of seven brethren and their mother. It came to pass also, that seven brethren with 1 their mother were taken, and compelled by the king, to taste swine's flesh forbidden by the law, and were tormented with scourges and whips. But one of them who spake first, said thus ; What 2 wouldest thou ask or learn of us ? we are ready to die, rather than to transgress the laws of our fathers. Then the king, being in a rage, command- 3 ed to heat the pans and caldrons hot. Which 4 forthwith being heated, he commanded to cut out the tongue of him who spake first; and having scalped him*, to cut off the utmost parts of his body, the rest of his brethren and his mother looking on. Now when he was thus maimed in 5 all his members, he commanded him, being yet alive, to be brought to the fire, and to be fried in the pan. And as the vapour of the pan was dis- ^Ot,"&2iYei:" Gt.nepuriaiBl- haps nearer to the meaning cravTas : but the former is per- of the original word. B. C. 167. CHAP. vn. 175 persed for a good space, they exhorted one an- other with the mother, to die manfully, saying 6 thus; The Lord God looketh upon us, and in truth hath comfort in us, as Moses in his song, which witnessed to their faces, declared, saying *>, 7 " And he shall be comforted in his servants." So when the first was dead after this manner, they brought the second to the cruel torture ° : and when they had pulled off the skin of his head with the hair, they asked him. Wilt thou eat be- fore thou be punished throughout every member 8 of thy body? But he answered in his own lan- guage, and said, No. Wherefore he also received the remainder of the torment as the former did. 9 And when he was at the last gasp, he said. Thou like a fury takest us out of this present life, but the King of the world shall raise us up, who have died for his laws, unto an eternal resurrection of 10 life. After him was the third scornfully ill-treat- ed : and when he was required, he put out his tongue, and that right soon; and held forth his 11 hands manfully, and said courageously. These I had from Heaven; and for His laws I despise"* them, and from Him I hope to receive them again. 12 Insomuch that the king himself, and they which were with him, marvelled at the young man's courage, for that he nothing regarded the pains. 13 Now when this man was dead also, they tormented 14 and mangled the fourth in like manner. And be- •j Compare Deut. xxxii. 36. dered " a mocking-stock" by c Gr. ifirraiyiwv; which word the former translatots. (together with its verb ifiTrai- d Gr. vwepopa, " I leave fo) denotes severity of usage " them out of consideration ;' mixed with scorn and con- or, '' I make no account of tumely. It was usually ren- "them." 176 BOOK III. B.C. 167. ing at the point of death, he said thus; It is good, being put to death by men, to look for hope from God, to be raised up again by Him : as for thee, thou shalt have no resurrection to life. After- ]5 ward they brought up the fifth also, and mangled him. Then looked he unto the king, and said, 16 Thou having power over men, thyself being cor- ruptible, doest what thou wilt ; yet think not that our nation is forsaken by God : but abide a while, 17 and behold his great power, how he will torment thee and thy seed. After him also they brought 18 the sixth, who being ready to die, said ; Be not deceived without cause : for we suffer th^se things for ourselves, having sinned^ against our God: therefore marvellous things are done unto us. But 19 think not thou, who hast taken in hand to strive against God, that thou shalt escape unpunished. But the mother was admirable above all, and 20 worthy of honourable memory: for when she saw her seven sons slain within the space of one day, she bare it with a good courage, because of the hope which she had in the Lord. Yea, she ex- 21 horted every one of them in her own language, filled with courageous spirits : and stirring up her womanish thoughts with a manly spirit, she said unto them ; I cannot tell how ye came into my 22 womb; for I neither gave you breath nor life, neither was it I who formed the members of every one of you. But doubtless, the Creator of the 2.3 world, who formed the generation of man, and found out the beginning of all things, will also of his own mercy give you breath and life again, as e Compare 2 Mace. ii. 13 ; also see below, verse 32, 33. B. C. 167. CHAP. VII. 177 ye now regard not your own selves for his law's sake. 24 Now Antiochus thinking himself despised, and suspecting it to be a reproachful speech, whilst the youngest was yet alive, did not only exhort him by words, but also assured him with oaths, that he would make him both a rich and an envi- able man, if he would turn from the laws of his fathers ; and that also he would take him for his 25 friend, and trust him with affairs. But when the young man would in no case hearken unto him, the king called his mother, and exhorted her that she would counsel the young man to save his life. 26 And when he had exhorted her with many words, she promised him that she would persuade her 27 son. But she bowing herself towards him, laugh- ing the cruel tyrant to scorn, spake in her country language on this manner : " O my son, have pity " upon me who bare thee nine' months in my " womb, and gave thee suck three years^, and " nourished thee, and brought thee up unto this 28 " age, and endured the troubles of education. I " beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and " the earth, and all which is therein, and consider " that God made them of.things which were not ; " and so was the race of men made likewise. 29 " Fear not this executioner ; but being worthy of " thy brethren, take thy death, that I may receive 30 " thee again in mercy with thy brethren." Whilst she was yet speaking, the young man said, " Whom wait ye for ? I will not obey the king's " commandment : but I will obey the command- ^ Observe the long period of giving suck here stated. N 178 BOOK III. B.C. 167. " ment of the law which was given unto our fa- " thers by Moses. And thou, who hast been the 31 " author of all mischief against the Hebrews, shalt " not escape the hands of God. For we suffer be- 32 " cause of our sins. And though the living Lord 33 " be angry with us a little while, for our chasten- " ing and correction, yet shall he be reconciled " again to his servants. But thou, O godless man, 34 " and of all other most abominable, be not lifted " up without a cause, puffing up thyself with un- " certain hopes, lifting up thy hand against the " servants of God: for thou hast not yet escaped 35 " the judgment of Almighty God, who seeth all " things. For our brethren, who now have suf- 36 " fered a short pain, are dead under God's cove- " nant of everlasting life : but thou, through the " judgment of God, shalt receive just punishment " for thy pride. But I, as my brethren, offer up 37 " my body and life for the laws of our fathers, be- " seeching God that he would speedily be merci- " ful unto our nation, and that thou by torments " and plagues raayest confess that be alone is " God ; and that in me and my brethren, the 38 " wrath of the Almighty, which is justly brought " upon all our nation, may cease." Then the king, being in a rage, handled him 39 worse than all the rest, taking it grievously that he had mocked. So this man died undefiled, put- 40 ting his whole trust in the Lord. Last of all, 41 after the sons, the mother died. Let this be 42 enough now to have spoken s concerning the idol- atrous feasts, and the extreme tortures. e See the circumstances tailed more at large in the related in this chapter, de- fourth book of Maccabees. B.C. 166. CHAP. VIII. 179 CHAPTER VIII. The exploits of Judas. His victory over Nicanor. 1 Then Judas Maccabaeus, and they which were with him, went privily into the towns, and g q called their kinsfolks together ; and taking ^'^''• unto them all such as continued in the Jews' re- 2 ligion, assembled about six thousand men : and they called upon the Lord, that he would look upon the people which was trodden down by all, and also pity the temple profaned by ungodly 3 men : and that he would have compassion upon the city, sore defaced, and ready to be laid even with the ground, and hear the blood which cried 4 unto him : and remember the wicked slaughter of harmless infants*, and the blasphemies committed against his name ; and that he would shew his 5 hatred against the wicked. Now when Macca- baeus had his company about him, he could not be withstood by the heathen : for the wrath of 6 the Lord was turned into mercy. Therefore he came at unawares, and burnt up towns and cities ; and got into his hands the most commodious places, and overcame and put to flight no small 7 number of his enemies. But specially took he ad- vantage of the night for such privy attempts, in- somuch that a fame of his manliness was spread every where. 8 So when Philip^ saw that this man increased by little and little, and that things prospered with Likewise a perusal of the elo- would amply repay the reader quent and spirit-stirring ora- for his pains, tion of Gregory Nazianzen » Compare book II. ch. i. 61. on this subject (Orat. XXII.) •> See ch. v. 22. n2 180 BOOK III. B.C. 166. him still more and more; he wrote untoPtolemaeus the governor" of Coelosyria and Phoenice, to yield more aid to the king's affairs. And forthwith 9 chusing Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, he sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him, to root out the whole generation of the Jews ; and with him he joined also Gorgias a captain, who in mat- ters of war had great experience. So Nicanor un- 10 dertook to make so much money of the captive Jews, as should defray the tribute of two thou- sand talents, which the king was to pay"^ to the Romans. Wherefore immediately he sent to the 11 cities upon the sea-coast, inviting them to a sale of the captive Jews ; and promising that they should have fourscore and ten bodies for one ta- lent; not expecting the vengeance which was about to follow upon him from the Almighty God. Now when word was brought unto Judas of 12 Nicanor's coming, and he had imparted unto those who were with him that the army was at hand ; they which were fearful, and distrusted the justice 13 of God, fled, and conveyed themselves away. Others sold all which they had left, and withal 14 besought the Lord to deliver them, being sold by the wicked Nicanor, before they met together : and if not for their own sakes, yet for the cove- 15 nants he had made with their fathers, and for his e That isj governor under Romans and Antiochus the ApoUonius. Great, after the defeat of the d Namely, according to the latter. The particulars of this stipulations of a treaty which transaction are related by Po- had been made between the lybius and Livy. B.C. 166. CHAP. VIII. 181 holy and glorious name's sake, by which they were called. 16 So Maccabseus, calling together those who re- - mained with him, unto the number of six thou- sand, exhorted them not to be stricken with terror of- the enemy ; nor to fear the great multitude of the heathen, who came wrongfully against them, 17 but to fight manfully : and to set before their eyes the injury which they had unjustly done to the holy place, and the cruel handling of the city, whereof they made a mockery, and also the taking 18 away of the government of their forefathers. For they (said he) trust in their weapons^ and bold- ness ; but our confidence is in the Almighty God, who with a nod can cast down both them which 19 come against us, and also all the world. More- over, he recounted unto them what helps their forefathers had found ; and how they were deli- vered, when under Sennacherib an hundred four- 20 score and five thousand perished ^ And he told them of the battle which they had in Babylon with the GalatiansS; how they came but eight thousand in all to the business, with four thou- sand Macedonians ; and that the Macedonians be- ing perplexed, the eight thousand destroyed an hundred and twenty thousand, through the help which they had from heaven, and so received a 21 great booty. Thus when he had made them bold e Judas here almost repeats ^ See the history of this the very words of David, at transaction at 2 Kings xix. Psalm XX. 7 •■ "Some trust 35. " in chariots, and some in S That is, the Asiatic " horses : but we will re- Gauls ; for an account of " member the name of the whom see the note at book II. " Lord our God." ch. viii. 2. N 3 182 BOOK III. B.C. 166. with these words, and ready to die for the laws and the country, he divided his army into four parts : and joined with himself his own brethren, 22 leaders of each band, to wit, Simon, and Joseph'', and Jonathan, giving each one fifteen hundred men. Also he appointed Eleazar' to read the 23 holy book: and when he had given them this watchword, " The help of God ;" himself leading the first band, he joined battle with Nicanor. And by the help of the Almighty they slew above 24 nine thousand of their enemies, and wounded and inaimed the most part of Nicanor's host, and so put all to flight : and took the money of those 25 who had come "to buy them, and pursued them far: but being pressed for time, they returned. 26 For it was the day before the sabbath, and there- fore they did not long continue to pursue them. So when they had gathered their armour to- 27 gether, and spoiled their enemies, they occupied themselves about the sabbath; yielding exceed- ing great praise and thanks to the Lord, who had preserved them unto that day, and distilled'' upon them this the beginning of his mercy. And 28 after the sabbath, when they had given part of the spoils to the maimed, and the widows, and orphans ; the residue they divided among them- selves and their servants. When this was done, 29 li He is called Joannan at " zaro," " after reading to 2 Mace. ii. 2. " them concerning Eleazar ;" i The Greek text of this namely, to kindle their cou- clause is rather obscure : *£« rage by his example. 8e KOI 'EXeafapoi/, jrapayvoiis ttjv ^ See the same expression iephv ^ipXov, kol Soils, k. t. X. used at Deuteron. xxxii. 2, which Grotius would correct '' My speech shall distil as to 'EXfafapou napavayvovs, " the dew." " quum praelegisset de Elea- B.C. 165. CHAP. VIII. 183 and they had made a common supplication, they besought the merciful Lord to be reconciled with his servants for ever. 30 Moreover, of those who were with Timotheus and Bacchides, who fought against them, they b. c. slew above twenty thousand ; and very easily ^^^' won high and strong holds, and divided amongst themselves many spoils more; and made the maim- ed, orphans, widows, yea, and the aged also, equal 31 in spoils with themselves. And when they had gathered their armour together, they laid it all up carefully in convenient places ; and the remnant of 32 the spoils they brought to Jerusalem. They slew also Philarches that wicked person, who was with Timotheus, and had annoyed the Jews many 33 ways. Furthermore, at such time as they kept the feast for the victory in their country, they burnt Callisthenes', who had set fire upon the holy gates, who was fled into a little house, who thus received a reward meet for his wickedness. 34 As for that wicked wretch Nicanor, who had brought a thousand merchants to buy the Jews ; 35 he was, through the help of the Lord, brought down by them of whom he made least account ; and putting off his glorious apparel, and dis- charging his company, he came like a fugitive servant through the midland unto Antioch, having very great misadventure, for that his host was 36 destroyed. Thus he, who took upon him to make good to the Romans their tributej by means of the captives in Jerusalem, told abroad, that the Jews had God to fight for them; and therefore 1 The Vatican manuscript adds here, " and certain others." N 4 181 BOOK III. B. C. 164. they could not be hurt, because they followed the laws which he had appointed them. CHAPTER IX. Antiochus' sickness and death. About that time came Antiochus in disorder i B.C. out of the country of Persia, For he had 2 ^®^- entered the c% called Persepolis% and went about to rob the temple, and to hold the city; whereupon the multitude advancing betook them- selves to a resistance by arms : and so it happened that Antiochus, being put to flight by the inhabit- ants, made a dishonourable retreat. Now while he was at Ecbatana^ news was 3 brought him of what had happened unto Nicanor and Timotheus. Then swelling with anger, he 4 thought to avenge upon the Jews the disgrace done unto him by those who made him flee. Therefore commanded he his charioteer to drive without ceasing, and to dispatch the journey, the judgment of God now following him. For he had spoken proudly in this sort : " I will make " Jerusalem a common buryingplace'' of the Jews, a The chief city of the Per- jury^ we perceivfe on observ- sian empire ; for descriptions ing from Greek classic au- of which see Q. Curtius thors that the word Trokvdv- and Diodorus Siculus. But &pa>v conveyed the idea of compare 2 Mace. vi. 1 ; where any thing rather than an ho- this occurrence is said to have nourable place of sepulture, taken place in Elymais. jElian relates of the Lac^dse- ^ A renowned city, the an- monian women, that they ex- cient capital of Media. Its amined the bodies of their origin and structure are de- sons who had fallen in battle; tailed by Herodotus, I. 98. and if the majority of their " Gr. HokvdvSpiov 'loufiaiW wounds were in front, proving, 'lepoo-oXu/ia iroirja-a. That this that they had fought well and threat contained within it a died nobly, they were de- degree of insult as well as in- lighted, and with pride tovs B.C. 164 CHAP. IX. 185 5 " when I come thither." But the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, smote him with an incurable and invisible plague ; for as soon as, he had spoken these words, a pain of the bowels, which was remediless, came upon him, and sore torments of 6 the inner parts ; and that most justly : for he had tormented other men's bowels with many and 7 strange torments. Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding to hasten the journey : but it came to pass that he fell down from his chariot, which was borne along violently ; so that having a sore fall, all the members of his body were dis- 8 located. And thus he, who a little afore thought he might command the waves of the sea, (so proud was he beyond the condition of man,) and weigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in a horse-litter, shewing 9 forth unto all the manifest power of God. So that the worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man ; and whiles he lived in pains and tor- ments, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his 10 smell was noisome to all his army. And the man, who thought a little afore he could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry, for his intolerable stink. TToiSai els ras jrarpaas 'i^epov note of Perizonius oil the Ta Compare David's peti- three instead of two ; for so tion to the same eifect, after the history requires. Com- he had been betrayed ' into pare 2 Mace. iv. 52, 53 ; and the folly of numbering Israel Josephus. Grotius sanctions and Judah, as recorded at this correction ; and he is 2 Samuel xxiv. 14. See also supported by one Greek MS. 1 Mace. ii. 17. vi. 10. B.C. 164. CHAP. X. 189 the tabernacles ; remembering that not long afore they had holden" the feast of the tabernacles, when as they wandered in the mountains and dens like 7 wild beasts. Therefore they bare branches, and fair boughs, and palms also; and sang psalms unto Him who had given them good success in cleansing 8 his place. They ordained also, by a common statute and decree. That every year those days should be kept by the whole nation of the Jews. 9 And this was the end of Antiochus called Epi- phanes. 10 But now will we declare the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked b. c. man ; collecting briefly the calamities of the ^^^• 11 wars. For when he was come to the crown, he set one Lysias over the affairs of his realm ; and appointed him chief governor of Coelosyria and 12 Phoenice. For Ptolemaeus, who was called Ma- cron^, chusing rather to do justice unto the Jews, for the wrong which had been done unto them, 13 endeavoured to continue peace with them. Where- upon being accused by the king's friends before Eupator, and called traitor every where, because he had left Cyprus, which Philometor had com- mitted unto him, and departed to Antiochus Epi- phanes ; and seeing that he was in no honourable place ^, he was so discouraged, that he poisoned himself, and died. The sense is ratherj that d The same who is men- they had passed the day of tioned above^ at ch. iv. 45 ; that feast in wandering like and viii. 8 ; as being the son beasts over the mountains; in- of Dorymenes. stead of being able to keep it * Gr. jir]T eiycv^ rrfv e^ovtriav with due solemnity, and in e^av. peace. 190 BOOK III. B. C. 164. But when Gorgias was made governor of the 14 strong holds, he hired soldiers, and nourished war continually with the Jews : and therewithal the 15 Idumaeans, having gotten into their hands the most commodious fortresses, kept the Jews occu- pied; and receiving those who were banished from Jerusalem, they went about to nourish war. Then 16 they which were with Maccabseus made supplica- tion, and besought God that he would be their helper; and so they ran with violence upon the strong holds ^ of the Idumseans : and assaulting 17 them valiantly, they won the holds ; and kept off all who fought upon the wall, and slew all who fell into their hands, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand. And because certain (no fewer ]8 than nine thousand) were fled together into two very strong castles, having all manner of things convenient to sustain the siege ; Maccabaeus left 19 Simon and Joseph, and Zacchseus also, and them which were with him, who were enough to be- siege them; and departed himself unto those places which more needed his help. Now Simon and his 20 company being led with covetousness, were per- suaded for money, (through certain of those who were in the castle,) and took seventy thousand drachms, and let some of them escape. But when 21 it was told Maccabaeus what was done, he called the governors of the people together; and accused those men, that they had sold their brethren for money, and set their enemies free to fight against them. So he slew those who were found traitors, 22 and immediately took the two castles. And 23 ^ Namely Acrabattine ; as related at 2 Mace. v. 3. B. C. 164. CHAP. X. 191 having good success with his weapons in all things he took in hand, he slew in the two strong holds more than twenty thousand. 24 Now Tiinotheus, whom the Jews had overcome ^ before ; when he had gathered a great multitude of foreign forces, and horses out of Asia not a few, came as though he would take Judaea by force of 25 arms. But when he drew near, Maccabaeus and his company turned themselves to pray unto God, and sprinkled earth upon their heads, and girded 26 their loins with sackcloth ; and fell down at the foot of the altar, and besought him to be merciful to them, and to be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, as the law de- 27 clareth ^. So after the prayer, they took their weapons, and went on further from the city : and when they drew near to their enemies, they kept 28 by themselves. Now the sun being newly risen, they joined both together; the one part having together with their virtue their refuge also unto the Lord, for a pledge of success and victory: the other side making their courage leader of their 29 battle. But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared unto the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses, with bridles of gold ; 30 and two of them led the Jews, and took Macca- baeus betwixt them, and covered him on every side with their complete armour, and kept him safe; but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies : so that being confounded with blindness, e Compare 2 Mace. v. 6, 7- " thy face : they shall come t Viz. at Deut. xxviii. 7; " out against thee one way, " The Lord shall cause thine " and flee before thee seven " enemies that rise up against " ways." " thee to be smitten before 192 BOOK III. B. C. 164. and filled with confusion, they were cut to pieces. And there were slain of footmen twenty thousand 31 and five hundred, and six hundred horsemen. As for Timotheus himself, he fled into the hold 32 called Gazara'j a very strong garrison, of which Chaereas was governor. But Maccabseus and his 33 company laid siege Against the fortress courage- ously four days. And they which were within, 34 trusting to the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered wicked words. Never- 35 theless, upon the fifth day early twenty yoiing men of Maccabaeus' company, inflamed with anger because of the blasphemies, assaulted the wall manfully, and with a fierce courage killed all whom they met withal. Others likewise ascend- 36 ing after them, whiles they were busied with them which were within, burnt the towers, and kind- ling fires, burnt the blasphemers alive ; and others broke open the gates, and having received in the rest of the army, took the city: and killed Timo- 37 theus, who was hid in a certain pit, and Chaereas his brother, with ApoUophanes. When this was 38 done, they praised the Lord with psalms and thanksgiving, who had done so great things for Israel, and given them the victory. CHAPTER XI. The acts ofLysias. Letters ofAntiochus and of the Romans. Not long after this, LysiaS the king's* protec- 1 tor and cousin, who also managed the aflairs, took sore displeasure for the things which were done. * See 2 Maccrv. 8 ; vii. 45. a Namely, young Antiochus Eupator. B. C. 164. CHAP. XI. 193 2 And when he had gathered about fourscore thou- sand men, with all the horsemen, he came against the Jews, thinking to make the city an habitation 3 for the Gentiles ; and to make a gain of the tem- ple, as of the other chapels of the heathen, and to 4 set the high-priesthood to sale every year : not at all considering the power of God, but puflFed up with his ten thousands of footmen, and his thou- sands of horsemen, and his fourscore elephants. 5 So he came to Judaea, and drew near to Bethsura, which was a strong town, but distant from Jeru- salem about five furlongs ; and he laid sore siege 6 unto it. Now when Maccabseus and his company heard that he besieged the holds, they and all the people with lamentation and tears besought the Lord, that he would send a good angel to deliver 7 Israel. Then Maccabaeus himself first of all took up weapons, exhorting the others that they would jeopard themselves together with him to help their brethren : so they went forth together with 8 a willing mind. And as they were at Jerusalem, there appeared going before them on horseback, one in white clothing, shaking a panoply of gold. 9 Then they praised the merciful God, all together, and took heart; insomuch that they were ready, not only to fight with men, but with most cruel 10 beasts, and to pierce through walls of iron. Thus they marched forward in their array, having a helper from heaven : for the Lord was merciful 11 unto them. And giving a charge upon their ene- mies like lions, they slew eleven thousand foot- men, and sixteen hundred horsemen, and put all 12 the others to flight. The greater part of them o 194 BOOK III. B. C. 164. also being wounded escaped naked'' ; and Lysias himself fled away shamefully, and so escaped. Who, as he was a man of understanding, casting 13 with himself what loss he had had; and consider- ing that the Hebrews could not be overcome, be- cause the Almighty God helped them ; he sent unto them, and persuaded them to agree to all 14 reasonable conditions, and promised that he would persuade the king that he must needs be a friend unto them. Then Maccabaeus consented to all 15 which Lysias desired, being careful of the com- mon good ; and whatsoever Maccabaeus wrote unto Lysias concerning the Jews, the king granted it. For there were letters written unto the Jews 16 from Lysias to this effect : " Lysias unto the peo- " pie of the Jews, sendeth greeting : John and 17 " Absalom, who were sent from you, delivered " me the petition subscribed, and made the re- " quest for the performance of the contents there- " of. Therefore what things soever were meet to 18 " be reported to the king, I have declared them, " and he hath granted as much as might be. If 19 " then ye will keep yourselves loyal to the state, " hereafter also will I endeavour to be a means of " your good. But of the particulars I have given 20 " order, both to these, and the others who came " from me, to commune with you. Fare ye well. 21 " The hundred and eight and fortieth year, the -" four and twentieth day of the month Dioscorin- « thiu8'=." ^ Gr. yvjoiol, that is, " with- for the greater facility of " out their armour:" having escape, thrown away their weapons, <= No sucih name of a month B.C. 164. CHAP. XI. 195 22 Now the king's letters contained these words : " King Antiochus \mto his brother Lysias, sendeth 23 « greeting : Since our father is translated unto the " gods, our will is, that they which are in our " realm live quietijr, that every one may attend 24 " upon his own affairs. We understand also, that " the Jews did not agree to our father's bringing " them to the Grecian customs, but had rather " keep their own manner of living : for the which " cause they require that their own laws may be 25 " allowed to them. Desiring therefore that this " nation also shall be in rest, we have determined " to restore them their temple, that they may live " according to the customs of their forefathers. 26 " Thou shalt do well therefore to send unto them, " and grant them peace '^; that when they are cer- " tified of our mind, they may be of good com- " fort, and ever go cheerfully about their own " affairs." 27 And the letter of the king unto the nation of the Jews was after this manner : " King Anti- " ochus sendeth greeting unto the council, and the 28 " rest of the Jews : If ye fare well, we have our 29 " desire ; we are also in good health. Menelaus " declared unto us, that your desire was to return 30 " home, and to follow your own business : where- is known. The Latin version be an intercalary months the reads Dioscorus. Grotius "be- same as Adar-Nisan, or Dys- lieves that the reading is ter-Xanthicus, which occurs faulty, and ought to be Ai'ou, in Esther iii. 'J, in a Greek (one of the Macedonian MS. now in the British Mu- monthsj) which the copyist seum, (MS. Holmes^ N°. 93.) may have mistaken for an ab- . d The Grreek phrase here, breviated word, and supplied and in many following pas- at his own discretion. Arch- sages, is, Soiis Sepias. bishop Ussher believes it to o 2 196 BOOK III. B. C. 164. " fore they which will depart shall have safe con- " duct, with security, till the thirtieth day of Xan- " thicus. And the Jews shall use their own kind 31 " of meats, and laws, as before ; and none of them " any manner of ways shall be molested for things " ignorantly done. I have sent also Menelaus, 32 " that he may comfort you. Fare ye well. In 33 " the hundred forty and eighth year, and in the " fifteenth day of the month Xanthicus." Tiie Romans also sent unto them a letter con- 34 taining these words : " Quintus Memmius, and " Titus Manlius, ambassadors of the Romans, send " greeting unto the people of the Jews : Whatso- 35 " ever Lysias the king's cousin hath granted, " therewith we also are well pleased. But touch- 36 " ing such things as he judged to be referred to " the king, after ye have advised thereof, send " one forthwith, that we may declare as it is con- " venient for you : for we are now going to An- " tioch. Therefore send some with speed, that 37 " we may know what is your mind. Farewell. 38 " This hundred and eight and fortieth year, the " fifteenth day of the month Xanthicus ^." CHAPTER XII. Judas defeats Timotheus cmd Gorgias. * He takes many When these covenants were made, Lysias went 1 unto the king, and the Jews were about their hus- bandry. But of the governors of several places, 2 ^ Answering to our April. chapter j and the remainder ^ The abridgment of Ja- of the book to have been son's history has been thought composed from other sources. by some to end with this B.C. 164. CHAP. XII. 197 Timotheus*, and ApoUonius the son of Gennseus, also Hieronymus, and Demophon, and besides them Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them to be quiet, and live in peace. 3 The men of Joppe also did such an ungodly deed as this : they prayed the Jews who dwelt among them to go with their wives and children into the boats which they had prepared, as though 4 they had meant them no hurt. Who accepted of it according to the common decree of the city, as being desirous to live in peace, and suspecting nothing : but when they were gone forth into the deep, they drowned^ no less than two hundred of them. 5 When Judas heard of this cruelty done unto his countrymen, he commanded those who were with 6 him to make them ready. And calling upon God the righteous Judge, he came against those mur- derers of his brethren; and burnt the haven by night, and set the boats on fire, and those who 7 fled thither he slew. But when the town was shut up, he retreated, with a determination to come again and root out the whole state and peo- 8 pie of Joppe. But when he heard that the Jam- nites<= were minded to do in like manner unto the 9 Jews who dwelt among them ; he came upon the Jamnites also by night, and set fire on the haven, and the navy ; so that the light of the fire was a Compare 2 Mace. v. 6, who were favourers of Herod. 37; 3 Mace. viii. 30, 32 j (Antiq. XIV. 27.) X. 37- "^ Jamnia was another sea- *> Josephus relates a similar port town^ near Joppe. See act of cruelty practised by book II. ch. iv. 15, and the the Galilaeans against those note there. O 3 198 BOOK III. B.C. 164. seen at Jerusalem, two hundred and forty fur- longs off. Now when they were gone from thence nioe 10 furlongs,, in their journey towards Tiniotheuis, no fewer than five thousand men onfoot^aaA five hundred horsemen of the Arabians set upon him. Whereupon there was a very sore battle ; but Ju- 11 das' side, by the help of God, got the victory \. so that the Nomades^ of Arabia being overcome, be- sought Judas for peace, promising both to give him cattle, and to assist him in other matters. Then Judas, thinking indeed that they would be 12 profitable in many things, granted them peace: and having received assurance of this, they de- parted to their tents. He went also about to take a certain city, which 13 was strongly secured by bridges, and fenced about with walls, and inhabited by people of divers countries ; and the name of it was Caspis^- But 14 they which were within it, put such trust in the strength of the walls and provision of victuals, that they behaved themselves rudely towards Ju- das and his company ; railing also and blasphem- ing, and uttering such words as were not to be spoken. Wherefore Judas with his company, 15 calling upon the great Lord of the world, (who without any rams or engines of war, did cast d "■ Wanderers," so called their cattle. From this word from their roving unsettled Nomades, the Latin authors mode of life ; their custom afterwards called them Nu- being not to reside in towns or in any fixed spot, but to e Or Casphon, as it is move from place to place at called at 2 Mace. v. 36 : pro- pleasure, according to the bably the place designated is convenience of pasturage for Heshbon. B. C. 164. CHAP. XII. 199 down Jericho^ in the time of Joshua,) gave a 16 fierce assault against the walls ; and took the city by the wiU of God, and made unspeakable slaughters; insomuch that a lake two furlongs broad, near adjoining thereunto, being filled full, appeared to be running with blood. 17 Then departed they from thence seven hun- dred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa unto 18 the Jews who are called Tubienis. But as for Timotheus, they found him not in the places : for before he had dispatched any thing, he departed from thence, having left a very strong garrison in 19 a certain hold. Howbeit, Dositheus and Sosipa- ter, who were of Maccabseus's captains, went forth, and slew those whom Timotheus had left in the fortress, above ten thousand men. 20 And Maccabseus ranged his army by bands, and set them over the bands ; and went against Timo- theus, who had about him an hundred and twenty thousand men of foot, and two thousand and five 21 hundred horsemen. Now when Timotheus had knowledge of Judas' coming, he sent the women and children, and the other baggage, unto a for- tress called Camion^; (for the post was hard to besiege, and uneasy to come unto, by reason of the 22 straitness of all the places ;) but when Judas his first band came in sight, the enemies (being smitten with fear and terror, through the appearing of Him who seeth all things) fled amain; one running this way, another that way, so as that they were often hurt by their own men, and wounded with 23 the points of their own swords. Judas also was f Compare Joshua vi. 20. h Or Carnaim. Compare g See at 2 Mace. v. 13. 2 Mace. v. 43. O 4 200 BOOK III. B.C. 164. very earnest in pursuing them, killing those wicked wretches, of whom he slew about thirty thousand men. Moreover, Timotheus himself fell 24 into the hands of Dositheus and Sosipater, whom he besought with much craft to let him go with his life ; because he had many of the Jews' pa- rents, and the brethren of some of them, who, if they put him to death, should not be regarded. So when he had confirmed the agreement' with 25 many words, that he would restore these without hurt, they let him go, for the saving of their brethren. Then Maccabseus marched forth to Carnion, 26 and to the temple of Atargatis''; and there he slew five and twenty thousand persons. And 27 after he had put to flight and destroyed them, Ju- das removed the host towards Ephron^, a strong city, wherein Lysias abode and a great multitude of divers nations, and the strong yoiing men kept the walls, and defended them mightily : wherein also was great provision of engines and darts. > 6r. opurfiov : the same a statue of it at Ascalon had word occurs at Daniel vi. 10, the_/ace only of a woman, all and 12 ; where it is trans- the rest of the body, &c. lated, o writing or decree. being like a fish. The name ^ This deity, called also is said to signify, "a, mag- Dercetis, or Derceto, by the " nificent fish." See Selden, Greeks, was worshipped ex- de Diis Syris. Dercetis and tensively throughout Phoeni- her worship is mentioned by cia and Babylonia. Xrncian de- Ovid, Metamorphos. IV. 45. scribes her image as being half And it is noticed in the Frag- woman half fish, like Dagon ments to Calmet, (from the of the Philistines ; and in- Asiatic Researches, vol. IV.) deed she has been considered -that the name Antargati oc- to be the same deity (for in curs as the Sanskrit appeUa- these the sexes were holden tion of one of the Chaldsean changeable at pleasure). Dio- deities, dorus Siculus mentions that 1 Compare 2 Mace. v. 46. B. C. 164. CHAP. XII. 201 28 But when Judas and his company had called upon almighty God, (who with his power breaketh the strength of his enemies,) they won the city, and slew twenty and five thousand of them which were within. 29 From thence they departed to Scythopolis™, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem. 30 But when the Jews who dwelt there had testified that the Scythopolitans dwelt lovingly with them, and entreated them kindly in the time of their ad- 31 versity ; they gave them thanks, desiring them to be friendly still unto them : and so they came to Jerusalem, the feast of the weeks approaching. 32 And after thejeast called Pentecost, they went" forth against Gorgias the governor of Idumaea"; 33 who came out with three thousand men of foot, 34 and four hundred horsemen. And it happened that in their fighting together, a few of the Jews 35 were slain. At which time Dositheus, one of Ba- cenor's company, who was on horseback, and a strong man, pressed close upon Gorgias, and tak- ing hold of his coat, drew him by force ; and when he would have taken that cursed man alive, a horseman of Thracia coming upon him, smote off his shoulder p, so that Gorgias escaped 36 unto Marisai. Now when Gorgias' and his men "1 The same which at 2 ing is faulty, and ought to Mace. V. 52, is called Beth- be Jamnia, as at 2 Mace, san. See the note there. v. 58. Josephus warrants 1 Namely, Joseph the son this correction, of Zacharias, and Azarias, P More properly, " hia arm whom Judas had left in " at the shoulder." charge of the people, while 1 A town or fortress of he himself was gone on a Judah, near to Eleuthero- military expedition. Com. polls, pare 2 Mace. v. 18. f There is here a remark- o Beyond doubt the read- able variety among the MSS. 302 BOOK III. B.C. 164. had fought long, and were weary ; Judas called upon the Lord, that he would shew 'himself to be their helper, and leader of the battle. And with 37 that he began in his own language, and sung psalms with a loud voice; and rushing unawares upon Gorgias and his men, he put them to flight. So Judas gathered his host, and came into the 38 city OdoUara*. And when the seventh day came^ they purified themselves, (as the custom was,) and kept the sabbath in the same place. And upon the day following, as the use had 39 been*, Judas and his company came to take up the bodies of them which were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen in their fathers' graves. Now under the coats of every one who was slain, 40 they found things" consecrated to the idols of the Jamnites, which are forbidden^ the Jews by the law. Then every man saw that this was the cause wherefore they were slain. All men there- 41 fore praising the Lord the righteous Judge, who had opened the things that were hid, betook them- 42 selves unto prayer ; and besought him, that the sin committed might wholly be put out of remem- brance. Besides, that noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin ; fbrsomuch as they saw before their eyes the things which came some reading 'Eo-fipu/, 'Ea-pav, * The Greek text varies, 'Eipet, or ''Eaiprjv : which between Koff tv rpoirov, and Grotius judges ought to be Koff bv xp<5'""'j '"" '''V' XP""* 'E0pa>», the city mentioned at lyey6vei. The latter would ver. 27. Archbishop Ussher signify " when all which was takes Esdris for one of Judas' " necessary had been done." captains. ™ See the same offence and s Query whether this be its punishment recorded at the same as Adullam;, men- Joshua vii. 4— 26b tioned at Genesis xxxviii. 12. ? " See Deuteron. vii. 5. B.C. 164. CHAP. XIII. 203 to pass, for the sins of those who were slain. 43 And when he had made a gathering throughout the company y to the sum of two thousand* drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin-offering, doing therein very well, and pro- perly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection ; 44 (for if he had not hoped that they which were slain should have risen again, it had been super- 45 fluous and vain to pray for the dead ;) and also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those who died godly. (It was an holy and good thought.) Whereupon he made an ex- piation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin. CHAPTER XIII. The battles of Judas with Antiochus Eupator. Peace made. 1 In the hundred forty and ninth year it was told Judas that Antiochus Eupator was g ^ coming with a great power into Judaea: '^^^*- 2 and with him Lysias his protector and ruler of his affairs, having each of them a Grecian power, of footmen an hundred and ten thousand, and horsemen five thousand and three hundred, and elephants two and twenty, and three hundred chariots armed with scythes. 3 Menelaus also joined himself with them, and with great dissimulation encouraged Antiochus ; not for the safeguard of his country, but because y Gr. KOT whpoKor^iav, " man in the Second Book of Mac- " by man." cabeeSj or in the Fifth, aL Verses 43 — 45.] It de- though the same portion of serves to be noticed, that no the history is there treated of. mention of any such offering z Three Greek manuscripts or idea, as that which is in. read " three thousand." serted here, is found either 204 BOOK III. B. C. 164. he thought to have been made governor. But 4 the King of kings moved Antiochus' mind against this wicked wretch ; and when Lysias informed the king that this man was the cause of all mis- chief, the king commanded to bring him unto Beroea, and to put him to death, as the manner is in that place. Now there is in that place a tower 5 of fifty cubits high, full of ashes ; and it had a round instrument*, which on every side hanged down into the ashes. And whosoever was con- 6 demned of sacrilege, or had committed any other grievous crime, there did all men thrust him unto death. Such a death it happened that wicked 7 Menelaus to die, not having so much as burial in the earth ; and that most justly: for insomuch as 8 he had committed many sins about the altar, whose fire and ashes were holy, he received his death in ashes. Now the king came with a barbarous and 9 haughty mind, to do far worse to the Jews than had been done in his father's time. Which things 10 when Judas perceived, he commanded the multi- tude to call upon the Lord night and day; that if ever at any other time, he would now also help » Gr. opyavov wepitjiepes. The of Persia, wishing to get rid passage is rather obscure : of some obnoxious chiefs, de- but it seems that the tower vised a novel mode of punish- contained a wheel in contact ment, to save himself from with the ashes, on which the violating the letter of a pre- culprit was tied, and then vious oath : " Septum altis pa- whirled round till he was suf- " rietibus locum cinere com- focated. See the word Spyavov " plevit, suppositoque tigno again used to signify a wheel, " prominente, benigne cibo et in 4 Mace. ix. 19, 20. A " potione exceptos in eo col- similar mode of destruction " locabat ; e quo somno sopiti is mentioned by Valerius " in iUam insidiosam conge- Maximus, (IX. 2. sect. 6.) " riem decidebant." who states that Darius Ochus B.C.164. CHAP. XIII. 205 them, being at the point to be deprived of their law, of their country, and of the holy temple : 11 and that he wovild not suffer the people, which lately had been refreshed a little, to become again 12 subject to the blasphemous nations. So when they had all done this together, and besought the merciful Lord with weeping and fasting and lying flat upon the ground three days long; Judas, hav- ing exhorted them, commanded they should be in 13 readiness. And being apart with the elders, he de- termined, before the king's host should enter into Judaea, and get possession of the city, to go forth, and try the matter in fight, by the help of the 14 Lord. So when he had committed «//to the Crea- tor of the world, and exhorted his soldiers to fight manfully, even unto death, for the laws, the temple, the city, the country, and the commonwealth, he 15 camped by Modin. And having given the watch- word to them that were about him, " Victory is " of God ;" with the most valiant and choice young men, he attacked the king's tent by night, and slew in the camp about four thousand men, and the chiefest of the elephants, with all who 16 were upon him''. And at last they filled the camp with fear and tumult, and departed with good 17 success. This was done in the break of the day, because the protection of the Lord did help him. 18 Now when the king had taken a taste of the •> There is some obscurity " the Elephants^ with all his in the Greek text, xal top irpa- " retinue." Bochart under- Ttvovra T&v iXe(j}dvTav (riiv r^ stands the elephant himself, KoTolidav &xK^ avvedijKf. [There not his governor, to be spoken is a various reading, Svri for of; and corrects the reading ^X'^?-] Grotius translates it, to t6v rrpwreioura rmv i\edv- " and he added, (to the slain,) tw oi criiv t^ kut olmav 8^X9 " him vi'ho was director of mmiOvriKe. BOOK III. B.C. 164. manliness of the Jews, he went about to take the holds by policy; and marched towards Bethsura, 19 which was a strong garrison of the Jews : but he was put to flight, failed, and lost some of his men : and Judas conveyed unto them which were 20 in it such things as were necessary. But Rho- 21 docus, who was in the Jews' host, disclosed the secrets to the enemies ; therefore he was sought out, and taken, and put in prison. The king 22 treated with them in Bethsura the second time, gave his hand, took theirs, departed, fought with Judas and his men, was overcome ; heard that 23 Philip, who was left over the affairs in Antioch, had shaken off his allegiance; was confounded at it, entreated the Jews, submitted himself, and sware to all just conditions, agreed with them, and oflfered sacrifice, honoured the temple, and dealt kindly with the place ; and accepted well of 24 Maccabaeus, made him principal governor from Ptolemais unto the Gerrhenians = ; came to Ptole- 25 mais : the people there were grieved by reason of the covenants ; for they stormed, because they wished to make their covenants void. Lysias 26 went up to the judgment-seat, said as much as could be in defence of the cause, persuaded, paci- fied, made them well-affected, returned to Antioch. Thus it went touching the king's coming and de- parting. CHAPTER XIV^ The attempts ofNicanor against the Jews. After three years^ was Judas with his com- 1 = Who dwelt on the bor- ^ Namely, from the com- ders of Egypt. mencement of Antiochns' a Compare this chapter with reign. 2 Mace. vii. B.C. 162. CHAP. XIV. 207 pany informed that Demetrius the son of Seleucus, having entered by the haven of Tripolis b. c. 2 with a great power and navy, had gained ^^^• possession of the country, and killed Antiochus, and Lysias his protector. 3 Now one Alcimus, who had be6n high priest, and had defiled himself wilfully in the times of their mingling "= with the Gentiles, perceiving that by no means he could save himself, nor have any 4 more access to the holy altar ; came to king De- metrius in the hundred and one and fiftieth year, presenting unto iim a crown of gold, and a palm, and also of the golden boughs which were used solemnly in the temple : and so that day he held 5 his peace. Howbeit, having gotten opportunity to further his foolish enterprise, and being called into council by Demetrius, and asked how the Jews stood affected, and what they intended, he 6 answered thereunto; " Those of the Jews who are " called Assidseans^, (whose captain is Judas Mac- " cabaeus,) nourish war, and are seditious, and will 7 " not let the realm be in quietness. Wherefore I, " being deprived of mine ancestors' honour, (I " mean the high-priesthood,) am now come hi- 8 " ther : first verily for the unfeigned care I have " of things pertaining to the king ; and secondly, " even for that I intend the good of mine own " countrymen : for all our nation is in no small " misery, through the unadvised dealing of them 9 " aforesaid. Wherefore, O king, seeing thou "^ Gr. imfu^ias : but many one and the same thing is in- MSS. read d/u^las, as at verse tended in both. 38 of this chapter. The two ^ Concerning these men, readings and passages deserve see 2 Mace. ii. 42. and vii. to be compared^ as doubtless 13. 208 BOOK III. B. C. 162. " knowest all these things, be careful for the " country and our nation, which is pressed * on " every side, according to the affable clemency " which thou readily shewest unto all. For as 10 " long as Judas liveth, it is not possible that the " state should be quiet." This was no sooner spoken by him, but the rest 11 of his friends, being maliciously set against Judas, did more incense Demetrius. And forthwith calling 12 Nicanor, who had been master of the elephants, and making him governor over Judaea, he sent him forth ; commanding him to slay Judas, and to scat- 13 ter them which were with him, and to make Alci- mus high priest of the most high temple. Then the 14 heathen who had fled out of Jiidsea from Judas, came to Nicanor by flocks, thinking the harm and calamities of the Jews would be their welfare. Now when ih£ Jews heard of Nicanor's coming, 15 and the intended invasion of the heathen, they cast earth upon their heads, and made supplica- tion to him who had established his people for ever, and who always helpeth his own portion with manifestation of his presence. So at the com- 16 mandment of the captain they removed straight- ways from thence, and came near unto them, at the town of Dessau ^. Now Simon, Judas' brother, had joined battle 17 with Nicanor, but was somewhat discomfited through the sudden silences of his enemies. e Gr. Tov mpuaraiiaiov yc- t Its precise situation is vovs fiiiSni, " surrounded and not known. " pressed on all sides." The S Gr. a(f>atrlav. This ex- verb is used in this passive pression is used by Polybius : sense by Polybius. still the sense is obscure. B. C. 163. CHAP. XIV. 209 18 Nevertheless, Nicanor hearing of the manliness of Judas and his men, and the courageousness which they had to fight for their country, declined to try 19 the matter by the sword. Wherefore he sent Po- sidonius, and Theodotus, and Mattathias, to make 20 peace. So when they had taken long advisement thereupon, and the captain had made the multi- tude acquainted therewith, and it appeared that they were all of one mind, they consented to the 21 covenant ; and appointed a day to meet in toge- ther by themselves : and when the day came, and 22 particular seats were set for each of them ; Judas placed armed men, ready in convenient places, lest some treachery should be suddenly practised by the enemies : so they held a peaceable confer- ence. 23 Now Nicanor abode in Jerusalem, and did no hurt, but sent away the people which had been 24 gathered together in flocks. And he had Judas ever in his presence ; for he was affectionately in- 25 clined towards him. He prayed him also to take a wife, and to beget children : so he married, was 26 quiet, and took part '' of this social life. But Alcimus perceiving the love which was betwixt them, and considering the covenants which were made, took himself away ; and came to Demetrius, and told him that Nicanor was not well affected Grotius would meet the diffi- bees, iv. Q, the phrase ^lov culty by reading e^dSetav, and Kaivavia occurs, denoting " a Biel by &^i^iv: but the MSS. " married life." Most of the give no countenance to either old translators interpret the emendation. passage as meaning that Ju- '' - Gr. e(coti'(Bv^o-6i' /3iou, " he das and Nicanor thencefor. " entered upon domestic life." ward lived together. In the first book of Macca- 210 BOOK III. B. C. 16^. towards the state ; for that he had ordained Ju- das, a traitor to his realm, to be his successor. Then the king being in a rage, and provoked 27 with the accusations of the most wicked man, wrote to Nicanor, signifying that he was much displeased with the covenants, and commanding him that he should send Maccabaeus prisoner in all haste unto Antioch. When this came to Nicanor's hearing, he was 28 much confounded in himself, and took it griev- B. c. ously that he should make void the arti- '^^- cles which were agreed upon, the man being in no fault. But because there was no way 29 of resisting the king, he watched his time to ac- complish this thing by policy. But when Mac- 30 eabaeus saw that Nicanor began to be churlish unto him, and that he entreated him more roughly than he was wont, perceiving that such sour be- haviour came not of good, he gathered together not a few of his men, and withdrew himself se- cretly from Nicanor. But the other, finding that 31 he was notably prevented by Judas' policy, came into the great and holy temple ; and while the priests were offering the ordinary sacrifices, com- 32 manded them to deliver him the man. And when they sware that they could not tell where the 33 man was whom he sought, he stretched out his right hand toward the temple, and made an oath in this manner ; If ye will not deliver me Judas as a prisoner, I will lay this temple of God even with the ground, and I will break down the altar, and erect here a notable temple unto Bacchus. After these words he departed. Then the 34 B.C. 16i CHAP. XIV. 211 priests lifted up their hands towards heaven, and besought Him who was ever a defender of their 35 nation, saying in this manner ; Thou, O Lord of all things, who hast need of nothing', wast pleased that the temple of thine habitation should be 36 among us ; therefore now, O holy Lord of all holi- ness, keep this house ever undefiled, which lately was cleansed ''. 37 Now was there accused unto Nicanor one Rha- zis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, a lover of his countrymen, and a man of very good report, who for his kindness was called a father of the Jews. 38 For in the former times, when they mingled not • themselves with the Gentiles, he had been accused of Judaism, and did boldly jeopard his body and life with all vehemency for the religion of the 39 Jews. So Nicanor, willing to declare the hate which he bare unto the Jews, sent above five hun- 40 dred men of war to take him. For he thought 41 by taking him, to do the Jews much hurt. Now when the multitude would have taken the tower, and violently broken into the outer door, and com- manded to bring fire and burn the doors, he being surrounded on every side, fell upon his sword ; 42 chusing rather to die manfully, than to come into the hands of the wicked, to be abused otherwise 43 than beseemed his noble birth : but jnissing his stroke through the hurry, of the conflict, the mul- titude also rushing within the doors, he ran boldly • See the same expression these words are wholly want- used at 1 Mace. ii. 9. ing in almost every Greek t The common version adds manuscript, here, " and stop every un. 1 Gr. afu^ias. Compare this " righteous - mouth." But expression with verse 3 above. P 2 212 BOOK III. B. C. 16i up to the wall, and cast himself down manfully amongst the thickest of them. But they quickly 44 giving back, and a space being made, he fell down upon the middle of his belly™- Nevertheless, 45 while there was yet breath within him, being in- flamed with anger, he rose up ; and though his blood gushed out like spouts of water, and his wounds were grievous, yet he ran through the midst of the throng ; and standing upon a certain steep rock, when as his blood was now quite gone, 46 he held forth his bowels, and taking them in both his hands, he cast them upon the throng; and call- ing upon the Lord of life and spirit to restore him those again, he thus died. CHAPTER XV. The defeat ofNicanor. His death. But Nicanor, hearing that Judas and his com- 1 pany were in the strong places about Samaria, devised without any danger to set upon them on the sabbath-day. Nevertheless, the Jews who were 2 compelled to go with him, said ; O destroy not so cruelly and barbarously, but give honour to that day, which He who seeth all things hath honoured with holiness above other days. Then the most 3 abandoned wretch demanded. If there existed a Mighty One in heaven, who had commanded the sabbath-day to be kept. And when they said, 4 There is, the living Lord : he is the mighty One ™ Gr. ^\6e Kara fiea-ov roj/ ed condition of the man^ as Kevemva- or, as before trans- described in the following latedj " into the midst of the verse, seems to determine in "^ void place;" for the word favour of that rendering which Keveav is thought to bear both I have adopted, significations : but the wound- B.C. 16^. CHAP. XV. 213 in heaven, who commanded the seventh day to be 5 kept : then said the other, And I also am mighty upon earth, and I command to take arms, and to do the king's business : yet he obtained not to 6 have his wicked will done. So Nicanor, lifting up his neck in all haughtiness, determined to set up a public trophy of his victory over Judas and them which vi^ere with him. 7 But Maccabaeus had ever sure confidence that 8 he should obtain help from the Lord : wherefore he exhorted his people not to fear the coming of the heathen against them, but to remember the help which in former times they had received from heaven ; and now to expect the victory and aid which should come unto them from the Al- 9 mighty. And so comforting them out of the law and the prophets, and withal putting them in mind of the battles which they had won afore, 10 he made them more cheerful. And when he Tiad stirred up their minds, he gave them their charge ; shewing them therewithal the perfidy of the hea- 11 then, and the breach of oaths. Thus he armed (every one of them, not so much with defence of shields and spears, as with the comfort of good words : and besides that, telling them a dream worthy to be believed for a true vision ", he re- 12 joiced them all [not a little]. And this was his vision : That Oniasj who had been high priest, a virtuous and a good man, reverend in deportment, gentle in manners, well spoken also, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, holding up " Gr. Swap Ti. There is a is respectably supported by various reading, vircp ti, which MSS. P 3 214 BOOK III. B.C. 161. his hands, prayed over the whole body of the Jews. This done, that in like manner there ap- 13 peared a man-with grey hairs, and exceeding glo- rious, and that about him there was a certain wonderful and most excellent majesty. Then 14 Onias answered, saying, This is a lover of thy brethren, who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremias the prophet of God. Whereupon Jeremias holding forth his right 15 hand, gave to Judas a sword of gold, and in giv- ing it, spake thus ; Take this holy sword, a gift 16 from God, with which thou shalt defeat '' the ad- versaries. Thus being well comforted by the words of 17 Judas, which were very good, and able to stir them up to valour, and to encourage the hearts of the young men, they determined not to . pitch camp ; but courageously to set upon them, and manfully to try the matter by conflict ; because both the city, and the sanctuary, and the temple, were in danger. For their anxiety for their wives 18 and their children, their brethren and kinsfolks, was in less account with them : but the greatest and pi'incipal fear was for the holy temple. Also 19 there was no slight anxiety among those who were collected together in the city, being troubled for the conflict abroad. And now, when as all 20 looked forward to the approaching trial, and the enemies were already come near, and the army was set in array, and the beasts placed in a con- venient position, and the horsemen drawn up on the wings ; Maccabaeus, seeing the coming of the 21 ^ Gr. Spaiareis, a word used in this sense by Polybius. B.C. 161. CHAP. XV. 215 multitude, and the divers preparations of armour, and the fierceness o^ the beasts, stretched out his hands towards heaven, and called upon the Lord who worketh wonders" ; knowing that victory Cometh not by arms, but even as it seemeth good to him, he giveth the victory to such as are 22 worthy. Therefore in his prayer he said after this manner; " O Lord, thou didst send thine angel " in the time of Ezekias king of Judaea, and didst " slay in the host of Sennacherib an hundred 23 " fourscore and five thousand. Wherefore now " also, O Lord of heaven, send a good angel be- 24 " fore us, for a fear and a dread unto them ; and " through the might of thine arm, let those be " stricken with terror who come against thy holy " people to blaspheme." And he ended thus. 25 Then Nicanor, and they which were with him, 26 came forward with trumpets and songs. But Ju- das and his company encountered the enemies 27 with invocation and prayer. So that fighting with their hands, and praying unto God with their hearts, they slew no less than thirty and five thousand men: for through the appearance of God they were greatly cheered. 28 Now when the battle was done, returning again with joy, they discovered that Nicanor lay dead 29 in all his armour. Then making a great shout, and a noise, they praised the Mighty One in their 30 own language. And Judas, who was ever the chief defender of the citizens, both in body and mind J and who continued his love*^ towards his <= The Vatican manuscript ^ Gr. o Trjv t^s rfKiKias eHvoiav adds here rov KaTomrriv, " the tiV roir 6iioe0ve'K 8m(^uXa^as. " beholder of all things." V i 216 BOOK III. B. e. 161. countrymen all his life, commanded to strike off Nic&nor's head, and hiS haind, with his shdulder, and bring them to Jel-usalem. So when hei had 31 arrived thfere, and had called them of his nation together, and set the prifestfe before the alt^r, he sent for them which were of the tower ; and 32 shewed thend vile Nicahor's head; and the hstnd of that blasphemer, which ^ith ptdud brags he hdd stretched out against the holy teihple of the Al- mighty. And when he had cut out the tongue of 33 that ungodly Nicanor, he commanded that they shoiild give it by pieces unto the fowls, And hang up the reward*^ of his madness before the temple. So evety m^n praised toward the heaven the ^lo- 34 rious Lbrd, saying. Blessed be He Vho hath kept his own place uridefiled. He hanged also Nica- 35 ndr's head upon the towet, an evident and mani- fest sign unto all of this help of the Lord. And th^y 511 ordained with a comiiioii decrefe, 36 in ho case to let that day p^ss without solemnity, but to celebriate the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which in the Syrijln tongue is called Adar, the day before Mardocheus' day^. It having gonie 37 thus with Nicanor, and frorii that time fotth the city continuing in the power of the Hebrews, I also here will ehd my discourse. And if / have done well, and appropridtdys to 38 my arrangement of the stoi-y, it is that which I desired: but if slenderly and meanly, it is that 8 Gr. imx^tpov, a word used ^ Namely, the feast of Pu- by Polybius in this sense, rim, mentioned at Esther ix. Schleusner contends that it 28, 59. ought to. be translated, arm ; S Gr. fiBUras, an expres-, but I think his arguments sion used by Polybius. will not bear examination. B.C. 161. CHAP. XV. 217 39 which I could attain unto. For, as to drink wine alone, or in like manner again water, is hurtful ; and as wine mingled with water is pleasant, and affords an agreeable delight: even so the fit framing of a discourse delighteth the ears of them which read the story. And here shall be the end. It deserves remark, that in Coverdale's translation of the Bible, first printed in 1535, likewise in Mat- thew's, 1537, in Cranmer's, 1539, also in the various reprints of these editions, the last two verses of this book are wanting: nor have I found them in any English Bible earlier than the Genevan of 1560, and the Bishops' of 1S68. END OF BOOK 111. THE FOURTH BOOK OP MACCABEES: CONTAINING KEFLECTIONS ON RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE : LIKEWISE AN ACCOUNT OF HELIODORUS' ATTEMPT TO PLUNDER THE TEMPLE : AND THE HISTORY OF ELEAZAR AND THE SEVEN BRETHREN PERSECUTED EVEN TO DEATH FOR THEIR ADHERENCE TO RELIGION. CHAPTER I. On the power of Religious Principle. 1 As I am about to discuss a most philosophical subject, namely, whether religious principle* be perfect master of the Passions ; I should be ad- vising you well hy desiring that with all readiness 2 of mind you give attention to philosophy. For in truth, Reason is necessary to every person, as a preliminary step to Science j and moreover it con- tains within itself the recommendation of excelling " This book is commonly rence throughout the work, spoken of as a treatise " on Adyoj I translate. Reason : Xo- " the government of Reason:" yia-^s, Principle : euo-e^^s Xo- on consideration^ I have judg- yurfios. Religious Principle : ed it best to distinguish as un- eiXoyurria, Rectitude of Prin- der, the four following words, ciple. which are of constant occur- 220 BOOK IV. in the highest virtue, I mean, in Prudence. Now 3 if Principle appears to have dominion over those passions which are impediments to Temperance, such as gluttony and sensual desire : it also ap- 4 pears to lord it over those which stand in the way of Justice, such as habitual depravity^; and like- wise over those which interfere with Fortitude, namely, Anger, and Pain, and Fear. How happens it then, perhaps some may say, 5 that if Principle is superior to the passions, it does not obtain the sovereignty over Forgetfulness and Ignorance ? This their attempt at argument is ri- diculous. For Principle does not prevail against 6 those passions which belong to itself ", and are de- fects of its own nature; but against such as are opposed to Justice, and Fortitude, and Temper- ance, and Prudence •'r and even against these it prevails not in such degree as to destroy them, but only so as not to yield to, or he guided hy them. This fact indeed I might prove to you by argu- 7 ments from many other sources, that Prinfciple is absolute sovereign of the Passions : but I may de- 8 monsti"ate it with mxich greater effect, from the inagnanimity of those persons who suffered death in defence of virtue, namely, Eleazar, and thfe seven brethren and their mother. For all these, 9 by their contempt of sufferings even unto deaths have given demonstration that Principle does pos- sess controul over the Passions. For their virtues, lo ^ Gr. Kamrfikm. ^ After these words Jose- fs Gr. Tav iauTQv TraOav. phus adds, " in defence of the ^ These words are omitted " laws of God, and by despis- by Josephus. (edit. Haver- " ing even their own lives for kamp.) " the sake of religion." CHAP. I. 221 therefore, it is my business to praise these men, who, together with their mother, died at this juncture for the sake of that which is right : and for the honours which they have acquired, I must congratulate and think them happy. 11 For they, having obtained admiration for their fortitude and patience, not only from men in ge- neral, but even from those who had shamefully ill- treated them^ became the means of putting a stop to that tyranny which was exercised against their nation ; having conquered the tyrant by their pa- tient endurance, so that their country was purged and cleansed by the expiatory sacrifice which they offered. 12 But I may now proceed at once to discuss the point in question, commencing by speaking gene- rally to the argument, as is our custom ; and then will go on to discourse concerning these persons in particular, giving glory to the all- wise God. 13 The question, then, which we have to deter- mine, is, " whether Principle be complete master 14 " of the Passions." Let us define, therefore, and explain, what is Principle, and what is Passion. Also, how many sorts of Passions there are ; and whether Principle extends its dominion to all of these. 15 Principle then is, " Intellect accompanied and " guided by sound reason, chusing and ordering 16 " aright s a life directed by wisdom." And Wis- dom is, " The knowledge of affairs both divine and 17 " human, and of their causes," But this is at- tained hy the discipline and instruction of the law : f Compare ch. xvii. 16. S Gr. TrpoTiiuov rhv a-o the Oxford edition, 181 7^ 8vo. and the adjective imvo^ayos is extremely faulty here, and occur in Athenaeus : and in indeed in very many other Aristophanes (Vesp. 923), we passages, have a person styled kvvSiv « The author of this book anavrav avBpa jiovo^ayiaraTov.' is here speaking as a Jew, to ™ Gr. wepiKaBaipiov tc koi Jews. See the particulars of airoKvi^cDv, Koi ntpmKiKav, leal the prohibitions to which he lirdphav, Koi iravTa rpcmov fiero- alludes, at Leviticus, ch. iii. Xcrevav, k. t. X. The text of vii. xi. and Deuter. ch. xiv. 224 BOOK IV. For the aflFections of our appetites are restrained 36 and turned into another direction by sobriety of mind; and all the movements of the body are kept in check" by Principle. CHAPTER II. Particular illustrations of the strength of Principle. And where is the wonder of all this ? if even l the desires of the soul are disappointed, when brought into competition with the pursuit of that which is honourable and right ? Yet on this 2 ground the self-controuling Joseph^ is extolled; that through the Principle which ruled in his mind, he overcame the temptation to sensual in- dulgence. For he, being youthful and fully ripe 3 for sexual intercourse, quelled through Principle the impetuous ardour of his passions. And not only does Principle seem to vanquish 4 the stimulus of sensual indulgence, but also that of desire of every kind. For instance, the Law 5 says '', " Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's " wife, nor any thing which is thy neighbour's." And now, since the Law has enjoined us not to 6 covet, I may the more easily persuade you that Principle is able to overcome the desires, even as it masters those passions which are preventive of Justice. For how is a man reclaimed, who through 7 parsimony habitually lives by himself", and is a ° Gr. ipifiovvTw,, are led as reproved by Job, who thus by a halter. imprecates on himself: " If * See Genesis xxxix. " I have eaten my rnorsel my- ^ Namely, at Exodus xx. " self alone, and the father- 17- " less hath not eaten thereof, c The sordid baseness of " — then let mine arm fall this habit is alluded to and " from my shoulder-blade. CHAP. II. glutton and a drunkard*^; unless it be evident 8 that Principle is lord over the passions ? But as soon as any man regulates his life by the Law, — although he be a miser, he does violence to his own disposition ; lending money without interest to those who are in need, and forfeiting* the mo- ney lent when the weeks of the sabbatical year 9 come on. And though a man be naturally parsi- monious, he becomes obedient to the Law through Principle; neither gathering up ^ the last ears of his harvest, nor gleaning the remnant of his vine- yards : and in other points of his conduct it is easy to see that it is Principle which conquers his 10 passions. For the Law prevails even over affec- tion towards parents ; not surrendering the cause 11 of Virtue even on their account. It also prevails over conjugal affection ; condemning it whenever 12 it seems contrary to law. It conti'ouls likewise the affection of parents towards their children, punishing them for any vice. And it is master over the intercourse between friends, reproving them for any evil doings. 13 And do not think this to be incredible, when Principle is able to overcome even enmity, by 14 means of the Law: not permitting us to cut down the fruit-trees? belonging to the enemies, but pre- " and mine arm be broken of jubilee, the provisions of " from the bone." Job xxxi. which are detailed in Leviti- 17, 23. See above, ch. i. 27. cus, ch. xxv. d Grr. iiovo(l>ayos tis i)v to f See Leviticus xix. 9, 10 ; ^6os, Koi yaarpifiapyos, (cat fie- xxiii. 22; Deut. xxiv. 19,21. 6viros. e See this injunction laid « Gr. Koi TO Sdveiov tSv e/3- upon the Israelites at Deut. bofiAbav ivaraa-av xp^oKowoviie- xx. 19, where they are called vor. The allusion seems to be " trees for meat." Josephus, to the sabbatical year, or year in his second book against Q BOOK IV. serving their property from those who were de- stroying it, and helping to build up again the things which had fallen. And even over the more violent passions Prin- 15 ciple appears to bear rule ; namely, the love of empire, and vain-glory, and boasting, and ostenta- tion, and envy. For all these malignant passions 16 a sober mind subdues and repels, as likewise it behaves towards anger ; for even this it masters. For example ; Moses, when enraged with Dathan 17 and Abiram, did nothing against them in anger'', but disciplined his mind under Principle. For 18 the sober mind, as I observed, is able to prevail against the passions : and some of them it can change, and others utterly annul'. For on what 19 other ground does our most wise father Jacob'' reprove Simeon and Levi, for having slain the whole tribe of the Sichemites contrary to good Principle ; saying, " Cursed be their anger ?" For, 20 if Principle had not possessed the power of sub-, duing Anger, he would not have spoken thus. For 21 when God formed man. He planted around him a variety both of passions and of moral feelings. And then over all He set the intellectual Mind as 22 on a throne', for a holy director by means of the Apion, has a parallel passage: " on the face of the earth." 'Em«K7 Se KOI TO. itphs tovs tto- i These two verses (17j 18.) Xe/iiovs e'ivai KpiBevra' ovbe yap do not occur in Josephus' ea Qo ffS/ior] text. Trjv yrjv avT&v nvpTroKeiv, oiSe ^ See Genesis xxxiv. and Kmrrciv ^ficpa BevSpa (Tuyxexw- xUx. pt)K€v. 1 Gr. Koi TtjviKavTa St irepi t See this verified (in travrav rhv Uphv rj-yefiova vovv Numbers xvi.) of the man hw. tS>v evdov aMriTripiav eve- who " was very meek, above 6p6vurev. " all the men which were up. CHAP. III. 227 23 internal sensations. And to this Mind He im- parted a law ; by which if it guide itself, it will continue to support an empire, sober, and just, and virtuous, and brave. CHAPTER III. The argument illustrated by example. 1 How then happens it, any one may say, that if Principle subdues the passions, it does not obtain the mastery over forgetfulness and ignorance ? 2 But this reasoning is perfectly ridiculous : for Principle does not appear to have dominion over those passions which are connected with itself, but 3 over those which belong to the body. For in- stance, any one of you may not be able wholly to eradicate Desire ; but nevertheless your Principle is able to effect so much as this, that you be not 4 enslaved by that desire. Any one of us may not be able to root quite out of his mind Anger : but still, he may be able, hy means of Reason, to lend 5 aid* towards subduing his anger. Any one of you may not be able to eradicate a vicious propensity: but Principle is able to assist him, so that he 6 shall not be bowed down by this propensity. For Principle is not an eradicator of the Passions, but their antagonist and opponent. 7 And this we may illustrate more forcibly by 8 the thirst of king David''. For when David had been engaged with the Philistines during a whole day, and had slain many of them, in company a Gr. ^ri6rja-ai t^ 6vfi.^. fiXdnTeiv to irwyLa. Lib. XI. 25. This use of the verb ^mjBca) b gee the history of this we have in Polybius ; ^orjBc'iv transaction at 2 Sam. xxiii. Toii v6\eyev. The " the well of Bethlehem, B. C. 186. CHAP. III. 229 Principle in opposition to his desire, he poured 18 out the cup as an offering to God. For the sober mind is able to overcome the pressure of the pas- 19 sions ; and to extinguish the flames of lusts ; and to vanquish bodily pains, however excessive ; and, by honourable uprightness of Principle, to reject with scorn "all assumed dominion of the Passions. 20 But the occasion now invites us to the demon- strative proof from history of this theory b.c. of sober Principle. ^®®" 21 For, when our fathers were enjoying complete peaces through their strict observance of the Law, and were prospering; so that even the king of Asia, Seleucus Nicanor, both assigned them mo- ney for the service of the temple, and approved and permitted their constitution and form of go- 22 vernment : then certain persons, attempting inno- vations against the general unanimity of senti- ment, fell into calamities'" in various ways. " which is by the gate ! And muel xxiii. 15 — 17- " the three mighty men brake S This narrative commences " through the host of the about the year 187 before " Philistines^ and drew water Christ, when Seleucus Philo- " out of the well of Bethle- pator was king of Syria; Pto- " hem that was by the gate, lemy Epiphanes king of E- " and took it, and brought it gypt ;' and Onias, the son of " to David : nevertheless he Simon, high priest of the " would not drink thereof, Jews. Compare 3 Mace. iii. " but poured it out unto the ^ Gr. iroXwrpdTrott ixpr\opms. But this text is " far from me, O Lord, that probably faulty : the sense " I should do this : is not seems to be, that, through the " this the blood of the men ill-advised attempts of some " that went in jeopardy of few persons, the whole nation " their lives ? therefore he was brought into calamity. " would not drink it." 2 Sa- Q 3 230 BOOK IV. B.C. 176. CHAPTER IV. The attempt of Apollomus. The beginning of Antio- chus' ill-will to the Jews. For a certain man named Simon, who was op- 1 B.C. posed in politics to Onias, then holding ^'^' the high-priesthood for his life, an upright and honourable man, — after that by every kind of accusation thrown out to the hurt of his nation, he could do him no harm ; fled away, with the design of betraying his country, to the enemy. Wherefore, when he was come to ApoUonius^, 2 the military governor of Syria and Phoenice and Cilicia, he said : " Being well affected towards 3 " the interests of the king, I am come to inform " you that many immense sums'* of private money " are hoarded up in the treasuries in Jerusalem, " which monies have no connexion with the tem- " pie, but belong of right to king Seleucus." ApoUonius, coming to the knowledge of these 4 particulars, praises Simon for his affectionate re- gard for the king; and, going up to Seleucus, apprised him of this accumulated treasure. And 5 when he had received a commission respecting it, taking his attendant troops, and quickly returning into our country with the accursed Simon and a most powerful army ; he proclained that he was 6 come at the king's command, to take away from » Compare the history of the person sent was Heliodo- this transaction with the ac- rus, not ApoUonius : but this counts given in the other latter name is mentioned (as books; namely, at 3 Mace, archbishop Ussher observes) iii. 5, &c. 5 Mace. i. 2. in the Fasti Siculi. Both these books state that ^ Gr. irdKKas ftvpidSas. B.C. 176. CHAP. IV. 231 the treasury the money which belonged to indi- 7 viduals. And when our nation was indignant at this speech, and spake up against it ; thinking it were extremely hard that they who had confided their deposits to the sacred treasury should be deprived of them ; they prepared what resistance 8 they could. But ApoUonius with threats de- 9 parted for the temple. But the priests, with the women and children in the temple, having be- sought God to protect the holy place which was 10 thus contemned ; and while ApoUonius with his armed forces was going up to the seizure of the treasure; — there appeared from heaven angels", riding on horses, glittering all over in their armour, and filling his troops with great fear and 11 trembling. And ApoUonius, falling down half dead upon the floor of that court of the temple which is open to all'^ nations, stretched forth his hands to heaven, and with tears besought the Hebrews, that by offering up prayers for him they 12 would appease the heavenly host. [For he owned that he had sinned, so as even to be worthy of death ; and that, if he were preserved, he would proclaim abroad to all men the blessedness of the holy place •=.] 13 Onias the high priest, induced by these words, and on other grounds being anxious that king Seleucus should not think that ApoUonius had been thus laid hold on by human stratagem and <= Compare the account d Namely, that which was given in 3 Mace. iii. which called " the court of the Gen- differs in a few particulars : " tiles." for example, Heliodorus, not « This verse does not occur ApoUonius, is there made the in Josephus. principal actor. Q 4 232 BOOK IV. B.C. 175. not by Divine vengeance, prayed for him. And 14 he, being thus unexpectedly preserved from death, departed, intending to shew unto the king^ the things which had happened to him. But when king Seleucus was dead, his son 15 B. c. Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded s to his king- ^7^- dora, a haughty and wicked man''- Who, 16 having deposed Onias from the high-priesthood, appointed his brother Jason high priest: who had 17 covenanted, if Antiochus would give him the au- thority, to pay him ' every year three thousand six hundred and sixty talents. And the king gave 18 him authority to be high priest, and to be civil ruler of the nation. Who both changed the way 19 of living of the Jewish people, and led them aside by strange policies to all kinds of transgression of their law. So that he not only erected a gym- 20 nasium on the very citadel of our country, but also put a stop'' to the service of the temple. At which things Divine Justice being provoked, 21 caused Antiochus himself to be their enemy. For when he was in Egypt warring with Pto- 22 About lemy', and had heard that, on a report of ■ his death being circulated, the men of Jeru- * Compare 3 Mace. iii. ninety poundsj of our money! 36 — 39. '' See this predicted at g Namely, in the year be- Daniel xi. 31, and its fulfil- fore Christ 175. ment detailed more fully at ^ See his character drawn 2 Mace. i. 39. 41, &c. at 2 Mace. i. 10, and the 1 Ptolemy Philometor. An- notes there. tiochus wishing " to have the > If the figures here given " dominion of two realms," be correct, the money pro- (see 2 Mace. i. 16.) entered mised yearly to Antiochus into Egypt, and made war amounts to the enormous sum against Ptolemy, and defeated of one hundred and thirty one him, anno Seleucid. 143. thousand three hundred and B.C. I7O. B. C. 167. CHAP. V. salem had most exceedingly rejoiced", he marched 23 against them with all speed. And when he had defeated them, he made a decree, that if any of them were seen living according to the laws and customs of their country, they should be put to 24 death. And when he could in no way accomplish by his decrees the dissolution of that affection which the people bore to their own law ; but saw that all his threats and punishments were ren- 25 dered vain: so that even women", because they had circumcised their children, were thrown down a precipice, together with their infants, being pre- viously aware that they would suffer this punish- 26 ment if they ventured to circumcise : when there- fore his decrees were treated with contempt by the people, he in person compelled by tortures every individual of the nation, by tasting for- bidden and unclean meats", to abjure the Jewish religion. CHAPTER V. Eleazar brought forward. His eloquent address to the hing. 1 The tyrant Antiochus^, then, sitting in state with his attendants on a certain elevated ^^^^^ spot, and his armed troops standing round B.c.ie;. 2 them on every side ; — commanded his guards to ™ Gr. as evi pmKuTTa x"!- any of the meats which their poiev. Respecting their sup- law pronounced to be unclean posed joy, see 3 Mace. v. 5. should even be brought with- and 11. in the precincts of the city. * Compare 3 Mace. vi. 10. See Josephus, Antiq. XII. o How strong a contrast 3. does thia. present to the con- » This persecution of Ele- duct of his predecessor Anti- azar and the rest is thought ochus the Great : who, in his to have taken place in the eager desire to benefit and year before Christ 167- Com- please the Jews, forbade that pare 3 Mace. vi. 18, &c. BOOK IV. B.C. 167. seize every individual of the Hebrews, and to compel him to taste swine's flesh'', and things oifered to idols <=- And that if any persons re- 3 fused to eat this unclean food, they should be tortured to death upon the wheel. And when, many had been seized, a Hebrew 4 named Eleazar, a chief man among the people, by family a priest, by profession a lawyer^, and ad- vanced in years, and from his age known to many of those about the king, was brought out near to him. And Antiochus seeing him, said ; " Old 5 " man, I would advise you, before your torments " begin, to eat of the swine's flesh and save your " life : for I respect your age and grey hairs ; 6 " which, although you have had for so long a " time, you do not seem to me to understand phi- " losophy, since you adhere to the superstition of " the Jews. For why, since nature has freely 7 " given you the excellent food of this animal's " flesh, do you abhor it ? For truly it is absurd 8 " not to enjoy things which are agreeable, without " conveying any disgrace ; and unjust to turn our- " selves away from the favours of nature. But 9 " you seem to me likely to do a thing still more " senseless, if, from a vain affectation of foUow- " ing Truth, you will further proceed to hold me " in contempt, to your own punishment. Will 10 ^ It is of course remem- early Christian converts, by bered that this food was ex- an express ordinance of the pressly and by name forbidden Apostles. See Acts xv. 29. to the Jews by God. See d Gr. vo/ukos : t^e same Leviticus xi. 7- word occurs in the New " Gr. el8iav (jtiKoKdXovvres, Koi to (f)v- are opposed to such a change, XdrTew tovs vojiovs koI rfjv xara the received text obtains a tovtovs irapabehoitlvrjv eva-e^nav strong confirmation from the epyov avayKotAraTov iravros toC following passage of Josephus, ^iov newoirifitvoi. 236 BOOK IV. B. C. 167. " think therefore, that this is a small oflFence, if " we should eat of things which are unclean. For 20 " to transgress in small matters or in great is " equal in guilt; for by each of these the law " is equally holden at nought. " And you deride our philosophy, as though we 21 " live in it without good reason for so doing. " Yet it throughly teaches us temperance, so that 22 " we master all the pleasures and desires : and it " exercises us in fortitude, so that we willingly " undergo every toil 8 : and it instructs us in jus- 23 " tice, so that in all our behaviour we give what " is due : and it teaches us to be pious, so that " we worship the only living God in a manner " becoming his greatness. " Wherefore we eat not unclean meats : for, 24 " believing that the law was constituted by God, " we know that the Creator of the world sympa- " thises . with our nature in the framing of his " laws. And those things which will suit our na- 25 " tures he has permitted us to eat ; but the meats " which would prove the contrary, he has for- " bidden us to use. " But you, tyrannically, not only force us to 26 " transgress the law, but also to eat, that you " may still further have to laugh at this eating of " unclean things which is most odious to us. But 27 g The Greek text of verses icei, laoTe iravra irovov fKovaias 22 and 23 is greatly obscured imojieveiv. Kal SiKmotrivriv ircu- by careless pointing and print- Sevei, ware hia iravrw t&v fiBav ing in the Oxford edition : la-ovofietv. Kal evae^dav SiSda-Kci, it ought to stand thus : Sa>- mtrre /iSvov t6v ovra &e6v ire^iv (jipotrvvtjv Te yap fipas ixSiSda-Kft, yieyakonpeiras . Thus the four (Bore naaav t&v ^Sovav koI iwiBv- parts are complete, and answer piwv Kparciv : Kal avbpelav i^air- to each other. B. C. 167. CHAP. VI. 237 " this laughter you never shall enjoy against me : " nor will I violate the sacred oaths of my fore- 28 « fathers concerning the keeping of the law. Not " even if you pluck out my eyes, and consume 29 " my entrails in the fire. I am not so old and " devoid of spirit, but that my principle is still vi- 30 " gOrous in religion's cause. Against this, pre- " pare your racks, and kindle the fire still more " fiercely f. I will not so far compassionate my " old age, as for ray own individual sake to pull 31 " down the law of ray country. I will not fail " thee, O law, ray instructor ! I will not forsake 32 « thee, O beloved self-controul ! nor will I sharae " thee, O philosophic reason ! nor will I renounce " thee, O honoured priesthood and science of the 33 " law ! Nor shall you pollute my reverend mouth " in old age, nor the advanced years of a life 34 " passed in obedience '^ to the law. My fathers " shall receive me pure, not having been afraid of 35 " your violence even unto death. For indeed " over the ungodly you will tyrannize : but over " my religious principles you shall not obtain do- " minion, neither by your arguments nor your « deeds." CHAPTER VI. Eleazar's sufferings ; and death. Reflections on it. 1 When Eleazar had in this manner eloquently answered* the tyrant's exhortations, the guards surrounded him, and drew him with violence to 2 the instruments of torture. And first of all they g See Daniel iii. 19. ' English ; as indeed is fre- •i Gr. oihe vofiifwv jSiov ^Xu quently the case throughout Kiav, a phrase which scarcely this book. admits a close translation into a Gr. dvnpriTopeia-avTa. 238 BOOK IV. B.C. 167. stripped'' the old man, arrayed as he was in the becoming garb of piety. Then, having bound his 3 arms to each side of his body, they disfigured him with scourges : a herald on each side crying out aloud, " Obey the commands of the king." But 4 Eleazar, truly noble and high-minded, regarded it not in the least, as though he were tortured only in a dream. But lifting up his eyes on high to 5 heaven, the old man was stript of his flesh by the whips, and streamed down with blood, and his flanks were laid open by wounds. And though 6 he fell to the ground, because his body could not support the pains, he still retained his strength of principle upright and unbending. Then one of the savage guards leaping upon his 7 belly kicked *= it, to make him rise up after he had fallen. But he supported the pain, and regarded 8 not the violence, and patiently endured the ill usage. And, like a fine spirited champion "^ at the 9 Grecian games, the old man enduring stripes con- quered his tormentors. And though his face was 10 wet with perspiration, and he sorely gasped for breath; yet he was admired, even by those who tortured him, for his hardihood. Wherefore, partly in pity for his age; partly li feeling sympathy for their former acquaintance with him, and partly in admiration of his con- stancy ; some of the king's attendants came up to him and said : Why, Eleazar, will you destroy* 12 yourself by all these evils ? we will bring you '' Gr. TrepicBva-av row yripaiov * Gr. 'AffKrjriit. eKieeKoa-firifievov nepi TrfV eiire^eiav « There is a variety of read- (va-xriiio(rvvr]v. ing in the Greek : aTroWds, •^ Gr. Xa|i els Toils Keve&vas v7roj3aXX«r, wapa^dWcis. ivaW6p,evos eTV7rTcy> B. C. 167. CHAP. VI. 239 some dressed ineat^, and do you save yourself by pretending to have tasted some of the swine's flesh. 13 But Eleazar, as if tortured s still more cruelly 14 by this advice, cried out : " Let not us, who are " children of Abraham, be so foolish as through " weakness of mind to play a part which is dis- 15 " creditable to us. Absurd indeed it would be, if " having lived to old age in conformity with the " truth, and preserving a good character agreeably " to the law'', we now should change our course : 16 " and ourselves should become a pattern of im- " piety to the young, by being an example of eat- 17 " ing unclean meats. It would be disgraceful, if " we should still live on for some short time ; and " this, being derided by all men for our coward- 18 " ice. While by the tyrant we shall be despised " as spiritless, and shall not have defended our di- 19 " vine law unto the death. Wherefore, do you, " O ye children of Abraham, die nobly in defence " of i/our religion. But you, ye guards of the ty- " rant, why do you make delay ' ?" 20 When they beheld him thus high-spirited in f Gr. rav rjyjnjiievav, SO that Acts xxi. 13. by the outward appearance it li Gr. bo^av vojiijiass (jivKaa-- could not be distinguished. o-ovtcs. e We have here exhibited i Thus, in 3 Mace. vii. 30, by Eleazar a portion of that the youngest of the seven spirit which animated St. sons, when led out to punish- Paul, when his friends, alarm- ment and warmed by the ed for his safety, besought pious address of his mother, him not to go up to Jerusa- exclaimed, " Whom wait ye lem : " What mean ye to " for.'' I will nol; obey the " weep and to break mine " king's commandment : but " heart .'' for I am ready not " I will obey the command- " to be bound only, but also " ment of the law that was " to die at Jerusalem for the " given unto our fathers by " name of the Lord Jesus." " Moses." 240 BOOK IV. B.C. 167. the midst of his troubles ; and that he did not change at all through their compassion of him, they carried him to the fire. Then with their 21 horrid instruments they threw him on the pile of fire to bum him, and poured stinking liquids into his nostrils. But he, being now completely burnt 22 to the bones, and about to expire, lifted up his eyes to God, and said : " Thou knowest, O God, 23 " that whereas I might have saved myself, I am " dying by fiery torments for the law's sake. " Therefore be merciful to thy people, being satis- " fied with the punishment suffered by me for " them. Make my blood ^ a purification for them, 24 " and accept my life an offering instead of theirs." And having uttered these words, the holy man 25 died nobly in his torments ; and, even to the tor- tures of death, stood fast in his principle for the sake of the law. Confessedly therefore religious Principle is lord 26 over the passions. For if the passions had over- 27 powered principle, I would have given to them the testimony of such mastery. But now, since principle has overcome the passions, to it we give, as is becoming, the rank and power of sovereignty. And it is just that we should own that the mas- 28 tery belongs to principle, since it prevails over pains inflicted from without'. Nay, to say other- 29 k Gr. KaSdpiTiov avT&v iroifj- " which is justly brought croK rh e/ioi» ai/ia. So, at " upon all our nation, may 3 Maoc. vii. 37, " Ij as my " cease." — For the use and " brethren, offer up my body meaning of the word xaSap- " and life for the laws of our a-wv, see /Elian. Var. Hist. " fathers, beseeching God that XIV. 7 : and compare the " he would speedily be mer- Oration of ^schines against " ciful unto our nation : and Timarchus, sect. 23. " that in me and my brethren ' Gr. rav e^wdev SKyrjh6vmv. " the wrath of the Almighty, B.C. 167. CHAP. VII. 241 wise would be ridiculous : and I demonstrate, that Principle not only conquers pains, but likewise that it is master over pleasures, and does not give way to these. CHAPTER VII. Reflections on the sufferings and constancy ofEleazar. 1 For the principle of our father Eleazar, as an excellent pilot, steering the ship of piety through 2 the stormy sea of passions ; — ^though ill-used by the tyrant's threats, and overwhelmed by the tem- 3 pestuous waves of tortures ; — by no means turned aside the rudder of piety, until it sailed in safely 4 to the harbour of immortal victory. No city ever so held out, when besieged by numerous and va- ried engines of war, as did that holy man, while his sacred life was assailed with scourgings and racks ; and he conquered his besiegers, through 5 the principle of piety which shielded him. For father Eleazar, stretching out his firm determina- tion as a rocky promontory*, broke to pieces around it the raging billows of the passions. 6 O Priest worthy of the priesthood ! thou didst not pollute thy holy teeth, nor defile with pol- luted meat thy stomach^ which admitted only that which was holy and clean. O thou harraonizer" with the law, and disciple* of a divine philo- 7 sophy ! Such ought those to be, who put in prac- tice* the law at the cost of their own life, and a See a somewhat similar does not well admit a close figure of speech below, at translation into English, ch. xiii. 6. "^ Gr. ^iK6(To€ 6eiov \6yov. ^ Gr. TTjv Beotre^eiau koi ko- ^ The Greek text varies, Sapiarfibv \pr]0-alas Xoyous. 44. e Gr. f6ucm\ri6ovs. But there ^ This last clause is want- is a various reading, which as ing in some MSS. B.C. 167. CHAP. VIII. 243 15 But perhaps some persons may say, that all men do not subdue their passions ^ ; because all 16 indeed do not possess this prudent principle. But as many as pay regard to piety with all their heart, these alone are able to overcome the afFec- 17 tions of the flesh. Who believe that to God they do not die : for, even as our forefathers Abra- 18 ham ^, Isaac, and Jacob, they live to God. It does not therefore contradict our assertion, if that some men through weakness of principle appear to be governed by their passions. For who, that piously follows the whole rule of philosophy, and trusts in God, and knows that it is a blessed thing to endure every pain for virtue's sake, would not overcome his passions, in the cause of reli- 19 gion? For the wise and temperate man alone is the brave controller of the passions. CHAPTER VIII. Seven brethren, with their mother, are hrought Jbrth to the torture. 1 Theough this it was, that even boys, govern- ing their conduct by religious principle, ^ ^ overcame still severer torments. ^^''• 2 For when the tyrant was signally defeated in his first attempt, not having been able to force the old 3 man to eat unclean meats ; then in violent anger he commanded to bring others of the grown-up* He- brew captives : and, if they would eat the unclean i It seems that the sup- k gee Exodus iii- 6. and posed objection terminates St. Matthew xxii. 32 ; Mark here, and that the remainder xii. 26. of the sentence comprises the a q^. ek t^s rjKidas tS>v author's answer to such an ''E^palonv. argument. R2 244 BOOK IV. B.C. 167. food, to let them go when they had eaten ; but, if they refused, to torment them with greater se- verity. The tyrant having given these orders, there 4 were brought forward seven brethren ^ together with their aged mother, handsome and modest youths, and ingenuous, and altogether graceful in appearance. Whom when the tyrant beheld en- 5 circling their mother as in a dance, he was pleased with them ; and being struck with their fair and ingenuous appearance, he smiled upon them, and having called them near to him, said ; " O young 6 " men, I have an affectionate admiration of the " beauty of each of you ; and greatly respecting 7 " so numerous a band of brothers, I not only ad- " vise you not to fall into the same madness with " that old man who was recently tortured : but 8 " moreover I counsel you to yield, and to enjoy " my friendship : for, as I have the power '^ to " punish those who disobey my commands, so " have I also power to confer favours upon those " who are obedient to me. Trust to me ^ there- 9 " fore, and you shall receive stations of authority^ " in my affairs, after you have renounced the or- " dinance of the policy of your fathers *■ : and 10 ^ RufinuSj in his Latin pa- '^ The same argumentj we raphrase of this bookj relates remember, was addressed by that the mother's name was Pilate to our blessed Saviour. Solomona, and those of the See St. John xix. 10. sons, Maccabseus, Aber, Ma- ^Gr. nK7Tei;(7-are: but a pre- chir, Judas, Achaz, Areth, ferable various reading is mur- Jacob : from their eldest bro- Bivres, " obeying." ther these youths obtained = Gr. dpxas ^yeiiovims. commonly the appellation of f Gr. t6v iraxprnv v/iSiv rgs " the Maccabaean brethren." iroKireias 6e(rii6v. [Ussher.] B.C. 167. CHAP. VIII. 245 " adopting the Grecian mode s of life, and living " according to it, enjoy your youth with all its 11 " delights. For, if you dispose me to anger by " your disobedience, you will compel me, with " dreadful punishments, to destroy every one of 12 " you by tortures. Have mercy therefore on your- " selves, whom even I an enemy pity on account 13 " of your youthful age and your fair forms. Will " you not take this into consideration, that if you " disobey, there is nothing in store for you but to " die in the midst of torments?" 14 And thus saying, he commanded the instru- ments of torture to be brought forward ; that even by terror he might persuade them to eat the un- 15 clean meats. And when his guards brought out the wheels, and dislocating racks, and puUies'', and catapeltae, and caldrons, and frying-pans, and rings, and iron fetters, and wedges, and ma- 16 terials for kindling fire : the tyrant went on to say ; " Young men, be afraid : and that just " Deity, whom you worship, will pardon you for 17 " having transgressed upon compulsion." But they, though hearing seductive words, and behold- ing terrible things ', not only were not afraid, but even replied to the tyrant's arguments; and, by the excellence of their reasoning, demolished his power. g For former accounts of whatsoever. For all these this policy of Antiochus to- implements of torture, the wards the Jews, see 2 Mace, reader may consult " Gallo- i. 12 — 14; and 3 Mace. iii. " nius de Martyrum cruei- 9— 19; V. 1—11. " atibus/' 8vo. 1668. •i Gr. Tpoxavrrjpas. It is ' ^Qu ov fi6vov ^ iSXajSiy r/Svvaro not easy to say exactly avveia-pi^ai airoiis, dXXa kcu tj what the rpoxavr^p was : the S\lns iKva \eiwo- ^ The text of this, verse in raicT-^crF/re, a phrase which does the edition of 1817 is thus : not admit a close rendering Tavra \eyovTes els trvp eVerpo)- into English. a-av, Kal 8upe6iSovTis, tov rpoxov 1 Gr. iepav Kal evyevij (TTpa- TrpoirejnKaTeTeivov' which is pro- Teiav (TTpaTevo'curde. Precisely bably corrupt, and ought to the same advice, and almost be (as in Grabe), Taura XeyovTi in the selfsame words, is 250 BOOK IV. B. C. 167. " for Religion ; by which means the providence of " our Just Father, becoming appeased towards " our nation, may take vengeance on the execrable " tyrant." And having spoken thus, the holy ad- 25 rairable youth breathed out his soul. And when all had wondered at his persevering 26 spirit, the officers brought out the one who was next to him in age ; and having fitted on them- selves iron gauntlets™ with sharp nails, they bound him to the machines called catapeltse. And 27 when, on asking whether he would consent to eat before he were tortured, they heard his noble sen- timent ; tearing him with the iron claws from the 28 muscles of his neck, the savage beasts like pan- thers" drew off all the flesh to the chin, and the skin of his head. But he with gravity bearing 29 this pain, said : How pleasant is every form of death in behalf of our country's Religion ! And to 30 the tyrant he said, " Do you not think, most in- " human of all tyrants, that you are now sufFer- '* ing torments greater than mine, on seeing the " haughty calculations of your tyranny defeated " by our endurance in Religion's cause ? For I 31 " truly lighten my own pains with the delights " which virtue yields. But you are tormented " with the apprehensions of impiety: and you " shall not escape, O most infamous tyrant, the " Divine wrath !" given by St. Paul to Timothy, shewn at verse 28. iva arpaTevr) r^» KdKrjV (TTpareiav, n Gr. oi TrapSdXcioi Orjpes. 1 Tim. i. 18. Athenseus uses the word irap- ^ Gr. trtSripas x"P"r. The SdKaSris to express the same officers or executioners put on idea. The metaphor is fami- these gloves, or gauntlets, or liar to most of the Greek claws, that they might tear classic authors, his flesh from the bones, as B.C. 167. CHAP. X. 251 CHAPTER X. The third and fourth brothers are put to death. 1 And when this one had undergone a memor- able" death, the third was brought forward, being much intreated by many that he would taste the 2 meats, and save his life. But he, crying aloud, said : " Do ye not know that the same father begat " and the same mother bare me, as those who just " now have died ; and that I was educated in the 3 " same opinions? I will not abjure'' the honourable " tie of brotherhood. Wherefore, if ye have ready " any species of punishment, apply it to my body : " for my mind, even if you wish it, you cannot 4 " reach." But they, grievously disliking his free- dom of speech, wrenched his hands and feet with dislocating engines ; and straining him by the 5 joints, pulled his limbs asunder. And they frac- tured his fingers, and his arms, and his legs, and 6 his elbows''. And not being able to choke him by any means, dragging ofF^ his skin together with the tips of his fingers, they flayed him entirely, and immediately brought him to the wheel. 7 Round about which ^, while he was dislocated, even to the back bone, he beheld the pieces of his * Gr. Tov aoiSiftov, "worthy lower joints of the arms. " of song." The same expres- * Gr. Trcpurvpavres to Scpfia sion is repeated at verse 1 3. o-iiv axpais rais tS>v SaKTvkav ko- ^ According to the intreaty pv The Greek text of this leXm/ici/oy e^efuki^eTo. It may- verse is somewhat difficult of mean, that he was broken interpretation : rrp/ diKdSfK(j>oi ■\jrv- " kill the soul/' &c. Matt. x. x"'- The text is rather ob- 28. scure : and beyond all doubt ^ Gr. ry Tov 6eiov XoyuTfiov the reading of the edition of iraeoKparela. 1817 is Corrupt. s 2 260 BOOK IV. B. C. 167. that study and practice (which we use) of the law of God. Brotherly aflfection therefore, being thus full of 20 sympathy, even in ordinary cases, these seven brethren had between themselves a still more strongly sympathetic unanimity. For having been 21 educated in the same law, and having practised the same virtues, and being brought up together in a life of righteousness, they loved ^ each other with still greater ardour. For a similar zeal for 22 all which was right and honourable, added inten- sity to their mutual accordance. For by the ad- dition of piety, it made brotherly affection more than ever desirable to them. But yet, although 23 nature, and familiarity, and virtuous morals, had combined to increase in them the already strong ties of brotherhood ; those who were left of them endured to behold their brethren, who were cruelly used for their religion, tortured even unto death. CHAPTER XIV. Re/lections on the noble conduct of the youths, and on their mother's sufferings. And more than this, they were even encourag- i ing them on to the cruel treatment : so that they not only disregarded those pains, but likewise overcame the affections of brotherly love. O prin- 2 ciples, more kingly than a king ! more liberal than the liberal minded ^ ! O sacred and harmonious agreement of the seven brethren in religion ! Not 3 one of the seven youths shewed cowardice, nor 1 The edition of 1817 is parepoi. * Gr. O /3a(nX€(os Xoyia-jioi B.C. 167. CHAP. XIV. 261 shrank back from death. But all, as if they were running the road to immortality, hastened to the 4 death by torture. For, as the hands and feet move in accordance with the directions of the mind : so these holy youths, being moved by reli- gion'', as by one immortal soul, joined in under- going death for its sake. 5 O most holy sevenfold band'= of accordant bro- 6 thers ! For, as the seven days of creation revolv- ing formed the circle of the week : so these youths formed a circling band of piety, overcom- 7 ing the fear of the tyrants torments. Now we, even at hearing the affliction of those young men, are struck with horror ; but they, not only seeing, and not only hearing the threatening words on the spot, but also suffering the effect of those threats, endured it ; and this, through the pains 8 of fire. Than which, what can be more pain- ful ? for the power of fire, being sharp and rapid, quickly consumes the bodies. 9 And think it not marvellous, that the principle of those men prevailed amidst their torments; when even a woman's mind despised pains still 10 more varied. For the mother"^ of those seven 1" The Greek text here is " give us the idea of Godj and not quite clear. " shew the perfection of his " There is a degree of ob- "majesty and goodness; so do scurity about the Greek text " these seven renowned mar- of this passage: 'Q Travayia ^ " tyrs, by running the whole av\i^&ivwi oSeKipav ifiSoiids' ko- " circle of pains and tortures, 6direp' yap iirra Trjs Koa-jMOTroitas " compose one finished piece rifiepai Trepl Ttju eiiTf^eiaV ovras " of constancy and courage ; irepl Trjv e^bofia&a xopevovres oi " and teach US that perfec- fielpaKes invicKovv tov tSiv ^aa-a. " tion of fortitude which ba- vav 6^ov KaroKvovTeg. L'Es- " nishes the slavish fear of trange paraphrases it thus : " death." " For as the seven days in <• Augustin thus expresses " which the world was created himself on the subject of this S 3 BOOK IV. B.C. 167. young men endured equal rackings over every one of her children. And consider now, how ex- 11 tensive and variously entwined® is the ardoUr of parental affection, drawing every creature to a sympathy with its own offspring. Since even ir- 12 rational animals entertain towards their young the same sympathy and affection as human beings. For instance, among birds, those which are do- 13 mesticated and wander about our houses, defend their young. And those which make nests and 14 hatch young on the tops of mountains, and in the crags of valleys, and the hollows and tops of trees, hinder any one from approaching them. And 15 even if they are unable to prevent this ; — ^flying around^ them, in agony of affection, calling out in their peculiar note, they succour their offspring in whatever manner they are able. And why need 16 we shew by example of irrational animals the sympathy which exists towards our children? when even bees, at the season of making honey, 17 drive away those who approach them ; and pierce with their sting, as with a sword, those who go near to their hive, and defend themselves even unto death. CHAPTER XV. An eulogy of the mother, for her most noble behaviour. Nevertheless*, sympathy for her children i verse : " Isti in se singuli but the former is to be pre- " sentiendo, Ula videndo in f erred. " omnibus passa est. Facta ^ ThuSj in that fine simile " mater septem martyrum, in the second book of the " septies martyr." (Angus- Iliad, it is said, Mtjttjp 8' a/i- tini Sermo de Maccabaeis, Op. (f>ewoTaTo oSvpo/ievrf v wa- Luke xvii. 33 ; and John xii. rcpav najBearavai a-vpiradeirrepas. 25. " He that loveth his life There is some variety of read- " shall lose it : and he that ing in the latter part of the " hateth his life in this world verse. " shall keep it unto life eter- f The Greek varies, be- " nal." tween (J3iKoyov&Tfpai and tto. <1 Gr. TidoXoyrjO-aip,' av. \vyovayrepcu, : but the latter can « The meaning of this pas- scarcely be maintained. S 4 264 BOOK IV. B.C. 167. them ; yet through the fear of God regarded not the temporary saving of her sons?. Not but that, on account of her sons' noble con- 8 duct, and their obedience to the law, she felt a still greater yearning of affection towards them. For they were both just, and temperate, and 9 brave, and high-minded, and fond of their bro- thers ; and fond of their mother to such a degree that they obeyed her even unto death, by keeping the injunctions of the law. But yet, although there 10 were so many circumstances of affection which drew on a mother to sympathy : in the case of no one of them were the various tortures able to turn astray her principle. But each child separately, 11 and all of them together, the mother actually en- couraged to the death for religion's sake. O holy disposition, and charms of parental love, 12 and affectionate feeling**, and the influence' of having bred up children, and the indomitable af- fections of mothers ! The mother beholding'' them 13 one by one racked and burned, changed not her- self, through religion. She beheld the flesh of 14 her children consuming in the fire, and their toes and fingers quivering on the ground, and the flesh of their heads stripped off^, even down to the beards, and hanging down like masks. S The Greek text of this this subjectj thus powerfully verse is very faulty^ in the describes the moral courage of edition of 1817- this parent : 'Hj< ovhh ^Kafi^^ev \ Gr. trvvea-is : but the edit, ovW ifuiKaKurev — fWK. apBpsfi^oKa 181 7j reads yoveviriv. irporeivofieva, oi Tpo)(ol——ov ' The Greek text gives the a-apxes ^aivSjMevai,, oix Mfiaros singlewordr/)o(/)eia,withacon- oxitoX pcovres. (Orat. XXII. ciseness of expression which de Maccabseis, p. 400. edit, our language wiU not reach. Paris, fol. 1609.) ^ Gregory Nazianzen, in ' See above^ ch. ix. 28. his fine animated oration on B. C, 167. CHAP. XV. 265 15 O mother, who at this instant wast tried by severer pangs than in thy bearing of them ! O thou woman, who alone hast brought forth entire 16 holiness ! Thy first-born expiring did not move thee : nor the second, piteously regarding thee in his torments : nor the third, yielding up his 17 breath. Nor, when thou didst behold the eyes of each of them fiercely glaring on™ the tortures destined for them, and their nostrils snuffing up the gale" of their own death, — didst thou weep ! 18 When thou beheldest flesh upon flesh of thy children chopped in pieces, hands after hands am- putated, and heads upon heads cut off", and corpse falling upon corpse ; and sawest the lately happy band of thy children made a common sepulchre" by these tortures, — ^thou didst not shed one tear. 19 Not so powerfully do the melodies of the sirens nor the notes of swans attract the hearers to listening, as did the voices of these children in 20 torments calling on their mother. With what and how great tortures was the mother herself tormented, while her sons were being tortured by " Gr. ravpriSov opavras. steady look, rather than to a Thus we read in the Medea fierce or determined one. The of Euripides, aTroTeravpaiTai Greek classics furnish many SfiSxrcv : and again, — eiSov ofifia cognate expressions : in iElian viv Tavpovjievjiv : and in Aris- we have trefivov koX ^\oavp6v tophaneSj (Ran. 804.) e^Xf^re opav ; and again nravaSes /3Xe- yovv TOVprjSov iyKvyjfas Kara), Treiv. (Var. Hist. XII. 21. et Also, in the Phsedo of Plato, Fragm.) — and appevamov koi Socrates on receiving the cup yopyov ^enciv. (Var. Hist. II. of hemlock, is described as 44. XIII. 1.) &c. &c. ma-TTfp flaSfi ravprjSov i)7ro/3Xci^as " Gr. npov OTfK^&v irokinkoKOv woiiaXiav. And the text, if not abso- lutely corrupt, is certainly imperfect without the inser- tion, as may be perceived; Kaitrcp hrra reKvtav opatra dnS)- \eiav, — As ndcras tj yevvaia ('■Tfnrip f^eSvtrfU &ia ttjv Trpos Bebv Tri(TTLV. 1 In all cases which were to be determined by suffrage, it was customary among the Greeks for each person to have two i/'^^ot, or tickets; one of which was called ■^lj. Gregory Nazi- word, signifying ten months anzen calls this band of instead of nine. brothers, rh t^s /iias yacrTpos •! Gr. oiSe jxajifu) KKtjde'ura el/crefies TroKvdvSpiov. Orat. p,aKapi(T6r)(roimi. XXII. p. 400. B.C. 176. CHAP. XVI. 269 bringing forth « the entire number of her sons to an immortal life, she rather besought and ex- horted them to a death in the cause of religion. 13 O mother, soldier of God for religion ! thou, a female, an aged woman, through perseverance hast vanquished a tyrant ; and hast been proved both in deeds and words moi-e powerful than a 14 man. For when thou wast seized, together with thy children, thou stoodest looking upon Eleazar under torture, and saidst to thy sons in the 15 Hebrew tongue ; " O my sons, the contest is a " noble one ; to which, seeing that you are called, " for a testimony to your nation, exert yourselves " in it with alacrity in defence of your country's 16 " law. For indeed it would he shameful, that " this old man should bravely endure pains for " religion's sake, but that you, who are younger, 17 " should be dismayed at the torments. Remember " that through God you received admission into " the world, and have enjoyed existence. And on " this account you owe the endurance of every 18 " suffering for God's sake. For whom also our " father Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son " Isaac, who was to he the father of our nation ^ : " and Isaac shrank not on seeing the paternal " hand, armed with a knife, descending upon him. 19 " And Daniel the Just was cast to the lions : and " Ananias, and Azarias, and Misael, were thrown " violently s into the fiery furnace, and endured it « Gr. KOI fis dBavaa-iav dva- timate compound. TiKTova-a [var. lect. avoKTi^ova-a} S Gr. d7rea-(j)cv8ovis (TV Tois la-aa-Tepovg character of their nation. Gr. cTTTa iToibas a>Tay(oyri(ra fog irokv^ov'uo, 1 See above, ch. i. 11. The entire imagery is taken ™ At Deuter. xxxiii. 3. from the public games of " Gr. avriyjnixov. Compare Greece. ch. i. 11, and vi. 24; with the ^ So Gregory Nazianzen note there, expresses himself on the sub- B.C. 167. CHAP. XVIII. 273 Divine Providence effectually saved Israel, which before was overwhelmed with evils. 22 For the tyrant Antiochus, beholding the bra- very of their virtue, and their patience under tor- ments, proclaimed their constancy by a herald, for 23 an example to his own soldiers. And he kept them in his service as noble and brave men, both for pitched battle and for siege of cities : and by their aid he routed and vanquished all his ene- mies. CHAPTER XVIII. The victorious result of their constancy. The mother'' s speech to her children. 1 O YE Israelites, descendants of the seed of Abraham, obey this law, and in every way ob- 2 serve religion. Knowing that religious Principle is lord over the passions : and not only over trou- bles from within, but likewise over those which are from without. 3 By which means those youths, exposing their lives to sufferings for religion, not only were ad- mired by men, but also wei*e deemed worthy of a 4 divine inheritance. And through them the nation obtained peace; and having reestablished in the country the wholesome observance of the laws, it 5 effectually dislodged its enemies. And the tyrant Antiochus was both punished on earth, and now 6 after his death is still enduring punishment. For, when he could by no means prevail so far as to compel the inhabitants of Jerusalem to adopt Gen- tile customs*, atid to live in a manner strange^ to 7 the usages of their country : he forthwith de- ft Gr. aK\o<^Xri(Tai. ^ Compare book II. ch. i. 44. T 274 BOOK IV. B. C. 167. parted from Jerusalem =, and led his army against the Persians. [B. C. 166.] ^ That righteous woman, the mother of the 8 seven young men, said thus also to her children : " I formerly was a pure virgin, and did not go 9 " out from my father's house ; but kept within ^ " the walled building. No ravisher, the despoiler ]0 " of unprotected innocence, ruined me in the fielder " nor did the seducer, the deceitful serpent ^, cor- e Compare 2 Mace. iii. 27 —31. 3 Mace. ix. 1, 2. d All which follows after the seventh verse is believed to have been written by a dif- ferent author. * Gr. f(j>v\a Compare 3 Mace. v. 2. " slain," ch. v. 14. • The author of the third 286 BOOK V. B.C. 169. mountains and woods, where they continued a long time, feeding upon herbs. After this, Antiochus determined to depart from 13 B c the country. But the evil which he had 14 i"^- done to the nation did not suffice him : but he left as his substitute a man named Faelix'', enjoining him to compel the Jews to worship his image, and to eat swine's flesh. Which Fselix did, 15 sending for the people to obey the king in the things which he had commanded him. But they 16 refused to do the things whereunto they were called ; wherefore he slew a great multitude of them ; preserving those wicked wretches and their family, and raising their dignity. CHAPTER IV.a The history of the death qfEUazar the priest. Aftebwards was seized Eleazar, who had 1 B c. gone with the doctors unto Ptolemy'', and 1^7- was then a very old man^ ninety years of age ; and he was placed before Faelix ; who said 2 to him, " Eleazar, truly you are a wise and pru- " dent man ; and indeed I have loved you for " many years, and therefore I should not wish " your death : therefore obey the king, and wor- 3 " ship his image, and eat of his sacrifices, and de- " part in safety." To whom Eleazar replied ; 4 " I am not about to forsake my obedience to God, ^ This appears to be either him " to compel the Jews to Philip, whom Antiochus is " depart from the laws of said (at 3 Mace. v. 22.) to " their fathers." have left governor at Jerusa- » Compare this chapter with lem J or else, "the old man 3 Mace. vi. 18 — 31. and with " of Athens" mentioned at 3 4 Mace. v. and vi. Mace. vi. 1, as being sent by ^ See above, ii. 4. B. C. 167. CHAP. IV. 287 5 " in order to obey the king." And Faelix, coming up, whispered to him, " Take care to send for " some one to bring you flesh from your own of- 6 " ferings, which place upon my table : and eat " some part of that in the presence of the people, " that they may know that you have obeyed the " king : and you will save your life, without any 7 " harm done to your religion." Eleazar answered him, " I do not obey God under any kind of fraud, " but rather I will endure this your violence. For " inasmuch as I am an old man of ninety years, " my bones are now weakened, and my body has 8 " wasted away. If I therefore shall with a brave " spirit endure those torments, from which even " the bravest young men shrink back in fear ; my " people and the youths of my nation will bravely 9 " imitate me, and will say ; ' How is it that we " may not endure the pains, which one, who is in- " ferior to us in strength, and less substantial in 10 " flesh and bones, has undergone ?' which indeed " will be better for me, than to deceive them by a 11 "feigned obedience to the king: for they will " then say, ' If that decrepid old man, wise and " prudent as he is, is clinging to life and overcome " by the pain of temporary matters ■=, abdicating " his religion ; truly that will be lawful for us " which was lawful for him, since he is an old " man and a wise one, and one whom we ought 12 "to follow.' Wherefore I would rather die, leav- " ing to them a constancy in religion and patience " against tyranny ; than live, after having weak- " ened their constancy in obeying their Lord and c Or, " is afflicted by the painful thought of bidding adieu " to temporal aiFairs." 288 BOOK V. B. C. 167. " following his commands ; so that through me " they may be rendered happy, not unhappy." Now when Faelix had heard the determination 1.3 of Eleazar, he was violently enraged with him, and commanded him to be tortured in a variety of ways : so that he came into the most desperate mortal struggle, and said ; " Thou, O God, 14 " knowest that I might have delivered myself " from the troubles into which I have fallen, by " obeying another rather than Thee. This how- 15 " ever I have not done ; but I have preferred " obeying Thee, and have esteemed all the vio- " lence offered me as light, for the sake of con- " stancy in obedience to Thee. And now I think 16 " little of the things which have happened to me " according to thy good pleasure, and support " them as well as I can. I therefore pray Thee, 17 " that Thou wilt accept this from me, and cause " me to die before I become weaker in endurance." And God heard his prayers ; and immediately he 18 died. But he left his people devoted to the wor- 19 ship of their God, and endued with a sound forti- tude, and perseverance in religion, and patience to hear up against the trials which awaited them. CHAPTER V^ The history of the death of the seven brethren. After this, seven brothers were seized, and their i mother ; and they were sent to the king ; for he had not yet gone far away from Jerusalem. And 2 when they had been carried to the king, one of them was brought into his presence ; whom he a Compare with this chapter^ 3 Mace. vii. and 4 Mace, viii — xii. B.C. 167. CHAP. V. 289 3 ordered to renounce hLs religion : but he refusing said to him, " If you think to teach us the truth 4 "for the first time, the matter is not so : for truth " is that which we have learned from our fathers, " and by which we have bound ourselves to em- " brace the worship of God only, and constantly " to observe the law ; and from this we in no 5 " wise will depart." And king Antiochus was angry at these words, and commanded an iron frying pan to be brought, and to be placed on the 6 fire. Then he ordered the young man's tongue to be cut out, and his hands and feet to be cut off, and the skin of his head to be flayed olF, and to be placed in the pan : and they did so to him. 7 Then he commanded a large brazen caldron to be brought and set over the fire, into which the 8 rest of his body was thrown. And when the man was near dying, he ordered the fire to be re- moved from him, that he might be tortured the longer : intending by these acts to terrify his 9 mother and his brethren. But in fact by this he gave them additional courage and strength, to maintain their religion with constancy, and to bear all those torments which tyranny could in- flict upon them, 10 So when the first was dead, the second was brought before him : to whom some of the at- tendants said, " Obey those orders which the king " will give you, lest you perish even as your bro- 11" ther perished." But he answered, " I am not " weaker in spirit than my brother, nor behind " him in my faith. Bring forward your fire and " sword ; and do not diminish ought of that which " you did to my brother." And they did to him u 290 BOOK V. B. C. 167. as had been done to his brother. And he called 12 ont to the king, and said to him ; " Hear, O thou " monster of cruelty towards men, and know that " thou gainest nothing of ours except our bodies ; " but our souls thou dost by no means obtain ; " and these shortly will go to their Creator, whom 13 " He will restore to their bodies, when He shall " raise to life'' the dead men of his nation and the " slain ones of his people." And the third was brought out ; who beckon- 14 ing with his hand said to the king ; " Why dost " thou frighten us, O enemy ? know that this is 15 " sent upon us from heaven, which also we under- " go as such, giving thanks to God, and from Him " we hope for our reward." And the king, and 16 those who stood near him, admired the courage of the youth, and the firmness of his mind, and his fair discourse. Then he gave orders, and he was slain. And the fourth was brought out, who said : 17 " For God's religion we set our lives to sale, and " hire them out, that we may require payment " from Him, on that day when you shall have no " excuse in the judgment, and shall not be able " to endure your tortures." The king commanded, 18 and he was put to death. And the fifth was brought out, who said to him ; 19 " Think not within thyself that God has forsaken " us, because of the things which He has sent ^ There appears here a ma- " sing, ye that dwell in dust : nifest allusion to the words of " for thy dew is as the dew the prophet Isaiah, ch. xxvi. " of herbs, and the earth shall 19, "Thy dead men shall live, "cast out the dead." Also, " together with my dead body to a striking passage in Eze- " shall they arise. Awake and chiel, ch. xxxvii. 1 — 14. B. C. 167. CHAP. V. 291 20 " upon us. But truly his will is, to shew us " honour and love by these things ; and He will 21 " avenge us of thee and of thy posterity." And the king commanded, and he was slain. 22 And the sixth was brought out, who said ; " I " confess indeed my offences to God, but I believe " that they shall be forgiven me through this my 23 " death. But you have now opposed God, by " slaying those who embrace His religion : and " surely He will repay you according to your " works, and will root you out frpm his earth." And he gave orders for him, and he was slain. 24 And the seventh was brought out, who was a 25 boy. Then his mother arose, fearless and un- moved, and looked upon" the corpses of her chil- 26 dren : and she said, " My sons, I know not how I " conceived each one of you, when I did conceive " him. Nor had I the power of giving him " breath ; or of bringing him forth to the light " of this world ; or of bestowing on him courage 27 " and understanding : but indeed the great and " good God himself formed him according to his " own will : and gave to him a form according to 28 " his good pleasure : and brought him into the " world by his power ; appointing to him a term " of life, and good rules, and a dispensation qfre- 29 « ligion, as it pleaseth Him. But you now have " sold to God your bodies which he himself form- " ed, and your souls which he created : and you " have acquiesced in his judgments which he 30 « hath decreed. Wherefore, happy are ye, in the " things which happily you have obtained ; and <= Compare what is related of her firmness and fortitude, in book IV. ch. xv. 13—23. U2 292 BOOK V. B.C. 167. " blessed are ye, for the things in which you " have been victorious." Now Antiochus had supposed, when he beheld 31 her rise up, that she had done this through being overcome by fear for her child ; and he wholly thought that she was about to enjoin him obe- dience to the king, that he might not perish as his brethren had perished. But when he had heard 32 her words, he was ashamed, and blushed, and commanded the boy to be brought to him ; that he might exhort him, and persuade him to love life, and deter him from death : lest all those 33 should be seen to oppose his authority, and very many others should follow their example. There- 34 fore, when he was brought to him, he exhorted him by discourse, and promised him riches, and sware to him that he would make him viceroy to himself. But when the boy was not at all moved 35 by his words, and took no heed of them; the king turned to his mother, and said to her; " Happy woman, pity this thy son, whom alone 36 " thou hast surviving ; and exhort him to comply " with my orders, and to escape those sufferings " which have happened to his brethren." And 37 she said, " Bring him hither, that I may exhort " him in the words of God." And when they had brought him to her, she 38 went aside from the crowd : then she kissed him, and laughed to scorn the things which had been said to her by Antiochus : and then said to him ; 39 " My son, come now, be obedient to me, because " I have brought you forth, and suckled you, and " educated you, and taught you divine religion. *' Look up now to the heaven, and the earth, and 40 B.C. 167. CHAP. V. 293 " the water, and the fire ; and understand that " the one true God himself created these ; and " formed man of flesh and blood, who lives a 41 " short time, and then will die. Wherefore fear " the true God, who dieth not : and obey the true 42 " JBeing, who changeth not his promises : and fear " not this mere giant ^ : and die for God's religion, 43 " as your brothers have died. For if you could " see, my son, their honourable dwelling-place, " and the light of their habitation % and to what " glory they have attained, you would not endure 44 " not to follow them : and in truth I also hope " that the great and good God will prepare me, " and that I shall closely foUow you." 45 Then said the boy ; " Know ye that I will obey " God, and will not obey the commands of Anti- " ochus : wherefore, delay not to let me follow " my brothers ; hinder me not from departing to 46 " the place whither they have gone." Then to the king he said ; "Woe to thee from God ! whither " wilt thou fly from Him ? where wilt thou seek " for refuge ? or whose help wilt thou implore, " that He may not take vengeance on thee ? d Lat. " Gigantem vulga- rence : " that David my ser- " rem." " vant may have a light al- e This circumstance^ as be- " ways :" — " the light shall tokening a state of comfort " shine on thy ways :" — and happiness^ is frequently " Lordj lift thou up the light brought forward in the holy " of thy countenance upon Scriptures. Thus, while ac- " us :" — " The Lord is my tual darkness overspread the " light," &c. &c. &c. So St. land of Egypt, we read that Paul speaks of " the inherit. " all the children of Israel " ance of the saints in light." " had light in their dwell- But I do not purpose to quote " ings." Exod. x. 23. And the New Testament here. See the same expression, in a fi- below, verse 48. gure, is of constant occur- U 3 294 BOOK V. B. C. 167. "Truly thou hast done us a kindness, when thou 47 " hadst designed to do us evil : thou hast done " evil to thine own soul, and hast destroyed it, " while thou thoughtest to do it good. Now we 48 " are on our way to a life which death shall never " follow ; and shall dwell in light which dark- " ness shall never put away. But your dwelling 49 " shall be in the infernal regions, with exquisite " punishments from God. And I trust, that the 50 " wrath of God will depart from his people, on " account of what we have suffered for them : but 51 " that you He will torment in this world, and " bring you to a wretched death ; and that after- " wards you will depart into eternal torments." And Antiochus was angry, seeing that the boy 52 opposed his authority ; wherefore he commanded him to be tortured even more than his brothers. And this was done, and he died. But their mo- 53 ther intreated God, and besought Him that she might follow her sons ; and immediately she died. Then Antiochus departed into his country Ma- 54 cedonia : and he wrote to Fselix, and to the other governors ^ in Syria, that they should slay all the Jews, except those who should embrace his reli- gion. And his servants obeyed his command, 55 putting a multitude of men to death. CHAPTER VI ^ The history of Mattathias the high priest, the son of Jochanan, who is the son ofHesmai ^ the priest. A CERTAIN man named Mattathias, the son of 1 f See 3 Mace. v. 22—24. ^ Called by Josephus, " As- 3 Compare this chapter with " samonseus :" compare the 2 Mace, ii, j Joseph. Antiq^. note on bookll. cli. ii. 1. XII. 8.; BeU. I. 1. B.C. 167. CHAP. VI. 295 Jochanan, fled to one of the mountains which were fortified. And the men who were scattered abroad fled thither to him : and some concealed 2 themselves in secluded places. But after that An- tiochus had departed to a greater distance from the country, Mattathias sent his son Judas se- 3 cretly into the cities of Judah ; to certify them of his own and his people's health, and to desire that as many as were inspired with courage, magna- nimity, and zeal for religion, for their wives, and their children, should come unto him. 4 And certain of the higher orders of the people, who had stayed behind, went out to him : who, 5 when they were come to him, said to them ; " No- ". thing is left to us, but prayer to God, and con- " fidence in Him, and a fight with our enemies, if " perhaps God will give us assistance and the vic- 6 " tory over them." And the people assented to the opinion of Mattathias, and they acted ac- cording to it. 7 And it was told to Faelix; and he marched 8 against them with a great army. And word was brought to him, while on his march, that about a thousand of the people of the Jews, men and wo- men mixed, were assembled together, and dwell- ing in a certain cave, that they might be enabled 9 to preserve their own way of worship. And he turned aside to them with some part of his troops, sending the commanders of his men with the rest 10 of the army against Mattathias. Now Faelix de- manded from those who were in the cave, that they should come out to him, and consent to enter 11 into his religion; but they refused. Whereupon u 4 296 BOOK V; B.C. 167. he threatened that he would put smoke' under them ; and they endured that, and did not come out to him ; and he put smoke under them, and they all died. And when the generals of his army were march- 12 ing against Mattathias, and came even to him, he being ready for battle ; one of the generals, of 13 noble blood, went to him, proposing to him to obey the king, and that he should not oppose his authority ; so that he himself might live, and those who were with him, and might not perish. To whom he said ; " I indeed obey God the true 14 " king : but do you obey your king, and do what- " soever seems good to you." And he ceased from speaking. And they began to lay snares for him. 15 And there came a certain man, of the worst of 16 the Jews who were with them, and excited them to march against him and to prepare war. And 17 Mattathias rushed on him with his drawn sword, and cut off the Jew's head : then he struck the general**, to whom the Jew was speaking, and slew him also. But Mattathias' companions, seeing what he 18 had done, hastened to him ; and they burst into the camp of the enemy, slaying great numbers of them, and put them to flight : afterwards they pvu"sued the fugitives, until they slew the whole of them. After this, Mattathias blew the trumpet, and 19 c Namely, that he would ^ Josephus states the name kindle fires in the cave's of this general (or " commis- mouthy and thus smother them " sioner," as he is called at with the smoke. 2 Mace. ii. 25) to be Apelles. B.C. 166. CHAP. VII. 297 proclaimed an expedition against Fselix. And he and his companions entered into the land of Ju- dah, and took possession of very many of their 20 cities. And the most high God gave them rest by his hands from the generals of Antiochus : and they returned to the observance of their own re- ligion : and the bands of their enemies retreated from before them. CHAPTER Vila. The account of the death of Mattathias, and the acts of Judas Ms son after him. 1 Now Mattathias became infirm. And when he was near to death, he called his sons, ^ c. 2 who were five, and said unto them : " I ^®^- " know of a certainty that very many and great " wars will be kindled in the land of Judah, for " the sake [or, by reason] of those matters for " which the great and good God has stirred 3 " us up to wage war against our enemies. But " I charge you that you fear God, and trust " in him, and be zealous of the law, and the 4 " sanctuary, and the people also; and prepare " yourselves to wage war against its enemies : " and fear not death, because, without doubt, this 5 " is decreed unto all men. So that, if God shall " make you victorious, you have at once obtained " that which you were longing for : but if you " fall, that is no loss to you in his sight." 6 And Mattathias died and was buried ; and his sons did according to that which he had cora- a Compare this chapter Antiq. XII. 8 — 11. Bell, with 2 Mace. ii. 49, &c. iii. I. i. iv. 3 Mace. viii. Joseph. 298 BOOK V. B.C. 166. manded the/n. And they agreed to make their brother Judas their leader. Now Judas their 7 brother was the . best in counsel, and bravest in strength of them all. And an army was sent 8 against them by Fselix^, under a man who was called Seron", whom Judas with his company put to flight, and he slew great numbers. And the 9 fame of Judas was spread abroad, and increased greatly in the ears of men: and all the nations which were round about him feared him exceed- ingly. And it was told to king Antiochus what Matta- lo thias and his son Judas had done. News of this 11 came also to the king of the Persians ; so that he played false with Antiochus, departing from his friendship, following the example of Judas. Which 12 giving Antiochus a great deal of uneasiness, he called to him one of his household officers named Lysias"^, a stout and brave man, and said to him ; " I have now determined to go into the land of 13 " Persia to make war ; and I wish to leave behind " me my son in my stead ; and to take with me " the half of my army, and to leave the remainder " with my son : and behold I have given to you 14 " the governance of my son, and the governance " of the men whom I leave with him. And 15 " verily you know what Mattathias and Judas " have done to my friends and my subjects. " Wherefore, send one to lead a powerful army I6 b The second book of Mac- 2 Mace. iii. 13. cabees, ch. iii. 10. calls him ^ "A nobleman, and one ApoUonius. " of the blood royal/' book " He is called " a prince II. ch. iii. 32. " of the army of Syria," at B. C. 166. CHAP. VII. 299 " into the land of Judah ; and command him to " attack the^land of Judah with the sword, and to " root them out, and to demolish their dwellings, " and to destroy all traces of them." 17 Then Antiochus departed into the country of 18 Persia. But Lysias made ready three hardy and brave generals, skilled in war ; of whom one was named Ptolemy ^ a second Nicanor, and the third 19 Gorgias. And with them he sent forty thousand chosen troops and seven thousand horsemen. He also charged them to bring with them an army of Syrians, and Philistines ; and ordered them to 20 root out the Jews entirely. And they marched forth, carrying with them a multitude of mer- chants, that they might sell to them the captives which they were about to obtain from among the Jews. 21 But tidings of this came to Judas the son of Mattathias ; and he went to the house of the 22 great and good God ; and assembled his men, and enjoined them a fast, and supplications, and prayers to the great and good God ; and charged that they should beseech Him for victory against their enemies ; which thing they did. 23 After this, Judas collecting his men, appointed over each thousand a chiefs, and likewise over each hundred, and over each fifty, and over each 24 ten. Then he commanded proclamation to be made by trumpet throughout his army, that who- soever was fearful, and whomsoever God com- manded to be dismissed from the army, he should e At book II. ch. iii. 38^ " friends." these three generals are styled, * Compare 2 Mace. iii. 55, " mighty men of the king's 56. 300 BOOK V. B. C. 166. return home. And great numbers returned ; and 25 there remained with them seven thousand stout and brave men, skilled in wars and accustomed thereto ; nor had any one of them ever fled : and they marched against their enemies. But when 26 they had drawn nigh to them, Judas prayed to his Lord, intreating Him that He would turn away from him the malice of his enemy ; and that He would assist him, and render him victorious. Then he commanded the priests to sound the 27 trumpets, which they did : and all his men called upon God, and rushed upon the army of Nicanor. And God gave them victory over them, and they 28 turned him and his men to flight, killing of them nine thousand men, and the rest were dispersed. And Judas and his company returned to Nicanor's 29 camp, and made spoil of it ; and plundered very much property of the merchants, and sent it to be divided among the sick. This battle took place on the sixth day of the 30 week ; wherefore Judas and his men remained on the same spot until the sabbath-day had passed. Then they marched against Ptolemy and Gorgias, 31 whom they found and defeated, and gained a victory over them, slaying twenty thousand of their troops. And Ptolemy and Gorgias fled ; 32 whom Judas and his company pursued; yet he could not overtake them, because they betook themselves into a city of two idols s, and fortified themselves therein with the remnant of their army. And Judas attacked Fselix ; and he was 33 put to flight before him. And Judas pursued him. S The corresponding part of book III. states^ that the place to which Nicanor fled was Antioch. B.C. 164. CHAP. VIII. 301 Who, coming to a certain house which was nigh at hand, entered into it and closed the doors, for 34 it was a fortified house. And Judas commanded, and he set fire to it ; and the house was burned, and Faelix was burned^ in it. So Judas took vengeance on him for Eleazar and the others 35 whom Faelix had put to death. Afterwards the people returned to the slain, and took their spoils and their armour ; but the best of the prey they 36 sent into the Holy Land. But Nicanor departed in disguise unknown, and returned to Lysias, and told him all which had happened to him and his company. CHAPTER VIII. a The relation of Antiochus' return, and of his going into the land qfJudah, and of the disease which Jell on him, of which he died in his Journey. 1 But Antiochus returned out of the cotmtry of Persia, flying, with his army disbanded, g ^ 2 And when he had learned what had hap- i^*- pened to his army which Lysias had sent forth, and to all his men, he went out with a large 3 army, marching to the land of Judah. Now when in his progress he had reached the middle of his journey, God smote his troops with most mighty 4 weapons : but this could not stop him from his journey ; but he persisted in it, uttering all sorts of insolence against God, and saying that no one could turn him aside, nor hinder him from his de- h At 3 Mace. viii. 33, the » Compare with this chap- person burned is called Cal. ter 2 Mace, vi/ 3 Mace, ix; listhenes ! Joseph. Antiq. XII. 13. 802 BOOK V. B. C. 164. termined purposes. Wherefore the great and good 5 God smote him also with ulcers which attacked the whole of his body : but even yet he did not desist, nor refrain from .his journey ; but was 6 more filled with wrath, and inflamed with an eager desire to obtain what he had determined on, and to carry his resolution into effect. Now there were in his army very many ele- 7 phants. It so happened that one of these ran away, and made a bellowing: upon which the horses which were drawing the couch on which Antiochus lay, ran off, and threw him out. And, 8 as he was fat and corpulent, his limbs were bruised, and some of his joints were dislocated. And the bad 9 smell of his ulcers, which already sent forth a foe- tid odour, was so much increased, that neither he himself could longer endure it, nor could those who came near him. So when he fell, his ser- 10 vants took him up, and carried him upon their shoulders : but as the foul smell grew worse, they threw him down and departed to a distance. Therefore, perceiving the evils which sur- 11 rounded him, he believed for certain that all that punishment had come upon him from the great and good God ; by reason of th& injury and the tyranny which he had used towards the Hebrews, and the unjust shedding of their blood. In fear 12 therefore he turned himself to God, and, confess- ing his sins, said ; " O God, in truth I deserve "the things'' which Thou hast sent upon me: *• See Josephus' remark Antiquities. In fact, both upon Polybius' account of the Polybius and Josephus recog- cause of Antiochus' death ; in nize the same principle, while ch. 13 of his Xllth book of they attribute this death to B.C. 164. CHAP. VIII. 303 " and indeed just art Thou" in thy judgments ; 13 " Thou humblest him who is exalted, and bring- " est down him who is puflfed up : but thine is " greatness, and magnificence, and majesty, and 14 " prowess. Truly, I own, I have oppressed the " people, and have both acted and decreed tyran- 15 " nically against them. Forgive, I pray Thee, O " God, this my error ; and wipe out my sin, and " bestow on me fny health : and my care shall be " to fill the treasury of thy house with gold and 16 " silver : and to strew'' the floor of the house of " thy sanctuary with purple vestments ; and to " be circumcised ; and to proclaim throughout all " my kingdom, that Thou only art the true God, " without any partner, and that there is no God " besides thee." 17 But God did not hear his prayers, nor accept his supplication : but his troubles so increased on him that he voided his bowels : and his ulcers in- creased to that degree, that his flesh dropt off 18 from his body. Then he died, and was buried in his place. And his son reigned in his stead, whose name was Eupator. different causes: Polybius, a " Righteous art Thou, O Greek heathen, considered it " Lord, and upright are Thy a just recompense for his at- " judgments." tempt to plunder the temple d Similar to this act of of Diana ; while Josephus, a thanksgiving was the Lectis- Jew, regarded it as an ex- ternium of the Romans, when ample of Divine vengeance, after a victory couches were punishing his spoliation of the solemnly placed and spread temple of God at Jerusalem. for the images of their gods, c The author here borrows as if about to partake of a the words of the 1 1 9th Psalm : feast. 304 BOOK V. B.C. 165. CHAPTER IX. ^ The history of the eight days of dedication. When Judas had put to flight Ptolemy, and 1 g c Nicanor, and Gorgias, and had slain their 1^5- men ; he himself and his troops returned into the country^ of the holy house. And he com- 2 manded all the altars to be destroyed which An- tiochus had ordered to be built : and he removed 3 all the idols which were in the sanctuary: and they built up a new altar, and he commanded sa- crifices to be offered upon that. They prayed also 4 to the great and good God, that He would bring forth the holy fire*= which might remain upon the altar : and fire came out from some stones of the 5 altar, and burned up the wood and the sacrifices ; and from it fire continued on the altar until the third carrying into captivity*^. And then they 6 kept the festival of the new altar ^ for eight days, beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the month Casleu. And then they placed bread ^ on the table 7 of the house of God, and lighted the lamps of the a Compare 2 Mace. iv. 36j * There can be little doubt &c. 3 Mace. x. Joseph. An- that the author alludes to the tiq. XII. 11. There is an ir- last general captivity under regularity here in the order Titus; although the expres- of the narrative; this cleans- sion^ ''the third," is often ap- ing and dedication having pre- plied to an earlier visitation ceded the death of king An- of that kind. (See Calmet.) tiochusj and indeed having This phrase may serve in contributed to his trouble of some degree to mark the pro- mind, as is shevioi at 2 Mace, bable age of the book. Com-, vii. 7- P^''^ ^- '^'^i- ^^- ^''^^ •^"- ^" ^ Concerning this phrase, ^ The same festival vi'hich see the note upon chap. i. 1. Josephus calls "the feast of above. " lights." Ant. XII. 7. « Compare 3 Mace. i. 19 — * Namely, the shew-bread. 22: andii, 10- B.C. 164. CHAP. X. 305 8 candlestick. And on each of these eight days they assembled together for prayer and praise : and moreover they appointed it an ordinance for every year to come. CHAPTER X.a The history of Judas' battles with Gorgias and Ptolemy. 1 Now after the days of dedication, Judas marched into the country of the Idumseans, to the g ^ mountain Sarah'': for Gorgias was staying ^^'^• 2 there. And Gorgias Avent out against him with a great army, and there were sore battles betwixt them ; and there fell of Gorgias' men twenty thou- 3 sand. And Gorgias fled to Ptolemy" into the land of the west"*, (for Antiochus had made him governor of that country, and there he was stay- 4 ing,) and told him what had befallen him. Where- upon Ptolemy went forth with an army, in which were a hundred and twenty thousand men of Ma- 5 cedonia and the east. And he went on until he came to the country of Glares, {that is to say, Gi- lead,) and the parts adjacent ; and he slew great 6 numbers of the Jews. So they wrote to Judas, teUing him what had happened to them, begging him to come and defeat Ptolemy and drive him 7 away from them. And their letter reached him at the same time that a letter came to him from a Compare this with 2 Ill.ch. x. 14,15,weknowthat Mace, v; 3 Mace, x; Joseph. Gotgias at this time was in Antiq. XII. 12. the neighbourhood of Idumaea. ^ Perhaps a continuation of "^ The Third Book of Mae- that chain which in Scripture cabees calls him Timotheus, is called "mount Seir:" com- throughout the chapter, and pare ch. xxi. 29. xxxv. 4: so does Josephus. and read the note at ch. xlix. d Namely, Philistia, and 20. By the parallel passages, the western coast of Judaea, in book II. ch. v. 65, and book X 306 BOOK V. B.C. 164. the inhabitants of the mountain® of Galilee like- wise, informing him how the Macedonians who were at Tyre and Sidbn had now united against them, and had attacked them, killing several. Now when Judas had read both the letters, he 8 called together his men, and shewed them the con- tents of the letters, and appointed a fast and sup- plication. After this, he ordered his brother Si- 9 meon to take with him three thousand men of the Jews, and to march with all speed to the moun- tain of Galilee, and to quell the Macedonians who were there. • And Simeon went. But Judas 10 hastened to encounter Ptolemy. And Simeon at- ii tacked the Macedonians unexpectedly, and slew of them eight thousand men, and gave rest to the Galilseans. But Judas marched on until he came up with 12 Gorgias and Ptolemy; pressing them and be- sieging them : and the two armies encountered, and very fierce battles took place betwixt them. For Ptolemy headed a numerous, stout, and brave 13 body of men. But Judas was accompanied by a very small band : yet, as the people who were 14 with him consisted of the bravest and strongest troops, he steadily resisted, and the battle between them lasted long, and grew very sore. Wherefore 15 Judas called out to the great and good God, and invoked his aid. And he related ^ that he had 16 seen five youthful horsemen, three of whom fought e Or rather, " the moun- and related it to his troops ; " tainous district." but that the thing itself was f Lat. " Meminit." The seen by the whole of the ene- third book states^ not that my's army. Judas alone saw this vision. B.C. 164. CHAP. X. 307 against Ptolemy's army, and two stood near him- 17 self. Whom when he viewed attentively, they 18 seemed to him to be angels of God. Wherefore his heart was comforted, and the hearts of his companions ; and making frequent assaults upon the enemy, they put them to flight, and slew 19 great multitudes of them. And the number of those who were slain of Ptolemy's army, from the beginning of this battle until the end, was twenty thousand and five hundred. 20 After these things, Ptolemy and his men fled to the sea-coast ; while Judas pursued them, and 21 slew as many of them as he caught. But Ptolemy fled to Gaza, and remained there ; and the men 22 of Chalisam s came to him. And Judas marched against them ; and when he found them, he de- feated them : and Ptolemy's men were dispersed, but he himself fled to Gaza'^, and there fortified 23 himself. And Judas' men pursued the flying body, and slew great numbers of them. And Judas and the men who were with him marched straight to Gaza, and he pitched his camp and besieged it. 24 And Judas' men returned to him ; and they who were left of Ptolemy's forces went up upon the fortification, and abused Judas with much revil- 25 ing. And the fighting between them and Judas' troops lasted for five days. But when the fifth g Who these are, I am not sea-coast : and at 2 Mace. v. able to specify with any cer- 65, we read that Judas pro- tainty: perhaps the inhabit- ceeded from Hebron into the ants of Kulzum, a small town land of the Philistines, and on the sea-coast of Egypt. passed through Samaria : in ^ Probably Gazara, as stated which case he might have vi- at 3 Mace. x.32. Yetboth Gaza sited both of these towns. and Gazara were near to the X 2 308 BOOK V. B.C. 164. day was come, the people continued to cast re- proaches upon Judas, and to revile his religion : whereupon twenty of Judas' men grew angry ; 26 who taking shields on their left hands, and swords in their right, and having with them a man bear- ing a ladder which they had made, marched until they came to the wall : and eighteen of them 27 stood and threw darts at those who were on the wall ; and two, hastening to the wall, raised up the ladder, and by it mounted. But certain of those 28 who were there, perceiving that they had ascend- ed, and that their companions had followed, and also had gone .down from the wall into the city, descended from the wall after them : whom Ju- das^ men defeated, slaying great numbers of their enemies. But the army of Judas pressed forward 29 to the gate of the city ; and the twenty began to run toward the gate that they might open it : but they were driven thence most fiercely ; wherefore they called out with loud cries. Judas therefore 30 and his men knew that they had come near to the gate : and the battle grew sore both without the gate and within. And Judas and his men at- 31 tacked the gate with fire, and it fell down ; and the people perished, and the men who had reviled Judas, were taken, and he commanded them to be brought out and burned '. Moreover he com- 32 manded the city to be utterly smitten with the sword ; and the slaughter continued in it for two days, and then it was wasted with fire. But Ptolemy fled ; nor were tidings of him 33 i These particulars of the Gaza but Gazara, in book III. siege and capture of this place x. 32 — ^36. are expressly assigned, not to B.C. 163. CHAP. XI. 809 heard at that time; because that he had changed his clothes, and concealed himself in one of the 34 pits \ and no account of him was had. But his two brothers were taken, and brought to Judas ; 35 and he ordered them to be beheaded. After this he went into the land of the sanctuary, with abundance of spoil; and both he and his com- pany oflFered prayers therein, giving thanks to God for the benefits which they had received. CHAPTER Xl.a T/ie relation of the battle between Judas and Lysias the general of Eupator, after the death of king Anti- ochus. 1 The name of Antiochus, of whom mention has been made above^ was Epiphanius: but b.c. the name of his son who reigned after him ^^*- was Eupator, who also was named Antiochus. 2 And when the battles of Judas with these gene- rals had taken place, they ^ wrote on the subject to Eupator ; who sent with Lysias, his cousin's son, a large army, in which were eighty thousand 3 horsemen and eighty elephants. Who coming to a city which is called Bethner", pitched their camp around it, and besieged it, because it was 4 a large city, and much people was therein. And Lysias raised engines of war around it, and began 5 to besiege the inhabitants : which being told to ■' Compare book III. x. 37. " of Israel, who joined them- » Compare with this the " selves unto them/' as re- account given at 3 Mace. xi. lated at 2 Mace. vi. 18 — 27. and xii. c The same place as Beth- ^ Namely, some of the sura, so often mentioned in king's troops who stiU held books II. and III. and Beth- the tower in Jerusalem, toge- zur, named in the books of ther with "some ungodly men Joshua and Chronicles. X 3 310 BOOK V. B. C. 163. Judas, he himself and his company went out to some fortified mountains'*; and there they abode; 6 lest if they remained in any city, Lysias should come and besiege it, and should overpower them. Judas therefore collected his company, and re- 7 solved to march with them to Lysias' camp, after they should have gone to the house of God and offered sacrifices in it ; beseeching the great and 8 good God to turn away from them the malice of their enemies, and to grant them victory over them : which thing they did. After this, they 9 marched from the region of the holy house to Bethner. For they had designed to come upon the army suddenly, and to defeat it without a struggle. Now men say, that there appeared to Judas lo a certain personage between heaven and earth, riding on a fiery horse, and holding in his hand a large spear, with which he smote the army of the Gentiles ". So that what they had seen gave li them additional courage and spirits. And they made haste and charged the army, and slew great numbers of its men. Wherefore the enemy's array 12 was troubled and thrown into the greatest confu- sion, and the whole of it betook itself to a con- fused flight. And the sword of Judas and his 13 company pressed sore upon them ; and he slew of them eleven thousand footmen, and sixteen hundred horsemen, Lysias also was chased, with 14 his company, to a distant place, in which he re- mained in safety. And he sent to Judas, desiring him to be sub- 15 d Probably in the neigh- mentioned at 2 Mace. vi. 32. bourhood of Bathzacharias, « Literally, ''of the Greeks." B.C. 163. CHAP. XII. 311 ject to the king, retaining his own and his peo- 16 pie's religion : to whom Judas consented in this matter, imtil word could be written to the king, and an answer of his agreeing thereto could be re- 17 ceived. And Judas wrote concerning this busi- ness: Lysias also wrote to the king, informing him of what had happened, and what proof he had h&d of the strength and bravery of the Jew- 18 ish nation ; and that a continuation of wars with them would exterminate his men, as these before- mentioned had been exterminated : he told him also their agreement, and his own waiting until he should receive a letter to say what he must do. 19 To whom the king replied, that it seemed right to him to make peace with the nation of the Jews, taking away that stumblingblock concerning the exercise of their religion : for that this very thing had incited them to the revolts, and to the attacks 20 made on his predecessors. He also commanded him to make with them a treaty of peace and obedi- ence; so that no obstacles should be thrown in 21 their way in the matter of religion. He wrote also to Judas, and to all the Jews who were in the land of Judah, according to this effect : and this peace continued between them for some space of time. CHAPTER XII. An accotmt of the beginning of the power of the Romans, and of the enlargement of their empire. 1 At this same time, of which we have been speaking, the affairs of the Romans began to be exalted : that the great and good God might ful- fil that which Daniel the prophet (to whom be- x4 312 BOOK V. B. C. 163. peace »^) had foretold^ concerning the fourth em- pire. There was also at this time a certain most 2 munificent king in Africa, whose name was Anni- baP. And the royal seat of his empire was Car- thage. He determined to take possession of the kingdom of the Romans : wherefore they united 3 to oppose him, and wars were multiplied between them, so that they fought eighteen'' battles in the space of ten years; and they were not able to drive him out of their country, by reason of his innumerable army and people. They determined 4 therefore to raise a large force selected from their bravest troops and armies, and to attack Annibal in war, and to persevere until they should turn away his forces from them. Which thing truly 5 they did : and they placed at the head of their armies two most renowned men ; the name of one was jiErailius, and of the other Varro. Who 6 meeting Annibal engaged with him ; and there were slain of their army ninety thousand men; and of Annibal's army forty thousand men were slain, ^milius also was killed in that battled a This same expression oc- Rome, the reader who is de- curs in the Samaritan Chro- sirous of particular informa- nicle: and it is remarked by tion^ will, of course, refer to Hottinger, that this formula the approved Roman histo- of blessing is constantly added rians. by the Arabian writers, after d i^ fact^ the engagements mentioning the name of any between the contending pow- prophet. (^Hottingeri Exerci- ers were far more numerous tationes Antimoriniance, 4to. than is here stated; the au- 1644. p. 65, QQ.) thor of the book perhaps con- ^ Namely, in ch. xi. of his sidered alone those battles prophecy. which were attended by im- <= Tor confirmation or cor- portant results, rection of this whole account, « The battle mentioned is respecting the beginning and that of Cannae, well known enlargement of the power of to have been attended by the B.C. 163. CHAP. XII. 313 7 But Varro fled into a certain very large and strong city called Venusia : him Annibal did not pursue ; but he marched to Rome, to take it, and 8 there to remain. So he lay before it for eight days, and began to build houses opposite to it; 9 which when the citizens saw, they deliberated on entering into a peace and treaty with him, and on surrendering the country. 10 But there was among them a certain young man named Scipio, (for the Romans at that time were without a king, and the entire administra- tion of their affairs was committed to three hun- dred and twenty f men, over whom presided a 11 person who was called seniors or elder.) Scipio therefore comes to these, and persuaded them not to trust to Annibal nor to submission to him. To whom they answered, that they did not trust him, 12 but that they were unable to resist him. To whom he said ; the country of Africa is wholly destitute of soldiers, because that they are all here with Annibal : give me therefore a troop of chosen 13 men, that I may go into Africa : and I will per- form such feats in it, that when tidings of them shall reach him, perhaps he will quit you, and you will be freed from him, and will be in peace : and having retrieved and strengthened your re- sources, if he should prepare to return, you will be able to oppose him. 14 And the advice of Scipio appeared to them to most disastrous results to the the note there. Romans ; the consuls ^mi- S His title was princeps se- lius Paulus and Terentius nafus, a post of great dignity Varro being defeated with and honour^ but unaccompa- immense loss^ and the former nied by any extraordinary falling on the field of battle. power. ^ See 3 Mace. viii. 15. and 814 BOOK V. B. C. 163. be right ; and they committed to him thirty thou- sand of their bravest men. And he proceeded 15 into Africa. And Asdrubal the brother of Anni- bal met him, and fought with him ; whom Scipio defeated'', and cut off his head, and took it, with the rest of the prey, and returned to Rome. And mounting upon the rampart, he called to 16 Annibal, and said : How will you be able to pre- vail against this our country, when you are not able to expel me from your own land, to which I have gone : I have destroyed it, and have killed your brother, and have brought away his head. Then he threw the head to him. Which being 17 brought to Annibal and recognised by him, he was increased in fury and anger against the people, and sware that he would not depart till he had taken Rome. But the citizens, to withdraw him from them, 18 and keep him in check, took counsel to send back Scipio to besiege and attack Carthage. And Sci- 19 pio returned with his army into Africa : and they pitched their camp around Carthage, and besieged it with a most active siege. Wherefore the inha- 20 bitants wrote to Annibal, saying, You are covet- ing a foreign country, which you know not whe- ther you will be able to win or not : but there has come to your own country one who is endeavour- ing to gain possession of it. Wherefore, if you 21 delay coming, we will surrender to him the coun- try, and will give up your family and all your h It will be immediately but in Italy j and not by Sci- perceived that there is consi- pio, but by the two consuls derable incorrectness in this Marcus Livius and Claudius narrative : Hasdrubal was de- Nero, feated and slain, not in Africa, B. C. 161. CHAP. XIII. 315 substance and your treasures ; that we and our property may go unhurt. 22 Now when this letter was brought to him, he departed from Rome ; and hastened till he came 23 into Africa : and Scipio went forward and met him, and fought a most fierce battle with him three times, and there were slain fifty thousand of 24 his men. But Annibal, being put to flight, re- tired into the land of Egypt'; whom Scipio pur- sued, and took him prisoner^, and returned to 25 Africa. And when he was there, Annibal dis- dained to be seen by the Africans ; wherefore he took poison and died. 26 And Scipio won the coimtry of Africa, and pos- sessed himself of all the goods, and servants, and 27 treasures of Annibal. By which means the fame of the Romans was magnified, and their power from that time began to receive increase. CHAPTER Xlll.a An account of the letter of the Romcms to Judas, and of the treaty which took place between them. 1 " From the elder and three hundred and twenty " governors, unto Judas, general of the army, g q 2 " and to the Jews. Health be to you. We i^i- • Here again is an error of to be delivered up to the Ra- the author : Hannibal did not mans by PrusiaSj king of Bi- ,fly into Egyptj but sailed for thynia, at whose court he had Tyrus to Antiochus, king of taken shelter after the defeat Syria ; whom not finding of his friend Antiochus, he there he followed, tiU he took poison, rather than fall joined him at Antioch. into the- hands of his old in- k This part of the narra- veterate enemies, tive again is incorrect. Han. * Compare with this 2 Mace, nibal was not taken prisoner viii. 24, &c. Joseph. Antiq. by Scipio ; nor did he die in XII. 17. Africa; but on being likely 316 BOOK V. B. C. 161. " have already heard of your victories, and cou- " rage, and endurance in war ; whereof we rejoice. " We have also understood that you have entered " into an agreement with Antiochus. We write 3 " to you to this effect, that you should be friends " to us, and not to the Greeks who have done " you harm : moreover we intend to go to An- " tioch, and to make war upon its inhabitants : " wherefore make haste to acquaint us with whom 4 " you are at enmity, and with whom you have a " league of friendship ; that we may act accord- " ingly." THE COPY OF THE TREATY. " This is the treaty made by the elder and 5 " three hundred and twenty^ governors with Ju- " das, general of the army, and the Jews ; that " they should be joined to the Romans, and that " the Romans and Jews may be of one mind in " wars and victories for ever. Now if war should 6 " come upon the Romans, Judas and his people " shall help them, giving no aid to the enemies of " the Romans, by provisions or by any kind of " weapons. And when war shall come upon the 7 " Jews, the Romans shall help them to the utmost " of their power, giving no aid to their enemies " by assistance of any kind. And as the Jews are 8 " bound to the Romans, so likewise are the Ro- " mans to the Jews, without any increase or de- " crease." And Judas and his people accepted this ; and 9 the treaty stood, and continued between them and the Romans for a long time. ^ See the note on 3 Mace. viii. 15. B.C. 163. CHAP. XIV. 317 CHAPTER XlV.a An account of the battle which took place between Judas, Ptolemy, and Gorgias. 1 After this, Ptolemy collected an hundred and twenty thousand men, and a thousand horse- g (. men, and they went after Judas. And Judas i^3. met him with ten thousand men, and routed him, 2 and many of Ptolemy's men were slain. And he besought Judas, and humbly entreated him to let him escape with his life; and swore that he would never more make war against him, and that he would shew kindness to the Jews who were in all 3 his countries. And Judas had compassion on him, and let him go ; and Ptolemy adhered to his oath. 4 But Gorgias having collected three thousand men from mount Sarah ^, {that is, of Idumtsa,) and four hundred horsemen, met Judas, and slew the captain of his army and certain of his men. 5 Then Judas and his men advanced towards them ; and Gorgias was put to flight, and the greater part of his army was killed or fled : and he was sought for, and no tidings were heard of him ; but it is reported that he fell in the battle. a Quaere, whether the lat- with Ptolemy, but with An- ter part of this chapter relates tiochus Eupator, at book III. to the occurrences detailed, at ch. xiii. 6 — 24. That trans- 3 Mace. xii. 32 — 37 .'' The action, however, seems rather battle recorded in the former to be referred to in the fol- part, I do not trace in the lowing chapter of this book, other books: but something ^ See above, ch. x. 1. like it occurred, not indeed S18 BOOK V. B.C. 163. CHAPTER XV.* An account of the dissolution of the treaty which Antio- chus had made with Judas, and of his march (together with Lysias his cousi/iCs son) with a great army, and of his wars. But when word was brought to Antiochus 1 Eupator that Judas' affairs had gained strength, and what victories he had gained, he was very angry ; and broke the treaty which he had made 2 with Judas, and collected a large army, in which were twenty-two elephants: and he marched with 3 Lysias his cousin's son into the country of Judah, directing his course to the city Beth-ner'', before which he pitched his camp, and besieged it. Now 4 when this was reported to Judas, he and all the elders of the children of Israel met together, and prayed to the great and good God, offering many sacrifices ; which being finished, Judas proceeded 5 with the leaders of his forces, and came into the camp by night, and made a sudden attack upon it, and slew of the enemy four thousand men and one of the elephants : and he returned to his own camp until the dawn of day should begin to break. Then each army was drawn out, and the battle 6 grew fierce between them. And Judas perceived 7 one of the elephants with golden trappings, and he supposed that the king was sitting upon him : so he called his men, and said to them. Which of a Compare 2 Mace, vi ; 3 the place meant is Bethsura, Mace, xiii; Joseph. Ant. XII. as in the corresponding pas- 14j 15; Bell. I. 1. _ sages of the second and third ^ See above, ch. xi. 3, 9. books. There can be no doubt that B. C. 163. CHAP. XV. 319 8 you will go out and kill this elephant ? And a young man, one of his servants «, who was called Eleazar, went out and rushed upon the enemy's line, slaying on the right and left, so that the men 9 turned aside out of his view ; and he went for- ward until he came even to the elephant ; and creeping under him, he cut open his belly; and the elephant fell down upon him, and he died. So the king perceiving this, commanded to sound 10 a retreat ; and it was done. And the amount of men of the higher rank slain that day in the bat- tle was eight hundred men, besides those of the common men who were slain, and those who had been killed during the night. 11 Then it was told the king, that a certain man of his friends named Philip^ had revolted from him: and that Demetrius^ the son of Seleucus had gone forth from Rome with a great army of Romans, intending to take the kingdom out of his 12 hand. At which being much affrighted, he sent to Judas concerning making peace between them : to which Judas assented ; and Antiochus and Lysias his cousin's son sware to him, that they 13 would never more make war upon him. And the king displayed a large sum of money, and gave it 14 to Judas for a present to the house of God. The king also commanded Menelaus to be seized, one c This appears to be erro- given of this Philip and his neous, as from all other ac- connexion with the king, at counts we are informed that 2 Mace. vi. 14 and 55 ; and this exploit was performed 3 Mace. ix. 29. by his own brother, Eleazar, « For particulars concern- surnamed Avaran. ing him, see 2 Mace. vii. 1, d Compare the account and the note there. BOOK V. B.C. 162. of the three f wicked men who had brought eyil on the Jews in the days of Antiochus his father ; and he ordered him to be carried up to a lofty tower, and to be thrown headlong thence ; which was done. For by this the king designed to gra- 15 tify the Jews, since this man was one of their chief enemies, and had slain great numbers of them. CHAPTER XVI. a The history of the arrival at Antioch of Demetrius the son of Seleucus, and of his defeating Eupator. After these things, king Eupator marched 1 B.C. into the country of Macedonia, and then ^^^' returned to Antioch. Whom Demetrius 2 attacked with an army of Romans, and defeated, and slew, together with Lysias his • cousin's son ; and he reigned at Antioch. But to him went 3 Alcimus, the leader of those three^ wicked men ; who, coming into his presence, prostrated himself before him, and wept most vehemently, and said ; " O king, Judas and his company have been slay- 4 " ing great numbers of us; because, having desert- " ed their religion, we have embraced the religion " of the king. Wherefore, O king, assist us " against them, and avenge us on them." Then 5 he made the Jews go to him, and incensed him ; suggesting to them such things as might provoke Demetrius, and irritate him to fit out an army to vanquish Judas. To whom the king giving heed, 6 f See above^ ch. iii. 6. The Mace. xiv. xv ; Joseph. Ant. particulars of his death are XII. 17. related more at large at 3 J" See above, ch. iii. 6, and Mace. xiii. 3—8. xv. 14. a Compare 2 Mace, vii ; 3 B. C. 161. CHAP. XVI. 321 sent a general named Nicanor", with a great army 7 and an abundant supply of weapons of war. And when Nicanor had come into the Holy Land, he sent messengers to Judas to come to him ; and did not disclose that he had come to conquer the 8 nation, but stated that he came only on account of the peace which was made between him and the nation, and that they*^ also were under obedi- 9 ence to the Romans. And Judas went out to him with a certain number of his men, who were en- dued with strength and courage : and he com- manded them not to go far from him, lest Deme- trius^ might lay a snare for him. 10 When therefore he had met Demetrius, he sa- luted him ; and, a seat being placed for each of them, they sat down, and Demetrius conversed with him as he pleased : afterwards each of them went into a tent which the troops had erected for him. 11 And Nicanor and Judas departed into the Holy City, and there dwelt together : and a firm friend- 12 ship grew up between them : which being made known to Alcimus, he went to Demetrius and incensed him against Judas, and persuaded him to write and command Nicanor to send Judas to him 13 bound in chains. But tidings of this came -g ^ to Judas, and he went out from the city by i^^- night, and departed to Sebaste*, and sent to Compare 3 Mace. xiv. 12. read here, and in the folio w- d That is to say, that De- ing verse, Nicanor ; as it metrius, as well as the Jews, does not appear from the his- was in amity with the Ro- tory that Demetrius was pre- mans ; so that no danger was sent in person. Compare the to be apprehended by them other accounts, as given in 2 from him. Mace. vii. and 3 Mace. xiv. « Probably we ought to f That is, Samaria ; it had Y 322 BOOK V. B.C. 161. his companions to come to him. And when 14 they were come, he sounded the trumpet, and commanded them to prepare themselves to attack Nicanor. But Nicanor sought Judas with great 15 diligence, and could learn no tidings of him. Wherefore he went to the house of God, requiring 16 of the priests to give him up to him, that he might send him bound in chains to the king : but they sware that he had not come into the house of God. Whereupon he abused both them and the 17 house of God, and spake insolently of the temple, and threatened that he would demolish it from the very foundations ; and departed in a rage. He also took care to search all the houses of the Holy City. Likewise he sent his men to the 18 house of a certain excellent manS, who had been seized in the time of Antiochus, and put to ex- treme torture ; but after the death of Antiochus the Jews increased his authority and greatly honoured him. And when the messengers of 19 Nicanor came to him, he feared lest he should meet with the same treatment which he had received from Antiochus ; wherefore he laid hands on himself. When this was told to Judas, he was 20 very sorry and much afflicted : and he sent to Nicanor, saying ; *' Do not seek me in the city, for " I am not there : therefore come forth to me, that " we may meet each other, either in the plains or " in the mountains, as you chuse." And Nicanor 21 went forth to him, and Judas met him with not yet obtained this appella- xxi. 28. tion, but at a subsequent pe- s Namely Rhazis, men- riod was so named by Herod tioned at 3 Mace. xiv. 37. the Great. See below, ch. B.C. 161. CHAP. XVII. these words : " O God, it was Thou who didst ex- " terminate the army of king Sennacherib ; and " he indeed was greater than this man, in fame, 22 " in empire, and in the multitude of his host : and " Thou didst deliver Ezechiah king of Judah " from him, when he had trusted in Thee and " prayed to Thee : deliver us, I pray thee, O God, " from his malice, and make us victorious over " him." 23 Then he made ready himself for battle, and ad- vanced to Nicanor, saying, " Take care of your- 24 " self, it is to you I come." And Nicanor turned his back and fled : and Judas pursuing smote him on the shoulders, which he divided ; and his men 25 were put to flight. And there fell of them on that day thirty thousand : and the inhabitants of the cities went out and slew them, so that they 26 left not one of them. And they decreed that that day should be every year a day of thanksgiving to the great and good God, and a day of gladness, and of feasting, and of drinking. [Thus far is finished the Second *> Book from the trans- lation of the Hebrews.] CHAPTER XVII. a An account of the death of Judas. I But when nearly the same season of the year came round, Bacchides went forth with thirty t Here indeed ends the the death of Simon, the bro- history, so far as is contained ther of Judas, in the third (usually second) a Compare 2 Mace. ix. 1 — book : the second (first) book 22. Joseph. Antiq. XII. 18, carries the accounts down to 19. y 2 324 BOOK V. B. C. 161. thousand of the bravest of the Macedonians ; and 2 came upon Judas without any tidings thereof coming to him, when he was in a certain city called Lalis**, with three thousand men: where- 3 fore most of those who were with him fled ; and there remained with him eight hundred men, and his brothers Simeon and Jonathan. But those 4 who remained with Judas were the strongest and bravest, and who had already endured much in the several battles which he had fought. And 5 Judas and his company went out to meet Bac- chides and his army. And Bacchides divided his army, placing fifteen 6 thousand on the right hand of Judas and his com- pany, and fifteen thousand on their left. Then 7 each part shouted against Judas and his company. Who attentively regarding each, perceived that the enemy's strongest and bravest, troops wex'e on the right, and found out that Bacchides himself was there among them. Judas likewise divided 8 his company, and took the bravest of them with him, and gave the rest to his brothers. Then he made a charge upon those on the right, and he with his company slew about two thousand men. Then perceiving Bacchides, he directed his eyes 9 and steps towards him, and slew all the bravest men who were about him. And he in person 10 with his company sustained the multitudes which pressed upon him, felling to the ground the greater part of them, and he came near to Bacchides. •> At book II. ch. ix. 5, this is Calmet^ it is a place near to called Eleasa : where the Vul- - Beroea, or rather Berzetho, a gate reads Laisa, as if it might small city of the tribe of Ben- be Laish, mentioned in the jamin. book of Isaiah. — According to B. C. 160. CHAP. XVIII. 325 11 Whom when Bacchides saw coming towards him like a lion, brandishing in his hand a large sword stained with blood, he was excessively afraid of 12 him, and trembled, and fled out of his sight. And Judas with his company pursued him, and they slew his people with the sword, so that they put to death the greater part of those fifteen thousand : and Bacchides fled even to Ashdod". 13 And the fifteen thousand which were on Judas' left, followed him, and attacked Judas, to whom by this time were come his brothers and those 14' who were with them, greatly fatigued. And those fifteen thousand rushed upon them, and a very great battle took place between them and Judas ; and there fell on both sides a certain number of slain, in which number was Judas. 15 Whom his brothers carried and buried beside the sepulchre of Mattathias his father, [God be merci ful to them] ; and the children of Israel bewailed 16 him many days. Now the time of his governing was seven years, and Jonathan his brother suc- ceeded him in the government. CHAPTER XVIII. a The history of Jonathan the son of Mattathias. 1 And Jonathan succeeded his brother, and he went to Jordan with a small number of men ; g.c. which when Bacchides heard of, he marched ^^*^- <= Josephus says, " to a cer- 2 Mace. ix. 15. and xvi. 10. " tain mountain called Aza," » Compare 2 Mace. ix. 28 — which appears a preferable 72. See the acts of Jonathan reading; as the town of Ash- detailed more at large at dod (Azotus) may perhaps be 2 Mace. ix. 28, to xii. and in thought too distant from the Joseph. Antiq. XIII. 1 — 10. field of battle. But compare Y 3 326 BOOK V. B.C. 158. to him with a large army. And when Jonathan 2 saw him, his men swam over Jordan ; and Bac- chides and his army followed them, and sur- rounded them. But Jonathan rushed on Bac- 3 chides ; and as the men gave way to Jonathan, he and his company went out from the midst of them, and departed to Beersheba ^ : and his bro- 4 ther Simeon joined him, and they abode there ; and they repaired whatever of the fortifications had fallen down, and they fortified themselves there. But Bacchides marched to them, and besieged 5 B c. them : and Jonathan and his brother, and *^^- they which were with them, went out to him by night, and slew great numbers of his army, and burned the battering rams and engines of war; and 6 his army was dispersed, and Bacchides fled into the desert. And Jonathan and Simeon, and the men who were with him, pursued and took him. Who, 7 when he saw Jonathan, knew that his death was near : wherefore he proclaimed peace with Jona- than, and sware that he would never more make war upon him, and moreover, that he would restore the whole of the captives which he had taken of the army of Judas. And Jonathan gave 8 him his hand, and departed from him : nor after this was there any more war between them. And not long after this •=, Jonathan died, and his brother Simeon succeeded hiift. I '' Quaere whether we ought factorily settled. Jonathan to read Bethbasi, as the place is said to have lived thirteen mentioned at 2 Mace. ix. 62 ? or fourteen years after making " This is not expressed peace with Bacchides, and to with sufficient accuracy; nor have been slain by Tryphon indeed is the chronology satis- in the year B. C. 144. And B.C. 144. CHAP. XIX. 3S7 CHAPTER XIX. 'i The history of Simeon the son of Mattathias. 1 Then Simeon the son of Mattathias succeeded to the government ; and he gathered to- ^ ^ gether all those who remained of the army i'*^- 2 of Judas : and his affairs prospered, and he sub- dued all those who had exercised hostility against the Jews after the death of his brother Judas; and he behaved well towards his people, and the matters of his country were rightly ordered. 3 Wherefore Antiochus'' attacked him, and also Demetrius the son of Seleucus ; and sent a great 4 army against him : to meet which, Simeon and his two sons went out ; and he divided his army into two parts, one of which he kept with himself, 5 and gave the other to his sons. Then he and they which were with him went to the army ; and he sent his two sons and their followers by another way, and appointed with them to attack the army 6 at a given time. After this, he met the army of Antiochus, and attacked it, and began to prevail against it : and his two sons came when the battle had now begun, and the fight grew fierce, and they 7 came round the rear of the army. And Antio- chus' army, being placed between two armies, was cut to pieces, nor did a single man of them escape : nor did Antiochus return any more to fight with yet JosephuSj Antiq. XIII. » .Compare 2 Mace, xiii — 11, states that he ruled only xvi. Joseph. Antiq. XIII. 11 four years ! Compare the — 14. account of his settlement of ^ Simon was first attacked the aflfairs of Jerusalem for by Try phon ; and subsequent- some years, at 2 Mace. ix. 73. ly by Oendebaeus under orders to xii. 48. from Antiochus. Y 4 328 BOOK V. B. C. 135. Simeon. And peace and quietness continued 8 among the Jews all the days of Simeon. And the time of his government was two years''- Then 9 Ptolemy his son-in-law rushed on him, and slew him, at a certain feast "^ where he was present. And he seized his wife and his two sons. And Simeon's son, whose name was Hyrcanus, was set in his father's place. [Here ends the history as ^ven in the two books usually attached to our Bibles.J CHAPTER XX.a The history of' Hyrcanus the son of Simeon. Now Simeon, while he was yet alive'', had ap- 1 B Q pointed Jochanan his son to be captain ; ^^^- and having gathered to him very many troops, he sent him to vanquish a certain man who had come out against him, and was called Hyrcanus''. Now he was a man of great fame, 2 powerful in strength, and of an ancient sove- reignty. Whom Jonathan encountered, and de- 3 feated : wherefore Simeon named his son Jochanan Hyrcanus ; on account of his slaying Hyrcanus, and gaining a victory over him. " Instead of this, we rather the name by a victory over ought to read nine years, the Hyrcanians. See Eusebii namely, from 144 to 135 Chronicon, and Sulpitius Se- B. C. verus. Calmet thinks that * Namely, at the castle of the person designated by the Docus near Jericho, as re- name Hyrcanus was Cende- lated at 2 Mace. xvi. 15. baeus, the general of king An- » Compare Josephus, An- tiochus ; whom John defeated tiq. XIII. 15. near Modin, as is related at b See 2 Mace. xiii. 53. 2 Mace. xvi. e Others say that he gained B. C. 135. CHAP. XX. 4 But when this Hyrcanus had heard that Pto- lemy had killed his father, he was afraid of Pto- lemy, and fled to Gaza^: and Ptolemy pursued him 5 with many followers. But the citizens of Gaza helped Hyrcanus, and shut the gates of their city, and hindered Ptolemy from reaching Hyrcanus. 6 And Ptolemy returned, and departed to Dagon^ having with him the mother of Hyrcanus and his two brothers. Now Dagon had at that time a strongly fortified castle. 7 But Hyrcanus went to the Holy House ^, and offered sacrifices, and succeeded his father : and he collected a large army and went to attack Ptolemy. Wherefore Ptolemy shut the gate of Dagon upon himself and his sompany, and fortified himself 8 therein. And Hyrcanus besieged him, and made an iron ram to batter the wall, and to open it : 9 and the battle between them lasted long, and Hyr- canus prevailed against Ptolemy, and went up 10 close to the castle, and almost took it. When Ptolemy therefore saw this, he commanded the mother of Hyrcanus and his two brothers to be brought out upon the wall, and to be tortured 11 most severely; which was done to them. But Hyrcanus, seeing this, stood still ; and fearing that they would be put to death, desisted from fighting. 12 To whom his mother called out, and said ; " My ^ Here, as in many former where Simon was slain by places, the names of Gaza and Ptolemy his son-in-law. See Gazara appear to have heen in- 2 Mace. xvi. 15. terchanged. Compare 3 Mace. ^ Hottinger remarks, that xvi. 19, 21. this is the expression used to ^ Josephus states this to be designate the temple of Jeru- " one of the fortresses above salem by all Oriental writers, " Jericho." It was also called sacred and profane. (Exercitt. Docus, and was the place Antimorin. 4to. 1644. p. 66.) 330 BOOK V. B. C. 135. " son, do not be moved by love and filial piety " towards me and your brethren, in preference to " your father : nor on account of our captivity be 13 " weakened in your desire of avenging him ; but " demand satisfaction for the rights of your father " and mine, to the utmost of your power. But 14 " that which you fear for us from that tyrant, he " will necessarily do to us at all events : wherefore " press forward your siege without any intermis- " sion." When therefore Hyrcanus had heard the words 15 of his mother, he urged on the siege : wherefore Ptolemy increased the tortures of his mother and his brothers ; and sware that he would throw them headlong from the castle, as often as Hyrca- nus came near to the wall. Therefore Hyrcanus 16 feared, lest he should be the cause of their death ; and he returned to his camp, still continuing the siege of Ptolemy. Now it happened, that the 17 feast of tabernacles was at hand&; wherefore Hyr- canus went into the city of the Holy House, that he might be present at the feast and the solemnity and the sacrifices. And when Ptolemy knew that 18 he had departed to the Holy City, and was detained there, he seized upon the mother of Hyrcanus and his brothers, and slew them ; and he fled into a place'' whither Hyrcanus could not come. g Josephus states, that the ^ Namely, to Philadelphia; departure of Hyrcanus, and where a friend of his called the consequent protraction- of Zeno (and Cotylas) had seized the siege, was owing to the upon the sovereignty, ^ose- coming on of the sabbatical phus.] B. C. 134. CHAP. XXI. 331 CHAPTER XXI.=^ The history of the going up of Antiochus to the Josephus states these to " altar to the Lord in the be the sons of that Onias, " midst of the land of Egypt, who, by leave of Ptolemy and " and a pillar at the border Cleopatra, had built in Egypt " thereof to the Lord." See a temple to God, after the the particulars of the history pattern of the temple of Je- detailed at Joseph. Ant. XIII. rusalem; being moved to this 6. by remembering the prophecy B.C. 108. CHAP. XXV. 339 putting his men to flight : and he fled to Cyprus, and there remained, with a few who adhered to him. CHAPTER XXV.^ An account of the Jewish sects at this time. 1 At that time there were three sects among the Jews. One, of the Pharisees, that is, " the g ^ 2 " separated," or religious ; whose rule it i**^- was, to maintain whatever was contained in the law, according to the expositions of their fore- 3 fathers. The second, that of the Sadducees ; and these are followers of a certain man of the doctors, 4 by name Sadoc ; whose rule it was, to maintain according to the things found in the text of the law, and of which there is demonstration in the Scripture itself; but not that which is not extant 5 in the text, nor is proved from it. The third sect was that of the Hasdanim'', or those who stu- died the virtues : but the author of this book*^ did not make mention of their rule, nor do we know it except in so far as it is discovered by their 6 name : for they applied themselves to such prac- tices as came near to the more eminent virtues ; namely, to select from those two other rules what- a Compare Josephus, Ant. of the Bible. In the eighth XIII. 9 ; XVII. 3 ; XVIII. volume of the Critici Sacri 2 ; and especially Bell. II. 7- (edit. 1660) is a specific tract ^ Or Assidaeans, mentioned on the subject, by J. Drusius, at 2 Mace. ii. 42 ; vii. 13 ; 3 which deserves to be con- Mace, xiv. 6. Some think suited. them to be the same vi'ith the <= This expression is to be Essenes, described by Jose- remarked, but I cannot fur- phus (Bell. II. 7-) and by nish the solution. See it others ; for whose collected again at ch. xxv. 5 ; and at observations the reader is re- the close of the book, ch. lix. ferred to Calmet's Dictionary 96. Z 2 340 BOOK V. B. C. 10^. ever was most^ safe in belief, most sure and guarded. Hyrcanus at first was one of the Pharisees ; 7 afterwards he went over to the Sadducees ; be- 8 cause that one of the Pharisees had said to him^ it is not lawful for you to be high priest, because your mother was a captive before she bare you, in the days of Antiochus : but it becoraeth not that the son of a captive should be high priest. And this conversation took place in the presence 9 of the chief men of the Pharisees ; which was the cause of his going over to the rule of the Sad- ducees. Now the Sadducees were at enmity with 10 the Pharisees ; wherefore they kept up differences betwixt one another, and they prevailed on him so far, as to slay great numbers of the Pharisees. And the trouble came to such a height, that wars 11 and many evils continued among them for a great length of time. CHAPTER XXVI.a The accownt of Hyrcanus' death, and of the time of his Hyrcanus had three sons, namely, Antigonus, 1 B. c. Aristobulus, and Alexander. And Hyrca- 2 i"^- nus loved Antigonus and Aristobulus; but Alexander was odious to him. And on a time he 3 saw in a dream, that of his sons, Alexander would reign after his death ; and this gave him uneasi- ness. And he did not think fit, while he lived, to 4 set up either of the sons whom he loved, on ac- coimt of his vision ; nor to appoint Alexander a Compare Josephus, Ant. XIII. .18^ Bell. I. 3. B.C.10|. CHAP, XXVII. 341 5 king, because he was disliked by him. Wherefore he deferred the business; that after his death it might take that tiu-n which should please the great and good God. 6 Now the Jews had been, in the time of his fa- ther and uncles, united in affection towards them ; and prompt to obey them, on account of their sub- duing of their enemies, and the excellent feats 7 which they performed. They also continued united in aflfection to Hyrcanus ; until the b. c. slaughter of the Pharisees was committed ^^^' by him, and the rooting out of the Jews, and the 8 civil wars on account of religion. From hence sprung perpetual enmities, and ceaseless evils, and many murders. Which was the reason why many 9 detested Hyrcanus. Now the time of his reign was thirty-one'' years, and he died. CHAPTER XXVII.^ The history of Aristdbulus the son of Hyrcanus. 1 Hyrcanus being dead, his son Aristobulus succeeded him on the throne ; who dis- b. c. played haughtiness, pride, and power; and ^^• placed on his head a large crown, in contempt of 2 the crown of the sacred priesthood. Now he was affectionately inclined towards his brother Antigo- nus, whom he preferred^ to all his friends : but his brother Alexander he kept in prison, as also ^ Josephus, in one book, death in B.C. 107- says thirty-one years ; in ani » Compare Joseph. Ant. other, thirty-three : but arch- XIII. 19 ; Bell. I. 3. bishop Ussher allows him only ^ And advanced him to a twenty-nine' years' reign ; fjn share of the regal power, which case we must place his z 3 342 BOOK V. B. C. lOf. his mother S by reason of her love for Alexander. - And he sent"* his brother Antigonus, who fought 3 against him, and conquered him, with all his abet- tors and troops, which he put to flight, and re- turned into the city of the Holy House. This hap- pened while Aristobulus lay sick. When there- 4 fore Antigonus was on his way to the city, the sickness of his brother was reported to him ; who, entering the city, went to the house of God, to give thanks for the mercy shewn in his deliver- ance from the enemy, and to beseech the great and good God to restore health to his brother. Therefore certain of those who were adversaries 5 and haters of Antigonus go to Aristobulus and say ; In sooth the news of your sickness was car- 6 ried to your brother, and behold he is coming with his partisans, armed ; and is now gone into the sanctuary to make to himself friends, that he may come suddenly upon you and slay you. And 7 king Aristobulus was afraid to take any hasty step against his brother respecting that which had been told him, till he should know the cor- rectness of the intelligence. Wherefore he com- g manded all his attendants to post themselves arm- « Josephus adds, that he time Antigonus made an ex- suffered her to die of hunger pedition into Ituraea, part of while in prison ! which he conquered and add- d There is every appear- ed to Judaea; so that possibly ance of an hiatus between the a sentence (or more) may second and third verses of have been omitted, in which this chapter : against whom was mentioned the leader of did Aristobulus send his bro- the Iturseans whom Antigonus ther Antigonus? not against encountered with such suc- Alexander^ for he was in pri- cess. The textj as it stands son. But we read in Jose- at present, is scarcely intelli- phus, that at this particular gible. B. C. 104. CHAP. XXVII. ed in a certain place, from which whoever came 9 to his palace could not turn aside. He likewise ordered it to be publicly proclaimed, that no one wearing arms of any kind should come to the 10 king into the court, without being bidden. After this, he sent to Antigonus, ordering him to come to him : whereupon Antigonus took off his arms 11 in obedience to the king. In the mean time there comes to him a messenger from the wife of his brother'^ Aristobulus, (who hated him,) saying to 12 him ; The king says to you, " I have now heard " of the beauty of your dress when you entered " the city, and am desirous of beholding you thus " habited ; wherefore come to me in that form, 13 " that I may be gratified in seeing you." And Antigonus doubted not that this message was from the king, as the messenger had reported ; 14 and that he did not wish to put him on the same footing with others as to the laying aside their arms : and he went to him in that manner and 15 dress. And when he had come to that place in which king Aristobulus had commanded his men to post themselves, with orders to kill any person 16 who should come thither armed ; and when the men saw him wearing his arms ; — ^they rushed on him, and instantly slew him; and his blood flowed 17 over the marble pavement on that spot. And the cry of men grew loud, and their weeping and la- mentation was magnified, grieving over the death of Antigonus, for his beauty, and the elegance of his discourse, and his exploits. 18 So the king, hearing the noise of the men, e Salome, called also Alexandra. z 4 S44 BOOK V. B. C. 104 enquired concerning it ; and found that Antigonus had been slain ; which caused him the greatest 19 sorrow, both for the affection which he bare towards him, and because he did not deserve this fate : and he perceived that a snare had been laid for his brother : and he cried aloud, and wept 20 exceedingly; and smote his breast unceasingly; so that some blood-vessels of his breast were burst, and the blood flowed out of his mouth. But his attendants and the chief of his friends 21 came to him, consoling him, and appeasing and soothing him, so as to restrain him from this action ; being apprehensive that he would die, as 22 he was weak, and was almost expiring uhd^r that which he had already done. And they took a golden basin, to receive the 23 blood which gushed forth at his mouth ; and they 24 sent the basin, with the blood which was in it, by one of the attendants to a physician, that he might see it, and advise what was to be done for him. And the page went with the basin : and 2S when he came to the place where Antigonus had been slain, and his blood had flowed about, the page slipped, and fell ; and spilled the king's blood which was in the basin over the blood of his murdered brother. And the page returned 26 with the basin, and told the courtiers what had happened ; who abused and reviled him ; while he justified himself, and sware that he had not die- signedly or voluntarily done this. But when the 27 king heard them quarrfelling, he asked to be told what they were saying : and they held their tongues : but when he threatened them, they told him. Who then said, " Praise be to the Just 28 B. C. 105. CHAP. XXVIII. 345 " Judge, who hath shed the blood of the oppressor 29 " over the blood of the oppressed." Then he groaned, and forthwith expired. And the time of 30 his reign was one full year. And all his flock lamented him; for he was noble-minded, vic- torious S and liberal: and his brother Alexander reigned in his stead. CHAPTER XXVIII.a The account of Alexander the son ofHyrcanus. 1 After that Aristobulus was dead, his brother Alexander was released from his fetters ; ^ ^ and being brought out of prison, succeeded i*'*- 2 to the throne. Now the governor of the city Acche*^ {which is Ptolemais) had rebelled; and had sent messengers to Lythras the son of Cleo- patra, requesting that he would aid him, and take 3 him under his protection ; but he for a long time refused, fearing a recurrence o^the things which 4 he had before suffered" from Hyrcanus. But the messenger gave him courage by means of the succours promised by the lord of Tyre, of Sidon, and others. And Lythras marched with thirty 5 thousand men : and the report of it was brought to Alexander, who anticipated him at Ptolemais, and attacked it ; and the citizens of Ptolemais shut the gate in his face, and endeavoured to keep « He became memorable archery is celebrated by the for subduing Ituraea, a part of Roman poets. See also Arabia Petraea, lying on the Straboj lib. XVI. eastern side of Jordan, and " Compare Joseph, Antiq. compelling its inhabitants to XIII. 20, 21. Bell. I. 3. adopt the customs of the •> See the note on 2 Mace. Jews. See above, v. 3. — v. 22. Ituraea is mentioned at Luke " See above, ch. xxiii. 10. iii. 1. and its renown in 346 BOOK V. B.C. 105. him out. Wherefore Alexander straitened them, 6 and continued to besiege them ; until he was informed of the marching of Lythras : then he retired from before them, Lythras with his troops being at hand. Now there was among the citizens of Ptole- 7 mais an old man^ of acknowledged authority, who persuaded the citizens not to permit Lythras to enter their city, nor to take on themselves obe- dience to him, since he was of a different religion. He also said to them, Far more advantageous to 8 you in every way will be submission to Alex- ander, who is of the same religion, than submis- sion to Lythras : nor did he cease, until they agreed to his sentiments. And they prevented 9 Lythras from entering Ptolemais, refusing sub- mission to him. And Lythras was perplexed in his affairs, nor did he take counsel what was best for him to do. And this was told to the king of Sidon% and 10 he sent messengers to him, that he should help him in the war against Alexander; that either they might defeat him, or take some of his cities, and thus punish him ; and thus Lythras might 11 return into his own country, after performing deeds which might render him formidable ; which in truth would be more to his advantage than to return without having effected his purpose. And 12 this was told to Alexander ; who sent to Lythras an honourable embassy with a very valuable pre- d Josephus informs us that also taken possession of the the name of this sage coun- neighbouring posts, Strato's sellor was Demeenetus. Tower, (afterwards called Cae- ^ This appears from Jose- sarea,) and Dora, phus to be Zoilus, who had B.C. 104. CHAP. XXVIII. 347 sent, and proposed to him not to aid the king of 13 Sidon. And Lythras accepted Alexander's pre- 14 sent, agreeing to his request. But Alexander marched to Sidon, and fought against its sovereign; and God made him victorious over him, and he slew great numbers of his men ; and having put him to flight, gained possession of his country. 15 After this, Alexander sent messengers to Cleo- patra, that she should come with an army ^ ^ against Lythras her son ; and that he also ^^*- would march with his army against him, and would 16 deliver him a prisoner to her. Which when Lythras found out, he departed into the mountain of Gali- lee^, and slew great numbers of the inhabitants, and carried away ten thousand captives : a great 17 number of his own men also were slain. From thence he marched even till he came to Jordan, and there encamped; that his men and horses might rest themselves, and afterwards he might march to Jerusalem to fight with Alexander. 18 This was told to Alexander; who went against him with fifty thousand men, of whom six thou- sand had shields of brass : and it is said that each 19 of those could resist any number of men. And he attacked him at the Jordan, and engaged with him there; but did not obtain the victory, be- cause he trusted in his men, and had placed his confidence in their number. 20 But with Lythras there were men very skilful in battles ff and in drawing up armies; who ad- f Where falling suddenly captives and other spoil. (Jo- upon a town called Asochis, sephus.) he mastered it, and departed, B Josephus particularly- loaded with abundance of names Philostephanus, as the 348 BOOK V. B.C. 104. vised him to divide his forces into two parts, so that one might be with Lythras and his company prepared for battle, and the other part might be with another captain of their company. And he 21 fought even until noon, and great numbers of his men were slain. And his friend advanced, with the 22 remainder of the army which was with him, whose strength was yet entire, against Alexander and his men, who were by this time overcome with fatigue : and he dealt with them as he 23 pleased, and slew great multitudes of them ; and Alexander and the men who had remained with him fled into the city of the Holy House. I/ythras also departed towards evening into a 24 certain town near at hand ; and by chance some Jewish women with their children met him ; and 25 he commanded some of the children to be killed, and their flesh to be dressed, pretending that there were some in his army who fed on human flesh ; designing by these acts to strike the inhabitants of the country with a dread of his troops. After this came Cleopatra ; whom Alexander 26 met, and told her what Lythras had done to his army, and appointed to go with her in search of him. Which being told to Lythras, he fled to a 27 place where was a station of his ships ; going on board which, he returned to Cyprus ; and Cleo- patra returned into Egypt. But at the end of the year Alexander marched 28 against Ga^a; because its chief* had revolted from him, and had sent to a certain king of the man whose skilful tactics Apollodotus; and the brother, eventually gained Ptolemy who treacherously slew him, the battle. (ver. 31,) was caUed Lysima- l>Josephus records his name, chus. B. C. 97. CHAP. XXVIII. 349 Arabians named Hartas' to assist him ; who con- 29 sented to do so, and marched towards Gaza : this was told to Alexander ; who leaving some of his men before Gaza, marched against Hartas, and 30 engaged him, and put him to flight. Then he re- turned to Gaza, and lying sore upon it, took it at 31 the end of a year. But the cause of his g p taking it was the brother of that chief; who ^7. 32 coming suddenly on him, slew him. When the citizens sought to kill him, he collected his friends, and went to the gate of the city, and addressed Alexander, begging that on giving security for his life and the lives of his friends, he would enter 33 the city ; which Alexander promising, entered Gaza, and slew its inhabitants, and overthrew the temple which was in it, and burned the gilded idol which was in the temple. 34 After which he departed to the city of the Holy House, and there celebrated the feast of taber- 35 nacles. And when the feast was past, he made himself ready against Hartas, whom he eneoun- 36 tered, and slew a great number of his men : and Hartas' affairs were much straitened and crippled, and he feared his own utter extinction. Where- fore suing to Alexander for his life, he yielded 37 him obedience, and paid him tributes. And Alex- ' Such is the spelling given ; the Corinthians ; who, having but the name is properly Are- married the daughter of He- ttts. This appears to have rod Antipas, held the sove- been an appellative name a- reignty of DamascuSj and en- mong the Arabian sovereigns ; deavoured to intercept the as we read of an Aretas in apostle; whose friends secured 3 Mace. V. 7j at the year B. him by letting him down in a C. I7O: of another, B. C. 66. basket from the city-wall, (see below, ch. xxxv) : and a See 2 Cor. xi. 32 ; and Acts grandson of this last occurs in ix. 24. St. Paul's second Epistle to 350 BOOK V. B. C. 94. ander departed from him, and marched~against Hemath'' and Tyre, and took them ; and having received tribute from the inhabitants, he returned into the city of the Holy House. CHAPTER XXIX. a An account of the battles which tooJc place between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Aftekwards evils arose between the Phari- 1 B Q sees and Sadducees, and continued by the ^^- space of six years''. And Alexander helped 2 the Sadducees against the Pharisees, of whom there were slain within six years fifty thousand. Wherefore between these two sects the state of 3 things was reduced to utter destruction "=, and their enmity was completely confirmed. So Alexander, 4 having sent for the elder men of each sect, spake kindly to them, and advised a reconciliation. But 5 they answered him, " In truth you, in our opinion, " are worthy of death '^, for the abundance of in- " nocent blood which you have shed: wherefore " let there be nothing between us but the sword." Then after this, they began to shew their enmity g openly, sending messengers to Demetrius® the king k Josephus calls it Ama- " bent on nothing less than thusj " the strongest of all " the extermination of each " the fortresses on the river " other." " Jordan." Some chronolo- ^ Josephus relates, that gers place this event three when he asked the Jews what years before the capture of he could do to oblige them, Gaza. they unanimously desired him a Compare Josephus, An- " to go and kill himself." tiq. XIII. 21, 22. BeU. I. 3. e Namely, Demetrius III. ^ Tacitus is supposed to al- who, conjointly with Philip, lude to this civil strife, in the was at that time sovereign of fifth book of his Histories, Syria ; or, as in the text, of ch. 8. Macedon. <= Or, " these two sects were B. C. 84. CHAP. XXIX. 351 of Macedon, that he should come to them with an 7 army; promising that they would assist him against Alexander and his party, and would re- duce the Hebrews to submission to the Macedo- nians. And Demetrius marched to them with a large army, 8 Which also was told to Alexander ; who sent a person to hire six thousand Macedonians, ^ ^ whom joining to his own forces he ad- ^''• 9 vanced against Demetrius. Many also of the 10 Jews, Pharisees, went over to Demetrius. And Demetrius sent secretly persons to those Macedo- nians who were with Alexander, to seduce them from him ; but they hearkened not unto him. 11 Alexander also sent secretly men to the Jews who were with Demetrius, to turn them to his side ; but neither did these do as he would have them. 12 And Alexander and Demetrius met, and fought a battle ; in which all Alexander's men fell, and he 13 escaped alone into the land of Judah. But when his men heard it whispered that he had escaped in safety, and found out the place where he was ; 14 there assembled unto him about six thousand men of the bravest of the sons of Israel ; and many of those, who had revolted to Demetrius, joined them- 15 selves to him. Afterwards men flocked to him from every side ; and he returned to give battle to Demetrius with a numerous force, and put him to flight : and Demetrius returned into his own country. 16 And Alexander marched against him to An- tioch, and besieged it three years : and g f, when Demetrius came out to fight, Alex- ^'^^ 17 ander conquered him and slew him : and he de- 352 BOOK V. B.C. 81. parted from the city, and returned to Jerusalem to his citizens ; who magnified him, honouring and praising him for having defeated his enemies. And the Jews agreed to submit to him, and his 18 heart was at rest : and he sent his armies against all his enemies, whom he put to flight, and gained the victory over them. He also gained possession 19 of the mountains of Sarah, and the country of Ammon, and Moab, and the country of the Phi- listines, and all the parts which were in the hands of the Arabians who fought with him, even to the bounds of the desert. And the affairs of his king- 20 dom were ruled aright ; and he placed his people and his country in a state of safety. CHAPTER XXX. a The accownt of the death of Alexander the son ofHyr- canus. Afterwards king Alexander fell sick with a 1 g Q quartan fever, for three whole years. But 2 81- when the governor of a city named Ra- gaba^ revolted from him, he led thither a power- ful army, taking with him his wife and family, and besieged the city. But when it was on the 3 point of being taken, his disease increased and his strength declined ; and his wife, who was named Alexandra, lost all hope of his recovery : who 4 going up to him said ; " You know now what " differences there are between you and the Pha- " risees : and your two sons are little boys, and I " am a woman, and altogether we shall not be * Compare Joseph. Antiq. tress beyond Jordan, in the XIII. 23. country of the Gerasenes. ^ Josephus calls it a for- B.C. 78. CHAP. XXX. 353 " able to resist them : what advice therefore do 5 " you give to me and them ?" He said to her, " My advice is, that you persevere against the 6 « city till it be taken, which will be shortly. And " when it shall have been won, establish its go- " vernment according as the other cities have 7 " been established. But towards all these people, " pretend that I am sick ; and whatever you do, " pretend that you do it at my suggestion ; and " reveal my death to those servants on whom you 8 " can depend. And when you shall have finished " these matters, go into the city of the Holy House, " having previously dried and embalmed my " body with spices ; and fill the place where I lie " with many perfumes, that no unpleasant smell 9 " may proceed from me. And when the affairs of " the country are settled, go thence, and roll me " up in abundance of perfumes, and carry me into 10 " the palace, as if sick : and when I am there, " send for the principal men of the Pharisees ; " and when they come, honour them, and speak 11" good words to them : then say, Alexander is al- " ready dead, and behold I give him up to you, " do with him whatever seems good to you : and " I from henceforth will behave to you as you 12 " shall please. For if you do this, I know very " well that they will do nothing to me and you, " except that which is good ; and the people will " follow them, and your affairs will be ordered " aright after my death, and you will reign se- " curely until your two sons be grown up." 13 After this, Alexander died ; and his wife con- cealed his death ; and when the city was taken, she returned to Jerusalem ; and having sent for A a 354 BOOK V. B. C. 77. the chief men of the Pharisees, she addressed them as Alexander had advised her. To whom they 14 replied, that Alexander had been their king, and they had been his; people ; and they spoke to her with all affection, and promised to place her at the head of their government. Then they went 15 out and collected men ; and taking Alexander's body, they carried it forth magnificently to its burial : and they sent for men to appoint Alexan- dra queen; with whose concurrence she was so appointed. And the years of Alexander's reign 16 were twenty-seven. CHAPTER XXXI.a The history of queen Alexandra. Now while Alexandra reigned, she called to i B. c. her the chief men of the Pharisees, and commanded them to write to all those of their sect who had fled^ into Egypt and other parts, in the days of Hyrcanus and of Alexander, that they should return into the land of Judah. And she shewed them her favourable inclination 2 towards them, and did not oppose herself to their rites, nor forbid their ceremonies, as Alexander and Hyrcanus had forbidden them. She also re- 3 leased all of them who were detained in prison. And they came together from every quarter'; and 4 the Sadducees forbore offering them any violence. And their affairs were well ordered, and thieir 5 condition became improved by the removal of quarrels. a Compare Josephusj Ant. ^ See Josephus, Ant. XIII. XIII. 24. Bell. I. 4. 22. B.C. 71. CHAP. XXXII. 355 6 But when Hyrcanus and Aristobulus the two sons of Alexander grew up, the queen made Hyr- canus high priest, for he was meek, mild, and 7 honest : but Aristobulus she made general of the army, for he was stout, brave, and high-spirited ; and she also gave to him the army of the Saddu- cees : but she did not think it meet to appoint 8 him king, as he was still a boy. Moreover she sent to all those who paid tribute to Alexander, and took their kings' sons, whom she detained near her as hostages ; and they continued unin- terruptedly in their obedience to her, paying tribute 9 every year. And she walked uprightly with her people, distributing justice, and commanding her people to do the same. Wherefore there was a lasting peace between the parties, and she gained their good-will. CHAPTER XXXI I. a An account of the things which were done to the Saddu- cees by the Pharisees in the time of Alexandra. 1 There was among the Sadducees a chief man, who had been promoted by Alexander, b.c. named Diogenes, who formerly had in- ' duced him to slay eight hundred'' men of the Pha- 2 risees. Therefore the leaders of the Pharisees come to Alexandra, and remind her of what Dio- genes had done, asking her leave to slay him ; which she gave : and they, having it, slew many 3 Sadducees together with him. Which the Sad- ducees taking very much to heart, went to Aristo- a Compare Josephus, Ant. massacre in Josephus, Ant. XIII. 24. BeU. I. 4. XIII. 22. '' See the account of this A a 21 356 BOOK V. B.C. 71. bulus ; and, taking him with them, went to the queen, and said to her : " You are aware what 4 " terrible and heavy things we have undergone, " and the many wars and battles which we have " fought, in aid of Alexander and his father Hyr- " canus. Wherefore it was not meet to trample 5 " on our rights, and to lift up the hand of our " enemies over us, and to lower our dignities ; for 6 " a matter of this kind will not be hidden from " Hartas and others of your enemies ; who have " experienced our bravery, and have not been able " to resist us, and their hearts have been filled " with the fear of us. When therefore they shall 7 " perceive what you have done to us, they will " imagine that our hearts are devising plans " against you ; of which when they shall be cer- " tified, trust that they will play false towards " you. Nor will we endure to be killed by the 8 " Pharisees, like sheep. Therefore, either restrain 9 " their malice from us, or allow us to go out from " the city into some of the towns of Judah." And 10 she said to them, " Do this, that their annoyance " to you may be prevented." And the Sadducees 11 went forth of the city ; and their chiefs departed with the men of war who adhered to them ; and went with their cattle to those of the towns of Judah which they had selected", and dwelt in them ; and there were joined to them those who 12 were devoted to virtue, (i. e. the Hasdanim^.) « Josephus relates that she wherein her chief valuables confided to them the fortress- were deposited. es_ throughout the country, d gge above, the note on with the exception of three, ch. xxv. 5. B. C. 70. CHAP. XXXIII. 357 CHAPTER XXXIII.a The account of the death of Alexandra. 1 After these things, Alexandra fell into a dis- 2 ease, of which she died. And when her b. c. recovery was almost despaired of, her son '"' Aristobulus went out from Jerusalem by night, 3 attended by his servant : and he departed to Ga- batha^, to a certain chief man among the Saddu- 4 cees, one of his friends ; and taking him with him, he proceeded to the cities where the Saddu- cees dwelt ; and opened to them his purpose, and exhorted them to go out with him, and to be his allies in war against his brother and the Phari- 5 sees, and to appoint him king. To whom they assenting*^, openly played false with Alexandra, collecting men from every quarter to join Aristo- bulus. 6 When the fame of these things reached Hyrca- nus the son of Alexandra, the high priest, and the elders of the Pharisees, they went to Alexandra, sick as she was, and related the matter to her ; 7 pressing on her the great fear which they had for her and her son Hyrcanus, from Aristobulus and 8 those who were with him. To whom she an- swered ; " I truly am near death, so that it is " more proper and profitable for me to attend to " my own affairs ; what therefore can I do, being a Compare Josephus, Ant. * Josephus states, that his XIII. 24. BeU. I. 4. proposal was so well received, ^ Josephus says, Agaba ; that within fifteen days he and that the name of his gained over to his causeTtwo friend was Galoestes. and twenty towns. A a 3 358 BOOK V. B.C. 67. " situated thus ? But my men, and my goods, and 9 " my arms, are with you and in your hands ; " therefore order the business as it seemeth to " you right, imploring the aid of God upon your " matters, and asking deliverance from Him." Then she died. The amount of her age was se- lo venty-three years ; and the time of her reign nine years. CHAPTER XXXIV.a The account of Anstobului attack on his brother Hyr- canus, after Alexandra's death. When Aristobulus departed from Jerusalem in l B. c. the days of Alexandra, he left his wife and ^^' children in Jerusalem. But when the news 2 of his departure reached Alexandra, she confined them in a certain house, setting a guard over them. But when Alexandra was dead, Hyrcanus 3 called them to him, and behaved kindly to them, and took care of them ; that they might deliver him from his brother, if haply he should conquer him. Then Aristobulus led out a great army as 4 far as to Jordan ; and Hyrcanus went out against him with an army of Pharisees. And when the 5 two armies had encountered, great numbers of Hyrcanus' army were slain ; and Hjnrcanus, and the remainder of his army, took to flight. Whom 6 Aristobulus and his troops pursuing, slew every one whom they caught, excepting those who sur- rendered themselves. Then Hyrcanus retreated 7 into the Holy City ; whither also arrived Aristo- bulus and his army ; and he surrounded it on every side with his tents, and attempted by stra- a Compare JosephuSj Ant. XIV. 1. Bell. I. 4. B.C. 67. CHAP. XXXV. 359 8 tagem to destroy the fortification. And the elders of Judah, and the elders of the priests, went out to him, and forbade his doing what he had de- signed ; requesting him to dismiss from his mind whatever hostile feeling he had towards his bro- 9 ther : to which proposal he assented. Then it was agreed between them that Aristobulus should be king over Judah, and Hyrcanus should be high priest^ in the house of God, and next to the king 10 in dignity. And Aristobulus assented to these terms, and entered the city, and had an interview with his brother in the house of God ; and they took an oath together to ratify those terms which 11 the elders had mutually agreed on. So Aristo- bulus was made king, and Hyrcanus was ranked 12 next unto him. And men were at peace, and the affairs of these two brothers were rightly ordered, and the state of their people and of their country became one of tranquillity. CHAPTER XXXV.a The account of Antipater, {that is, Herod the king,) and of the seditions and battles which he kindled between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. 1 Theke was a man of the Jews, of the sons'* of certain of those who went up out of Babylon with ^ It is observable, that Jo- observation at the year B. C. sephus takes no notice of this 72, in his " Annals." In circumstance; but states^ that truth, the Jews could never Hyrcanus consented to live bring themselves to regard entirely as a private person. Herod as one of their own » Compare Josephus, Ant. blood and brethren, notwith- XIV. 2, 3. Bell. I. 5. standing all his acts of muni- ^ See Josephus on this ficence and public splendour. point : also Abp. Ussher's A a 4 360 BOOK V. B.C. 67. Ezra the priest, named Antipater. And he was 2 wise, prudent, acute, brave, and high-minded, of a good disposition, kind, and courteous ; also rich, and possessing many houses, goods, and flocks. This man king Alexander had made governor 3 of the country of the Idumseans, from whence he had taken a wife; by whom he had four sous, namely, Phaselus, Herod, who reigned over Ju- dah, Pheroras, and Josephus. Afterwards, being 4 removed from the mountains of Sarahs that is, the country of the Idumseans, in the days of Alex- ander, he dwelt in the city of the Holy House : and 5 Hyrcanus loved him, and was much inclined to- wards him : wherefore Aristobulus sought to kill him ; which, however, he did not accomplish. So Antipater was excessively afraid of Aristo-- 6 bulus, and for that reason began secretly to plot against Aristobulus' kingdom. He went there- 7 fore to the principal men of the kingdom, and having gotten from them a pledge of secrecy re- specting the matters which he was about to com- municate, he began to talk to them of the infa- 8 mous life of Aristobulus, his tyranny, his impiety, and the bloodshed which he had caused, and his usurpation of the throne, of which his elder bro- ther was more worthy. Then he bade them be- 9 ware of the great and good God, unless they took away the tyrant's ruling hand, and restored what was due to their rightful sovereign. Nor was 10 there left a single one of the chief men, whom he did not overreach, and incline to submit to Hyr- canus, seducing them from their obedience to Aris- •^ See above, ch. x. 1. and the note there. B.C. 66. CHAP. XXXV. 361 tobulus, Hyrcanus knowing nothing of the mat- 11 ter: but Antipater ascribed^ all this to him, being unwilling to tell him before he had established the thing. 12 Therefore, when he had fully settled this busi- ness with the people, he went to Hyrcanus, and 13 said to him ; Truly your brother is greatly afraid of you, because he sees that his estate will be no- wise secure while you are alive ; on which ac- count he is seeking about for an opportunity to 14 slay you, and will not suffer you to live. But Hyrcanus did not give credence to him, because of the goodness and sincerity of his heart. Where- fore Antipater repeated this discourse to him 15 again and again. Also he gave large sums of money to the persons in whom Hyrcanus placed confidence, and agreed with them that they should tell him similar things to what Antipater had 16 mentioned ; only taking care that he should not imagine that they knew that Antipater had been 17 speaking to him on the sulyect. So Hyrcanus be- lieved their words ; and was induced to devise a plan by which he might be delivered from his brother. 18 When therefore Antipater spoke again to him of the matter, he informed him that the b.c. truth of his words was now manifest to ®^' him, and that he knew that he had advised him well ; and he asked his counsel in this affair. 19 And Antipater advised him to go out of the city d That is to say, he sound- lieve that it was done with ed all these chief men of the the privity, if not by the ex- kingdqm, causing them to be- press command, of Hyrcanus. BOOK V. B. C. 66. to some one in whom he could confide, and who might be able to aid and assist him. And Anti- 20 pater went to Hartam^ and agreed with him that he should receive Hyrcanus as a guest when he came, since he was rather afraid of dwelling with his brother. At which Hartam rejoiced, and came 21 into the plan, and agreed with Antipater that in no case would he deliver up Hyrcanus and Anti- pater to their enemies, and that he would assist and protect them. And he returned to Jerusalem, 22 and made known to Hyrcanus what he had done, and how he had agreed with Hartam concerning their going to him. Wherefore both of them went 23 out of the city by night, and went to Hartam, and remained with him for some time. Then Antipater began to persuade Hartam to 24 lead forth an army with Hyrcanus, to reduce and capture his brother Aristobulus. But Hartam 25 declined prosecuting this plan, fearing that he had not strength to resist Aristobulus. But An- 26 tipater ceased not to shew him that the -business with Aristobulus was easy, and to urge him to it by arguments of the treasure to he gained, and by the greatness of glory which he would acquire, and the memory which he would leave behind * Or Hartas. In this man- c. 95. [See it described, un- ner is the name spelled der the name of Wadi-moosaj throughout ; but the person by the recent travellers, Legh designated is Aretas, king of and Burckhardt.] Aretas was Arabia Petraea; whose capital afterwards defeated and made city was Petra, once a place prisoner by Pompey. On the of consequence, now an al- name, see note on ch. xxviii. most unknown heap of won- 28. — Plutarch calls him /Sotri- drous ruins. Its early history Xeir toi» irtpi rrpi Uerpav 'Apd- is briefly touched by Diodorus ^av. Siculus, II. c. 48, and XIX. B.C. 66. CHAP. XXXV. 27 him : until he consented to march ; yet upon con- dition that Hyrcanus would restore to him what- ever cities and towns ^ belonging to him his father 28 Alexander had taken away. To which Hyrca- nus agreeing and completing the treaty, Hartam marched (and Hyrcanus with him) with fifty thousand horse and foot soldiers, bending his course to the country of Judah : against whom 29 Aristobulus went forth and engaged them. And when the fight had become fierce, many of Aristo- 30 bulus' army went over to Hyrcanus. Which Aristobulus perceiving, sounded a retreat, and re- turned to his camp, fearing lest his whole army should gradually slip away to the enemy, and thus 31 he himself should be taken prisoner. But when night was coming on, Aristobulus departed from 32 the camp alone, and went to the Holy City. And when on break of day his departure became known to the army, the greater part of them joined themselves to Hyrcanus, and the rest dis- 33 persed and went their ways. But Hyrcanus, Hartam, and Antipater, went straight to the city of the Holy House, carrying with them a large 34 army ; and they found Aristobulus already pre- pared for a siege ; for he had closed the gates of the city, and had placed men on the ramparts to 35 defend them. And Hyrcanus and Hartam en- camped with their forces against the city, arid be- sieged it. ^ Josephus tells us that these were twelve in number, and he recites their names. 364 BOOK V. B. C. 64. CHAPTER XXXVI.a The history of Gneus, general of the army of the Romans. Now it happened, that Gneus ''» general of the 1 g Q army of the Romans, went forth to fight ^- with Tyrcanes'' the Armenian : for the 2 citizens of Damascus, and Hames"^, and Halepum% and the rest of them of Syria who arfe belonging to the Armenians, had lately rebelled against the Romans : and on that account Gneus had sent 3 Scaurus to Damascus and to its territories, to take possession of them ; which thing was told to Ari- stobulus and Hyrcanus. Therefore Aristobulus 4 sent ambassadors to Scaurus, and much money, requesting him to come to him with an army, and assist him against H)Tcanus. Hyrcanus also sent 5 ambassadors to him, requesting his aid against Aristobulus ; but he did not send him a present. But Scaiu-us refused to go to either of them : 6 but he wrote to Hartam, ordering him to retire with his army from the city of the Holy House, and forbade him to give help to Hyrcanus against his brother ; and threatened that he would come 7 into his country with an army of Romans and Syrians, unless he obeyed." Now when this letter 8 had reached Hartam, he immediately retired from the city : Hyrcanus also retreated ; whom Aristo- 9 a Compare Joseph. Antiq. preference to any prince of XIV. 4—8. BeU. I. 5. the Syrian line. ^ That is, Cneius Pompeius. d Probably Hamathj or E- e That is, Tigranes, who mesa, a city on the river had been electedking of Syria, Orontes. after the joint reign of De- « Aleppo, as above men- metrius III. and Philip, in tioned at ch. xxi. 25. B.C. 64. CHAP. XXXVI. 365 bulus pursued with a certain number of his troops, and overtook them, and engaged them^: and a great number of the Arabians were slain in that battle, and very many of the Jews : and Aristo- bulus returned into the Holy City. 10 In the mean time, Gneus reached Damascus ; to whom Aristobulus sent, by the hand of a man named NicomedesS, a garden and vineyard'' of gold, altogether weighing five hundred talents, with a most rich present; and besought him to 11 assist him against Hyrcanus. Hyrcanus also sent 12 Antipater to Pompey, with the like request. And Pompey (who is Gneus) was inclined to help Ari- 13 stobulus. Which when Antipater saw, he watched an opportunity that he might speak with Pompey 14 alone, and said to him : " In truth, that present " which you have received from Aristobulus needs " not be restored to him, even though you should 15 " not assist him ; yet Hyrcanus offers you twice " so much : and Aristobulus will not be able to " bring the Jews into subjection to you, but this 16 " Hyrcanus will do." And Pompey supposed the matter to be so as Antipater had said ; and re- joiced to think that he could bring the Jews under 17 his dominion. Wherefore he said to Antipater, " I will assist your friend against Aristobulus ; al- f At a place called Papyro. or rather^ perhaps, from the (Josephus). magnificent vine of gold and S Josephus calls him Nico- jewels with which Herod de- demus. corated the outer gate of his !> Josephus states, that he newly erected temple, may himself had seen this orna- have sprung the idea which ment and read the inscription is mentioned by Tacitus, in on it, in the temple of Ju- the fifth book of his His- piter Capitolinus at Rome, tory^ that the Jews were wor- From this splendid ornament, shippers of Bacchus. S66 BOOK V. B. C. 64 " though I may pretend to help him against you, " that he may entrust himself to me. For I am 18 " sure, that as soon as he shall find out that I am " giving aid to his brother against him, he will " play false with all his men, and will take care " of himself, and his business will be much longer " delayed. But I will send for him, and will go 19 " with him into the Holy City, and then will so " act that your friend shall obtain his right ; but " with this condition, that he shall pay us an an- " nual tribute." THE MESSENGER OF ARISTOBULUS. After this, having sent for Nicomedes, he said 20 to him ; " Gro to your master, and tell him, that I " have consented to his request ; and carry him " my letter, and say to him, that he must come to " me in haste without delay, for I am waiting for " him." And he wrote a letter to Aristobulus, of 21 which this is a copy : " From Gneus, general of the army of the Ro- 22 " mans, to king Aristobulus, heir to the throne " and high-priesthood, health be to you. Your 23 " garden and vine of gold have arrived ; and I " have received them, and have sent them to the " elder and governors ; which they have accepted " and have placed in the temple' at Rome, return- " ing you thanks. They have written, moreover, 24 " that I should assist you, and appoint you king " over the Jews. If therefore you think fit to 25 " come to me with all speed, that I may go up ' Namely, of Jupiter Capi. which is related in the note tolinus ; agreeably to that on verse 10, above. B.C. 63. CHAP. XXXVI. 367 '•' with you to the Holy City, and fulfil your " wishes, I will do so." 26 And Nicomedes departed to Aristobulus with the letter of Gneus. And Antipater, returning b. c. to Hyrcanus, told him of the promise of ^^' 27 Gneus, advising him to go to Damascus. So Hyr- canus went to Damascus : Aristobulus went also : and they met at Damascus in the audience-room of Pompey, (that is, Gneus;) and Antipater and the 28 elders of the Jews said to Gneus ; " Know, most " illustrious general, that this Aristobulus has " been dealing falsely towards us, and has usurped " by the sword the kingdom of his brother Hyr- " canus, who is more worthy of it than he, seeing " that he is the elder brother, and of a better and 29 " more correct way of life. And it was not enough " for him to oppress his brother, but he has op- " pressed all the nations which are round about " us ; shedding their blood and pillaging their " goods unjustly, and keeping up enmities be- " tween us and them, a thing which we abhor." .30 Then stood up a thousand aged men, attesting the truth of his words. 31 And Aristobulus said, " Truly this my brother " is a better man than I ; but I did not seek for " the throne, until I saw that all those who had " been subject to our father Alexander were deal- " ing falsely with us after his death, knowing the 32 " inability of my brother. Which when I looked " into, I perceived that it was my duty to under- " take the sovereignty, in that I was better than " he in matters of war, and by that was better 33 " suited for preserving the monarchy : and I " went to war with all those who dealt falsely 368 BOOK V. B.C. 63. " with us, and reduced them to obedience : and " this was the command of our father before his " death." And he brought forward witnesses 34 who attested the truth of his words. After these things Pompey departed from the 35 city Damascus, journeying to the Holy House. But Antipater sent privately to the inhabitants 36 of "the cities which Aristobulus had won, exciting them to complain to Gneus, setting forth the tyranny which he had exercised over them ; which thing they did. And Gneus ordered him 37 to write them a testimonial of their freedom, and to say that he would in no wise trouble them more ; which truly he did, and the nations were released from their obedience to the Jews. But when Aristobulus saw what Gneus had 38 done to him, he and his men departed by night from Gneus' array without acquainting him with it, and went on to the city of the Holy House : and Gneus followed him till he came to the city 39 of the Holy House, around which he encamped. But when he beheld the height of the walls, and 40 the strength of its buildings, and the multitude of men who were in it, and the mountains which encircled it, he perceived that flattery and cunning would be more serviceable against Aristobulus than acts of provocation : wherefore he sent am- 41 bassadors to him, that he should come out to him, promising him safe conduct : and Aristobulus went out to him ; whom Gneus received kindly, not saying a word about his former doings. After this Aristobulus said to Gneus, " I wish 42 " that you would aid me against my brother, " giving my enemies no power over me ; and for B.C. 63. CHAP. XXXVI. 369 " this you shall have whatsoever you wish." 43 Gneus replied, " If you wish this, bring to me " whatever money and precious stones are in the " temple, and I will put you in possession of " what you wish." And Aristobulus said to him, 44 " Undoubtedly this I will do." And Gneus sent a captain named GabiniusJ with a great number of men, to receive whatever of gold and jewels 45 there was in the temple. But the citizens and the priests refused to permit this : wherefore they resisted Gabinius, killing many of his men and of 46 his friends, and drove him out of the city. Upon which, Gneus, being wrath with Aristobulus, threw him into prison. 47 Then he marched with his army, to force his way into the city and enter it. But a great body of the citizens going forth, hindered him from doing this, by slaying great numbers of his men. 48 And in truth, the numbers, the spirit, and the bravery of the nation, which he had seen, fright- ened him ; so that, being alarmed at these, he had resolved to retire from them, had not mis- chievous quarrels arisen in the city between the friends of Aristobulus and the friends of Hyr- 49 canus. For some of them wished to open the gates to Pompey, but others were averse to this. Wherefore they came to blows on this account ; J Aulus Gabinius attained publicly defended by Cicero, the dignity of consul : being That oration is not now ex- a friend of Poinpey, he was tant ; but we are made ac- employed in Judsea : for the quainted with the circum- act of replacing Ptolemy on stance by what is said in the the throne of Egypt, as re- oration for Kabirius Posthu- lated below at ch. xl. 15 — mus, which in fact is a sort of 20, he was accused at Rome, second part of the same cause and at Pompey 's request was or trial. Bb 870 BOOK V. B. C. 63. and as this state of things increased rather than diminished, the war continued. Which Pompey 50 noticing, beset with his army the gate of the city : and as some of the people opened a wicket to him, he entered'^, and took possession of the king's palace ; but could not gain the temple, because the priests had closed the doors, and had secured the approaches by armed men. Against 51 these he sent men to attack them from every side, and they put them to flight. And his friends coming to the temple, mounted the wall and de- scended into it, and opened its gateSj after slaying a multitude of priests. Then Gneus came, and 52 entered into it^, and greatly admired its beauty and magnificence which he beheld, and was asto- nished when he saw its riches and the precious stones which were in it : and he forebore to take 53 any thing out of it™; and he commanded the ^ The historian Appian of the later historians, as stateSj that Pompey not only Dio CassiuSj who asserts that captured, but also destroyed on the capture of the temple Jerusalem : he uses the strong a general plunder took place, expression Kareo-Koi/fCj', Aerated navra rh. xpriliara birjfmaaBrj. it to its foundations : but the "» It is remarked, that incorrectness ot this is evi- Cicero has praised Pompey dent. Compare the follow- for thus respecting the temple ilig note. and its contents : " At Cneius 1 Josephus speaks feelingly " Pompeius, captis Hieroso- on this profanation : but he " lymis victor ex illo fano gives Pompey due credit for " nihil attigit. In primis the forbearance which he " hoc, ut multa alia, sapi- shewed, amidst so great temp- " enter, quod in tam suspi- tation to plunder : ovSevos " ciosa ac maledica civitate ytlraro 8i cia-e^eiav. We shall " locum sermoni obtrectato- see in the next note, that the " rum non reliquerit. Non motives of the Roman general " enim, credo, religionem, et were not rated quite so high " Judseorum et hostium, im- by one of his own country- " pedimento praestantissimo men. However, we may " Imperatori, sed pudorem, hence correct the statements '' fuisse." Orat. pro L. B.C. 63. CHAP. XXXVII. 371 priests to cleanse the house from the slain, and to oflFer sacrifices according to the ceremonies of their country. CHAPTER XXXVII.a The account of the aj)pmnt'ment of Hyrcanus the son of Alexander to be king of the Jews, and of the return to Rome of the general of the Roman army. 1 Having arranged these matters, Pompey ap- pointed Hyrcanus to be king'' ; and carried away 2 his brother Aristobulus in chains: he also ordered that the Jews should have no dominion'^ over those nations who had been subdued by their 3 kings before his arrival ; and he exacted a tribute from the city of the Holy House ; and covenanted with Hyrcanus, that he should receive inauguration 4 from the Romans every year. And he departed"^, taking with him Aristobulus, and two of his sons, and his daughters : and he had a son remaining, named Alexander, whom Pompey could not seize, Flacco, cap. 28. For my happy quarrels of Aristobulus part, I doubt whether this be and Hyrcanus had brought praise: as the orator openly and fixed upon their country: attributes the act, not to its labours wasted — its bounds principle, but to policy ; not curtailed — its power dimin- to any sense of religion, but ished — its treasures spoiled — solely to motives of private its glory sunk — its sanctuary and personal interest. profaned — its liberty taken a Compare Joseph. Antiq. away — and itself reduced to XIV. 8. Bell. I. 5. the sad condition of a Roman ^ Josephus only states that province ! he appointed him high priest. ^ gee a summary of the In point of fact, the whole proceedings of Pompey at power was really lodged in Jerusalem, as detailed by the Roman governor of Ccelo- various heathen (not Jewish) Syria, Scaurus. authors, given in Ussher's '^ Josephus eloquently la- Annals, at the year B. C. 63. ments the evils which the un- B b 21 BOOK V. B. C. 62. because he had fled. So Pompey placed in his 5 room in the city of the Holy House, Hyrcanus, and Antipater, and with them his own colleague Scaurus. CHAPTER XXXVIII.a The history of Alexander the son of Aristdbulus. When Pompey had set out for Rome, Hyr- i jj P canus and Antipater marched against the ^2- Arabians, to bring them under the domi- nion of the Romans. To which the Arabians 2 submitted, trusting to their intimacy with Anti- pater, and paying great regard to his advice ; by which acts Antipater designed to reconcile the Romans to him. Therefore when Alexander the son of Aristo- 3 B c bulus perceived the expedition of Hyrca- ^^- nus, Antipater, and Scaurus, against the Arabians, and that they had departed to a great distance from the Holy City ; he journeyed till he 4 arrived there ; and entering into the palace, he brought out thence money for the expence of re- pairing the city-wall which Pompey had broken down. And he raised for himself an army, and 5 arranged all those matters which he wished, be- fore Hyrcanus and his party should return to the city of the Holy House : and when they returned, 6 he went out to meet them, and engaged them, and put them to flight. a Compare Joseph. Antiq. XIV. 9, 10. Bell. I. 6. B. C. 57. CHAP. XXXIX. 373 CHAPTER XXXIX. a The history of Gabinius and of Alexander the son of Aristobuhis. 1 Now Gabinius'' had gone out from Rome, to dwell in the land of Syria, to take care of b.c. 2 it ; and it was told him what Alexander *7. the son of Aristobulus had done, by building up that which Pompey had pulled down, and by opposing his successor, and slaying his friends. 3 Wherefore he went straight until he came to Je- rusalem ; and Hyrcanus and his party joined him. 4 Against whom Alexander went out with ten thou- sand foot and fifteen hundred horse, and encoun- 5 tered them : and they routed him, and slew a certain number of his friends ; and he fled into a certain city in the land of Judah, called Alexan- drium<=, in which he fortified himself with his 6 company. And Hyrcanus, and Gabinius, and their forces, marched against him and besieged 7 him. And Alexander went out against them, and engaged them, and slew great numbers of 8 their men. And Marcus \ who is called Anto- nius, marched against him, and forced him to flee again into Alexandrium. 9 And Alexander's mother went out to Gabinius, deprecating his anger, and imploring him to grant 10 her son Alexander his life : to whom Gabinius as- * Compare Joseph. Ant. on the summit of a steep hillj XIV. 10. Bell. I. 6. near to Corese, on the north- ^ He was appointed go- ern border of Judsea. ( Antiq. vernor of Syria by the Ro- XIV. 6.) mans. ^ Namely, Mark Antony, " Josephus describes this the celebrated triumvir. as an elegant fortress built Bb 3 874 • BOOK V. B.C. 56, sented in this point ; and Alexander went out to him ; and Gabinius put him to death ^ ; and thought proper to divide the territories of Judah into five portions. One is, the country of Jem- 11 salem and the parts adjacent ; and over this part Hyrcanus was made governor. Another portion is Gadira^, and the places about it. The third is, 12 Jericho and the plains. The fourth is, Hamaths in the land of Judah. And the fifth is, Sephoris''. By these means he intended to remove wars and 13 seditions out of the land of Judah ; but they were by no means removed. CHAPTER XL.^ The history of the flight ofAristobulus and his son Anti- gonus from Rome, and their return into the land of Judah: also, an account of the death of Aristdbulus. Then Aristobulus devised plans, till he had sue- 1 B £, ceeded in escaping from Rome with his son ^- Antigonus, and had arrived in the city of Judah. And when Aristobulus shewed himself in 2 public, a great multitude of men flocked round him; out of whom he selected eight thousand, and march- ed against Gabinius, and engaged him ; and there were slain of the Roman army a very great num- ber : there fell also of his own men seven thou- 3 e Josephus, at this part of on the eastern side of Jordan, the history-j takes no notice (Josephus.) of Gabinius putting Alexan- ^ A large and considerable der to death: and, some chap- city, which for some time was ters later, alludes to the fact considered the capital of Ga- of his having been slain by lilee, erected (says Josephus) order of Scipio. in a position naturally very ^ Or Gadara, a strong town strong, on the eastern side of Jordan, » Compare Joseph. Antiq. the capital of Persea. XIV. 11. Bell. I. 6, 7. S That is, Amathus, a city B. C. 56. CHAP. XL. 375 sand, but one thousand escaped ; and the enemy's army pursued him ; but he and they who were left to him ceased not to resist even till the total 4 destruction of his men ; nor was there one left but he alone ; and he fought most furiously until he fell overpowered by wounds, and was taken and led to Gabinius ; who ordered him to be taken 5 care of until he was healed. Then he sent him in chains to Rome. [And he remained shut up in prison until the reign of Caesar ; who brought ^ him out of prison, 6 and loaded him with gifts and favours ; and giv- ing to him two generals and twelve thousand men, sent him into the land of Judah, [B. C. 49. J to detach the Jews from Pompey's party, and bring them over to obey Caesar : for Pompey at that time was governor of the land of Egypt. 7 And the report of Aristobulus and his party reached Hyrcanus ; who was greatly afraid, and wrote to Antipater to avert his power from him 8 by his customary devices. So Antipater sent some of the chief men of Jerusalem, giving to one of them poison, charging him to administer it 9 craftily to Aristobulus. And they met him in the land of Syria, as though they were ambassa- dors to him from the Holy City : and he received them joyfully, and they did eat and drink with 10 him. And those men laid plots till they gave him the poison ; and he died, and was buried in 11 the land of Syria. Now the time of his reign", until he was taken prisoner the first time, was t Compare Joseph. Antiq. see Ussher's remark on the XIV. 13. passage, in his Annals, c Compare Josephus : and B b 4 376 BOOK V. B. C. 55. three years and a half; and he was a man of courage, weight, and excellent disposition.] Now Gabinius had written to the senate, to 12 send away his two sons to their mother, since she had requested it ; which they did. But it came 13 to pass, that when Pompey had departed to a great distance from Jerusalem, they broke their engagement of obedience to the Romans : where- 14 fore Gabinius went against them, encountered them, and conquered them, and reduced them again to submission to the Romans. In the mean time the land of Egypt rebelled 15 B. c. against Ptolemy"^, and expelled him from ^- his royal city, refusing to pay tribute to the Romans. Whereupon Ptolemy wrote to Gabi- 16 nius that he should come and help him against the Egyptians, that he might bring them again into subjection to the Romans. And Gabinius march- 17 ed out of the country of Syria, and wrote to Hyr- canus to meet him with an army, that they might go to Ptolemy. And Antipater went with a large 18 army to Gabinius, and met him at Damascus, con- gratulating with him on the victory which he had gained over the Persians ^ : and Gabinius ordered 19 him to hasten to Ptolemy, which he did, and fought against the Egyptians, and slew of them a very great number. Afterwards Gabinius com- 20 ing up, replaced Ptolemy on his throne, and went back to the Holy City, and renewed Hyrcanus' sovereignty, and returned to Rome. d Namely, Ptolemy, sur- be their king, named Dionysius Novus. In e That is, Parthians, as be- opposition to him the Egyp. fore, tians had chosen Archelaus to B.C. 54. CHAP. XLI. 377 CHAPTER XLI. a The history qfCrassus. 1 When Gabinius had returned to Rome, the 2 Persians'' played false to the Komans ; and ^ ^ Crassus'^ marched with a large army into ^^• Syria, and came to Jerusalem, requiring of the priests that they should deliver to him whatever 3 money there was in the house of God. To whom they made answer, how will this be lawful for you, when Pompey, Gabinius, and others have deemed it unlawful? But he answered, I must 4 do it at all events. And Eleazar the priest said to him. Swear to me that you will not lay your hand upon any thing which belongs to it, and I 5 will give you three hundred minae of gold. And he sware to him that he would take nothing from the treasure of the house of God, if he would deli- 6 ver to him what he had mentioned. And Eleazar gave him a bar of wrought gold, the upper part of which had been inserted into the wall of the trea- sury of the temple, upon which were placed every year the old veils of the house, new ones being 7 substituted for them. And the bar weighed three hundred minse'^ of gold, and it was covered with a Compare Joseph. Antiq. thus governor of the province XIV. 12. of Syria. His subsequent ^ Parthians, as before. attempts against the Parthi- <= Marcus Licinius Crassus, ans, his defeat and death, whose history and fame are are recorded by Plutarch and well known, after having other writers, served under Sylla, and ob- dJosephus states here, "the tained great glory by his " minse with us weighs two timely defeat of Spartacus " pounds and a half:" from and the revolted slaves, be- whence the immense value of came consul, censor, triumvir this bar may be understood, with Caesar and Pompey, and 378 BOOK V. B. C. 53. the veils which were accumulated during a long course of years, being known to no one besides Eleazar. Crassus then, having received this bar, 8 broke his word, going back from the agreement made with Eleazar ; and he took all the treasures of the temple, and plundered whatever money was therein, to the amount of two thousand talents : for this money had been accumulating from the 9 building of the temple until that time, out of the spoils of the kings of Judah and their offerings, and also from the presents which the kings of the Gentiles *= had sent ; and they were multiplied and 10 increased in the lapse of years ; all which he took. Then that vile Crassus went off with the mo- 11 ney and his army into the country of the Per- sians ; and they defeated him ^ and his army in battle, slaying them in a single day : and the Per- 12 sian array took as spoil every thing which was in the camp of Crassus. After this feat, they marched into the country of 13 B Q Syria, which they won, and detached from ^^- its submission to the Romans. Which the 14 Romans learning, sent a renowned general named Cassius s with a great army : who, arriving in the country of Syria, drove out those of the Persians who were in it. Then proceeding to the Holy City, 15 he delivered Hyrcanus from the war which the Jews were waging against him, reconciling the par- ties. Afterwards, passing the Euphrates '^j he fought 16 <= See abovej ch. I. 1. S He was first treasurer to * For the miserable end of Crassus ; after whose death this expedition against the he was made governor of Sy- ParthianSj which cost the life ria. Subsequently he became of Crassus, and the destruction conspicuous as one of the of his whole army, see the murderers of Julius Caesar. Roman historians. h Ussher remarks, that B.C. 62. CHAP. XLII. 379 with the Persians, and brought them back to their 17 subjection to the Romans : he also reduced to submission the two and twenty kings' whom Pompey had subdued ; and reduced under obe- dience to the Romans every thing in the countries of the east. CHAPTER XLII. a The history qfCcesar, hhig of the Romans. 1 It is reported that there was at Rome a certain woman who was pregnant, who, being near g ^ to her delivery, and racked with most vio- ^2. 2 lent pains of childbirth, died : but as the child was in motion, the belly of the mother was opened, and it was brought forth thence and lived, and grew, and was named Julius, because he was born in the fifth 3 month ; and was called Caesar'", because the belly of his mother, from whence he was extracted, was 4 ripped open. (Lat. ceesa.) But when the elder of Rome sent Pompey into the east, he likewise sent Caesar into the west, to subdue certain na- 5 tions which had revolted from the Romans. And Caesar went, and conquered them, and reduced them to obedience to the Romans, and returned to there is a mistake in this as- " sisse ipse Pompeius pro sertion : as the Roman histo- " condone narravit." Histor. rians mention indeed the sue- VI. c. 6. cesses of Cassius against the * Compare Joseph. Antiq. Parthians in Syria, but say XIV. 14, 15. Bell. I. 7- not a word of his having pur- '^ On this point, which has sued them back into their been contested, see Suidas, own country. in voce 'louAios ; and for the ' The historian Orosius, various accounts given of the after reciting Pompey's ex- name, consult Hoffmann's ploits in Asia, states ; " Hoc lexicon, and the authors there " bellum orientis cum viginti cited. " et duobus regibus sese ges- 880 BOOK V. B.C. 49. Rome with great glory : and his fame increased, 6 and his affairs became much renowned, and exces- sive pride took hold on him ; wherefore he re- quested the Romans to name him king. But the 7 elder and governors answered him, " Ti'uly our " fathers took an oath in the days of Tarquin the " king, — ^who had taken by force another man's " wife, who laid hands on herself that he might " not enjoy her, — that they would not give the 8 " title of king to any of those who should be " placed at the head of their affairs ; on account " of which oath (said they) we are not able to gra- " tify you in this particular." Wherefore he 9 stirred up seditions, and waged furious battles at Rome, slaying many people, until he seized on the throne of the Romans, and entitled himself king, putting a diadem on his head. From thence- 10 forth they were called kings of the Romans, from their kingdom : they were also called Caesars. When therefore Pompey heard this news of Cae- 11 B Q sar, and that he had slain the three hundred '^^- and twenty" governors, he collected his armies and marched into Cappadocia : and Caesar 12 going to meet him engaged him, conquered*^ and slew him, and gained possession of the whole terri- tory of the Romans. After this, Caesar went into the 13 province of Syria ; whom Mithridates^ the Arme- nian met with his. army, assuring him that he was come with peaceful designs, and was ready to at- " See above, 2 Mace. viii. dered on the coast of Egypt, 15 ; also 5 Mace. xii. and whither he was fleeing for xiii. succour. d At the battle of Pharsa- « Namely, king of Perga- lia. Shortly afterwards Pom- mus ; not one of the kings of pey was treacherously mur- Parthia. B.C. 48. CHAP. XLII. 381 tack whatsoever enemies he should command. 14 Ccesar ordered him to depart into Egypt; and Mithridates marched till he came to Ascalon. 15 Now Hyrcanus feared Caesar very much, because his submission to Pom pey, whom Caesar had g ^ 16 slain, was known. Wherefore he despatch- '^^■ ed hastily Antipater with a brave army to assist Mithridates : and Antipater marched to him, and aided him against a certain one of the cities of 17 Egypt ^, and they took it. But as they departed thence, they found an army of the Jews who dwelled in Egypt, making a stand at the entrance, to prevent Mithridates from entering Egypt. 18 And Antipater produced to them a letter from Hyrcanus, commanding them to desist, and not oppose Mithridates, the friend of Caesar. And 19 they forbore. But the others marched till they came to the city of the then reigning king ; who came out to them with all the armies of the Egypt- ians, and when they engaged with him, he con- 20 quered and routed them ; and Mithridates turned his back and fled ; whom, when he was sur- rounded by the Egyptian troops, Antipater saved 21 from death : and Antipater and his men ceased not to resist the Egyptians in battle, whom he routed and conquered, and won the whole country of Egypt. 22 And Mithridates wrote to Caesar, shewing him what Antipater had done, and what battles he had endured, and what wounds he had received ; 23 and that the winning of the country was to be ascribed not to him but to Antipater, and that f Namely, Pelusium. sius II, together with Cleo- % Namely Ptolemy Diony. patra. 382 BOOK V. B. C. 47. he had reduced the Egyptians to obedience unto Caesar. And when Caesar had read the letter of 24 Mithridates, he commended Antipater for his ex- ploits, and resolved to advance and exalt him. After these acts, Mithridates and Antipater went 25 to Caesar, who then was at Damascus; and he obtained from Caesar whatsoever he liked, and he promised him whatever he wished for. CHAPTER XLIII.a The account of the coming ofAntiganus the son ofAris- tobulus unto Casar, complaining of Antipater who had caused his father s death. But Antigonus the son of Aristobulus came to 1 ^Q Caesar, and related to him the expedition *'• of Aristobulus his father to attack Pom- pey, and how obedient and obsequious he was to him. Then he told him that Hyrcanus and An- 2 tipater had secretly sent a man to his father to destroy him by poison'', intending {said he) to assist Pompey against your friends. Caesar therefore sent to Antipater, and ques- 3 tioned him on this matter; to whom Antipater replied ; " Certainly I did obey Pompey, because 4 " then he was the ruling person, and conferred " benefits on me ; but I did not now fight with " the Egyptians for the sake of Pompey, who is " already dead ; nor did I go through difficulties 5 " in defeating them and reducing them to obedi- " ence to Pompey ; but I did this out of duty to " Caesar, and that I might reduce them to obedi- * Compare Joseph. Antiq. is stated above^ at chap. xl. XIV. 15. BeU. I. 8. 7—10. ^ According to that which B. C. 47. CHAP. XLIII. 6 " eiice to him." Then Antipater uncovered his head and his hands, and said ; " These wounds, " which are on my head and body, testify that " my affection and obedience to Caesar are greater " than my affection and obedience to Pompey ; 7 " for I did not expose myself in the days of Pora- " pey, to the things to which I have exposed my- 8 " self in the days of king Caesar." And Caesar said to him, " Peace be to thee, and to all thy " friends, O bravest of the Jews : for thou hast " truly shewn this fortitude, magnanimity, obedi- " ence, and affection towards us." 9 And from that time Caesar increased in affec- tion towards Antipater, and advanced him above all his friends, and promoted him to be general of his armies, and took him with him into the coun- 10 try of the Persians : and he saw from his bravery and his successful exploits, that he more and more excited in him a longing and affection for him : 11 at length he brought him back into the land of Judah, covered with honours and crowned with a post of authority ". 12 And Caesar marched to Rome, having settled the affairs of Hyrcanus ^ ; who built the walls of the Holy City, and conducted himself towards the 13 people in a most excellent manner : for he was a good man, endued with virtues, of irreproachable life, but his inability in wars was notorious to all men. •^ It appears that Caesar <1 Csesar ordained that Hyr- confirmed Hyrcanus in the canus and . his descendants high-priesthood; but commit- should perpetually retain the ted refl% the chief civil power principality (idmpxla) and to the hands of Antipater, ere- high-priesthood of the Jews, ating him procurator or go- according to the ancient usage vernor of Judaea. of the country. 384 BOOK V. B. C. 45. CHAPTER XLIV.a The account of the embassy ofHyrcanus to Ccesar, ash- ing for a renewal of the treaty between them; and of the copy of the treaty which Hyrcanus sent to him. Therefore Hyrcanus sent ambassadors to l jj c Caesar, with a letter concerning a renewal 47—45. of the treaty which was between him and the Romans. And when Hyrcanus' ambassadors 2 came to Caesar, he ordered them to be seated in his presence ; an honour which he had not con- ferred on any one of the ambassadors of the kings who used to come to him. Moreover he acted kindly to them, by expe- 3 diting their business, and ordered an answer to be given to Hyrcanus' letter; to whom also he wrote the treaty, of which the following is a copy. " From Caesar, king of kings, to the princes of 4 " the Romans who are at Tyre and Sidon, peace " be with you. I give you to know, that a letter 5 " of Hyrcanus the son of Alexander, both kings " of the Jews, has been brought to me ; at the 6 " arrival of which I rejoiced, by reason of the " continued good-will which both he and his peo- a Compare Joseph. Antiq. ought to assign to it the year XIV. 16, 17- JosephuSj here 54: but it is clear that the enumerating the various ordi- embassy mentioned in the nances, decrees, &c. of the text was subsequent to Cse- Romans in favour of the sar's arrangements in favour Jews, begins by reciting a de- of Hyrcanus, related in the cree of the senate, diflfering preceding chapter. In fact, in almost every particular the letter inserted, as in this from this letter of Caesar. As passage, by Josephus, belongs he states that this transaction to the transactions related in took place in the ninth year ch. xxii. of this our book, of Hyrcanus' sovereignty, we B.C. 45. CHAP. XLIV. 385 " pie declare that they have towards me and the 7 " Roman nation. And verily the truth of his " words I have proved by this ; that he formerly " sent '' Antipater a captain of the Jews, and their " cavalry, with Mithridates my friend, whom the 8 " troops of Egypt attacked ; and he saved Mithri- " dates from death, having won for us the coun- " try of Egypt, and reduced the Egyptians to " obedience to the Romans : he also marched with " me into the country of the Persians, serving as 9 " a volunteer. And therefore I order that all the " inhabitants of the sea-coast, from Gaza as far as " Sidon, shall pay all the tributes which they owe " us, every year, to the house of the great God 10 " which is in Jerusalem ; except the citizens of " Sidon ; and let these pay to it, according to the " appointment of their tribute, twenty thousand " five hundred and fifty vibae •= of wheat every 11 " year. I also order, that Laodicea and its pos- " sessions, and all things which were in the hand " of the kings of Judah, even to the bank of the 12 " Euphrates ; with all those places which the As- " monaeans'' won from the passing over Jordan, — " be restored to Hyrcanus the son of Alexander *> See these transactions re- lish measure. But Josephus, lated abovCj at ch. xlii. 15 — reciting the same decree, states 23. the appointed quantity to be c Tte word which the La- twenty-six thousand and se- tin translator has rendered venty-five modii. [There ap- viba, is stated by Meninski to pears to be a various reading, signify a measure containing twenty thousand six hundred twenty-two or twenty-four and seventy-five.] See edit. Roman modii. The modius, Haverk.Ant. XIV. c.lO. §. 6. though familiarly translated a * Namely^ Judas Macca- bushel, is generally under- bseus and his successors. For stood to have been equal to the origin of the name, see one peck and a half of Eng- the note on book II. ch. ii. 1 . cc BOOK V. B.C. 44. " kmg of Judah. For all these things his fathers 13 "had won by their sword, but Porapey had un- " justly taken thera away « in the time of Aristo- " buius : and from this time and for the future 14 " let them belong to Hyrcanus, and to the suc- " ceeding kings of Judah. And this treaty is for 15 " me, and for every one of the kings of Rome my " successors : whoever therefore shall break it or " any part of it, may God destroy him by the " sword, and may his house and his government " be made desolate and be cut down ! And when 16 " you shall read this my epistle, write it in let- " ters^ engraved on tables of brass, in the lan- " guage of the Romans and in their characters, " and in the language of the Greeks and in their " characters : and place the tables in conspicuous 17 " parts of the temples which are at Tyre and Si- " don ; that every person may be able to see them, " and may understand what I have appointed for " Hyrcanus and the Jews." CHAPTER XLV.a The history of C Cesar's death. There were with Caesar two of Pompey's 1 3 Q friends ; of whom the one was called Cas- ■**■ sius, and the other Brutus; who laid a plot to kill Caesar. For which purpose they con- 2 cealed themselves in the temple^ at Rome which e See above, ch. xxxvii. 2. XIV. 17, 18. Bell. I. 9. f Josephus recites this or- ^ It is known, from, the der, but in another place ; Roman historians, that it was namely, as given by Antony in no temple, but in the se- (for Augustus and Umself) nate-house, that Caesar met after Julius Caesar's death. his death. * Compare Joseph. Antiq. B. C. 43. CHAP. XL VI. 387 3 he had set apart for himself to pray in. To which therefore when he came, careless, safe, and taking no sort of heed to himself, they rushed upon him, 4 and killed him. And Cassius got possession of the throne'', and gathered' a large army, and trans- ported it beyond the sea ; fearing Caesar's party if he should continue to reside at Rome. 5 And he marched into the land of Asia, and wasted it : from thence he went into the ^ ^ 6 country of Judah : and Antipater wished ^^• to attack him ; but seeing that his strength was not equal to the task, he made peace with him. 7 And Cassius laid a tribute of seven hundred ta- lents of gold^ on the land of Judah ; and Anti- 8 pater bound himself as surety for the money ; and charged his son Herod to raise it on the country of Judah, and to carry it to Cassius : who receiv- ing it marched into the country of Macedonia, and there remained through fear of the Romans. CHAPTER XLVI.a The history of the death of Antipater. 1 Now the princes of Judah had taken counsel to slay Antipater ; and for that purpose had se- cretly set upon him a man who was called Mal- 2 chiah. And Malchiah made the attempt, but its 3 execution was delayed for a long time. And the report of it reached Antipater, who sought out 4 Malchiah to kill him : but Malchiah cleared him- self in the sight of Antipater of the things whereof c This and similar misstate- silver : a much more mode- ments must be corrected from rate exaction, the Roman historians. . » Compare Joseph. Antiq. d Josephus saysj talents of XIV. 19. Bell. I. 9. C c 2 388 BOOK V. B. C. 42. he had been accused to him ; and sware to him that the report was groundless : and Antipater believed him, putting aside all suspicion from him. But Malchiah, having given a large sum of money 5 to Hyrcanus' cup-bearer, agreed with him to give Antipater poison, while he was on the banqueting couch in the king's presence. And the cup-bearer 6 did this, and king Antipater^ died on that same day : and the thing was not by the design, nor with the knowledge, of the king. And when An- 7 tipater was dead, Hyrcanus substituted Malchiah in his place. CHAPTER XL VII. - The history of the death of Malchiah. Now when Herod the son of Antipater was in- 1 B c formed that Malchiah had caused his fa- •*2- ther's death, he thought to rush openly upon Malchiah; but his brother prevented him from doing this, advising that he should be taken off by stratagem. And Herod went to Cassius, 2 and told him what Malchiah had done : to whom the other replied, when I am gone to Tyre, and Hyrcanus is with me, and with him Malchiah, then rush on him and kill him. When therefore Cassius had gone to Tyre, and 3 Hyrcanus had gone to join him, taking Malchiah l" I do not remember that name of king. It is said alsOj this title is given to Antipater in the next verse^ that " Hyr- in any other passage. Caesar " canus substituted Malchiah had made him procurator of " in his place," evidently im- Judaea ; but though he really plying a subordinate rank, had the supreme power, it * Compare Joseph. Antiq. does not appear that he evier XIV. 19, 20. Bell. I. 9. possessed the throne or the B. C. 42. CHAP. XLVII. 389 with him; and they were standing together in Cassias' presence, at a certain feast to which Cas- 4 sius had invited them with all his friends : (now Cassius had given orders to his servants to do 5 whatever Herod should order them :) Herod also was standing with his brother amongst the com- panions of Hyrcanus, and Herod agreed with some of the servants to kill Malchiah, when a signal 6 should be given by a wink of the eye. When therefore Hyrcanus had eaten and drunken with his friends, they went to sleep in the afternoon : 7 and when they had awaked from sleep, Hyrcanus ordered one to prepare a couch for him in the open air, before the entrance of the banqueting 8 room in which they had slept : and he himself sat down, and commanded Malchiah to sit with him : he also ordered Herod and his brother to be seated : 9 and Cassius' servants stood near Hyrcanus ; to whom Herod winked against Malchiah, and they 10 immediately rushed on him and slew him'': and Hyrcanus was greatly frightened, and fell into a fit of fainting. 11 But when Cassius' attendants had retired, and the slain Malchiah was carried out, Hyrcanus came to himself again, and asked of Herod the 12 cause of Malchiah's death. And Herod answer- ed ; "I am wholly ignorant, nor do I know the '^ cause of the thing." And Hyrcanus held his peace, and never again asked more of the matter. 13 And Cassius marched into Macedonia, to meet Octavianc the son of Caesar's brother, and An- ^ The circumstances of his « Who was afterwkrds death are differently related better known by the title of by Josephus. Augustus Caesar. It is not c c 3 390 BOOK V. B.C. 41. tony the general of his army : for they had set out from Rome with a great army in search of Cassius. CHAPTER XLVIII.a The history of Octavian, (the same is Augustus the son of Casar's brother,) and of Antony, general of his army, and of Cassius' death. When Octavian had marched into Macedonia, l Cassius went out to meet him, and engaged with him ; and Cassius was put to flight ; whom Octavian pursuing, entirely defeated and 2 killed'' : and Octavian won the kingdom in place of his uncle Caesar ; and he also was surnamed Caesar, after the name of his uncle. Now \^hen the death of Cassius became known 3 g c to Hyrcanus, he sent ambassadors with *!• presents, money, and jewels, to Augustus and Antony : and he wrote to him, asking for 4 a renewal of the treaty which had been entered into with Caesar" ; and that he would order all 5 the captives of Judah who were in his kingdom, and those who had been made captives in the days of Cassius, to be set free ; and that he would 6 permit all the Jews who were in the country of the Greeks, and in the land of Asia, to return into the country of Judah, without requiring any 7 true that he was the son of XIV. 22, 23. Bell. I. 10. Caesar's brother: but his mo- ^ Namely, at the battle of ther Aecia was sister of Julius Philippi, a town of ■ Mace- Csesar; so that in fact he donia, fought in October, was a nephew, but by the B.C. 42. female side. <= See above, ch. xliv. 1. " Compare Joseph. Antiq. B.C. 41. CHAP. XLVIII. 391 ransom, or redemption, or any obstacle being thrown in the way by any one. 8 So when the ambassadors of Hyrcanus came to Augustus, with their letter and presents, he 9 honoured the ambassadors, and accepted the pre- sents, and acceded to all things which Hyrcanus had asked ; writing to him a letter, of which this is the copy. 10 " From Augustus ''j king of kings, and Antony " his colleague, to Hyrcanus king of Judah ; 11 " Health be to you. Your letter has even now " reached us, at which we rejoiced ; and we have " sent that which you wished, respecting the " renewal of the treaty, and the writing, to all " our provinces, which extend from the country 12 " of the Indias even to the western ocean. But " that which delayed us from sooner writing to " you concerning the renewal of the treaty was, " our occupation in subduing Cassius, that filthy^ 13 " tyrant; who, acting wickedly towards Caesar, 14 " that luminary of the world, slew him. Where- " fore we have contended with him with our " whole strength, until the great and good God " rendered us victorious, and caused him to fall 15 " into our hands ; whom we have put to death ^. " We have also slain Brutus his colleague ; and ^ Josephus states all this man historians, that neither to have been done by Antony Cassius nor Brutus fell in alone, and in his own name, battle, nor, strictly speaking, Caesar having departed into mere put to deaihhj Octa,via,n: Gaul or Italy immediately as each of them, feeling that after the battle of Philippi. their hopes and prospects e The Latin version ren- were irretrievably destroyed, ders the word by " fomi- fell upon his own sword " carius," literally, a fre- rather than fall into the vic- qttenter of brothels. tor's hands. f It is related by the Ro- c c 4 392 BOOK V. B. C. 41. " we have delivered the country of Asia out of " his hand, after he had laid it waste, and had " exterminated its inhabitants. Nor did he ad- 16 " here to any engagement ; nor honour any tem- " pie ; nor do justice to the oppressed ; nor pity " a Jew, or any other of our subjects : but with 17 " his Jbll(ywers he wickedly did many evils to all " men through oppression and tyranny : where- 18 " fore God hath turned their malice hack on their '* own heads, delivering them up, with those who " were confederate with them. Rejoice now 19 " therefore, O king Hyrcanus, and other Jews, " and inhabitants of the Holy Region, and priests " who are in the temple of Jerusalem : and let 20 " them accept the present which we have sent to " the most glorious temple, and pray for Augustus " ever. We have written also to all our pro- 21 " vinces, that there remain in none of them any " one of the Jews, be it servant or maid, but that " all should be let go, without price and without "ransom: and that they should be hindered by 22 " no person Jrom returning into the land of " Judah ; and this by command of Augustus, and " likewise of Antony his colleague." Moreover, he wrote s to his friends, who are at 23 Tyre and Sidon, and in other places, to restore whatever they had taken out of the land of Judah in the days of that filthy Cassius : and to treat 24 the Jews peaceably, and not to oppose them in any thing, and to do for them whatever Caesar had decreed in his treaty with them. g Josephus, as above, attributes this to Antony, not to Caesar. B. C. 41. CHAP. XLVIII. 393 25 Now Antony remained in the country of Syria ; and Cleopatra'' queen of Egypt came to him, 26 whom he took for his wife. She was a wise woman, skilled in magical arts and properties of things: so that she enticed him, and got posses- sion of his heart to that degree that he could deny her nothing. 27 At this same time, a hundred men of the chief of the Jews went to Antony', and complained of Herod and his brother Phaselus the sons of Anti- 28 pater, saying ; They have now gotten every thing belonging to Hyrcanus, and there remains to him nothing of the kingdom except the name ; and the concealment of this matter is a proof of the capti- 29 vity of their lord. But when Antony had in- quired of Hyrcanus the truth of the things which they had mentioned to him, Hyrcanus declared that they spoke falsely ; clearing Herod and his brother from that which they had laid to their 30 charge. And Antony rejoiced at this ; for he was greatly inclined towards them, and loved 31 them. Moreover, other persons at another time complained to him of Herod and his brother, 32 when he was at Tyre : but he not only refused to entertain their words, but put to death some of 33 them, and cast the rest into prison ; and he ad- vanced the dignity of Herod and his brother, doing them services, and sent them back to Jeru- 34 salem with great honour. But Antony himself, h Namely, the fifth (or country to the condition of a sixth) princess of that name, Roman province at her death, the daughter of Ptolemy B.C. 30. Auletes : she. was the last of ' Who. at this time was at the sovereigns of Egypt, Au- Daphne, near Antioch in gustus having reduced that Syria. (Josephus.) 394 BOOK V. B. C. 40. going into the country of the Persians'', defeated them, and subdued them, and returned to Rome. CHAPTER XLIX.a The history ofAntigonus tlie son ofAristobulus, and of his expedition agmnst his uncle Hyrcanus: and of the succour which was obtained from the hing of the Per- sians. When Augustus and Antony had arrived at 1 B c. Rome, Antigonus went to the king of ^- the Persians^, and promised him a thou- sand talents of coined gold, and eight hundred" virgins of the daughters of Judah and of its princes, beautiful and wise ; if he would send 2 with him a general leading a great army against Jerusalem, and would order him to make him king over Judah, and would take prisoner his uncle Hyrcanus, and kill Herod and his brother. To whom the king assenting, sent with him a 3 general with a great army : and they marched 4 until they came into the land of Syria ; and they slew a friend of Antony and certain Romans who were dwelling there. From thence they marched against the Holy 5 City ; professing security and peace, and that An- tigonus had only come to pray in the sanctuary, and then wouM return to his own friends. And 6 they entered the city ; into which when they had gotten, they played foul, and began to kill men, and to plunder the city, according to the orders of the king of Persia to them. And Herod and 7 ^ That is, Parthiaiis, as ^ The Parthians, of whoja before. o-i . • Orodes was at this time king. a Compare Joseph. Antiq. <= Josephus says, five hun- XIV. 24, 25. Bell. I. 11. dred. B. C. 40. CHAP. XLIX. 395 his men ran forward to defend the palace of Hyr- canus : but he sent his brother, and commanded him to guard the way which leads from the walls 8 to the palace. And when he had possessed him- self of each position, he chose out some of his men, and marched against the Persians who were 9 in the city ; and his brother followed with a cer- tain number of his men; and they slew the greater part of the Persians who were in the city, but the rest fled out of the city. 10 And when the general of the Persians saw that things had not gone to his mind, he despatched messengers to Herod and his brother, to treat for 11 peace ; informing them, that now he was satisfied of their valour and bravery, that they ought to be preferred to Antigonus ; and that for that reason he would persuade his troops to aid Hyrcanus and 12 them rather than Antigonus: and this his wish he confirmed by the most solemn oaths, so that Hyr- canus and Phaselus believed him, hut not Herod. 13 So Hyrcanus and Phaselus, going out to the gene- ral of the Persians, signified to him their reliance on him ; and he advised them to go to his col- 14 league who was at Damascus ; and they went. And when they were come to him, he received them honourably, and made a display of holding them in high esteem, and treated them courteously; although he had secretly given orders that they 15 should be made prisoners. And some of the prin- cipal men of the land coming to them, told them of this very design ; advising them to flee, with 16 a promise of aiding their escape. But they did not trust these men, fearing lest it were some plot 17. against them ; wherefore they stayed. And when 896 BOOK V. B.C. 40. night came on, they were seized : Phaselus indeed laid hands on himself; but Hyrcanus was bound in chains, and by order of the general of the Per- sians his ear was cut ofF^, that he might never be high priest again; and he sent him to Herak% to 18 the king of the Persians ; to whom when he came, the king ordered his chains to be struck off, and shewed him kindness ; and he remained in Herak 19 loaded with honours, until Herod demanded him from the king of the Persians : and when he was sent back to Herod, those things befell him^ which did befall him. After this, the general went up with Antigo- 20 nus into the Holy City : and it was told Herod what had been done to Hyrcanus and Phaselus : wherefore taking his mother Cypris, and his wife 21 Mariamne the daughter of Aristobulus, and her mother Alexandra, he sent them with horses and much baggage to Joseph his brother to mount d Josephus addsj that the " not approach : no man that mutilation of Hyrcanus took " hath a blemish of the seed place at the suggestion of An- " of Aaron the priest shall tigonus ; and his remark is " come nigh to offer the of- confirmed by an, expression " ferings of the Lord made occurring at ch. liv. 9. of " by fire : he hath a blemish; this book. We know both " he shall not come nigh to the object and the ground of " offer the bread of his this proceeding, from the fol- " God." Lev. xxi. 16.17. 18. lowing express and repeated 21. command of God : " And the « Josephus does not use this " Lord spake unto Moses, expression; but merely states, " saying. Speak unto Aaron, that Hyrcanus was sent into " saying. Whosoever he be of the country of the Parthians. " thy seed in their genera- Concerning the meaning of " tions that hath any blemish, the word Herak, see the note " let him not approach to of- on ch. liv. 1. of this book. " fer the bread of his God. ^ See the sequel of his his- " For whatsoever man he be tory below, at ch. liv. " that hath a blemish, he shall B. C. 40. CHAP. XLIX. 397 22 Sarah s : but himself with an army of a thousand men marched slowly, and waited for those of the 23 Persians who might attempt to pursue him. And the general of the Persians pursued him with his array ; whom Herod attacked, and conquered, and 24 put to flight. After this, Antigonus' troops also pursued him, and fought with him most fiercely : and these he smote '', and slew great numbers of 25 them. Then he marched to the mountains of Sa- rah ; and found his brother Josephus, whom he ordered to secure the families in a safe place, and to provide all things which were necessary for 26 them : and he gave them abundance of money, that if need were, they might buy themselves pro- visions. e This name has occurred frequently in this book, but I do not find it elsewhere : per- haps it may be derived from that part of ancient Idumseaj which in Scripture is called. " the mountains of Seir." See above, ch. xxi. 29; xxxv. 4. The spot in which Joseph se- cured the persons entrusted to his charge appears from Josephus (Ant. XIV; 24, 26, 27.) to have been the strong- hold of Massada. But this creates some difficulty: for, although we know that Mas- sada was a strong position, and was used as a place of defence by Herod, its situa- tion does not well accord with the statement in the text. Massada is said to have been near to Engaddi, which was not far from Jericho ; so that it cannot well be taken for a part of mount Sarah in Idu- maea. Consult ch. 26 and 27 of the XlVth book of Jo- sephus' Antiquities; and ch. 11 and 12 of the first book of his Wars ; all which passages favour the idea, that Massada was in Idumsea. Salmasius, in his ." Exercitationes Pli- " nianse ad Solini Polyhistor." cap. 35, affords some assist- ance, by desiring us to re- member that the boundary- line between Arabia Petraea (rather Idumaea) and Judaea was not accurately defined; so that places which by one author are assigned to one country, by a second may be referred to the other. Such may be the case with the town in question. ^ And on the spot where he defeated them, he after- wards, when he came to the throne, erected a castle and palace, bearing the name of Herodium. (Josephus.) 398 BOOK V. B.C. 40. And having left his men with his brother Jose- 27 phus, himself with a few companions went into Egypt, that he might take ship and proceed to the country of the Romans. Cleopatra entertained 28 him courteously, and requested him to take the command of her armies and the management of all her affairs ; to whom he notified that it was quite necessary for him to go to Rome. And she 29 gave him money and ships : and he went till he reached Rome, and abode with Antony, aiod told him what Antigonus had done, and what he had committed against Hyrcanus and his brother, by help of the king of the Persians : and Antony 30 rode with him to Augustus and to the senate, and told them the selfsame thing. CHAPTER L.a The history of Herod when the Romans appointed him king over the Jews, and his depwrturejrom Rome with an army to fight against the Holy House. Augustus and the senate, informed of what 1 Antigonus had done, with one consent appointed Herod king over the Jews ; commanding him to 2 put a golden diadem on his head, and to mount a horse, and that it should be proclaimed by trum- pets preceding him, " Herod is king over the Jews " and the holy city Jerusalem :" which was done. And returning to Augustus, he rode, and Angus- 3 tus, and Antony; and they went to Antony's house, who had invited the senate and all the citi- zens of Rome to a banquet which he had prepared. And they did eat and drink, and rejoiced over 4 » Compare Josephus, Ant. XIV. 26, 27. Bell. I. 11, 12. B.C. 40. CHAP. L. Herod with great joy, making with him a treaty' engraven in tables of brass ; and it was placed in 5 the temples. And they inscribed that day as the first of Herod's reign, and from that time it was taken for an sera, by which times are counted. 6 After these things, Antony and Herod departed by sea with a great and abundant army : and when they came to Antioch, they divided their 7 forces : and Antony took a part, and led it into the country of the Persians which is Herak*" and the parts adjacent : and Herod, taking another 8 part, went straight till he came to Ptolemais. So Antigonus, hearing that Antony had made an ex- pedition into the country of the Persians, and that Herod had reached Ptolemais, marched out from the Holy House to the mountain Sarah •=, to take Josephus, Herod's brother, and those who were 9 with him. Whom he assaulted, and besieged ; and having cut off a canal, intercepted the water which flowed down to them : so that thirst pre- vailed among them, and their affairs were reduced 10 to great straits. Wherefore Josephus determined to flee ; and the families had deliberated upon surrendering themselves to Antigonus, if Josephus 11 should flee. But God sent to them an abundant rain, which filled all their cisterns and vessels : wherefore their hearts were encouraged, and their 12 condition was improved ; and Josephus continued to repulse Antony^ and his men from the strong b See the note on ch. liv.l. take for Antigonus : Antony, " See above^ at ch. xlix. as we have read at ver. T, had 21. 24, and the note. Jose- led his troops into Babylonia phus states the place to be at this time, where we find Massada. ' him employed at ch. lii. 1 — 3. d This obviously is a mis- 400 BOOK V. B.C. 39. hold, nor could the latter gain any advantage over him. But Herod marched straight to the moun- 13 tain Sarah, to bring back his brother, and the fa- milies, and the men who were with him, to Jeru- salem. And he found Antigonus besieging his 14 brother ; upon whom he made a sudden attack ; and Josephus and his men came out to them, and the greater part of Antigonus' army was destroy- ed, and he fled into Jerusalem. Whom Herod pursued with a great army of 15 Jews, who had come to him from every quarter, when they found that he had returned ; and he was well supplied with assistance, so that he stood in less need of the army of the Romans. When 16 therefore Herod had reached the Holy City, An- tigonus shut the, gates in his face ; and fought against him ; and sent much money to the chiefs of the array of the Romans, requesting them not to assist Herod : which they did® for him. Wherefore the war lasted a long time between 17 Antigonus and Herod, neither of them prevailing over his fellow [i. e. antagonist]. CHAPTER Ll.a The history of the magnanimity of certain of Herod's men, and of their bravery. Now thieves, and they who were longing for 1 B.C. the property of others, had multiplied ^^' during the time of Antigonus ; betaking 2 themselves to some caves in the mountains, to which there was no approach except for one man « It appears that Silo, a fence of Antigonus' interests. Roman general, was bribed, * Compare Josephus, Ant. and exerted -himself in de- XIV. 27. Bell. I. 12. B.C. 39. CHAP. LI. 401 at a time, through certain places fitted for the 3 purpose by them, and known to them alone : and even though others should know them, they could not go up to the cave ; because that a man was ever ready at the mouth, who, with a very little trouble, could easily repel a person who was 4 climbing up. And now some of these men had gotten to themselves in that cave abundance of arms, provisions, and drink, and all those things 5 which they needed ; together with all the spoils which they had gained by attacking those whom they met, and that which they had taken by right or wrong. 6 When therefore Herod had learnt their pro- ceedings, and found that their matters were likely to cause delay'' ; also that men could not at pre- sent mount up to them by ladders, nor in fact 7 climb up in any way ; he made use of great wooden chests fitted and joined together, and filled them with men, (adding food and water,) bearing 8 very long hooked spears : and those chests he or- dered to be let down from the summit of the mountains, at the middle of which the caves were, until they were placed opposite to their mouths : 9 and when they were opposite to these, lie desired that Ms men should attack them in close fight with swords, and from a distance should drag 10 them out with those spears. And the chests were \\ made, and filled with men. And when some of them were let down, and were opposite to the mouths of those caves, no information having l> In other words^ that in be put a stop tOj from the all probability their maraud- difficulty of coming at their ing system would not easily retreats. Dd 402 BOOK V. B. C. 39. been given to the persons living there ; one of the men who were in the chests rushed into the caves, followed by his companions ; and they killed the 12 robbers who were in them, together with their followers, and threw them down into the valleys below ; all the men whom Herod had sent, emu- lating these first. And in this exploit, their cou- 13 rage, bravery, and boldness was so conspicuous, that the like of it was never seen : and they wholly rooted out the robbers from all those parts. CHAPTER LII.^ An account of Antony's return firom the country of the Persians after hilling the king of the Persians, and his meeting with Herod. Then Antony, after leaving Herod "^j marched 1 from Antioch into the country of the Persians, and fought with the king of the Persians, over- came, slew him, and won his land; and having 2 reduced the Persians to obedience to the Romans, he turned aside to the Euphrates =- And when his fame was told to Herod, he set 3 out to congratulate with him on his victory ; and to request him to come with him into the Holy Country. And he found a very large multitude 4 collected^, wishing to approach Antony ; to which many bodies of Arabians had opposed themselves, preventing it from coming to Antony's presence. And Herod marched against the Arabians, and 5 a Compare Joseph. Antiq. " On the banks of which XIV. 27. Bell. I. 13. river he laid siege to, and !> See abovej ch. 1. 7- The subsequently took, the im- great defeat, however, was portant city of Samosata. given to the Parthians, not ^ In the neighbourhood of by Antony, but by Ventidius Antioch. (Josephus.) his lieutenant. B.C. 38. CHAP. LII. 403 slew theih, opening a passage for all who wished 6 to approach Antony. And this was reported to Antony, before that Herod arrived : whereupon he sent him a golden diadem, and a great many horses. 7 But when Herod came, Antony received him courteously, praising him for his exploits against the Arabians : and he attached to him Sosius the general of his array, with a large force, ordering him to go with him to the city of the Holy House : 8 giving him also letters to all the country of Syria, which is from Damascus even to the Euphrates, and from the Euphrates to the country of Ar- 9 menia; saying to them, " Augustus, king of kings; " and Antony his colleague, and the Roman se- " nate, have now appointed Herod king over the " Jews ; and they desire you to lead forth all " your men of war with Herod to assist him : if " therefore you act contrary to this, you must go " to war with us." 10 Then Antony marched to the sea-coast, and thence into Egypt : but Herod, and Sosius with his 11 army, commanded the forces of Syria. But when Herod drew nigh to Damascus, he foimd that ^ (, his brother Josephus had gone out from the ^^■ Holy House with an army of Romans, to besiege 12 Jericho and to cut down its corn : against whom came forth Pappus the general of Antigonus' forces, and slew of them thirty thousand % having 13 also slain Josephus Herod's brother : and when his head was presented to Antigonus, Pheroras e Probably there is an error about three thousand men, in the number. Josephus re- were slain, lates that six cohorts, that is, D d 2 404 BOOK V. B.C. 38. his brother bought it for five hundred talents^, and buried it in the sepulchre of his fathers : and 14 he heard also that Antigonus and Pappus were advancing against him with a large army. Which 15 Herod having fully ascertained, determined to make an onset on Antigonus, and to crush him unexpectedly : and he agreed with Sosius that he 16 should lake twelve thousand Romans and twenty thousand Jews, and march against Antigonus, but that the other should slowly follow his foot- steps with the remainder of the army. And Herod marched with his troops in a body, 17 and met with Antigonus in the mountainous parts of Galilee : and they fought with him from mid- day even until night. Then the army was dis- 18 persed ; and Herod with some of his men passed the night in a certain house, and the house fell upon them; but they all escaped s from the ruin with their lives, without a bone of any one of them being broken. Shortly afterwards Herod hastened to fight 19 with Antigonus, and there was a very great battle between them, and Antigonus fled into the Holy House; Pappus meanwhile resisting bravely, and continuing the fight, for he was high-spirited and very brave. And the greater part of Anti- 20 gonus' army was slain on that day ; Pappus also was killed, whose head Pheroras cut oflF, and they ^ Truly a large sum to be partiality for Herod, adduces given for such an object. Jo- this occurrence for a proof sephusj with greater probabi- how much he was beloved by lity of being rightj states Godj whose providence pre- Jifiif- served his life in so extraor- e Josephus^ who frequently dinary a manner, in his works manifests a strong B. C. 37. CHAP. LII. 405 carried it to Herod'', who ordered it to be bu- ried. 21 When therefore none remained of Antigonus' army, except prisoners or runaways, Herod gave orders to his men to take rest, and to eat and 22 drink. But he himself went to a certain bath which was in the next town, and went into the 23 bath unarmed. Now there lay hidden' in the bath three strong and brave men, holding in their hands drawn swords : who, when they saw him come into the bath, and unarmed, made all haste to go out one after the other, being afraid of him; and so he escaped. 24 After this came Sosius ; and they marched to- gether to the city of the Holy House, which they surrounded with a trench ; and fierce battles took 25 place between them and Antigonus : and great numbers of Sosius' men were slain, Antigonus frequently overcoming them ; but he could not put them to flight, by reason of their firmness 26 and endurance in bearing Ms assaults. Then Herod prevailed against Antigonus ; and Antigo- nus fled, and entering the city shut the gateis against Herod, and Herod besieged him a long time. 27 But on a certain night the guards of the gate fell asleep : which some of Herod's men ^ ^ discovering, twenty of them ran, and taking ^7- ladders placed them against the wall, and climbing h Or rather, Herod cut off chanced to resort to the bath the head, and sent it to Phe- as a place of concealment j and roras. upon the unexpected appear- i It appears from Josephus ance of Herod with his at- that they had not gone thither tendant, were too happy to for the purpose of attacking escape with their lives. Herod ; but that they had Dd3 406 BOOK V. B.C. 37. up killed the guards. And Herod with his men 28 hastened to the gate of the city which was oppo- site to them, and burst it in, and entered the city. Which the Romans taking, began to slaughter 29 the citizens ; at which Herod being troubled said to Sosius, " If you shall destroy all my people, " over whom will you appoint me king?" and So- 30 sius ordered proclamation to be made that the sword should be stayed ; nor was any person slain after the proclamation. But Sosius' cap- 31 tains, eager for prey, ran to plunder the house of God : but Herod standing at the gate, holding a drawn sword in his hand, prevented them ; and sent to Sosius to restrain his men, promising them money. And Sosius ordered proclamation 32 to be made to his men to abstain from plunder, and they abstained. And they sought Antigonus and found him, and Antigonus was taken prisoner. After these things, Sosius betook himself into 33 Egypt to his colleague Antony, carrying with him Antigonus in chains. But Herod sent to 34 Antony a very great and fair present, requesting him to slay Antigonus; and Antony slew him*^: and this was in the third year of the reign of He- rod, which also was the third year of Antigonus. CHAPTER Llll.a The history of Herod after ih,e death of Antigonus. When Herod was certified of the death of An- 1 k Thus terminated the go- remarks on Antony's putting vernment of the Asmonsean to death the king, given by princeSj in the hundred and Josephus out of Strabo. twenty-sixth year from its ^ Compare Joseph. Antiq. first establishment under Ju- XV. 1. Bell. I. 13. das Maccabaeus. See some B.C.S7. CHAP. LIV. 407 tigonus, he considered himself secure that no one of the royal Asmonaean family would contend with 2 him : wherefore he employed himself in advanc- ing the dignities, in kindnesses and promotions, of those who were well inclined to him and 3 obeyed his will. He also exerted himself in de- stroying those persons, together with their fami- lies, and in plundering their cattle and their goods, who had opposed him, furnishing aid against him. 4 And he oppressed persons, taking away their pro- perty, and despoiling all those who had shaken off obedience to the Jews ; and slew those who re- 5 sisted him, and plundered their goods. Also he made an agreement with all who were obedient to 6 him, that they should pay him money. He also stationed guards at the gates of the Holy House, who might search those who went out, and take whatever gold or silver they should find on any 7 one, and bring it to him. He also ordered the cofiins of the dead to be searched ; and whatever money any person might endeavour to carry out 8 by stratagem, the same to be taken. And he heaped together so much money as none of the kings of the second house had amassed. CHAPTER LIV. a The history qfllyrcanus the son of Alexander, the uncle of Antigonus, and of his return into Jerusalem at the request of Herod, and of the death to which he put him. 1 Hyrcanus, after that the king of the Persians had set him at liberty'', remained in Herakin", in * Compare Joseph. Antiq. this narrative above, at ch. XV. 1, 2, 9. xHx. 17, 18. ^ See the preceding part of " Josephus in loco reads D d 4 408 BOOK V. B.C. 37. a most respectable condition and great honour : wherefore Herod was afraid lest any thing might 2 induce the king of the Persians to appoint him king"*, and send him into the^ land of Judah. Wherefore wishing to set his mind at rest, he laid 3 plots for this business ; and sent to the king of the Persians a very great present, and a letter ; in which he made mention of Hyrcanus' deserts 4 and kind deeds towards him; and how he had gone to Rome on account of what Antigonus his brother's son had done to him ; and that having 5 now attained the throne, and his affairs being in order, he wished to reward him in a proper man- ner for the benefits which he had conferred. So the king of the Persians sent a messenger to 6 Hyrcanus, saying ; " If you wish to return into " the land of Judah, return : but I warn you to 7 " beware of Herod ; and I distinctly inform you, " that he does not seek for you to do you any " good, but his design is to render himself secure, " as there is none remaining whom he fears, ex- " cept you : wherefore take heed of him most dili- " gently, and be not led into a snare." The Jews 8 of Babylon also came to him, and said to him the like words. Again they say to him, " You now 9 " are an old man, and not fit to discharge the " oflSce of high priest, because of the stain which " your nephew^ inflicted on you : but Herod is a 10 Babylon. In fact Yerak, or from the office of high priest, Irak, the Arabian name for yet the crafty Herod knew the district or country of Ba- that this was no obstacle to bylonia, is retained to the his reappearing among his present day. See above, ch. countrymen in the capacity of xlix. 17, 18. 1. 7- their monarch. d Although the loss of his ^ See the account of this ear disqualified Hyrcanus transaction at ch. xlix. 16, B. C. 37. CHAP. LIV. 409 " bad man, and a shedder of blood ; and he re- " calls you only because he fears you ; and you " do not want for any thing among us, and you " are with us in that station in which you ought 11 "to be. And your family there is in the best " condition ; wherefore remain with us, and do not " aid your enemy against yourself." 12 But Hyrcanus acceded not to their words ; nor listened to the advice of one who advised him 13 well. And he set out and journeyed till he came into' the Holy City, for the very great longing which he had towards the house of God, his fa- mily, and his country. 14 And when he had come near to the city, Herod met him, shewing such honour and magnificence, that Hyrcanus was deceived, and trusted in him. 15 And Herod/ in the public assembly, and before his own friends, used to call him " Father :" but ne- vertheless he ceased not to devise plots in his heart, only so that they should not be imputed to 16 him. Wherefore Alexandra and Mariamne her daughter go to Hyrcanus, putting him in fear of Herod, and counselling him to take care of him- 17 self; but neither to them did he attend, although they repeated this to him again and again, ad- vising him to flee to some one of the kings of the 18 Arabians : yet he attended not to all these things, until they drove him to it by repeated warnings and alarmings. 19 Then therefore he wrote to that king^ of Ara- of this bookj and read the phus. It is to be observed, note there. that Josephus places the pre- f Namely, Malchus. See sent transaction somewhat above, ch. xlix. 20, and the later in the history, viz. after corresponding part in Jose- Herod had heard of the de- 410 BOOK V. B. C. 37. bia ; and having sent for a certain man, (whose brother 8 Herod had slain, and had confiscated his goods, and had visited him with many evils,) he told him that he wished to impart to him a cer- tain secret, adjuring him not to tell it to any one; and giving him money and the letter to the king 20 of the Arabians, communicated to him what he requested in the letter. So the messenger, having 21 received the letter, thought that he should obtain a high post with Herod, and should remove from himself the evil which he was continually fearing at his hands, if he communicated the matter to Herod ; and that this would be more profitable to 22 him than the keeping of Hyrcanus' secret : since in the other case he was not safe, and sure that the thing would not be told to Herod at some time or other, and thus would be the cause of his destruction. He therefore carried the letter to 23 Herod, and unfolded to him the whole business : who said to him, Carry the letter, as it is, to the king of the Arabians, and bring me back his an- swer, that I may know it : tell me also the place 24 where the men will be, whom the king of the Arabians will send, that Hyrcanus may go back with them. So the messenger went, and carried Hyrcanus' 25 letter to the king of the Arabians ; who rejoiced, and sent some of his men ; ordering them to go 26 feat of Antony at Actium, ment made in the last verse and had become apprehensive of this chapter, that Hyrca- of the reception vi^hich he nns had reigned forty years, might meet with from Au- S Josephus names him Do- gustus; i.e. in the year B.C. sitheus, and his brother Jose- 30, which indeed appears phus. nearly to agree with the state- B.C. 37. CHAP. LIV. 411 to a certain place near to the Holy City, and there to wait until Hyrcanus should come to them ; and then to attend Hyrcanus till they brought him to 27 his presence. He wrote likewise to Hyrcanus an answer to his letter, and sent it by the messenger. 28 So the men proceeded with the messenger to the appointed place, and there waited : but the mes- senger carried the letter to Herod, who learned its contents : he told him also the place of the men, to whom Herod sent persons to take them. 29 Afterwards, having sent for seventy old men of the elders of the Jews, and having sent also for Hyrcanus; when he came, he said to him. Is there any interchange of letters between you and 30 the king of the Arabians ? and Hyrcanus said. No. Then he said to him, Did you send that you 31 might flee to him ? and he said. No. And Herod ordered his messenger to come forward, and the Arabians, and the horses ; he also brought out 32 the answer to his letter, and it was read. Then he commanded Hyrcanus' head to be stricken off" ; and his head was stricken off, and no one dared to utter a word for him. ^» JosephuSj agreeing in which remain to us^ it appears these particulars, informs us that Nicolaus was intimate that he took his account from with Augustus ; and in fact the " Commentaries, or Acts, that it was he who succeeded " of Herod himself," other in procuring for Herod a fa- authors relating them in a vourable reception by the Ro- diflferent manner. There is man court, at a most critical reason to believe that these juncture. He wrote several Acts were written by a per- works ; as, " A History of sonal friend of Herod, Nico- " Augustus :" " A History ]ausDamascenus,who is men- " of the World:" a large vo- tioned by Josephus, Ant. XIV. lume of " Assyrian History :" 2; XVI. 15, 16, 17 J XVII. "A Collection of strange 7. From the accounts of him " Customs," &c. See Photii 412 BOOK V. B.C. 36. Now Hyrcanus had delivered Herod' from the 33 death which was justly awarded him in the as- sembly of judgment, commanding the assembly to be deferred till the morrow, and sending away Herod that same night. Whence he was destined 34 to become his murderer, regardless of his services to him and to his father. Hyrcanus was put to 35 death when he was eighty years old, and he reigned forty years : nor was there any one of the kings of the Asmonsean race of a more praise- worthy conduct'^, or more honourable way of life- CHAPTER LV.a The history of Aristobulus the son of Hyrcanus. Aristobulus the son of Hyrcanus'' was of such ] B Q beauty of form, and exquisite figure and un- 3^- derstanding, that his equal was not known. His sister Mariamne also, the wife of Herod, was 2 like to him in beauty ; and Herod was wonder- fully attached to her. But Herod was averse to 3 appoint Aristobulus high priest in the place of his Bibliothec. cod. CLXXXIX. and to the shameful usage Montacutii Apparatum 5 ad which he met with at the Origines Ecclesiast. p. 169. hands of Herod, whose very (ed. 1635), Valesii Excerpta best friend and benefactor he Peiresc. 4to. 1634, where are in truth had been, considerable fragments of his " Compare Josephus, Ant. writings : Fabricii Biblioth. XV. 2, 3. Graec. edit. Harles. III. p. ^_ This is an error: Aris- 500 : and especially, Grotii tobulus and Mariamne were Epistol. ad Gallos, p. 249 — the children, not of Hyrca- 320. edit. 4.648. 12mo. nus, but of Alexander son of > See Joseph. Ant. XIV. 9. Aristobulus the brother of ^ Josephus, although in Hyrcanus, by Alexandra general a favourer of' Herod, daughter of Hyrcanus. See cannot here refrain from bear- the Genealogical Table sub- ing testimony to the respect- joined to the introduction to able character of Hyrcanus, this volume. B.C. 36. CHAP. LV. 413 father; lest the Jews, being attached to him through their afFection to his father, should at 4 some future time make him king. Wherefore he appointed some one of the number of common priests •=, who was not of the family of the Asmo- naeans, to be high priest. 5 At which Alexandra the mother of Aristobulus being vexed, wrote to Cleopatra; requesting to have a letter from Antony to Herod, that he should remove the priest whom he had elevated, and appoint her son Aristobulus high priest in 6 his stead. And Cleopatra granted this; and re- quested Antony to write a letter to Herod on this subject, and to send it by some chief man of his 7 servants. So Antony wrote a letter, and sent it by his servant Gellius : and Gellius coming to 8 Herod, delivered to him Antony's letter. But Herod forbore to do that which Antony had written to order, assei'ting that it was not the custom among the Jews to depose any priest from his station. 9 Now it happened that Gellius saw Aristobulus, and was greatly struck with the beauty of his form and the perfection of his carriage, which he 10 saw. Wherefore he painted a picture of his like- ness, and sent it to Antony, writing beneath the picture to this effect ; that no man had begotten Aristobulus, but that an angel cohabiting with 11 Alexandra, begat him on her. Therefore when the picture reached Antony, he was seized with a « Josephus states, that he nelus. Ant. XV. 2. Yet af- sent to Babylon for one of terwards he describes him as the obscure Jews residing being tov apxiepariKov yevovs. there, whose name was Ana- (See XV. 3.) 414 BOOK V. B. C. 36. most vehement desire to see Aristobulus. And he 12 wrote a letter to Herod, reminding him how he had appointed him king, and had assisted him against his enemies, recounting his kindnesses to- wards him : adding a request, that he would send 13 Aristobulus to him ; and he threatened him in this business for the words'^ which he had sent back. But when Antony's epistle was brought to He- 14 rod, he refused to send Aristobulus, knowing what Antony designed ; and on that account he dis- dained to do it : and he hastily deposed ^ the high priest whom he had appointed, establishing Aris- tobulus in his place. And then he wrote to Antony, informing him 15 that he had already executed that which he had formerly written to him, about the placing Aris- tobulus in his father's post, before his last letter arrived: which business he had to that time de- 16 layed, because it was necessary to debate the mat- ter with the priests and Jews, after an interval of some days, as the thing was unusual ; but it hav- ing passed according to his wish, he had imme- diately appointed him. But now that he was ap- 17 pointed, it was not lawful for him to go out of Jerusalem ; as he was not king, but a priest at- c Or the sense may be^ moved from his oflSice. He " he threatened him repeat- states that the first instance " edly if he ' should not com- of this being done was that " ply with his desires in this of Antiochus EpiphaneSj who " matter." through bribery consented' to d Josephus complainSj that depose Jason, and substituted in this Herod acted contrary his brother Menelaus (or O- to the law; which declared nias). See the account of that that a person once appointed transaction above, at 3 Mace, high priest could not be re- iv. 23, 24. B. C. 35. CHAP. LV. 415 18 tached to the service of the temple : and as often as he wished to compel him to go out, the Jews refused, and would not allow him, even if he 19 should slay the greater part of them. Therefore when Herod's letter reached Antony, he desisted from asking for Aristobulus ; and Aristobulus was made high priest. 20 Then came on the feast of tabernacles; and men, assembled before the house of God, beheld Aristobulus clothed in the sacerdotal robes stand- ing at the altar, and they heard him blessing 21 them : and he pleased men so much, that they exhibited their affection towards him in a very 22 marked manner. Which Herod being fully in- formed of, was much grieved; and feared lest, when Aristobulus' party gained strength, he should de- mand from him the kingdom, if his life should be prolonged: wherefore he began to plot his death. 23 Now it was customary for the kings to go out, after the feast of tabernacles, to some plea- g q sure-residences at Jericho which former ^^• 24 kings had made : and there are many gardens ad- joining each other, in which were wide and deep fish-ponds, to which they had conducted streams of water, and had erected fair buildings in those gardens : they also had built in Jericho fair pa- laces and handsome edifices. 25 Now the author of the book ^ relates, that bal- e Who is the author al- balsam-trees; as at Antiq. IV. luded to? [See the same ex- 5; VIII. 6: where he states pression occurring before, at that they were first brought eh. XXV. 5, and below, at eh. into Judaea by thei queen of lix. 96.] Josephus in vari- Saba, who presented them to ous passages mentions the Solomon: and IX. 1. Again 416 BOOK V. B. C. S5. sam-trees grew abundantly in Jericho ; and that they were found no where else but there ; and that many kings had carried them thence into their own country, but none grew, except those at XV. 4, he says, *£pei 8' ^ X'^P°- ''o /3aX(rajU0j', o TifuajTaTov rau cKEij KoX Trapa jwvois (jtieToi, But Josephus is not " the " author" of this book. Se- veral heathen authors relate the fact of the balsam being thought peculiar to Judaea; but I have not discovered what early writer it is that has recorded the experiment of transplanting, and the failure of the original trees, mentioned in the text. Diodorus Siculus (speak- ing of the balsam) says, oiSa- fiov fiev Trjs oKKtjs oiKOVfUvris evpuTKOjicvov rov (fnirov tovtov. Biblioth. II. 48. and XIX. 9. (ed. Wesseling.) But we must remember that Diodo- rus Siculus assigns the lake Asphaltites and its coasts, not to the Jews, but to the Na- bathaean Arabians; which cir- cumstance perhaps may help to reconcile the seemingly conflicting accounts of differ- ent historians; some of whom confine the plant to Judaea, while others assert its native place to be Arabia. Pliny states, " Omnibus " odoribus praefertur balsam. " um, uni terrarum Judaeae " concessum. — Quondam in " duobus tantum hortis, utro- " que regio, altero jugerum " XX non ampUus, altero pau- " ciorum. Ostendere arbus- " culam hanc urbi Impera- " tores Vespasiani; clarumque " dictu, a Pompeio magno in " triumpho arbores quoque " duximus. Servit nunc haec " et tributa pendit cum sua " gente." Hist. Nat. XII. 54.- Again ; " Fastidit balsamum " alibi nasci." Id. XVI. 39. Justin reports to the same effect. — It is proved, that the Romans, after their conquest of Judaea, enlarged the plant- ations of balsam at Jericho ; so that the produce became greater, and the article itself less costly. It is perhaps al- most needless to observe, that the " vineyards of Engaddi," mentioned in the Song of So- lomon, are the groves of bal- sam, which were in that neigh- bourhood. Historians have said, that some of the trees were carried from Judaea into Egypt by Cleopatra, in the days of Herod : but this is contested in a note to Haver- kamp's Josephus, vol. II. p. 66. See the fullest details on this subject in Salmasii Exercita- tiones Plinianae in Solini Po- lyhistorem, cap. 35. p. 418 — 430. edit. Traject. 1689: also in the notes on Theophrasti Hist. Plant. IX. 6. edit. Sta- pel, fol. 1644. Some Arabian authors re- late, that the balsam-tree had been carried by the Saracens to Matarea, (the ancient He- liopolis,) but that the plants had continually failed there. B.C. 35. CHAP. LV. 417 26 which were carried into Egypt ; and that they did not fail in Jericho until after the destruction of the second House; but then they withered away, and never sprouted forth again. 27 So Herod went out to Jericho in quest of plea- 28 sure, and Aristobulus followed him. And when they came to Jericho, Herod commanded some of his servants to go down into the fish-ponds, and play as was customary : and that if Aristobulus should come down to them, they should play with 29 him for some time, and then drown him. But Herod sat in a banqueting-room which he had prepared for himself to sit in : and Herod sent for Aristobulus, and made him sit by his side : also the chief of his attendants and of his friends sat 30 in his presence : and he commanded eatables and drink to be brought ; and they did eat and drink : and the attendants hastened down to the waters 31 according to custom, and sported. And Aristo- bulus greatly wished to go down with them into the water, the wine now mastering them, and 32 asked leave of Herod to do so : who replied. This neither befits you nor any one like you : and when he was urgent, he admonished him and for- bade him : but when Aristobulus repeated his re- quest to him, he said to him. Do as you please. 33 And then Herod, rising up went to a certain pa- 34 lace that he might go to sleep there. And Ari- stobulus went down to the waters, and played for a long time with the attendants : who, when they perceived that being now weary and tired out he wished to go up, held him under water, killed him, and carried him out dead. E e 418 BOOK V. B.C. 35. And there was a great tumult of the people, 35 and cry, and a lamentation was set up. And He- 36 rod running up, came out to see what had hap- pened : who, when he saw Aristobulus dead, be- wailed him, and wept over him very tenderly with a most vehement flood of tears. Then he ordered 37 him to be borne into the Holy City, and accom- panied him until he came into the city, and com- pelled the people to attend his funeral, and there was no point of the very highest honour which he omitted to pay him. And he died when a 38 youth of sixteen years of age, and his high-priest- hood continued only for a few days. On which account enmity grew up between his 39 mother Alexandra and her daughter Mariarane Herod's wife, and the mother and sister of Herod ^. And the execrations and revilings which Mari- 40 amne heaped upon them were known; and al- though these reached Herod, yet he did not for- bid lier nor reprove her, through his great affec- tion for her : he feared also, lest she should ima-- 41 gine in her mind that he was well inclined to- wards the others : from, hence these doings lasted long between these women. And Herod's sister, 42 who was endued with the greatest malice, and consummate artifice, began to plot against Ma- riamne : but Mariamne was religious, upright, 43 modest, and virtuous : but she was a little tinged with haughtiness, pride, and hatred towards her husband. f Namely, Cypris his mo- above, at ch. xlix. 20 ; and ther, who was mentioned Salome his sister. B.C. 34. CHAP. LVI. 419 CHAPTER LVI.-i The history of Antony, and of his expedition against Augustus, and of the aid which he asked Jrom Herod. And an account of the earthquake which occurred in the land qfJtidah, and of the battle which took place between them and the Arabians. 1 Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, was the wife of Antony: and she discovered such methods b.c. of adorning and painting herself, by which ^^■ women are wont to allure men, as no other woman 2 in the world had found out : so that, while she was a woman advanced in age, she seemed as a little unmarried girl, and even more delicate and 3 more fair. Antony also found in her those methods of beauty, and those means of creating pleasure, which he had never found in the vast number of women whom he had enjoyed. Where- fore she so completely gained possession of An- tony's heart, that no room was left in it for afFec- 4 tion to any other person. She therefore per- suaded him to discomfit certain kings who were subject to the Romans, from her own private con- siderations; and he obeyed her in this, putting to death certain kings ^ at her instance ; and some he left alive by her orders, making them servants and slaves to her. 5 And this was told to Augustus ; who wrote to him, abominating such conduct, and desiring him 6 not to be guilty of the like, again. And Antony told Cleopatra what Augustus had written to a Compare Joseph. Antiq. bazes^ &c. ; the account of XV. 6, 1,8. Bell. I. 14. which, proceedings may be ^ As Lysanias, and Arta- seen in Josephus. E e 2 420 BOOK V. B. C. 32. to him ; and she advised him to revolt from Augustus, and shewed him that the thing was very easy. To whose opinion he assenting, openly played 7 B Q false with Augustus ; and gathered an ^3- army and supplies, that he might go by sea to Antioch, and thence might march by land to meet Augustus wheresoever he might chance to find him. He sent also for Herod, that he 8 might accompany him. And Herod went to him with a most powerful army and most complete B c. supplies. And when he had come to him, 9 ^^- Antony said to him ; Right reason ad- vises us to make an expedition against the Ara- bians, and to engage with them : for we are by no means secure that they may not make an incursion upon the Jews and the land of Egypt, so soon as we shall have turned our backs. And Antony departed- by sea : but Herod 10 made an inroad upon the Arabians : and Cleor- patra sent a general named Athenio with a great army, to assist Herod in subduing the Arabians : and she commanded him to place Herod and his n men in the first rank'', and to make agreement with the king of the Arabians, that they together should enclose Herod and cut his men to pieces. To this she was led by a desire of obtaining pos- 12 session of all which Herod was worth : Alex- 13 andra also some time previously had requested her to Induce Antony to put Herod to death ; = Even thus, at an earlier " in the forefront of the'hot- period of Jewish history, had " test battle, and retire ye the same iniquitous command " from him, that he may be been given : " Set ye Uriah " smitten and die !" B.C. 32. CHAP. LVI. 421 which indeed she had done, but Antony refused 14 to commit this act. To this was added the cir- cumstance, that Cleopatra had formeriy longed for Herod, and had at some time desired 'inter- course with him ; but he restrained himself, for he was chaste. And these were the causes which 15 had induced her to this line of conduct. So Athenio coming to Herod, according to the com- mand of Cleopatra, sent to make agreement with the king of the Arabians, that he might surround 16 him. And when Herod and his Arabians met and encountered, Athenio and his men attacked Herod, who was intercepted between the two armies, and the battle grew fierce against him 17 both before and behind. But Herod seeing what had happened, collected his men, and fought most vigorously until they were beyond the reach of both armies, after the greatest exertion ; and he returned into the Holy House. 18 And there happened a great earthquake in the land of Judah, such as had not occurred since the time of king Harbah"*, in which a great number 19 of men and of animals was destroyed. And this alarmed Herod much, and caused him great fear, and broke down his spirit. He therefore took counsel with the elders of Judah about making an agreement with all nations round about them ; designing peace, and tranquillity, and the removal 20 of wars and bloodshed. He sent also ambassadors on these matters to the surrounding nations, all of whom embraced the peace to which he had d Probably by this name is Scripture that a violent earth- meant Uzziah king of Judah, quake took place. See Amos, in whose days we learn from i. i. and Zechariah, xiv. 5. ■ E e 3 422 BOOK V. B. C. 32. in\'ited them, except, the king of the Arabians; who oirdered the ambassadors whom Herod had 21 sent to him to be put to death ; for he supposed that Herod had done thisi because his men had been destroyed in the earthquake, and therefore, being weakened, he had turned himself to making peace., ; Wherefore he resolved to go to war with 22 Herod; and having colleclied a large and' well- provided army, he marched against him. And this was told to Herod ; and helwas much 23 vexed, for two reasons : one, on account of the slaughter of his ambassadors, an act which none of the kings had hitherto committed;- another, because he had dared to attack him, iriiagining in his mind his weakness and want of troops. But 24 he wished to shew him that the matter was otherwise : that all, to whona he had sent ambas- sadors, to treat of peace, might know that he had not done this through any fear or weakness, but from a wish of that which was kind and good ; that no one might dare make attempts against the Jews, or imagine in his mind that they were weak. Besides, he wished to take vengeance on 25 the king of the Arabians for his ambassadors : on these accounts he determined in all haste to march against him. Therefore he collected troops from the land of 26 Judah, and said to them : " You are aware of the " slaughter of our ambassadors perpetrated by ' " that Arab ; an act which no king hitherto has " committed : for he thinks that we have been 27 " weakened and have become powerless ; and he " has dared to provoke us, and thinks that he " shall obtain all his desires over us : nor will he B. C. 32. CHAP. LVI. 423 28 " cease from warring on us continually. Where- " fore you must struggle against difficulties, that " you may shew forth your bravery, and may " subdue your enemies, and bear off their spoils : 29 " although fortune may at one time shew herself " favourable, at another time adverse to us, ac- " cording to the custom and usual vicissitudes of 30 " this world. In truth, you must immediately " undertake an expedition, to take vengeance on " those oppressors, and to curb the audacity of 31 " all who hold you in little esteem. But if you " shall say, this earthquake has disheartened us, " and has destroyed great numbers of us ; you " know full well, that it has destroyed none of 32 " the fighting men^ but certain others. Nor " ought we to think it at all unreasonable, that it " has destroyed the worst among our nation, but " has left the best to survive. It is also un- " doubted, that this has improved your spirits 33 " and your inward feelings. But the duty of him, " whom God has saved from destruction, and has " preserved from ruin, requires that he should " obey Him, and should do what is good and 34 " right. And truly no obedience is more honour- " able or glorious, than to seek redress for the " oppressed on the oppressor ; and to subdue the " enemies of God and his religion and nation, by " aiding those who shew obedience and attention 35 " to Him. Nor is it unknown to you, what befell " us lately with those Arabs, when they had sur- 6 Josephus remarks, that houses having fallen upon about ten (in another jlace them ; but that the soldiers^ he says thirty) thousand per- being abroad and under tents, sons perished in this earth, escaped free from every quake, principally from the harm. E e 4 424 BOOK V. B. C. 32. " rounded us with Athenio^; and how the great " and good God helped us against them, and " delivered us from them. Therefore fear God, 36 " following your ancient custom, and the laudable " custom of your forefathers ; and prepare yoUr- " selves against this enemy before he makes ready " against you, and be beforehand with him before " he anticipates you : and God will supply you " with aid and succour against your enemy." So when the men had heard the address of He- 37 rod, they replied, that they were ready to under- take the expedition, and would make no delay. And he returned thanks to God and to them for it, 38 and ordered many sacrifices to be offered : he also ordered an army to be raised ; and a great multi- tude was gathered from the tribe of Judah and Ben- jamin. And Herod marching against the king of 39 the Arabians, encountered him ; and the battle grew fierce between them, five thousand of the Arabians being slain. There was again a battle, 40 and four thousand of the Arabians were killed : wherefore the Arabians returned to their camp, and remained there ; and Herod could do nothing against them, for the place was fortified ; but he remained with his army, besieging them in the same place, and not allowing them to go out. And they remained five days in this condition ; 41 and a most violent thirst came upon them ; they sent therefore ambassadors to Herod with a most valuable present, asking for a truce, and liberty to draw water to drink : but he did not listen to them, but continued in the same furious hostility. f See abovej verses 10, 15, 16. B.C. 31. CHAP. LVII. 425 42 The Arabians then said therefore, Let us go out against this nation ; for it is better for us to con- 43 quer or die, than to perish from thirst. And they went out against them ; and Herod's party over- came them, and slew nine thousand of them ; and Herod with his men pursued the Arabians as they fled, slaying great numbers of them ; and he 44 besieged their cities and took them. Wherefore they sued for their lives, promising obedience ; to which he agreeing, retired from them, and re- turned into the Holy House. 45 Now the Arabians mentioned in this book are the Arabians who dwelled from the country of Sa- rah as far as to Hegiazs and the adjacent parts ; and they were of great renown and large num- bers. CHAPTER LVII. a The Idstory of Antony's battle with Augustus, and of the death of Antony, and of Herod's going to Augustus, 1 When Antony had marched out of Egypt into the country of the Romans, and had en- ^ ^ countered Augustusb, most severe battles ^^• g This name is still pre- part of the Roman dominions, served in Arabia ; a large and where his fortunes were fa- important district, extending tally shattered : but it is not down the shore of the Red true that he fell in battle, or sea, and embracing the cities at Actium. Antony" lived till of Mecca and Medina, still the next year, and had retired bears the appellation of Hed- into Egypt: when, after fruit- jaz. It is likely that formerly less attempts at a reconcilia- there was a chief town, bear- tion with his rival, he once ing nearly the same name. more resolved to try the ^ Compare Joseph. Antiq. chances of war, and made XV, 9, 10. Bell. I. 15. ready for battle at Alexan- ^ Namely at Actium, a dria : but fortune again prov- town on the sea-coast of Epi- ed adverse to him ,• and on rus, which was at this time hearing a (false) report of 426 BOOK V. B. C. 30. took place between them, in which victory sided with Augustus, and Antony fell in battle ; and 2 Augustus got possession of his camp and all which was in it. "After this done, he proceeded to Rhodes, that taking ship there he might pass into Egypt. And tidings were brought to Herod, and he was 3 B c; very much concerned at the death of An- ^^- tohy; and he feared Augustus most ex- ceedingly; and he resolved to go to him, to salute him and congratulate with him. Wherefore he 4 sent his mother and sister with his brother, to a strong hold <= which he had in mount Sarah : he sent also his wife Mariamne and her mother Alexandra to Alexandrium '', under the care of Josephus a Tyrian^ ; adjuring him to kill his wife and her mother, so soon as his death should be re- ported to him. After this, he went to Augustus with a very 5 valuable present. Now Augustus had already de- 6 termined to put Herod to death ; because he had been the friend and supporter of Antony, and be- cause he had formerly delibejratedf upon marching Cleopatra's deaths in despair ^' husband of his sister Sa- he fell on his own sword. " lomej" agreeably to our au- c Namely Massada^ men- thor: see below, ch.lviii. 1. tioned above, in the notes on f See the preceding chapter, ch. xlix. 20, and 1. 8. as a ver. 8, 9. Herod, however, place made use of by Herod appears even in this instance for the same purpose on an not to have forgotten his occasion somewhat similar. usual crafty foresight : and in d Which see described dividing the duties of the above, at ch. xxxix. 5. campaign with Antony, ma- * Josephus reads, " to Jo- naged so as to avoid coming - " seph his steward, and Soe- into direct collision with Au- " mus an Itursean." (Com- gustus, and to employ him- pare ch. Iviii. 1.) In an- self rather in subduing the other place he calls him " the Arabians ; that if at a future B. C. 30. CHAP. LVII. 427 7 with Antony to attack him. When therefore He- rod's airival was notified to Augustus, he ordered hitn into his presence, in his royal habit which he had on ; except the diadem, for this he had 8 ordered to be laid aside from his head. Who, when he was in his presence, having laid aside his diadem as Augustus had commanded, said : 9 " O king, perhaps on account of my love towards " Antony you have been thus violently angry with " me, that you have put off the diadem from my 10 " head ; or was it from Some other cause ? Since, " if you are wroth with me by reason of my ad- " herence^ to Antony, truly, I say, I adhered to " him because he deserved well of me, and placed " upon rny head that diadem which you have 11 " taken off. And indeed he had requested my as- " sistance against you, which I gave him ; even " as he also many times gave hisassistance to me : 12 " but it was not my lot to be present at the battle " which he fought with . you, nor have I drawn " my swords agaiinst you, nor fought; the cause " of which was, my being engaged in subduing 13 " the Arabians ''. But I never failed supplying " him with aid of men and arms and provisions, " as his friendship and his good deeds to me re- " quired. Arid in truth I am sorry that I left " him ; lest men should conceive that I deserted " my friend when he was in need of my help. 14 " Certainly, if I had been with him, I would have timethesun of Antony should S See the preceding note, set before the power and in- ^ According to an arrange- fluence of his aspiring rivals ment made with Antony, as the door of reconciliation related above, at oh. Ivi. 9— • might not be irretrievably }.. closed against him. BOOK V. B. C. 30. " helped him with all my might ; and would have " encouraged him if he had been fearful, and " would have strengthened him if he had been " weakened, and would hiave lifted him up if he " had fallen, until God should have ruled matters " as He pleased. And this truly would have been 15 " less grievous to me, than that it should be iraa- " gined that I had failed a man who had implored " my aid, and thus it should come to pass that " my friendship should be little esteemed. In my 16 " opinion indeed he fell through his own bad po- " licy, by yielding to that enchantress Cleopatra ; " whom I had advised him to slay, and thus to " remove her malice from him ; but he did not " assent. But now, if you have removed from 17 " my head the diadem, certainly you shall not re- " move from me my understanding and my cou- " rage ; and whatever I am, I will be a friend to " my friends and an enemy to my enemies." Augustus replied to him, " Antony indeed we 18 " have overcome by our troops ; but you we will " master by alluring you to us ; and will take " care, by our good offices towards you, that your " affection to us shall be doubled, because you are " woi'thy of this. And as Antony played false by 19 " the advice of Cleopatra, by the ssime reason he " behaved ungratefully towards us ; returning for " our kindnesses evils, and for our favours rebel- " lion. But we are glad of the war which you 20 " have waged with the Arabians, who are our " enemies : for whoever is your enemy, is ours " also ; and whoever pays you obedience, pays it *' to us likewise." Then Augustus ordered the golden diadem to 2] B.C. 29. CHAP. LVIII. 429 be placed on Herod's head, and as many pro- vinces to be added to him'' as he already had. 22 And Herod accompanied Augustus into Egypt ; and all the things which Antony had destined for Cleopatra were surrendered to him. And Au- gustus departed to Rome: but Herod returned into the Holy City. CHAPTER LVIII.a The history of the murder zvhich Herod committed on his wife Mariamne. 1 Now Josephus*", the husband of Herod's sister, had revealed to Mariamne that Herod had b.c. ordered him to put her and her mother to ^^' death, as soon as he himself should perish in his 2 going up to Augustus. And she already had a dislike of Herod, since the time when he killed her father and brother ; and to this no little ad- dition of hatred was made, when she was in- formed of the orders which he had given against her. 3 Therefore when Herod arrived out of Egypt, he found her totally overcome by hatred towards him : at which being greatly troubled, he tried to 4 reconcile her to him by all possible methods. But his sister came on a certain day, after some quar- rels which had taken place between her and Ma- li Augustus not only re- enumerated in- Josephus. stored those portions of Ju- a Compare Josephus, Ant. daea which Antony had taken XV. 11. Bell. I. 17- away and given to Cleopatra, ^ The person who was left but likewise enlarged Herod's in charge of Mariamne and dominion by the gift of many her mother, as related above, other towns and districts, at ch. Ivii. 4 ; and. see the which the reader may see note there. 430 BOOK V. B. C. 29. riamnei and said to him, Certainly Joseph my husband has gone aside with Marianme. But 5 Herod paid no attention to her words, knowing how pure and chaste Mariamne was. After, this, 6 Herod went to see Mariamne on the night w;hich followed that day, and behaved kindly and affec- tionately towards her, recounting his love for her, saying much upon this head : to whom she said, 7 " Did you ever see a man love another, and order " him to be put to death ? and is he a hater un- " less he shews such proofs ?" Then Herod per- 8 ceived that Josephus had discovered to Mariamne the secret which he had entrusted to him ; and believed that he would not have done that, unless she had given herself up to him : and he b,elieved 9 that which his sister had told him on this sub- ject ; and immediately departing from Ma,riamne, he hated and detested her. : Which his sister lea,rning, went to the cup- 10 bear ery and giving him money, delivered to him some poison, and said ; Carry this to the king, and say to him, Mariamne the king's wife gave me this poison, and this money, commanding that it might be mi:jced in the king's drink. This the 11 cupbearer did. And the king seeing the poison, doubted not of the truth of the thing : whereupon he gives orders to behead Josephus hj?, brother-in- law immediately ; and also orders Mariamne to be put in chains, until the seventy elders should be present, and should pass a due sentence upon her. So Herod's sister feared", lest what she had 12 " It is observable, that this in some .few circumstances account of Mariamiie's . coa- from that which is given by demnation and death differs Josephus. B. C. 29. CHAP. LVIII. 431 done should be discovered, and she herself should perish, if Mariamne were set free : so she said to him, O king, if you put off Mariamne's death till to-morrow, you will not be at all able to effect it : 13 for as soon as it shall become known that you wish to kill her, the whole house of her father will come, and all their servants and neighbours, and will interpose ; and you will not be able to 14 obtain her death until after great tumults. And 15 Herod said, Do as it seems hest to you. And Hdrod's sister sent in all haste a man to bring out Mariamne to the place of slaughter, setting upon her her maids, and other women, to insult her^, and upbraid her with all manner of indecency: 16 but she answered nothing to any of them, nor even moved her head" in the least : nor was her colour changed by all this treatment, nor did any fear or confusion appear in her, nor was her gait 17 altered ; but with her wonted manner she pro- ceeded to the place whither she was led to be slain ; and bending her knees, she held out her 18 neck voluntarily: and departed this life, renowned for religion and chastity, marked by no crime, branded with no guilt ; howbeit she was not wholly free from haughtiness, according to the d It deserves remarkj that straight-forward conduct of the author of this book takes that spirited, but unfortunate no notice whatsoever of the queen. story which appears in Jose- ^ I am not satisfied as to phuSj of Alexandra joining the correctness of this ren- vidth the wicked Salome and dering : Gabriel's Latin has her creatures, in their^ inde- " apicem protulit ;" and the cent revilings of her own French version is here too daughter]Mariamne. In truth, loose to afford any certain in- such an act would have been formation. Perhaps the sense not only most unworthy of a may be, " she did not utter a mother, but also unlike the " single syllable, or letter," 432 BOOK V. B. C. 16. habit of her family. And of this not the least cause 19 was the obsequious attention and affection of He- rod towards her, by reason of the elegance of her form ; from whence she suspected no change in him towards her. Now Herod had begotten of her two sons'"* 20 namely, Alexander and Aristobulus ; who, when their mother was slain, were living at Rome ; for he had sent them thither, to learn the litera- ture and language of the Romans. Afterwards, 21 Herod repented that he had killed his wife ; and he was affected with grief to that degree on ac- count of her death, that by it he contracted a disease, of which he had nearly died. Mariamne being dead, her mother Alexandra 22 g Q laid plans to put Herod to death ; which 2^- coming to his knowledge, he made away with her. CHAPTER LIX.a The history of the commg of the two sons of Herod, Alexander and Aristobulus, as soon as they heard that their mother had been put to death by Herod. When news was brought to Alexander and 1 B c. Aristobulus of the murder committed on 1^- their mother by Herod, they were over- come by excessive grief ; and departing from 2 Rome^ they came into the Holy City, paying no f Josephus informs us that J 6, 17. Bell. I. 17. she bare him three sons, but ^ From the text of this that the youngest of them verse it would appear that died while pursuing his stu- the brothers quitted Rome dies at Rome. immediately after hearing of a Compare Joseph. Antiq. their mother's death : but XVI. 1, 2, 6, T, 8, 11, 12, from Josephus we collect that B. C. 13. CHAP. LIX. respect to their father Herod as they had formerly been wont to do, through the hatred of him which they felt in their minds on account of their mo- 3 ther's death. Now Alexander had married the daughter of king Archelaus c : and Aristobulus had married the daughter of Herod's sister ''. 4 Therefore when Herod perceived that they paid him no respect, he saw that he was hated by them, and he avoided them : and this did not escape the observation of the young men, and of his family. 5 Now king Herod had married a wife before Mariamne, by name Dosithea^ by whom g ^ 6 he had a son named Antipater. When ^^^ therefore Herod was assured respecting his two sons, as was observed above, he brought his wife Dosithea to his palace, and attached to himself his son Antipater, committing to him all his busi- ness ; and he appointed him by will his successor. 7 And that Antipater persecuted his brothers Alex- ander and Aristobulus, designing to procure peace to himself while his father lived, that after his 8 death he might have no rival. Wherefore he said to his father, " In truth my brothers are " seeking an inheritance^ because of the family of " their mother, because it is more noble than the " family of my mother ; and therefore they have " a better right than I have to the fortune of they did not return until se- •= Josephus calls her Doris. veral years after ; namely, in ^ That is, they are devising the year B. C. 16. means of securing to them- « He was king of Cappa- selves the succession to the docia. (Josephus.) throne, which they know you d Namely, Bernice, daugh- have destined for me. ter of Joseph and Salome. Ff 434 BOOK V. B.C. 12. " which t\e king has judged me worthy : for this 9 " cause they are striving to put you to death, and " me also they will slay soon after." And this 10 he frequently repeated to Herod, sending also secretly to him persons to insinuate to him things which might produce in him a greater hatred towards them. , In the mean time Herod goes to Rome to 11 B f, Augustus, taking with him his son Alex- •2- ander. And when he had come into Augustus' presence, Herod complained to him of his son, requesting that he would reprove him. But Alexander said ; " Indeed I do not deny my 12 " anguish on account of the murder of my mother " without any fault ; for even brute beasts them- " selves shew affection to their mothers much " better than men, and love them more : but any 13 " design of parricide I utterly deny, and I clear " myself of it before God : for I am possessed of " the same feelings toward ray father as toward " my mother : nor am I that sort of man as to 14 " bring upon me guilt for crime towards my " parent, and more especially eternal torments." Alexander then wept with bitter and most vehe- 15 ment weeping ; and Augustus pitied him, and all the chiefs of the Romans, who were standing near, wept also. Then Augustus asked Herod to 16 take back his sons into his former kindness and intimacy : and he desired Alexander to kiss his father's feet, who did so. He also ordered Herod to embrace and kiss him, and Herod obeyed him. Afterwards Augustus ordered a magnificent 17 present for Herod, and it was carried to him : and after passing some days with him, Herod B.C. 12. CHAP. LIX. 435 returned to the Holy House ; and calling to him 18 the elders of Judah, he said : " Know ye that " Antipater is my eldest son and firstborn, but " his mother is of an ignoble family : but the " mother of Alexander and Aristobulus my sons " is of the family of the high priests and kings. 19 " Moreover, God hath enlarged my kingdom, and " hath extended my power ; and therefore it " seems good to me to appoint these my three " sons to equal authority ; so that Antipater shall '"have no command over his brothers, nor shall 20 " his brothers have command over him. Obey " therefore all three, O ye assembly of men, nor " interfere in any thing which their minds may " be able to agree on ; nor propose any thing " which may produce misleadings and disagree- 21 " ment among them. And do not drink with " them, nor talk too much with them. For from " thence it will come to pass, that some one of " them may unguardedly utter to you the designs 22 " which he has against his brother : upon which, " that you may conciliate them to you, will follow " your agreements with every one of them, accord- " ing to what seems good to him ; and you will " bring them to destruction, and yourselves will 23 " be destroyed also. It is your parts indeed, my " sons, to be obedient to God, and to me ; that " you may live long, and that your affairs may " prosper." Soon afterwards he embraced and kissed them, and commanded the people to retire. e That is, by which means personal interest, instead of you will be led to become remaining faithful counsellors partisans of one individual or and supporters of their united the otherj from motives of authority. Ff 2 BOOK V. B. C. 9. But that which Herod did came to no happy 24 result, nor were the hearts of his sons united in agreement. For Antipater wanted every thing to be put into his hands, as his father had for- merly appointed : and to his brothers it did not seem at all fair that he should be thought equal to them. Now Antipater was endued with per- 25 severance, and all bad and feigned friendship; but not so his two brothers : Antipater therefore set spies on his brothers, who should bring him tidings of them ; he also planted others who should carry false reports of them to Pilate^. But when Antipater was in presence of the king, 26 and heard any one relating such things of his brothers, he repelled the charge from them, de- claring that the authors were unworthy of credit, and entreating the king not to believe the reports. Which Antipater did, that he might not inspire 27 the king with any doubt or suspicion' of himself. From hence the king entertained no doubt that 28 he was well-inclined towards his brothers, and wished them no harm. Which when Antipater found out, he bent to 29 B.C. his purpose Pheroras his uncle, and his aunt, ^' (for these were at enmity with his brothers on their mother's account,) offering Pheroras a most valuable present, requesting him to inform the king ^ This manifestly is a mis- marked the just retaliation take of the author or copier, upon Herod by his crafty son; for Herod. Pilate does not who now practises against appear in Jewish history till his own father, and with equal more than thirty years had success, that system of du- elapsed after this transaction; plicity and false accusation namely, in the reign of Tibe- which Herod and Ins father rius Caesar. See Luke iii. 1. Antipater had ever employed ' The reader will have re- for their own advancement. B.C. 9. CHAP. LIX. that Alexander and Aristobulus had laid a plan 30 to murder the king. (Now Herod was well in- clined towards Pheroras his brother, and at- tended to whatever he said ; inasmuch as he paid every year to him a large sum out of the pro- vinces which he governed on the bank of the 31 Euphrates.) And this Pheroras did. Afterwards Antipater went to Herod, and said to him ; " O " king, in truth my brothers have laid a plot to 32 '« destroy me." Antipater moreover gave money to the king's three eunuchs, that they should say, " Alexander has given us money, that he might " make a wicked use of us, and that we might " slay thee : and when we shrank from it, he " threatened us with death." 33 And the king was wroth with Alexander, and ordered him to be put in chains ; and he seized and put to the torture all the servants of Alexan- der, till they should confess what they knew about 34 Alexander's plot for murdering him. And many of these, though they died under the torture, never told a falsehood respecting Alexander : but some of them, being unable to endure the violence of the torment, devised falsehoods through a desire 35 of liberating themselves ; asserting that Alexan- der and Aristobulus had planned to attack the king, and slay him, and flee to Rome ; and hav- ing received an army from Augustus, to march against the Holy House, to slay their brother Antipater, and to seize on the throne of Judaea. 36 And the king commanded Aristobulus to be seized ' and put in chains : and he was bound, and was placed with his brother. F f 3 438 BOOK V. B.C. 8. But when news of Alexander was brought to 37 B c. his father-in-law Archelaus'', he went to ^- Herod, pretending to be in a great fury against Alexander: as if, on hearing a report of the 38 intended parricide, he had come on purpose to see whether his daughter, the wife of Alexander, was privy to the business, and had not revealed it to him, that he might put her to death : but that, if she was not privy to any thing of the kind, he might separate her from Alexander, and take her to his own home. Now this Archelaus was a prudent, wise, and 39 eloquent man. And when Herod had heard his words, and was satisfied of his prudence and ho- nesty, he wonderfully got possession of his heart ; and he trusted himself to him, and relied on him without the slightest hesitation. Archelaus there- 40 fore, finding Herod's inclination towards him, after a long intimacy, said to him one day when they had retired together ; " Truly, O king, by reflect- 41 " ing on your affairs I have found, that you being " now in advanced age are much in want of re- " pose of mind, and to have solace in your sons ; " whereas on the contrary you have derived from " them grief and anxiety. Moreover I have 42 " thought respecting these your two sons, and I " do not find that you have been deficient in de- " serving well of them ; for you have promoted " them, and made them kings, and have left un- " done nothing, which might drive them wickedly " to contrive your death, nor have they any cause " for entering on this business. But perhaps this 43 k The king of Cappadocia, as mentioned above, at verse 3. B.C. 8. CHAP. LIX. " has come from some malicious person, who is " desiring evil against you and them, or who " through envy or enmity has induced you to ab- 44 " hor them. If therefore he has gained influence " over you, who are an old man, endued with " knowledge, information, and experience, chang- " ing you from paternal mildness to cruelty and 45 " fury against your children ; how much easier " could he have wrought on them, who are young, " inexperienced, and unguarded, and with no " knowledge of men and their guiles, so that he " has gained from them that which he wished in 46 « this matter. Consider therefore your affairs, " O king ; and do not give ear to the words of " informers, nor do any thing hastily against your " children ; and enquire who that is who has been " contriving evil against you and them." 47 And the king replied to him ; " Indeed the " thing is .as you have mentioned : I wish that I " knew who has induced them to do this." Ar- chelaus answered, " This is your brother Phero- " ras." The king replied, " It may be so." 48 After this, the king became greatly changed in his behaviour towards Pheroras : which Pheroras perceiving, was afraid of him ; and coming to 49 Archelaus, said to him ; " I perceive how that " the king is changed towards me ; wherefore I " intreat you to reconcile his mind to me, remov- " ing the feelings which he cherishes in his heart 50 " against me." To whom Archelaus replied ; " I " will do it indeed, if you will promise to disclose " to the king the truth concerning the plots which " you have laid against Alexander and Aristobu- " lus." And to this he assented. Ff 4 440 BOOK V. B. C. 8. And after a few days, Archelaus said to the 51 king ; " O king, truly a man's relatives are to " him as his own limbs : and as it is good for a " man, if any one of his limbs becomes affected by " some disease which befalls it, to restore it by " medicines, even although it may cause him " pain ; and it is not good to cut it off, lest the 52 " pain should be increased, the body be weak- " ened, and the limbs shotild fail ; and thus from " the loss of that limb, he should feel the want of " many conveniences : but let him endure the 53 " pains of the medical treatment, that the limb " may become better, and may be healed, and his " body may return to its former perfectness and " strength. So is it meet for a man, so often as 54 " any one of his relatives is altered towards him, " from any abominable cause whatsoever, to re- " concile him to himself; alluring him to civility 55 " and friendship, admitting his excuses, and dis- " missing the charges against him : and that he " do not pat him hastily to death, nor remove " him too long away from his presence. For the 56 " relatives of a man are his supporters and assist- " ants, and in them consists his honour and glory; " and through them he obtains that which other- " wise he would not be able to obtain. Pheroras 57 " truly is the king's brother, and the son of his " father and of his mother : and he confesses his " fault, entreating the king to spare him, and to " dismiss^o»» his mind his error." And the king replied, " This I will do," And he ordered Phe- 58 roras to come before him ; who, when he was in the presence, said to him ; " I have sinned now " in the sight of the great and good God, and to B.C. 8. CHAP. LIX. 441 " the king, devising mischiefs, and plans which " might injure the affairs of the king and his 59 " sons, by lying falsehoods. But that which in- " duced me to act thus was, that the king took " away from me a certain woman, my concubine, 60 " and separated her and me." The king said to Archelaus, " I have now pardoned Pheroras, as " you requested me : for I find that you have " cured the disease which was in our affairs by " your soothing methods, even as an ingenious " physician heals the corruptions of a sick body. 61 " Wherefore I entreat you to pardon Alexander, " reconciling your daughter to her husband ; for " I regard her as my daughter, since I know that " she is more prudent than he, and that she turns " him aside from many things by her prudence 62 " and her exhortations. Wherefore I pray you " not to separate them and destroy him : for he " agrees with her, and obtains many advantages 63 " from her guidance." But Archelaus answered, " My daughter is the king's handmaid : but him *' ray soul hath lately detested, by reason of his " evil design. Let the king therefore permit me " to separate him from my daughter, whom the " king may unite to whomsoever of his servants 64 " he pleases." To whom the king replied ; " Do " not go beyond my request ; and let your daugh- " ter remain with him, and do not contradict me." And Archelaus said ; " Surely I will do it ; and " will not contradict the king in any thing which " he shall enjoin me." 65 Soon afterwards, Herod orders Alexander and Aristobulus to be loosed from their chains, and to come before him: who, when they were in his 442 BOOK V. B. C. 6. presence, prostrated themselves before him, con- fessing their faults, excusing themselves, and beg- ging for pardon and forgiveness. And he com- 6S manded them to stand up, and causing them to come near him, he kissed them, and ordered them to depart to their own homes, and to return the next day. And they came to eating and drinking with him, and he reinstated them in a place of greater honour. And to Archelaus he gave se- 67 venty talents and a golden couch, enjoining like- wise all the chief men of his friends to offer valu- able presents to Archelaus : and they did so. This being accomplished, Archelaus departed from 68 the city of the Holy House to his own country ; whom Herod accompanied, and at length, having taken leave of him, returned to the Holy House. Nevertheless, Antipater did not leave off his 69 B. c. plots against his brothers, that he might ^' make them odious. Now it happened that 70 a certain man'' came to Herod, having some valu- able and handsome articles, with which kings are usually won ; these he presented to the king, who, 71 taking them from him, repaid him for them ; and the man obtained a very high place in his affec- tions, and having been taken into his retinue, en- joyed his confidence : this man was named Eury- cles. When therefore Antipater perceived that 72 this man had wholly engrossed his father's favour, he offered him money, requesting that he would ^ Josephus informs us that_ turned to his own country, he was a Lacedaemonian, by after having kindled fatal dis- name Eurycles, of a sordid cord in Herod's family, the and treacherous disposition ; Lacedaemonians banished him so much so, that 'When he re- from the realm. B. C. 6. CHAP. LIX. 443 dexterously insinuate to Herod, and maintain that his two sons Alexander and Aristobulus were planning to murder him ; which the man pro- 73 mised him to do. He soon afterwards went to Alexander, and became intimate and familiar with him to that degree, that he was known to be in his friendship, and it was made known to the 74 king that he was intimate with him. After this, he went aside with the king, and said to him ; " Certainly you have this right over me, O king, " that nothing ought to prevent me from giving " you good advice : and in truth I have a matter " which the king ought to know, and which I 75 " ought to unfold to you." The king said to him, " What have you?" The man answered him, " I heard Alexander saying, ' Truly God hath " deferred vengeance on my father for the death " of my mother, of my grandfather, and of my " relatives, without any crime, that it may take " place by my hand : and I hope that I shall take 76 " vengeance for them upon him.' And now he " has agreed with some chiefs to attack you, and " he wished to implicate me in the plans which " he had formed : but I held it to be a crime, on " account of the king's acts of kindness towards 77 " me, and his liberality. But my intention is to " admonish him well, and to report this to him, " for he has both eyes and understanding." 78 And when the king had heard these words, he by no means set them at nought, but speedily be- 79 gan to make enquiry as to their truth : but he found out nothing on which he could rely, except a letter forged in the name of Alexander and Ari- 444 BOOK V. B.C. 6. stobulus to the governor of a certain town''. And 80 there was in the letter, " We wish to kill our fa- " ther, and to flee to you ; wherefore prepare us " a place wherein we may remain until the people " assemble round us, and our affairs are settled." And this indeed was confirmed to the king, and 81 appeared probable : wherefore he seized the go- vernor of that city and 'put him to the torture, that he might confess what was inserted into that letter. Which this man denied, clearing himself 82 from the charge: nor was any thing proved against them in this matter, or in any thing else which the informer had charged upon them. But Herod 83 ordered them to be seized and bound with chains and fetters. Then he went to Tyre ^, and from Tyre to Caesarea, carrying them with him in chains. And all the captains and all the soldiers 84 pitied them : but no one interceded for them with the king, lest he should admit that to be true of himself which the informer had asserted. Now there was in the army a certain old war- 85 rior ^ who had a son in the service of Alexander. When therefore the old man saw the wretched condition of Herod's two sons, he pitied their change of fortune marvellously, and cried out with as loud a voice as he was able, " Pity is gone ; goodness and piety have vanished away ; a <= Of Alexandrium. (Jose- ing no defence to be made, phus.) Of course the unhappy youths d Josephus relates that He- were condemned. He then rod brought his sons to a pub- carried them off to Tyre and lie mock trial atBerytus, him- Caesarea. self accusing them in most ^Josephusrecordshisname, violent language, and allow- which was Tero (or Tiro). B.C. 6. CHAP. LIX. 445 86 " truth is removed out of the world." Then he said to the king, " O thou merciless to thy chil- " dren, enemy of thy friends, and friend to thy " enemies, receiving the words of informers and 87 " of persons who wish no good to thee !" And the enemies of Alexander and Aristobulus ran up to him, and reproved him, and said to the king ; " O king, it is not love towards you and towards " your sons which has induced this man to speak 88 " thus ; but he has wished to babble out thp hatred " which he bare in his heart towards you, and to " speak ill of your counsel and administration, as 89 " being a faithful adviser. And indeed some ob- " servers have informed us of him, that he had " already covenanted with the king's barber, to " slay him with the razor while he was shaving 90 " him." And the king ordered the old man, and his son, and the barber, to be seized ; and the old man and the barber to be scourged with rods till they should confess. And they were beaten with rods most cruelly, and were subjected to various kinds of tortures ; but they confessed nothing of those 91 things which they had not done. - When therefore the son of the old man saw the sad condition of his father, and the state to which he had come, he pitied him, and thought that he would be liberated, if he himself should confess that which was laid to his father, after receiving from the king a pro- 92 mise for his life. Wherefore he said to the king ; " O king, give me security for my father and my- " self, that I may tell you that which you are " seeking." And the king said, " You may have 93 " this." To whom he said ; " Alexander had al- " ready agreed with my father that he should kill 446 BOOK V. B.C. 6. " you : but my father agreed with the barber, as " has been told you." Then the king commanded that old man and 94 his son to be slain, and the barber. He likewise ordered both his sons Alexander and Aristobulus to be taken to Sebaste, and there to be slain and fixed on a gibbet : and they were taken, killed, and fixed on a gibbet. Now Alexander left two sons who survived 95 him, namely, Tyrcanes and Alexander, by the daughter of king Archelaus : and Aristobulus left three sons, namely, Aristobulus, Agrippa, and Herod. But the history of Herod's son Antipa- 96 ter has already been described^ in our former ac- counts. f What are the " former " accounts" here spoken of, it is not easy to determine. The subsequent history, of Antipater must be sought in the 17th book of the Antiqui- ties of Josephus. In truths the conclusion of this tragedy, is quite in keeping with the former melancholy scenes of it: Antipater becoming at last afraid of his father, whose ferocious and indiscriminate massacres he had not only witnessed, but had abetted for some time past, seeks means to destroy him by poison: but Herod detecting the plot, al- though tormented by a com- plication of diseases, and al- most at death's door, sum- mons his last energies to or- der Antipater to be slain, which is instantly done. He himself follows his son to the grave within five days, one year after., the birth| of our Saviour Jesus Christ. END OF BOOK V. INDEX. Aaron, ii. vii. 14. iv. vii. 10, II. Abel, IV. xviii. 13. Abominations, (i. e. idols,) I. ii. 18. vi. 7. of desolation, II. i. 54. Abraham, I. vi. 3. II. ii. 52. xii. 21. III. i. 2. IV. vi. 14, 19. vii. 17. ix. 21. xiii. 14. xv. 1, 34. xvi. 18, 22. xvii. 6. xviii. I, 20, 22. Absalom, II. xi. 70. III. xi. 17. Abubus, (the son of,) II. xvi. 1 1, IS- Accaron, II. x. 89. Acche, (Ptolemais,) V. xxviii. 2. Accos, II. viii. 17. Acrabattine, II. v. 3. Adar, (the month,) II. vii. 43, 49. III. XV. 36. Adasa, II. vii. 40, 45. Adida, in Sephela, . II. xii. 38. xiii. 13. Adora, II. xiii. 20. .aimilius, (Paulus,) V. xii. 5. Mra, of the Seleucidae, II. i. 10, note. ■ of Simon the high priest, II. xiii. 42. xiv. 27. of Herod's reign, V. 1. 5. Affection (natural) of birds, IV. xiv. 13. and of bees, ver. 17. Africa, V. xii. 2, 12, &c. to 26. Africans, V. xii. 25. Agrippa, son of Aristobulus He- rod's son, V. lix. 95. Alcimus, II. vii. 5,9, 12, 20, 21, 23, 25. ix. T, 54— 57- III. xiv. 2, 13, 26. V. iii. 6. xvi. 3, 12. Alema, II. v. 26. Alexander, of Macedon, II. i. 1. 7- Alexander Balas, II. x. i, 4, 47 — 51. 58, 59. 68, 88. ii. i, 2,' 8, 9, 12, 14—17, 39. Alexander Jannseus, son of J. Hyrcanus, V. xxvi. i — 4. xxvii. 2. His history, xxviii. i,&c. xxix. i,&c. His death, XXX. I, &c. xxxi. 8. xxxii. 1, 4. XXXV. 3, 4, 27. xxxvi. 31. Alexander, son of Aristobulus the second, V. xxxvii. 4. xxxviii. 3. xxxix. i — 10. Alexander, son of Herod, V. Ivii). 20. lix. I, 3, 7, 1 1, 12, 15, 16, 18, 29, 32—35, 37, 38, 50, 61, 65, 72, 73, 75, 79, 85, 87, 93-95- Alexander, son of Alexander He- rod's son, V. lix. 95. Alexandra, (I.) wife of Alexan- der Jannaeus, V. xxx. 3, 15. Her history, xxxi. i,&e. xxxii. 2. Her death, xxxiii. j,&c. xxxiv. I — 3. Alexandra, (II.) daughter of Hyrcanus, wife of Alexander, and mother of Mariamne, V. xlix. 20. liv. 16. Iv. 5, II, 39. Ivi. 13. Ivii. 4. Her death, Iviii. 22. Alexandria, I. ii. 30. iii. i, 21. Alexandrium, a fortress, V. xxxix. 5, 8. Ivii. 4. Amathis, (or Hamath,) II. xii. Ammon, (children of,) II. v. 6. 448 INDEX. AmmoD, (country of,) V. xxix. 19. Ammonites, III. iv. 26. v. 7. Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, II. ii. 59. (IV. xiii. 9. xvi. 3.) IV. xvi. 19. xviii. 14. Andronicus, III. iv. 31, 32, 34, 38. V. 23. Angels, V. X. 17. Annibal, V. xii. 2, 4, 6, 8ec. to 26. Antigonus, (I.) son of Hyrca- nus, V. xxiii. 4. xxvi. i. His history and death, xxvii. 2, &c. Antigonus, (II.) son of Aristo- bulus, V. xl. I. xlii. I. xlix. I, 5, 10, 19, 23, 28. 1. I, &c. li. I. Hi. 12 — 33. He is slain, 34. liii. 1,4. Antioch, Antiochia, near Daph- ne, II. iii. 37. iv. 35. vi. 63. xi- 13. 44. 56. III. iv. 9, 33. V. 21. viii. 35. xi. 36. xiii. 23, 26. xiv. 27. V. xiii. 3. xvi. 2. xxix. 16. 1. 6. Iii. i. Ivi. 7. Antiochians, III. iv. 19. Antiochis, III. iv. 30. Antiochus III. (the Great,) I. i. I, 2, 5, 12, note. II. i. 10. viii. 6. Antiochus IV. (Epiphanes,) II. i. 10, 1 6, 20, 41. iii. 27. vi. I, 16, 55. X. i.III. i. 14, 15. ii. 20. iv. 7, 21, 37. V. I, 5, 17, 21. vii. 24. ix. I — 28. Is tormented and dies, x. 13. xiv. 2. IV. iv. 15, 16. V. 1,5. X. 15. xvii. 22. xviii. 5. V. iii. I, 8, 9, 13. V. 5, 31,38, 45, 52, 54. vi. 2, 20. vii. 10, 12, 17. viii. 1,7. ix. 3. X. 3. XV. 1. xvi. 19. Antiochus V. (Eupator,) II. iii. 33. vi. IS, 17, 55. vii. 2. III. ii. 20. ix. 25. X. 10, 13. xi. 22, 27. xiii. I, 3, 4. V. xiii. 2. XV. I, 12. Antiochus VI. (Theos.) II. xi. 39, 40, 54, 57. xii._ 39. Is slain by Tryphon, xiii. 31. Antiochus VII. (Sidetes, or Pius,) II. XV. I, 3, 10, II, 13, 25. His letter to Simon, xiv. 3, &c. V. xix. 3, 6, 7. At- tacks Hyrcanus, V. xxi. i , &c. He is slain, xxi. 24. Antiochus IX. (Cyzicenus,) V. xxiii. 6. Antipater, the^on of Jason, II. xii. 16. xiv. 22, 24. Antipater, father of Herod, his history, V. xxxv. i, &c. xxxvi. I. &c. xxxvii. 5. xxxviii. i — 3. xl. 7, 8, 18. xlii. 16 — 25. xliii. 2 — 1 1, xliv. 7. xiv. 6, 7. His death, xlvi. 1, &c. Antipater, son of Herod, V. lix. 5,7, 18, 19,24—32,35,69, 72, 96. Antonius, (Marcus,) V. xxxix. 8. xlvii. 13. xlviii. 3, 11, 23 — 35. xlix. I, &c. 1. 3, &c. Iii. I, &c. Iv. 5 — 19. Ivi. I, &c. His battle with Augus- tus, and death, Ivii. i, &c. Aphserema, II. xi. 34. Apollonius, son of Tliraseas, II. iii. 10, 13. III. iii. 5, 7. iv. 4. v. 24. Apolionius, governor of Caelo- syria, II. x. 69, 74, 77, 79. IV. iv. 3, 4, &c. Apolionius, son of Menestheus, III. iv. 31. Apolionius, son of Genneeus, III. xii. 3. Apollophanes, III. x. 3 7. 'AirooToXal, its meaning. Note on III. i. 2. Arabia, II. xi. 1 6. III. xii. 1 1 . Arabians, II. v. 39. xi. 16, 39. xii. 31. III. V. 8. xii. 10. V. xxviii. 38. xxix. 19. xxxvi. 9. xxxviii. I — 3. Hi. 4, 5, 7. liv. 17 — 20, 23—25, 29—31. Ivi. 9— II, 15, 16, 21, 25, INDEX. 449 . a6, 35, 39— 4a, 4S. Ivii. 12, . 20. Aradus, II. xv. 23. Arbattis, U. v. 23. Arbela, 11. ix. 2. Arohekus, V. lix. 3,37, 39, 40, 47 — S^> 60, 63, 64, 67, 68, 9S- Aretas, III. v. 8. See Hartas. Appearances, (preternatural,) see Visions. Areus, or Arius, king of Sparta, II. xii. 7, 19, 20, AriaratheSj II. xv. 22. Aristobulus, III. i. 10, Aristobulus, son of J. Hyrca- nus, V. xxiii. 4. xxvi. i, 2. His history and death, xxrii. I, &c. Aristphuhis, son of Alexander Jannseus. V. xxxi. 6, xxxii. 3. xxxiii. 2, 5, 7. is appointed king,xxxiv. i,&c. xxxv. 5, &e. xxxvi. 3, &c. xxxvii. i, 4. escapes Irom Borne, V. xl. I, &c. xliii. I. xliv. 13. Aidstobulus, son of flyrcaaus the second, V. Iv. i, &c. is drowned by Herod'5 orders, 34. 38. Aristobulus, son of Herod, V. Iviii. 20. lix. I, 3, 7, 18, 29, 3S0 36. 5o> 65, 72, 79, 87, 94. 9S' Aristobidus, son of Aristobulus, Herod's son, V. lix. 95. Arnjeiua, Armeiuajis, V. xxxvi. 1, 2. lii. 8. Arsaces, (Mithridate»,) II. xir. 2, 3. XV. 22. Arsinoe, I. i. 2, S- Ascalon, 13.. x. 86. xj, 60. xii. 33. V. xlii. 14. Asdrubal, V. xii. 15. Ashes, a tower full o^ III. Kiii. 5, and note. Asia, I. iii. 14. II. viii. 6. xi. 13. x,iL 39. xiii. 32. III. iii. 3. x. 24. IV, iii. 21. V. xlv. 5. xlviii. 7, 16. Asmonseaiis, whence derived. Note on II. ii. i. V. xliv. 12. liii. I. liv. 35. Iv. 4. Asphar, the pool, II. ix. 33. Assidaeans, (or Hasdanim,) II. ii. 42. vii. 13. lU. xiv. 6. Assyria, I. vi. 5. II. vii. 41. IV. xiii. 9. Atargatis, III. xii. 26. and note. Athenio, V. Ivi. lo, 15, 16, 35. Athenobius, II. xv. 28, 3 a, 36. Athens, III. vi. i, and note. ix. 15- Attains, II. XV. 22. Augustus, (see Octaman,) V. xlviii. 3, &c. xlix. i, 29. 1. i, 3. lii. 9. Ivi. 5 — 7, Conquers Antony, Ivii. i,&c. Receives Herod into favour, Ivii. 18— 22. Iviii. I. lix. II, 15—17, 3S- Azarias, one of Judas' Captains, II, T. 18, 56, 60. Azotus, (or Ashdod,) II. iv. 15. V. 68. X. 77, 78, 83, 84. xi. 4. xiv. 34. xvi. 10. V. xyii. 1 2. Azotus, (mount,) II. ix. 15, V. xvii. 12. B. Babylon, I. vi. 6.- vi. 4. III. viii. 20. V, xxxv. 1. liv. 8. Baechides, II. vii. 8, 12, 19, 20. ix. i^ II, 12, 14, 25, 26, 29, 32, 34, 43, 47, 49, SO, S7. 58. 63,68. III. viii. 30. V. xvii. I — 12. xviii. i —8. Bacchus, I. ii. 29. HI. vi. 7. xiv. 33. Bacenor, III. xii. 35. Baean, (children of,) II. v. 4, Balsam-trees, V. Iv. 25. Barber, (Herod's,) V. lix. 89— 94. Bascama^ II. xiii. 23.. Bath, Herod in danger in one, V. Hi, 22. Bathzacharias, II. vL 32, 33. Beasts, i. e. (elephants,) I. v. 450 INDEX. 29> 3i>47'Vi-i6. II. vi. 35, 36. 37> 43- III- XV. 20, 21. Beersheba, V. xviii. 4. Benjamin, (tribe of,) III. iii. 4. V. ii. II. Ivi. 38. Bercea, II. ix. 4. III. xiii. 4. Beth-basi, II. ix. 62, 64. Beth-Dagon, II. x. 83. Beth-el II. ix. 50, Beth^hoYon, II. iii. 16. 24. vii. 39. ix. 50. Betk-ner, V. xi. 3, 9. xv. 3. Bethsan, II. v. 52. xii. 40, 41. Bethsura, II. iv. 29, 61. vi. 7, 26,31,49,50. ix. 52.x. 14. xi. 65. xiv. 7, 33. III. xi. 5. xiii. 19, 22. Bezeth, II. vii. 19. Blood, innocent avenged, V. xxvii. 20^29. Bosor, II. V. 26, 28, 36. Bosora, II. v. 26. Brutus (L. Junius), V. xlv. i. xlviii. 16. Burying-place : the meaning of ■TToKvdvhpiov. Note on HI. IX, 4. C. Caddis, son of Mattathias, II. ii. 2. Cades ih Galilee, II. xi. 63, 73. Caesarj Julius, V. xl. 5, 6. his history, xli. i,&c. xliii. i, &c. xliv. I, &c. his deathj xlv. It &c. xlvii. 13. xlviii. 4, 14. Ceesarea, V. lix, 83. Cain, IV. xviii. 13. Caleb, II. ii. 56. Callisthenes, III. viii. 33. Calphi, II. xi. 70. Cs^harsalama, II. vii. 31. Caphenatha, II. xii. 37. Cappadocia, ' V. xiii. 11. Captivity, the third, V. ix. 5., and note. Caria, II. x*. 23. Carnaim, II.'v. 26, 43, 44. Camion, III. xii. 21, 26. Carthage, V. xii. 2, 18, 19. Casleu, the month, II. i. ([4. iv.52, 59. m.i. 9, 18. x.s. V. ix. 6. Casphon, II. v. 26, 36. Caspis, III. xii. 13. Cassius, V. xii. 14. xlv. i, &c. xlvii, 2, &c. xlviii. i, &c. Catapeltse, (instruments of tor- ture,) IV. ix. 26. x. 7. xi. 22. xviii. 2o. Cedron, II. xv. 39, 41. xvi. - 9- Cendebseus, II. xv. 38, 40. xvi. T, 4, 8, 9. Chaereas, III. x. 32, 37. Chalisam, V. x. 21. Chanaan, II. ix. 37. Characa, III. xii. 17. Chelcias, V. xxiv. 2. Chettiim, the land of, II. i. i. Cilicia, II. xi. 14. III. iv. 36. IV. iv. 2. Citims, II, viii. 5. City of the Holy House, V. xxi. I. xxiii. 5. xxvii, 3. xxviii. *3. 34. 37- XXX. 8. XXXV. 33. xxxvi. 6, 37, 38. xxxvii. 3, 5. xxxviii. 5. Iii. 7. 24. lix. 68. City of the House of God, V. xxi. 10. City of Judah, V. xl. i . Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy Fhilometor, II. x. S7> S^' Cleopatra, wife of Ptolemy Physoon, and mother of Pto- lemy Lathy rus, V. xxiv. i — 4. xxviii. 2, 15, 26, 27. Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy AuleteSjV. xlviii. 26. xlix. 27. Iv. 5, 6. her character, Ivi. i, &c. Ivii. 16, 19, 22. Cloistered court, I. v. 23, and note. Cnidus, II. XV. 23. Coelosyria, I. iii. 15. III. iii. 5, 8. iv. 4. viii. 8. x. 11. Coin. Leave given to Simon to coin money, II. xv. 6, ^nd note. INDEX. 451 CjQllector, (Apollonius the king's,) II. I. 29. Constantius Chlorus, I. vii. 11. note. Corinthians, Apocryphal Epistle to, I. vi. 8, note. Cos, II. XV. 23. Country of the Holy House, (i. e. Judaea,) V. viii. i , Crassus, V. xli. 2, &c. Crates, governor of Cyprus, III. iv. 29. Crete, II. x. 67. Crown-taxes, II. x. 29. xi. 34. xiii. 39. Cynaeus, V. xxii. 7. Cyprians, III. iv. 29. Cypris, Herod's mother, V. xlix. 20. Cyprus, II. XV. 23. III. x. 13. xii. 2. V. xxiv. 4. XX viii. 27. Cyrene, II. xv. 23. D. Dagon, (or Docus,) a castle, V. XX. 6, 7. Dagon, the temple of, II. x. 84. xi. 4. Damascus, II. xi. 62. xii. 32. V. xxxvi. 2, 3, 10, 26, 27, 34. xl. 18. xlii. 25. xlix. 12. Hi. 8. Daniel the prophet, I. vi. 7. II. ii. 60. IV. xvi. 3, 19. xviii. 14. V. xii. I. Daphne, III. iv. 33. Darius (i. e. Arius)- king of Sparta, II. xii. 7, and note. Dathan and Abiram, IV. ii. 17. Dathema, II. v, 9. David, II. ii. 57. iv. 30. IV. jii. 7, 8. xviii. 16. his sons, V. xxi. 17. David, dty of, II. i. 33. ii. 31. vii. 32. xiv. 36. Dedication, V. x. i . Delos, II. XV. 23. Demetrius I. (Soter,) II. vii. i , 4, viii. 31. ix. I. X. 2, 3, 15, 22, 25, 48 — 52. III. xiv. I, 4, 5, II. V. XV. II. xvi. 2, S- xix. 3. Demetrius II. (Nicator,) II. x. 67,69. xi. 9, 12, 19,30,32, 38—42, 52, 55, 63. xii. 24. 34. xiii. 34 — 36. is captured by Arsaces, xiv. i — 3. xv. 22. III. i. 7, 14. Demetrius III. V. xxix. 6—15. Demophon, III. xii. 2. Denarius, the Roman coin, V. ii. 13. Dessau, III. xiv. 16.. Diogenes, V. xxxii. i. Dioscorinthius, the month. III. xi. 21, see note. Discus, the game of. III, iv. 14. Docus, II. xvi. 15. Dora, II. XV. 11, 13. Dorymenes, II. iii. 38. III. iv. 45- Dositheus, one of Judas cap- tains, III. xii. 19, 24, 35. Dositheus, son of Drimuius, I. i. 4. Dosithea, Herod's wife, V. Hx. 5.6. Drachmae of silver, I. iii. 28. III. iv. 19. X. so. xii. 43. E. Earthquake in Judaea, V. Ivi. 18—21, 31. East, men of the, V. x. 4. Ecbatana, III. ix. 3. Egypt, I. ii. 25. iii. 20. iv. 18. vi. 4. vii. I. II. i. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, &c. &c. xi. 13, 59. III. i. I, 10. V. I, 8, TT. ix. 29. IV. iv. 22. V. ii. 1,4, II, 14. xii. 24. xxiii. 8. xxiv. 2. xxviii. 27. xxxi. i. xl. 6, 15, xlii. 14, 16, 17, 21. xliv. 7, 8. xlviii. 26. xlix. 26. Iii. 10, 33. Iv. 25. Ivi. 9. Ivii. I, *, 22. Iviii. 3. Egyptians, V. ii. i. xxiii. 2, 10. xxiv. 2. xl. 16, 19. xlii. 19 — 23. xliii. 4. xliv. 8. Gg 2 452 INDEX. Elder, (i. e. chief of the Roman senate,) V. xii. \o. xiii. 1,5. 3aai, I, 3. xxxvi. 23. xlii. 4. Elders, of Jerusalem, I. i, 23, 25. Y. XV. 4. xxxiv. 8. xxxvi. 27. liv.-ag. ivi. 19. Iviii. 11. . lix. 17. Eleasa, (a place,) II. is. 5. Eleazar, a priest, I. vi. i, 16. Eleazar A varan, son of Matta- thias, II. ii. S- vi. 43. V. xv. 8. Eleazar, (the martyr,) III. vL 18 — 31. IV. i. 8. V. 4, 14. vi. 1,4, 12, 13. vii, I, s, 9, II. ix. 5. xvi. 14. xvii. 13. V. ii. 4, 9, 10. iv. I, 2, 4, 7, 13. vii. 34. Eleazar, reads the holy book, III. viiL 23. Eleazar (another) a priest, V. xli. 4, '6, 7, 8. Elephants, I. v. i, 2,4, 10, 20, 23^ 36. 42. 4Sj 48- vi. 21. 11. vi. 34, 35, 46-7111. 6. xi. 56. III. xi. 4. xiii. 15. xiv. 12. V. viii. 7. xi. 2. XV. 2, 5, 7.9- 'EXotoXii, an engine of war, II. xiii. 43, note. Eleutherus, the river, H.-oii. 7. xii. 30. Elias, (Elijah,) II. ii. 58. Elul, the month, II. xiv. 27. Elymais, IL vi. i. Emmaus, II. iii. 40, 57. ix. 50. 'Miaraiyjios, its meaning, note on III. vii. 7. Engine a£ vrar, ('EXcttoXis,) II. xiii. 43, and note. Enrol, I. iv. 14. Enrolment, I. iv. 1 7. Ephron, H. v. 46. III. xii. 27. Epiphanes^ or Epsmanes, note on II. i. 10. Epiphanius, (Antiodius Epipha- . nes,) V. xi. i. ElfHphi, a month, I. vi. 38. Esaias, the prophet, IV. x viii. 15. Esau, children of, II. v. 3, 65. Eumenes, II. viii. 8. Eunuchs, V. lix. 32. Eupator, (Antiochus,) II. vi. 1 7. III. ii. 20. V. viii. 18. xi. i, 2. xvi. I. Euphrates, II. iii. 32, 37. V. xli. 16. xliv. II. Iii. 2, 8. lix. 30. Eupolemus, II. viii. 17. III. iv. II, Eurycles, V. lix. 71. Exercise, a place of, II. i. 14. III. iv.'io, 12, 14. Ezechias (Hezekiah) king of Judab, III. XV. 22. V. xvi. 22. Ezechiel, the prophet, IV. xviji. 18. Ezra the priest, V. xxxv. i . Faelix, left as governor of Jeru- salem by Antiochus Epipha- nes, V. iii. 14, and note. iv. ij 5.13- V. S4- vi. 7,10,19. vii. 8, 33, 34. Fast, a solemn, V. xiaii. 3. Feast, of the Dedication of the temple after its profanation by Antiochus, II. iv, 52 — 59. V. ix. 6. of Tabernacles, III. i. 9. X. 6. V. XX. 17. xjti. 1 1, xxviii. 34. Iv. 20, 23. ' of Pentecost, or weeks, III. xii. 31, 3a. ——— of Purim, or Mardocheus' day, note at III. xv. 36. of the Jews on their de- liverance from the elephants, I. vi. 31, &c. vii. 19. of Bacchus, III. vi. 7. of the new aittar, V. ix. 6. ofjoy on Nicansof's death, III. XV. 36. V. xvi. 26. Fire (holy) kindled in the tem- ple, III. i. 1 8 — 22. V, ix. 4, 5 . from heaven. III. ii. io. INDEX. 453 Gabatha, V. xxxii. 3. Gabinius, V. xxxvi.43,44. xxxix. I, 6, 9, 10. xl. 3, 20. xli. I, 3- Gadira,, V. xxxix. 12. Galaad, (Gilead.) II. v. 9, 1 7, 20, 25, 27. 36. 45. 55- *"'• 22. Galatians, II. viii. 2, and note. III. viii. 20. Galgata, II. ix. 2. Galilieans, V. x. 1 1. Galilee, II. v. 14, 15, 17, 20, 21J.23, 55. X. 30. xi.63. xii. 47, 49. V. X. 7j q. xxviii. 16. lii. 17. Game, (Olympic,) UI. iv. 18. IV. vi. 9. Garizim, III. v. 23. vi. 2. Gaza, II. xi. 61^ 62. xiii. 43. V. X. 21 — 23. XX. 4, 5. xxviii. 28 — 33. its temple destroyed and the city plundered, V. xxviii. 33. xliv. 9. Gazara, II. iv. 15. vii. 45. ix. 52. xiii. (43?) 53. xiv. 7, 34. XV. 28, 35. xvi. 19, 21. III. X. 32. Gellius, V. Iv, 7, 9. Genesar, the water of, II. xi. 67. Gentiles, II. ii. 12, 48. iii. 10. iv. 60. V. 15. vi. 53. III. vi. 4. xi. 2, 24. IV. xviii. 6, 20. V. i. 1. xi. 10. xli.. 10. Gerrhenians, III. xiii. 24. Giants, I. ii. 4. V. v. 42. Glares, (i. e. Gilead,) V. x. 5. Gilead, see Galaad. Gneus, (i. e. Pompey,) his his- tory, V. xxxvi. I, &c. Gorgias, II. iv. i, 5, 18. v. 59. III. yiii.9. X. 14. xii. 32, 35, 36, 37. V. vii. 18, 31, 32. ix. I. X. 1,2, 3, II. xiv. 4, 5. Gprtyna, II. xv. 23. Governments, the three, II. x. 30, 38. xi. 28, 34. Governments, the ' four, II. xi. 57- Governors, (i. e. the Roman se- nate,) V. xiii. I, 5. xxii. i. xxxvi. 23. xiii. 7, II. Grecian, II. vi. 2. viii. 9, 18. in. vi. 8. IV. vi. 9. viii. 10. V. i. I. Greece, II. i. 1. Greek, III. iv. 10. (language,) V. xliv. 16. Greeks, I. iii. 8. II. i. 10. III. iv. 36. vi. 9. V. xiii. 3. xlviii. 7- Gymnasium, IV. iv. 20. H. Halepus, V. xxi. 25. xxxvi. 2. Halicarnassus, II. xv. 23. Hamatfa, (or Hemath, or Ama- this, or Hames,) V. xxviii. 37. xxxvi. 2. xxxix. 12. Hananias, V. xxiv. 2. Harbak, king of Judah, V. Ivi. 18. See the note. Hartas, (i.e. Aretas,) V. xxviii. 28, and note, 36. xxxii. 6. XXXV. 20, and note, 35. xxxvi. 6, 9. Hasdanim,(Assid8eans,) the sect described, V. xxv. 5, and note. (xxxii. 12.) Hebrews, III. vii. 31. xi. 13. XV. 37. IV. iv. II. v. 2, 4. viii. 3. ix. 18. xvii. 9. V. iii. 9. viii. 1 1, xxix. 7. Hebrew tongue, IV. xii. 6. xvi. 14. Hebron, II. v. 65. Hegiaz, V. Ivi. 45. HeliodoruS; III. iii. 7, 8, 13, 23. 25. 27. 3«— 33. 35.37. 40. iv. I. V. 18. V. i. 2, 3, 7, 14, 16, 18, 19. Herak, (in Persia,) V. xJix. 17, 18. 1. 7. liv. I. Hercules, III. iv. 19, 20. Hermo, I. v. i, 4, 10, 18, 23, 26, 29, 30, 33, 37. Gg3 454 INDEX. Herod the Great, son of Antl- pater, V. xxxv. 3. xlv. 8. xlvi. 1, &c. xlviii. 28, 30, 32, 34. xlix. 2, &c. is appointed king by the Romans, 1. i, &c. he destroys the thieves, li. i, &c. lii. I, &c. he takes Jerusa- lem, 27 — 32. liii. I, &c. liv. 2, &c. he destroys Aristobu- lus, Iv. I, &c. beats the Ara- bians, Ivi. 23 — 45. goes to Augustus, Ivii. 3, &c. , puts Mariamne to death, Iviii. i, &c. suspects his sons Aris- tobulus and Alexander, and slays them, lix. i, &c. Herod, son of Aristobulus, He- rod's son, V. lix. .95. Hieronymus, HI. xii. 2. High priest, must not be muti- lated in body, V, xlix. 16, 19. liv. 9. Hippodrome, I. iv. 11. v. 46. vi. 16. Holy City, I. vi. 5. V. i. i. xvi. 17. XX. 18. xxi. 26. xxxiv. 7. xxxv. 31. xxxvi. 9, 19, 25. xxxviii. 3. xl. 20. xliii. 12. xlix. 5, 19. 1. 2, 16. liv. 13, 26. Iv. 37. Ivii. 22. Holy House, V. xx. 7. xxiii. 3. xxxvi. 34. lii. II, 19. liii. 6. Ivi. 17, 44. lix. 17, 35, 68. See. note at V. xx. 7. Holy Land, V. vii. 35. xvi, 7. xlviii. 20. lii. 3. Holy place, I. i. 10. iii. 17. m. ii. 18. IV. iv. 9. House (a) falls upon Herod, V. lii. 18. House of the sanctuary, V. viii. 16, House (the) i. e. the temple, V. i. 2, &c. &c. xxi. &e^ xxxvi. 52. xli. 6. Iv. 26. House of sanctification, I.ii. 18. House of God, V. i. i, 7. vii. 21. ix. 7. xi. 7. xvi. 16, 17. xxvii. 4. xxxiv. 9, 10. xli. 2, 5, xliv. 9. lii. 31. liv^ 13. Iv 20. Houses of abomination, I. ii. 18. Hyrcanus, grandson of Tobias, m. iii. II. Hyrcanus, a man from whom John Hyrcanus obtained his surname, V. xx. i — 3. Hyrcanus, John, son of Simon, his history, V. xx. i,&c. xxi. I, &c. xxii. I, &c. he styles himself king, V. xxii. 8. xxiii. I, &c. his death, xxvi. t,&c. xxviii. 3. xxxi. i, 2. xxxii. 4. Hyrcanus, son of Alexander Jannseus, V. xxxi. 6. xxxiii. 6,7. is. appointed high priest under his brother Aristobulus, xxxiv. I, &c. xxxv. 5, &c. xxxvi. 3, &c, is appointed king by Porapey, xxxvii. i, &c. xxxviii. I, &c. xxxix. 3, 6, II. xl. 7, 17, 20. xli. 15. xlii. 15, 18. xliii. 2, 12. xliv. i,&c. xlvi, 7. xlvii. 3. xlviii. 3, 9 — 1 1, 20, 29, 30. xlix. 2, 7, 10 — 12. he is mutilated, xlix. 16, 19. he returns to Jerusalem, and is put to death by Herod, liv. 1-^35. I. J. Jacob, I. vi. 3, 13. n. i. 28. iif. 7, 45. V. 2. m. i. 2. IV. ii. 19. vii. 17. xiii. 14. xvi. 22. Jambri, children of, II. ix. 36. Jamnia, II. iv. 15. x. 69. xv. 40. Jamnites, III. xii. 8, 9. xii. 40. Jason, son of Eleazar, II. viii. 17- Jason of Cyrene, III. ii. 23. Jason, the high priest. III. i. f. iv. 7, 13, 19, 22 — 26. V. 5,6. IV. iv. 16. Jazer, II. v. 8. Idols, (a city of two,) V. vii. 32- Idumsea, II. iv. 15, 29,. 61. v. INDEX. 455 3. vi, 31. III. xii. 32. V. xiv. 4. xxi. 29. Idumeeans, III. x. 15, 16. V. x. I. receive circumcision, xxi. 30. XXXV. 3, 4. Jeremiah, the prophet. III. ii. I. S. 7- XV. 14, 15. Jericho, II. ix. 50. xvi. 11, 14. III. xii. 15. V. xxxix. T2. lii. J I. Iv. 23 — 28. Jerusalem, I. i. 9. iii. 16. II. i. 14, ao, 38, &c. &c. V. xxviii. 1 7, &c. &c. Jesus, (i.e. Joshua,) II. ii. 55. Jezabel, mount, V. xxi. 28. Jewish, I. vii. 10. IV. iv. 19. V. xi. 17. Jewish sects, V. xxv. i, &c. xxviii. I, &c. Jewish women and children slain by Lythras, V. xxviii. 25- Jews, I. i. 8. ii. 28. iii. 3, &c. &c. V. vii. 19, &c. Images of himself made by An- tiochus Epiphanes, and or- dered to be worshipped, V. iii. 4, s, 14. India, II. viii. 8. Indian, ruler of the elephant, II. vi. 37. Indias, the country of, V. xlviii. 12. Joannan, II. ii. 2. he is called Joseph at III. viii. 22. Joarib, or Jarib, II. ii. i. xiv. 29. John, son of Simeon, and fa- ther of Mattathias, II. ii. i. V. vi. 1. John, son of Accos, II. viii. 17. III. iv. II. John, Maccabseus, II. ix. 35, 36, 38- John, or Jochanan, (Hyrcanus,) son of Simon, II. xiii. 53. xvi. I, 2, 9, 19, 21, 23. his history, V. xx. i, &c. See Hyrcanus. John, (sent ambassador to Ly- sias,) III. xi. 17. Jonas, the prophet, I. vi. 8. Jonathan, the son of Saul, II. iv. 30. ' Jonathan Maccabseus, II. ii. 5. V. 17, 55. ix. 19, 28. takes the government on hira, II. >='• 31. 33^73-x.3— 18. puts on the high priest's robe, 2 1 , 46, 74, &c. xi. 5—7, 20— 23, 28—30, &c. xii. I, 3, &c. he is taken, 48. and slain, xiii. 23. III. viii. 22. xii. 5, &c. &c. V. xvii. 3. his his- tory, V. xviii. I — 8. Jonathan, the son of Absalom, II. xiii. 1 1. Jonathan, contemporary with Nehemiah, III. i. 23. Joppe, II. X. 75, 76. xi. 6. xii. 33. xiii. II. xiv. S, 34. XV. 28, 35. III. iv. 21. xii. 3, 6. Jordan, the marsh of, II. ix. 42. Joseph, the patriarch, II. ii. 53. IV. ii. 2. xviii, 13. Joseph, son of Zacharias, II. v. ^ 18, 56, 60, Joseph (Johannan) Maccabeeus, III. viii. 22. X. 19. Joseph, son of Antipater, V. XXXV. 3. xlix. 20, 44, 26. 1. 8 — 14. he is slain, lii. 11, 13. Josephus, a Tyrian, Herod's brother-in-law, V. Ivii. 4. Iviii. 1,4, 8, IX. Joshua, the son of Nun, III. xii. 15. Isaac, the patriarch. III. i. 2. IV. vii. 17. xiii. 10, 14. xvi. 1 8, 22. xviii. 13. Israel, I. ii. 6, 10, 16. vi. 4, 9. II. i. 20, 25, 36, 53, &c. &c. IV. xvii. 21. Israelites, II. i. 43. iii. 46. v. 9. vii. 23. IV. xviii. i. Itursea, note on V. xxvii. 30. Judaea, I. v. 43. II. iii. 34. v. 18, 60. vi. 12, 48. vii. 44, G g4 456 INDEX. 46, ix. so. X. 38, 45. xi. 20, 28, 34. 3dL 35. xiv. 33. XV. 3O' 39^41- lU- i' I. 10- '^• 14. X. 24. xi. 5. xiii. I, 13. xiv. 12, 14. V. iii. 6. Judaea divided into five portions by Gabinius, V. xxxix. 10 — 12. Judah, land of, II. i. 29, 44, 5 1, . . &c. &c. V. xi,^ &e. &c. -•■ — • — towns of, V. xxxii. 9, 1 1. tribe of, V. ii. 11. Ivi. 38. Judaism, III. ii. 21. xiv. 38. Judas Maccabeeus, II. ii. 4. iii. 1, &c. viii. 20. is killed, II. ix. iS. III. ii. 19. v. 27. viii. I, 12. xii. 5, &c. xiii. i, &c. xiv. I, &c. his battles, V. vi. 1 — 19. viii. I. X. i,&c. M. I, &c. xiii. I, &c. xiv. i, &c. XV. I, &c. xvi. I, &c. his death, xvii. i,. &c. Judas, the son of Calphi, II. xi, 70.. Judas,«on of Simon Maccabeeus, II. xvi. 2, 9, 14. Judas, III. i. 10. ii. 14. Julius, V. xiii. 2. Jupiter, III. vi. 2, and note. Ivy-leaf, I. ii. 29. III. vi. 7. Ka6dpa-iov (cuiui), note on IV. vi. 24. Kingdom, of the Greeks, (i. e. sera of the Seleucidae,) II. i. 10. Kings of the second house, V. liii. 8. Lacedsemonians, II. xii. 2, 5, 6, 21. xiv. 20, 23. XV. 23. III. V. 9. Xalis, V. xvii. 2. Land of the sanctuary, (i. e. Ju- d«a,) V. X. 35, Laodicea, V. xii v. 11. Lasthenes, IL xi. 31, 32. Law of Moses, its great power, IV. ii. 5, &c. V. 16, &c. " Law (the) and the Prophets/' IV. xviii. 1 2. Levi the patriarch, IV. ii. 19. Lucius, Roman consul, II. xv. 16. Lycia, II. xv. 23, Lydda, II. xi. 34. Lydia, II. viii. 8. Lysias, II. iiL 32. 38. iv. a6, 28, 34, 35. vi. 6, 17, 55. vii. 2. III. X. II. xi. I, 12, 15, 16, 22, 35. xii. I, 27. xiii. 2, 4. xiv. I. V. vii. 12, 18, 36. viii. 2. xi. 2, 4, 6, 7j 14, 17. XV. 3, 12. xvi. 2. Lysitnachus, III. iv. 29, 39— 41- Lythrag,(i.e. Ptolemy Latfayrus,) V. xxiiL 8. his history, V. xxiv. I, &c. xxviii. 2. M. Maccabaeus, (Judas,) II. ii. 4, 66. iii. I. V. 34. III. viii. 5, 16. X. T, 16, 19, 21, 25, 30, 33. 35- xi. 6, 7, 15. xiv. 27, 30. XV. 7, 21. Maccabees, the sepulchre of, IL xiii. 27 — 30. Macedon, or Macedonia, V. i. 2, 17. ii. I. iii. I. V. 54, X. 4. xvi. I. xxix. 6. xiv. 8. xlvii. 13. xlviii. I. Macedonians, III. viii. 20. V. x. 7, 9, II. xvii. I. xxiii. 2. xxix. 7, 8, 10. Maehmas, (Michmash,) II. ix. 73- Maked, II. v. 26, 36. Malchiah, V. xlvi. i — 7. his death, xlvii. i, &c. Mallos, III. iv. 30. Manlius, (Titus,) III. xi. 34. Marcus, (Mark Antony,) V. xxxix. 8. Mardocheus' day. III. xv. 36. Mariamne, V. xlix. 20. liv. i6. INDEX. 457 Iv. 2, 39, 40, 42, 43. Ivii. 4, is entrapped by Salome, and put to death by Herod, Iviii. I — 17. her character, iS-^ 22. llx. j. Marisa, HI. xii. 35. Martyrdom of seven brethren, III. vii. I, &c. IV. viii. 4, &c. Maseloth, II. ix. 2. Maspha, II. iii. 46. v. 35. Mattathias, II. ii. i, 14, 16, 17, 19, 24, 27, 39, 4S, 49- xiv. 29. V. vi. I — 19^ vii. I, &c. xvii. 15. Mattathias, one of Judas' and Jonathan's captains, II. xi. 70. iii. 14, 19. Mattathias, son of Simon Mac- cabaeus, II. xvi. 14. Medaba, II. ix. 36. Medes, II. i. i. Media, II. vi. 56. viii. 8. xiv. 2. Memmius, (Quintus,) III. xi. 34- Menelaus, III. iv. 23—50. v. 5, 15, 23. xi, 29, 33. xiii. 3. is put to death, xiii. 7. V. iii. 6. XV. 14. Menestheus, III. iv. 21. VlepMpxrit, its meaning. Note on II. X. 65. Mina, of gold or silver, I. i. 5. and note, II. xiv. 24. xv. 18. V. xU. 4. Mingling with the Gentiles, III. xiv. 3, 38. Misaelj (one of the three chil- dren,) IV. xvi. 3, 19. xviii. 14- Mithridates, V. xiii. 13 — 25. xliv. 6. Moab, the country of, V. xxix. 19. Modin, II. ii. i, 15, 23, 70. ix. 19. xiii. 25, 30. xvi. 4. III. xiii. 14. Moses, III. i. 29. ii. 4, 8, 10, II. vii. d, 30. IV, ii. 17. ix. 2. xvii. 18. xviii. 19. Mother (the) of the seven bre- thren; her trials, and forti- tude, rv. xiv. 9> &c. XV. pas- Bim. her death and eulogy, ch. xvii. — her address, ch. xviii. and V. ch. v. Mountain of the house, II. iv. 46. Mounts for shot, II. vi. 20, 51. Myndus, II. xv. 23. N. Nabathites, or Nabatheeans, tl. V. 25. ix. 35. Nadabatha, II. ix. 37. Nanaea, III. i. 13, 15. Nasor, the plain of, II. xi. 6^. Nazarites, II, iii. 49. Neapolis, (i. e. Sichem,) V. xxi. 27-. Neemias, III. i. 18^ — 36. ii. 13. Nepthai, Nepthar, III. i. 36. Nicanor, II. vii. 26, &c. to 47. viii. I. III. viii. 9 — 24. ix. 3. xii. 2. xiv. 1 2 — 39. his death, XV. 1—37. V. vii. 18 — 36. ix. I. xvi. 6 — 24. Nicomedes, V. xxxvi. 10, 20, 26. Nicolaus Damascenus. Note on V. liv. 32. Nile, the river, V. ii. 14. Noah, his ark, IV. xv. a6. Nomades of Arabia, III. xii. 11. Nuraenius, son of Antiochus, II. xii. 16. xiv. 22. XV. 15. O. Ocean, the western, V. xlviii. 12. Octavian, (i. e. Augustus Cae- sar,) V. xlvii. 13. his history, xlviii. I, &c. OdoUam, III. xii. 38. Odonarces, II. ix. 66. Olympius, (Jupiter,) III. vi. 2. Onias II, (high priest,) II. xii. 7, 8, 19, 20. Onias III, (high priest,) III. iii. 458 INDEX. i> S. 31^ 33.35' iv. I, 4^7* 33. is slain, 34, 36, 38. ap- pears to Judas^ III. xr. 12, 14. IV. iv. I, 13, 16. v. i. 6, 13—16. Orthosias, II. xr. 37. Pachon, a month, I. vi. 38. Famphylia, II. xv. 23. Panthers, (in cruelty,) IV. ix. 28. .Paper and pens, I. iv. 20. Pappus, V. Hi. 12, 14, 19. he is killed, 20.. Patroclus> III. viii. 9. Pentecost, III. xii. 32. V.xxi.23. PersepoliSj III. ix. 2. .Perseus, king of Macedon, II. viii. 5. Persia, Persiems, II. i. i. iii. 3 1. vi. I, 5, 56. III. i. 13, 19, 20, 33. ix. I, 21. IV. xviii. 7. V. iii. 3. vii. 11, 13, 17. viii. I. Persia, (i. e. Parthia,) II. xiv. 2. V. xxi. 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, xlix. 6. see note at V. xxi. 19. .Persians, (Parthians,) V. xl. 18. xli. I, II, 12, 14. xliii. 9. xliv. 8. xlviii. 35. xlix. i, &c. 1. 7. Iii. I, 2. liv. I. Jlcraa-os, introduced by Antio- chus Epiphanes, III. iv. 12. Petra. Note at V. xxxv. 20. Phalaris, I. v. 20, 42. Pharaoh, I. ii. 6. vi. 4. II. iv. 9. Pharathoni, II. ix. 50. Pharisees, V. xxv. i, &c. xxvi. 7. their quarrels, xxviii. i, &c. XXX. 4, 10, 13. xxxi. I, &c. xxxii. I, &c. xxxiii, 4, &c. xxxiv, 4. Pbaselis, II. xv. 23. Phaselus, son of Antipater, V. xxxv. 3. xlviii. 28. xlix. 11, 12, 16, 19. Phasiron, children of, II. ix.66. Pheroras, son of Antipater, V. xxxv. 3. Iii. 13, 20. lix. 29, 30,47,48, 57,58, 60. Philip, father of Alexander the Great, II. 1. i. vi. 2. Philip of Macedon, II. viii. 5. Philip, foster brother of Antio- chus Epiphanes, II. vi. 14, 5S, 63. III. V. 22. vi. II. viii. 8. ix. 29. xiii. 23. V. xv. 11. Philistines, II. iii. 41. and note. iv. 30. V. 66, 68. IV. iii. 8. V, vii. 19. xxix. 19. Fhilometor, (Ptolemy,) III. x. Phineas, II. ii. 26, 54. IV. xviii. 14. Phoenice, I. iii. 15. III. iii. s, 8. iv. 4, 22. viii. 8, x. 1 1. IV. iv. 2. Phrygian, III. v. 22. Phylarches, III. viii. 3 2. Pictures, (idolatrous,) note on II. iii. 48. Pilate, V. lix. 25. see the note. Poetry, Greek, I. v. 31. vi. 2, &c. (notes.) noXvapdpiov, its signification. Note on III. ix. 4. Pompey, (see also Gneus^ V. xxxvi. 10, &c. xxxvii. i, &c. xxxviii. I, &c. xxxix. 2. xl. 6, 13. xli. 3. 17. xlii. 4, II, 15. xliii. I, &c. xliv, 13. xlv. _i. Posidonius. III. xiv. 19. Principle, its definition, IV. i. Prophet, (one expected,) II. iv. 46. ix. 27. xiv. 41. Ptolemais, the rose-bearing, I. vii. 17. Ptolemais, (in Phoenicia,) II. v. IS. 22, 55. X. 1, 39, 56—60. Xi. 22, 24. xii. 45, 48. xiii. 12, 24, 25. V. xxviii. 2, S, 9. 1. 8. Ptolemy I, (Lagus,) note at I. iii. 21. vi. 25. INDEX. 459 Ptolemy II, (Philadelphus,) ob- tains a translation of the He- brew scriptures, V. ii. Ptolemy IV, (Philopator, or Eupator,) I. i. i, 3, 4, 7. iii. Ti, 12. vii. I. Ptolemy VI, (Philometor,) II. i. 18. X. SI. SS. 57- »• 3. 8, 13, 15 — 18. III. iv. 2. ix. 29. X. 13. IV. iv. 22. V. iii. 2. x. 3—33- Ptolemy VII, (Euergetes II, or Physcon,) III. i. 10. Ptolemy XIII, (Dionysius No- vus,) V. xl. 15 — 20. Ptolemy, the son of Abubus, II. xvi. II, 16, 18, 21. V. xix. 9. XX. 4 — 10. Ptolemy, Macron, son of Dory- menes, II. iii. 38. III. iv. 45, 46. vi. 8. viii. 8. x. 1 2. V. vii. 18, 31, 32. ix. r. xiv. I, 3. R. Ragaba, V. xxx. 2. Ramatheni, II. xi. 34. Raphia, I. i. 2. Raphon, II. v. 37. Region of the Holy House, V. xi. 9. Register, I. ii. 29. iv. 15. vi. 34, 38. Registry, I. ii. 28, 29, 32. vii. 22. Rhazis, III. xiv. 37. (V. xvi. 18.) Rhodocus, III. xiii. 21. Rhodus, II. XV. 23. V. Ivii. 2. Romans, the language of, V. xliv. 16. Romans, II. viii. i, 21 — 29. xi. 4, 16. xiv. 40. XV. 16. III. viii. 10, 36. xi. 34. account of their power, V. xii. 1 — 26. their treaty with Judas, II. viii. V. 13. xvi. 2, 7. xxi. 32, 33. their letter to Hyr- canus, V. xxii. i, &c. xxxvi. J , &c. xxxvii. 3. xxxviii. i, 4. xl. 2, 13 — i6.xli. 13 — r7.xlii. 4. &c. xliv. I, 4, 6, 8. xiv. 8. xlix. 5, 26. 1. 15, 16. lii. 2, IT, 16, 29. Ivi. 4. Ivii. I. Iviii. 20. Rome, II. vii. i. viii. 17, 19. xi. I, 3. xiv. 16, 24. XV. 15. HI. iv. II. V. xii. 7, 15, 17, 22. xxxvi. 23. xxxviii. i.xxxix. I. xl. 5, 20. xii. I. xlii. I, &c. xliii. 12. xliv. 15. xiv. 2, 4. xlvii. 13. xlviii. 35. xlix. I, 27, 28. 1. 3. liv. 4. Ivii. 22. Iviii. 20. lix. 35. S. Sabat, the month, II. xvi. 14. Sabbatical year, IV. ii. 8. Sadoc, V. XXV. 23. Sadducees, V. xxv. 3, 7, &c. xxix. I, &c. xxxi. 4, 7. xxxii. I, &c. xxxiii. 2, &c. Samaria, II. iii. 10. v. 66. x. 30, 38. xi. 28, 34, III. XV. 1. V. xxi. 27. Samaritans, V. xxi. 28. xxiii. i, 4, 8, 10. Samos, II. XV. 23. Sampsames, II. xv. 23, and note. Sanballat, V. xxi. 28. Sanctuary, II. i. 21, 36, 37, 39, 45,46. ii. 7,12. iii. 45, 51, 58, 59. iv. 36, 38, 41, 43, 48. vi. 7, 18, 26, 51. X. 39, 44. xiv. 15, 29, 31, 36, 42, 48. XV. 7. III. ii. 17. XV. 17. V. vii. 3. viii. 16. ix. 3. xxvii. 6. xlix. 5. Sarah, (mount,) V. x. I. xiv. 4. xxi. 29. xxix. 19. XXXV. 4. xlix. 20, 24. 1. 8, 13. liv. 45. Ivii. 4. Saramel, II. xiv. 28, and note. Scanrus, V. xxxvi. 3. xxxvii-. 5. xxxviii. 3. Schedia, a seaport, I. iv. 1 1. Scipio, V. xii. 10, n, 14, 18, 19, 23, 34, 26, 460 T. N D E X. Scorpions^ engines of war, II. vi. 51. Scythian barbarity, I. vii. 5. Scythians, III. iv. 47. Scythopolis, (Bethsan,) III. xii. 29. Scythopolitans, III. xii. 30. Sebaste, V. xvi. 13. xxi. 28. xxiii. I, 6, 7, II. lix. 94. Sects, Jewish, V. xxv. i, &e. Seleucia, 11. xi. 8. Seleucus I, (Nicanor,) IV.iii. .21. Seleucus IV, (PhUopator,) II. vii. I. in. iii. 3. iv. 7. v. 18. IV. iv. 3, 4,13, 15. V. i. 2, 17- Senate, (Romaii,) II. viii. 19, 22. xii. 3. note on II. viii. 1 5. ■ V. xii. 10. xl. 1 2. xlix. 29. 1. i. 3. Iii. 9. Senate- house, (Roman,) II. viii. Seniors, I. i. 23. Sennacherim, I. vi. 5. III. viii. 19,, XV. 22. V. xvi. 21. Sephela, II. xii. 38. Sephoris, V. xxxix. 1 3. Sepulchre of the Maccabees, II. xiii. 27 — ^30. V. xvii. 15. Seron, II. iii. 13, 23. V. vii. 8. Serpent, seducer, IV. xviii. 10, and note. Seven brethren nnartyred. III. vii. IV. viii — xii. V. v. Shadrach, &c. I. vi. 6, note. Shekels of silver, II. x. 40, 42. Shield of gold, II. mv. 24. xv. 18, ao. Shields of brass, V. xxviii. 1 8. Sichemites, IV. ii. 19. Sicyon, II. xv. 23. Side, II. XV. 23. Sidon, II. V. 15. V. x. 7. xxinii. 4, 10, 12, 14. xliv. 4, 9, 17. xlviii. 24. Simalcue, II. xi. 39. Simeon, the patriarch, IV. ii. 19. Simon II, high priest, I. ii. i . Simon Maccabeeus, U. ii. 3, 65. 7.17, 20, 21. ix. 19,33, 62, 65, 67. X. 74, 82. xi. 59, 64, 65. xii. 33, 38. he suc- ceeds Jonathan as leader of the Jews, xiii. i, &o. &c. re- covers' the tower in Jerusa- lem, xiii. 49 — 5 2. the decree of the Jews concerning him, xjv. 27 — 49. has permission to coin money, xv. 6, 24, 26, 32, 33, 36. is entrapped and slain by Ptolemy, xvi. i, 2, 13,. &c. III. viii. 22. X. 19, 20. xiv. 17. V. X. 9— II, 17, 3. xviii. 4, 6, 8. his history, V. xix. I, &c. Simon, governor of the temple, III. iii. 4. iv. I, 3, 4. iv. 23. IV. iv. I, 4. V. iii. 6. Sinful nation, denoting the Gen- tiles, note on II. i. 34. Sion, or Zion, (mount,) II. iv. 37, 60. V. 54. vi. 48, 62. X. II. xiv. 27. Sirens, their melodies, IV. xv. 19. Sodomites, I. ii. 5. ISolomon, III. ii. 8, 10, 12. IV. xviii. 17. Sosipater, III. xii. 19, 24. Sosius, V. Iii. 7, 10, 16, 24,25, 29—33- Sostratus, III. iv. 27, 29. Spain, II. viii, 3. Spjirta, II. xiv. 16. Swans, their musical notes, IV. XV. 19. Syria, Syrians, II. iii. 13, 41. vii. 39. XI. 3, 60. IV. iv. 2. V. ii. II. v. 54. vii. 19. xxi. 25. xxxvi. 2, 7. xxxix. I. xl. 9, 10, 17. xii. 2, 13, 14. xiii. 13. xlviii. 26. xlix. 4. Iii. 8, 10. Syrian tongue. III, xv. 36. T. Table (a splendid gold) pre- INDEX. 461 sented by Ptolemy Philadel- phus to the temple at Jeru- salem, y. ii. 14, &c. Talents, of silver, gold, &c. II. xi. 28. xiii. 16. XV. 31, 35. III. iii. II. iv. 24. V. 21. IV. iv. 17. V. xxi. 15. xxxvi. 10. xli. 8. xlv. 7. xlix. I. Hi. 13. lix. 67. Taphon, II. ix. 50. Tarquin, king of Rome, V. xlii. 7- Tarsus, III. iv. 30. Temple of Jerusalem, I. i. 10. V. 43, &c. &c. profaned by Antiochus, II. i. 54, &c. re- covered and purified by Ju- das Maccabaeus, iv. 43, &c. III. X. I, &c. V. xvi. 17. xxi. 13. xxxvi. 42, 49, 50, is entered by Pompey, xxxvi. 51, 53. xli. 6 — 9. xlviii. 20, 21. Iv. 17. the liberties of, II. x. 43- Thamnatha, II. ix. 50. Thecoe, wilderness of, II. ix. 33- Theodotus of ^tolia, I. i. 3, and note. Theodotus, one of Judas' cap- tains, III. xiv. 19. Thieves destroyed by Herod, V. li. I, &c. Thracia, III. xii. 35. Tigranes, see Tyr canes. Timotheus, II. v. 6, 11, 34, 37, 40. III. viii. 30, 32. ix. 3. X. 24,32, 37. xii. 2, 10, 18, 2 1, 24. Tobie, the places of, II. v. 13. Torah, the religion of, V. xxi. Torture, various instruments of, IV. viii. 14, &c. Tower (the) in Jerusalem, II. '• 33—36. vi. i8, 24, 26. ix. S3. X. 6, 9, 32. xi. 20— 22, 41. xii. 36. xiii. is re- covered by Simon, xiii. 49—* 53. Kiv. 7, 36. XV. 28. III. XV. 31, 35, Towers, on the elephants. Note on II. vi. 37. Treasury of Jerusalem, II. xiv. 49. III. iii. 6, 24, 28, -vt 18. IV. iv. 3. V. 1. I, 2, 16. viii. 15. xxi. 17. xli. 6. Treaty, between Judas and the • Romans, II. viii. V. xiii. Treaty, between Judas and An- tiochus Eupator, V. xv. 2, 12. Tripolis, III. xiv. i. Tryphon, II. xi. 39, 54, 56. xii. 39. 42j 49-. «"• ij ^2> i4j 19 — 24. seizes the throne, xiii. 31, 34. is attacked by Antiochus, xv. 10, 25, 37, 39- Tubieni, III. xii. 17. TyrcaneSi king of Armenia, V. xxxvi. I. Tyrcanes, son of Alexander, Herod's son, V. lix. 95. ?^rus,}"-'S. m.-i8. 32, 44, 49. V. X. 7. xxviii. 4, 37. xliv. 4, 17. xlvii. 2. xlviii. 24, 32. lix. 83. the ladder of, II. xi. 59, and note. Varro, a Roman consul, V. xii. Venusia, V. xii. 7. Viceroy, V. v. 34. Vineyard of gold, presented to Pompey by Aristobulus, V. xxxvi. 10, 23. Visions, or apparitions, mz. of a horse and rider, scourging Heliodorus, III. iii. 24, &c. 33, &c. V. i. 8, &c. ■ of troops of horsemen in the air. III. v. 2, &c. V. iii. 7. 462 INDEX. Visions, of Onias and Jeremiah appearing to Judas) III. xv. 12 — 14. of an armed warrior on horseback^ IH. xi. 8. V. xi. 10. ■ of five mounted war- riors, HI. X. 39, 30. V. X. 16. . of angels riding on horses, and terrifying Apol- lonius, IV. iv. 10, &c. W. West, the land of the, V. x. 3. X. Xanthicus, the month. III. xi. 30. 33. 38. Z. Zabadseans, II. xii. 31. Zabdiel, the Arabian, II. xi. 1 7. Zacchseus, III. x. 19. 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