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History resistance to the persecutions of Antiochus, which in his own person he so fearlessly displayed. A time of From persecution is always one of anarchy; the laws of nature and of religion can never be publicly violated without destroying the force of all human laws, and weakening those ties of duty which bind men to B. C. abstain from the commission of injury. The retirement, therefore, of Mattathias into the mountains of Judæa, afforded to his followers the double blessing of an escape from the fury of Antiochus, and an enjoyment of a pure administration of the law. To this allusion is made, (1. Macc. ii. 29.) "Many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wilderness to dwell there, both they and their children and their wives and their cattle, because afflictions increased sore upon them." And we may easily conceive how powerfully the desire of preservation from private injustice would operate, in aid of a firm attachment to the law of Moses, to unite men under so wise and brave a chief as Mattathias.

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In persons so circumstanced it would not be surprising to find something of superstitious enthusiasm. A party of Jews, to the number of one thousand, having retired to the wilderness, were pursued by the army of Antiochus, and being overtaken on the Sabbath day, were so far from resisting their enemies, that they did not even take those measures of defence against attack, which the strength of their position afforded; but patiently submitted to destruction, rather than to the guilt, as they conceived, of violating the sacred rest of the Sabbath. Some of the party escaping, brought intelligence of this dreadful event to Mattathias and his friends; who considering what evil consequences would ensue from this practice, determined to establish a law allowing resistance to be made on the Sabbath* against the attack of an enemy; a mitigation of the severity of the Mosaic law, sanctioned not less by motives of prudence, than by the dictates of nature. Mattathias soon found himself strong enough to attempt publicly the restoration of religion. The altars erected for heathen sacrifices he every where pulled down; the apostates he put to death, but many took refuge among the neighbouring nations; he strictly enjoined the due administration of circumcision, being now able to rid the country of the officers commissioned to prevent the exercise of the rites of the Mosaic law. The extent of his success is thus described (1 Macc. ii. 48.) "So they recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and out of the hand of kings, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph."

The good old man did not long witness the happy results of his piety and patriotism. In the first year after the commencement of the war he died; having lived to witness the defeat of Antiochus's wicked designs for the destruction of the true religion, and leaving to his sons an example of courage and

* 1 Macc. ii. 40.

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self-devotion, which served to animate them during Of the the perils they were afterwards called to encounter. Asamonean In 1 Macc. ii. Mattathias is represented addressing them on his death-bed, in words worthy the pen of From inspiration. We shall therefore insert the address at full length.-"Now when the time drew near that Mattathias should die, he said unto his sons, Now hath pride and rebuke gotten strength, and the time of destruction, and the wrath of indignation. Now, therefore, my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. Call to your remembrance what acts our fathers did in their times; so shall ye receive great honour and an everlasting name. Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness? Joseph, in the time of his distress, kept the commandment, and was made lord of His deathEgypt. Phinees, our father, in being zealous and bed adfervent, obtained the covenant of an everlasting dress. Priesthood. Jesus, for fulfilling the word, was made a judge in Israel. Caleb, for bearing witness for the congregation, received the heritage of the land. David, for being merciful, possessed the throne of an everlasting kingdom. Elias, for being zealous and fervent for the law, was taken up into heaven. Annanias, Azarias, and Misael, by believ ing, were saved out of the flame. Daniel, for his innocency, was delivered from the mouth of the lions. And thus consider ye, throughout all ages, that none that put their trust in Him shall be overcome. Fear not, then, the words of a sinful man; for his glory shall be dung and worms. To-day he shall be lifted up, and to-morrow he shall not be found, because he is returned into his dust, and his thought is come to nothing. Wherefore, ye, my sons, be valiant, and shew yourselves men in behalf of the law; for by it ye shall obtain glory. And, behold, I know that your brother Simon is a man of counsel, give ear unto him alway: he shall be a father unto you. As for Judas Maccabeus, he 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 all those that observe the Law, and avenge ye the wrong of your people. Recompense fully the heathen, and take heed to the commandments of the Law.' So he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers."* The curious reader will find it worth while to compare with this passage the corresponding oration in Josephus,† (Ant. 1. xii. c. 6.) in which the historian, probably considering that the references made by Mattathias to the various passages of sacred history would be less interesting to his heathen readers, has given to the oration of Mattathias a form corresponding to that commonly used by the Greek and Roman historians: the sentiments are also less peculiarly Jewish, and might not be unsuitable to the dying exhortations of a heathen patriot.

* 1 Macc. ii.

† Similar address given in Josephus, I. xii. p. 536.—Hudson.

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His vigor as prose

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History their fortresses, and put the garrisons to death; and when some of the captives éscaped by bribing the soldiers, he did not allow such violation of military discipline to pass unnoticed, but publicly convicted 3838. the guilty, and inflicted on them the penalty of death. Judas having also made an incursion into the land of the Ammonites beyond Jordan, Timotheus, the Syrian governor, collected all his forces* against him, to avenge the insult thus offered to his province; but he was entirely defeated, and afterwards slain at the taking of Gazara, whither he had fled for refuge. The nations which surrounded Judæa were struck with amazement at the victories of Judas; and the inhabitants of Tyre, Sidon, Ptolemais, and Gilead immediately began an active war against him. It required every exertion to enable him to withstand the enemies by whom he was encircled. He divided the Jewish army into three parts:† with the first, he himself went to the relief of his countrymen in the land of Gilead; the second was intrusted to Simon, for the defence of those resident in Galilee; the third division was left at home for the protection of Jerusalem and Judæa. Such determined valour met with its reward. Judas quickly overran the country of Gilead, took several towns, and returned to Jerusalem laden with spoils. Simon was scarcely less successful in the defeat of the enemy at Galilee; but finding the numSimon with ber of Jews there so small as to be incapable of draws the defending themselves in the possession of the country, Jews from he deemed it the wisest policy to withdraw them from it, and by settling them in the land of Judæa, to restore to the population the strength it had lost during the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes. The party which remained at home, acting in disobedience to the orders which they had received, occasioned some disasters, which threw a damp upon the general joy. Disastrous Joseph and Azarias, who commanded this division, eagerly desiring to share the fame of the other generals, led forth their forces on an expedition against Jamnia, a seaport town on the Mediterranean; but Gorgias, the governor of that district, fell upon them, and defeated them with a loss of two thousand men. This misfortune, however, did not prevent the fame of Judas and his brethren from extending itself to the nations beyond the confines of Judæa.

Galilee to dwell in Judza.

enterprise of Joseph against Jannis.

Attack of Lysias

upon Judea.

Defence of Bethsura.

Judas was now called upon once more to resist the attack of his principal enemy. Lysias, the guardian and kinsman of Antiochus Eupator, the son and successor of Epiphanes, indignant at the insult his countrymen had received in the successes of Maccabeus, collected an army of eighty thousand men, and eighty elephants, with which he advanced to the invasion of Judæa. The entire conquest of the country, and the plunder of the Temple, were the objects of the expedition. And here the wisdom and foresight of Judas in fortifying Bethsura was conspicuously displayed. After Lysias had sat down before this important fortress, which checked his advance into the interior of Judæa, Peace made a well planned attack made by Judas not only relieved with Antio- the garrison from the siege, but ended in the dispersion of the invading army. Whereupon Lysias, weary Friendly of so unprosperous a war, made a peace with Judas, rence of the Which was ratified by Antiochus. It is stated that on Roman am- this occasion the Jewish nation was benefited by the bassadors. friendly offices of Q. Memmius and T. Manlius, who +2 Macc. ii.

chus. !

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2 Macc. x. 24

+ 1 Macc. v.

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were at that time ambassadors from the Romans to the court of Antiochus Eupator. By this peace the Asamonean decree of Antiochus Epiphanes against the practice of the religion of the Jews was rescinded, and free liberty was granted them to live under the dominion of their own laws. Under so weak a government as that of Antiochus Eupator, a treaty made by the King would have little power to check the border warfare, which the surrounding nations perpetually carried on against the Jews. As soon as Lysias had retired to Antioch, Judas was again called out to avenge the murder of the Jews at Joppa and Jamnia,* and to assist those in Gilead against Timotheus. The expedition terminated in the entire overthrow of the army of Timotheus at Raphon,† on the river Jabbok; and in the farther practice of the policy before adopted of withdrawing those Jews, who lived among the hea- Judas carthen, and settling them within the confines of Judæa. ries on a The army returned from this exploit about the time of border war. Pentecost. After the observance of the festival, Judas again made war against Gorgias and the Idumeans: the victory was achieved with difficulty and not without loss. Upon stripping the bodies of the dead, for the purpose of burial, Judas discovered that many of his soldiers wore about them such ornaments, dedi- Traces of cated to the heathen idols, as had been taken amongst superstition the spoils of war. The death of so many brave men amongst was not without reason accepted as a punishment in- Judas's solflicted on them for this sin of idolatry. A collection diers. was therefore made throughout the camp to the amount of two thousand drachinæ, which was sent to Jerusalem to provide sin offerings; and prayers were made publicly in the camp, that their sin might not be visited on them in the destruction of the nation. Judas did not, however, stop from pushing his success to the utmost; he besieged Hebron, the capital of Idumea, and extending his march into the country of the Philistines, plundered their cities, and brought back the spoils in triumph to Jerusalem. This was He atnow considered a favourable opportunity to attempt tempts to the reduction of the fort of Acra, which was fort of Acra. still held by the Syrians, who continually were sallying out, and disturbing the peace of the city and the service of the Temple. The siege was commenced with the greatest vigour by the Jews, who employed every method of assault against the fort. apostate Jews, who formed part of the garrison, well aware that no mercy would be extended to them, should they be forced to yield, contrived to effect their escape, and coming with all speed to Antioch, informed the King of the danger with which the fortress was threatened. Upon the receipt of this intelligence, which foreboded the entire loss of the city of Jerusalem, a vast army, consisting of a hundred and twenty thousand men, with thirty-two War reelephants, and three hundred chariots, was instantly sumed by put in motion for the relief of the fort.§ The King, the King. accompanied by, his guardian Lysias, marched with them in person. The operations commenced with the siege of Bethsura. The fear of losing this important post, proved a most powerful means of diverting Judas from pressing the siege of Acra: he flew to the relief of Bethsura, and falling upon the enemy by night, slew four thousand, and effected his retreat in order. At break of day both parties prepared for

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Courage of Eleazar.

Bethsura

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History action. Judas and his followers fought with the most determined bravery, but seeing that his army was too small effectually to resist the overpowering forces of the enemy, he withdrew from the battle, and retreated in safety to Jerusalem. In this battle Eleazar,* the brother of Judas, fell a victim to his spirit of selfdevotion. Perceiving that one of the elephants was of greater size than the rest, and covered with royal trappings, and concluding that the King himself was probably upon it, and might perish in the fall of the beast, he cut his way through the thickest of the fight, and creeping under the belly of the elephant, thrust in his spear, and slew him; the beast fell upon him, and crushed him to death. The siege of Bethsura was then renewed by the Syrian army. The garrison defended themselves with valour; but their provisions failing, they were compelled to surrender the fort, which they did upon honourable terms.† According to Josephus, and the calculation of Dr. Hales, the year was a Sabbatical year, which circumstance will account for the scarcity of provision, which led to the surrender of Bethsura; and, but for the interference of Providence, would have again brought the Temple under the power of Antiochus. For the Syrian army marching to Jerusalem from the and capitu- capture of Bethsura, besieged the Sanctuary, and when those within were almost reduced to the necessity of yielding, on account of the like failure of provision, they were relieved owing to the intelligence received by Lysias that Philip, whom Antiochus Epiphanes had appointed guardian of his son, had seized Antioch, and taken upon him the government of the empire. The articles Lysias, therefore, found it necessary to make peace of capitula- with the Jews. The conditions were advantageous, and Antiochus swore to observe them; but on being admitted into the Sanctuary, and observing the strength of the fortifications, he ordered them to be demolished, and, having thus violated the treaty which he had made, he departed from Jerusalem.

B. C. 163.

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We have now to record one of those well merited acts of retribution, which iniquity even in this world and end of so frequently suffers. Throughout the whole time of Menelaus. the persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes down to this year, Menelaus, the impious apostate, had borne the title of High Priest. No account is given of his conduct or his place of residence during the war of the Maccabees but on the last advance of Lysias against Jerusalem, he seems to have left his hiding place,§ and once more to have acted a part on the stage of public affairs. We are told, that on this occasion, "he joined himself with the Syrians, and with the greatest dissimulation encouraged Antiochus, not for the safeguard of the country, but because he thought to have been made governor. But the King of Kings moved Antiochus's mind against this wicked wretch; and Lysias informed the King that this man was the cause of all the mischief, so that the King commanded to bring him unto Berrhoea, and to put him to death, as the manner is in that place. Now there was in that place a tower of fifty cubits high, full of ashes, and it had a round instrument, which on every side hanged down in the ashes. And whosoever was condemned of sacrilege, or had committed any other grievous crime, there did all men thrust him unto death. Such

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a death it happened' that wicked man to die, not Of the having so much as burial in the earth and that most Asamonean justly for inasmuch as he had committed many sins about the altar, whose fire and ashes were holy, he received his death in ashes." Thus died Menelaus, a memorable example of God's vengeance, and a remarkable instance of a wicked man meeting with his deserts from the hands of those to whom he looked for honour and distinction as the recompense of devotion to their interests.

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By the treaty concluded with Antiochus at the capitulation of the Temple, Judas was appointed governor of Judæa, under the King. From this year the date of the Asamonean dynasty ought in propriety to be reckoned: for, until the acknowledgment of the authority of Judas by the above-mentioned treaty,* we cannot consider him in any other light than as the Real comleader of a religious insurrection; an insurrection in mencement of the reign which it became every lover of God and the true religion of Judas. to bear his part. And though it is customary to assign the commencement of the government of Judas to the first year (B. c. 166) in which the Jews fought for religion under his standard, it would be more correct to follow, in this instance, the authority of Josephus, who assigns to this dynasty a duration of only a hundred and twenty-six years, which must be reckoned from B. c. 163. We have, therefore, no longer to consider Judas as a leader, whose only right to dominion is gained by the sword, but as the regularly constituted governor over the land of Judæa.

builds a

On the death of Menelaus, Alcimus, or Jacimus, Alcimus was appointed High Priest to the exclusion of the made High rightful successor Onias, the son of that Onias who Priest. was slain at Antioch by the instigation of his wicked brother Menelaus.† Onias hereupon retired in disgust Onias thus to Egypt, not without hope of diminishing the autho- excluded, rity of the Temple at Jerusalem. For this purpose he retires to obtained permission from Ptolemy Philometor to build Egypt and a Temple at Heliopolis, and thus two rivals existed Temple. against Jerusalem, the Temple at Gerizim and the Temple of Onias. The Rabbinical writers reckon the number of Jews resident in Egypt under the Temple of Onias, at twice the number of those who came up from Egypt with Moses. From them it appears that the same sacrifices, rites, and ceremonies prevailed here as in the Temple at Jerusalem, and continued to be observed until its destruction by Vespasian, a short time prior to the ruin of that Temple itself.

To return to our history. Alcimus, on account of his profligacy and attachment to the heathenish rites, was not long permitted by the people to exercise his office: but when Demetrius, the son of Seleucus Philopater, dispossessing Antiochus Eupator, had succeeded to the kingdom, Alcimus, desirous of recovering his authority, accused Judas and his friends of hostility to the King's party; by which the King was Alcimus aeinduced to reinstate Alcimus, and sent Bacchides, of not be the governor of Mesopotamia, with a force for that ing received purpose. Alcimus in vain endeavoured by deceitful by the proposals to entrap Judas and his followers. As many, however, as sixty Assidæans fell into the snare; for foolishly concluding that a priest of the house of Aaron would do them no wrong, they first were

* Jos. Ant. xiv. p. 659.

Jos. Ant. xii. p. 547. Conf., Josephus de bell. 7, 10, and Ant. xii. p. 547. § 1 Macc. vii.

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History willing to enter into negociation for peace, but Bacchides having got them in his power, put them to death. Bacchides then left the country to the care of Alcimus, having provided him with a force sufficient for his support. But the conduct of the High Priest did not allow Judas to yield to him a quiet submission. Alcimus being, therefore, again expelled, made his complaint to Demetrius, whereupon the King sent Nicanor with a great army to destroy Judas. This force was twice signally defeated by the valour of Judas and his followers, and in the second action Nicanor was slain. The victory was B. C. gained on the thirtieth day of the month Adar, and a yearly festival was kept in remembrance of the deliverance.

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This year is remarkable for the formation of the first treaty of alliance between the Romans and the of the Jews. Judas Maccabeus seeing how little dependence Es in could be placed on the Kings of Syria for the prebehelf of servation of religion, and having heard of the power and influence of the Romans, and of the conquests they had made in Africa, Greece, and Asia, determined, if possible, to form an alliance with them.* He therefore sent two of his friends to Rome for this purpose, to conclude a treaty with the Senate, and to seek their interference with Demetrius in favour of the Jews. The Romans, ever ready to grant favours which reduced the power of foreign princes and increased their own, decreed that the Jews should be received into the number of their friends and allies.t And they wrote a letter to Demetrius, requiring him no longer to harass or disturb that nation, now taken under their protection: but before the delivery of the letter, on the return of the ambassadors, Judas was dead. He died as he had lived, in arms, fighting in defence of religion and liberty; for Demetrius, on the defeat of Nicanor, had sent Bacchides with Alcimus a second time into Judæa, at the head of the flower of his army. Judas had no more than three thousand men to oppose this great force; and all of these, except eight hundred, fled panicstruck at the strength and number of the enemy. With this handful of men the brave and intrepid leader ventured to engage the whole army of Demetrius. The impetuosity of his attack put the right Death of wing of the enemy to flight, and he pursued them to a great distance; but the left wing was still entire : it was impossible to resist the fresh attack of such superior numbers; Judas was slain, and having lost ↑ Justin, lib. xxxvi. c. 3.

* 1 Macc. viii.

+ 1 Macc. ix.

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their leader, the army fled. cluded. Jonathan and Simon, his brothers, took Asamonean up his body and buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers at Modin; all the faithful in Judah and Jerusalem making great lamentation over him, and saying, "How is the valiant fallen that delivered Israel!" We have throughout the foregoing transactions seen Judas Maccabeus acting the part of a brave and a generous leader, living as it were in the field, and keeping up a series of warfare, almost without an interval of peace, for the space of six years.

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In the catalogues of High Priests in the temple at Jerusalem, we commonly find the name of Judas inserted; though neither in the books of Maccabees, nor in the history of Josephus, do we find any account of his discharging the duties of that station. The Judas never mistake has arisen from an error committed by HighPriest. Josephus himself, who relating the death of Alcimus, which did not take place until one year after the death of Judas, adds, that the people then gave the chief Priesthood to Judas. † The historian subsequently, in his regular catalogue of the High Priests, corrects the error into which he had, perhaps inadvertently, fallen; and distinctly states, that Alcimus dying after having filled that office three years, no successor was appointed, and that the office was vacant for the space of seven years, when Jonathan, the brother of Maccabeus, and his successor in the civil authority, was created High Priest. That so important an office should have been allowed to remain vacant so long is certainly a remarkable occurrence: it can only be accounted for under the supposition, that Judas and his brother Jonathan purposely abstained from any the least appearance of illegal usurpation of power: and that they took upon themselves no office but such as necessity compelled them to exercise in defence of their religion and their lives. The Governorship of the country seems to have been received as a boon by Judas from Antiochus ; and the account which is given of the readiness with which Jonathan accepted the Priesthood from the hands of Alexander Balas, clearly proves the opinion then entertained of power possessed by the sovereign lord of the country to appoint a successor to that office. We may farther observe, that the disinterested conduct of these two brothers, in not assuming to themselves more power than the immediate necessity of their situation required, must have contributed in a very great degree to the preservation of their influence amongst their countrymen.

THE death of Judas proved a source of infinite calamity to his followers. The apostate party, no longer awed into submission by his power, took advantage of this event to reinstate themselves in the possession of the country. A famine also happening at this unfavourable juncture, aided their designs, by the revolts and disorders which want produced

amongst the lower orders. Alcimus and his party Alcimus in now reigned without opposition; every office of power. authority was possessed by them; and not content with exercising the power which they had thus acquired over the administration of justice, they proceeded openly to persecute even to death as many of the followers of Judas as they could get into their hands. Search