D. Falk, 2002
(RSV)
In those days Mattathias the son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the sons
of Joarib, moved from
"Alas! Why was I born to see this,
the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city,
and to dwell there when it was given over to the enemy,
the sanctuary given over to aliens?
8 Her temple has become like a man without honor;
9 her glorious vessels have been carried into captivity.
Her babes have been killed in her streets,
her youths by the sword of the foe.
10 What nation has not inherited her palaces
and has not seized her spoils?
11 All her adornment has been taken away;
no longer free, she has become a slave.
12 And behold, our holy place, our beauty,
and our glory have been laid waste;
the Gentiles have profaned it.
13 Why should we live any longer?" 14 And Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly.
15
Then the king's officers who were enforcing the apostasy came to the city of
19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to do his commandments, departing each one from the religion of his fathers, 20 yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers. 21 Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. 22 We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left."
23 When he had finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Modein, according to the king's command. 24 When Mattathias saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. 25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. 26 Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phinehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.
27 Then Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" 28 And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city.
29 Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there, 30 they, their sons, their wives, and their cattle, because evils pressed heavily upon them. 31 And it was reported to the king's officers, and to the troops in Jerusalem the city of David, that men who had rejected the king's command had gone down to the hiding places in the wilderness. 32 Many pursued them, and overtook them; they encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against them on the sabbath day. 33 And they said to them, "Enough of this! Come out and do what the king commands, and you will live." 34 But they said, "We will not come out, nor will we do what the king commands and so profane the sabbath day." 35 Then the enemy hastened to attack them. 36 But they did not answer them or hurl a stone at them or block up their hiding places, 37 for they said, "Let us all die in our innocence; heaven and earth testify for us that you are killing us unjustly." 38 So they attacked them on the sabbath, and they died, with their wives and children and cattle, to the number of a thousand persons.
39 When Mattathias and his friends learned of it, they mourned for them deeply. 40 And each said to his neighbor: "If we all do as our brethren have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth." 41 So they made this decision that day: "Let us fight against every man who comes to attack us on the sabbath day; let us not all die as our brethren died in their hiding places."
42
Then there united with them a company of Hasideans, mighty warriors of
49 Now the days drew near for Mattathias to die, and he said to his sons: "Arrogance and reproach have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious anger. 50 Now, my children, show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers.
51
"Remember the deeds of the fathers, which they did in their generations;
and receive great honor and an everlasting name. 52 Was not Abraham found
faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? 53 Joseph in
the time of his distress kept the commandment, and became lord of
61 "And so observe, from generation to generation, that none who put their trust in him will lack strength. 62 Do not fear the words of a sinner, for his splendor will turn into dung and worms. 63 Today he will be exalted, but tomorrow he will not be found, because he has returned to the dust, and his plans will perish. 64 My children, be courageous and grow strong in the law, for by it you will gain honor.
65 "Now behold, I know that Simeon your brother is wise in counsel; always listen to him; he shall be your father. 66 Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples. 67 You shall rally about you all who observe the law, and avenge the wrong done to your people. 68 Pay back the Gentiles in full, and heed what the law commands."
69
Then he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. 70 He died in the one
hundred and forty-sixth year and was buried in the tomb of his fathers at
Modein. And all
(RSV) But Judas, who was also called Maccabeus, and his companions secretly entered the villages and summoned their kinsmen and enlisted those who had continued in the Jewish faith, and so they gathered about six thousand men. 2 They besought the Lord to look upon the people who were oppressed by all, and to have pity on the temple which had been profaned by ungodly men, 3 and to have mercy on the city which was being destroyed and about to be leveled to the ground, and to hearken to the blood that cried out to him, 4 and to remember also the lawless destruction of the innocent babies and the blasphemies committed against his name, and to show his hatred of evil.
5 As soon as Maccabeus got his army organized, the Gentiles could not withstand him, for the wrath of the Lord had turned to mercy. 6 Coming without warning, he would set fire to towns and villages. He captured strategic positions and put to flight not a few of the enemy. 7 He found the nights most advantageous for such attacks. And talk of his valor spread everywhere.
8
When Philip saw that the man was gaining ground little by little, and that he
was pushing ahead with more frequent successes, he wrote to Ptolemy, the
governor of Coelesyria and
(RSV)
Then Judas his son, who was called Maccabeus, took command in his place. 2 All
his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they gladly fought
for
3 He extended the glory of his people.
Like a giant he put on his breastplate;
he girded on his armor of war and waged battles,
protecting the host by his sword.
4 He was like a lion in his deeds,
like a lion's cub roaring for prey.
5 He searched out and pursued the lawless;
he burned those who troubled his people.
6 Lawless men shrank back for fear of him;
all the evildoers were confounded;
and deliverance prospered by his hand.
7 He embittered many kings,
but he made Jacob glad by his deeds,
and his memory is blessed for ever.
8 He
went through the cities of
he destroyed the ungodly out of the land;
thus
he turned away wrath from
9 He was renowned to the ends of the earth;
he gathered in those who were perishing.
10
But Apollonius gathered together Gentiles and a large force from
13
Now when Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had gathered
a large company, including a body of faithful men who stayed with him and went
out to battle, 14 he said, "I will make a name for myself and win honor in
the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king's
command." 15 And again a strong army of ungodly men went up with him to
help him, to take vengeance on the sons of
16 When he approached the ascent of Beth-horon, Judas went out to meet him with a small company. 17 But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, "How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today." 18 Judas replied, "It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. 19 It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. 20 They come against us in great pride and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil us; 21 but we fight for our lives and our laws. 22 He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them."
23 When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him. 24 They pursued them down the descent of Beth-horon to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into the land of the Philistines. 25 Then Judas and his brothers began to be feared, and terror fell upon the Gentiles round about them. 26 His fame reached the king, and the Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas. . . .
38
Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor and Gorgias, mighty men
among the friends of the king, 39 and sent with them forty thousand infantry
and seven thousand cavalry to go into the
42 Now Judas and his brothers saw that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the king had commanded to do to the people to cause their final destruction. 43 But they said to one another, "Let us repair the destruction of our people, and fight for our people and the sanctuary." 44 And the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to pray and ask for mercy and compassion.
45
not one of her children went in or out.
The sanctuary was trampled down,
and the sons of aliens held the citadel;
it was a lodging place for the Gentiles.
Joy was taken from Jacob;
the flute and the harp ceased to play.
46 So
they assembled and went to Mizpah, opposite
"What shall we do with these?
Where shall we take them?
51 Thy sanctuary is trampled down and profaned,
and thy priests mourn in humiliation.
52 And behold, the Gentiles are assembled against us to destroy us;
thou knowest what they plot against us.
53 How will we be able to withstand them,
if thou dost not help us?"
54 Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout. 55 After this Judas appointed leaders of the people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens. 56 And he said to those who were building houses, or were betrothed, or were planting vineyards, or were fainthearted, that each should return to his home, according to the law. 57 Then the army marched out and encamped to the south of Emmaus.
58 And Judas said, "Gird yourselves and be valiant. Be ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled against us to destroy us and our sanctuary. 59 It is better for us to die in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of the sanctuary. 60 But as his will in heaven may be, so he will do." . . .
4:6
At daybreak Judas appeared in the plain with three thousand men, but they did
not have armor and swords such as they desired. 7 And they saw the camp of the
Gentiles, strong and fortified, with cavalry round about it; and these men were
trained in war. 8 But Judas said to the men who were with him, "Do not
fear their numbers or be afraid when they charge. 9 Remember how our fathers
were saved at the
12 When the foreigners looked up and saw them coming against them, 13 they went forth from their camp to battle. Then the men with Judas blew their trumpets 14 and engaged in battle. The Gentiles were crushed and fled into the plain, 15 and all those in the rear fell by the sword. They pursued them to Gazara, and to the plains of Idumea, and to Azotus and Jamnia; and three thousand of them fell. . . .
35
And when Lysias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness which
inspired those of Judas, and how ready they were either to live or to die
nobly, he departed to
42 He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43 and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44 They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. 45 And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them. 47 Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. 48 They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. 49 They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. 50 Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. 51 They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.
52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year, 53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering which they had built. 54 At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. 55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. 56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. 57 They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and furnished them with doors. 58 There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed.
59
Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of
60 At
that time they fortified
[Antiochus
IV offered a truce which was rejected by Judas. The letter, cited in 2
Maccabees, is dated 164 BCE and is widely regarded as authentic]
(RSV) 27 To the [Jewish] nation the king's letter was as follows:
"King Antiochus to the senate of the Jews and to the other Jews, greeting. 28 If you are well, it is as we desire. We also are in good health. 29 Menelaus has informed us that you wish to return home and look after your own affairs. 30 Therefore those who go home by the thirtieth day of Xanthicus will have our pledge of friendship and full permission 31 for the Jews to enjoy their own food and laws, just as formerly, and none of them shall be molested in any way for what he may have done in ignorance. 32 And I have also sent Menelaus to encourage you. 33 Farewell. The one hundred and forty-eighth year, Xanthicus fifteenth."
[Judas rejected the offer of truce and fought on to
establish a Jewish state]
(RSV)
When the Gentiles round about heard that the altar had been built and the
sanctuary dedicated as it was before, they became very angry, 2 and they
determined to destroy the descendants of Jacob who lived among them. So they
began to kill and destroy among the people. 3 But Judas made war on the sons of
Esau in Idumea, at Akrabattene, because they kept lying in wait for
9 Now
the Gentiles in
14
While the letter was still being read, behold, other messengers, with their
garments rent, came from
21 so
Simon went to
. . .
52 And they crossed the
55
Now while Judas and Jonathan were in
63
The man Judas and his brothers were greatly honored in all
65
Then Judas and his brothers went forth and fought the sons of Esau in the land
to the south. He struck
[Antiochus
IV Epiphanes died in 164 BCE after appointing his young son Antiochus V as
king, under the protection of the general Lysias. Judas uses the opportunity to
press the battle by besieging the Seleucid forces in the Citadel in
(RSV)
18 Now the men in the citadel kept hemming
28 The king was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his friends, the commanders of his forces and those in authority. 29 And mercenary forces came to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the seas. 30 The number of his forces was a hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand horsemen, and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war. 31 They came through Idumea and encamped against Beth-zur, and for many days they fought and built engines of war; but the Jews sallied out and burned these with fire, and fought manfully.
32 Then Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at Beth-zechariah, opposite the camp of the king. . . . 47 And when the Jews saw the royal might and the fierce attack of the forces, they turned away in flight.
48
The soldiers of the king's army went up to
60 The speech pleased the king and the commanders, and he sent to the Jews an offer of peace, and they accepted it.
[Following the death of Antiochus IV in 164 BCE, and the
renewal of sacrifices, some Jews sought
a truce. Antiochus V agreed in a letter rejecting the policies of his
father and offering amnesty. This letter cited by 2 Maccabees is widely
accepted as essentially genuine, dating probably to early 163 BCE.]
(RSV) The king's letter ran thus:
"King
Antiochus [V] to his brother Lysias [the general of the Seleucid
troops in
[Before his withdrawal, Lysias had the High Priest
Menelaus executed, and installed Alcimus as High Priest in his place. The next
king, Demetrius, confirmed Alcimus as High Priest. Many Jews accepted the truce
and Alcimus as High Priest, including the Hasidim who had fought with Judas.
Judas did not, regarding those who accepted it as traitors. 1 Maccabees
reflects the views of the Maccabees.]
(RSV)
5 Then there came to him [Demetrius] all the lawless and ungodly men of
8 So
the king chose Bacchides, one of the king's friends, governor of the province
Beyond the River; he was a great man in the kingdom and was faithful to the
king. 9 And he sent him, and with him the ungodly Alcimus, whom he made high
priest; and he commanded him to take vengeance on the sons of
12
Then a group of scribes appeared in a body before Alcimus and Bacchides to ask
for just terms. 13 The Hasideans were first among the sons of
17 "The flesh of thy saints and their blood
they
poured out round about
and there was none to bury them." 18 Then the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, for they said, "There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath which they swore."
19
Then Bacchides departed from
21
Alcimus strove for the high priesthood, 22 and all who were troubling their
people joined him. They gained control of the
(RSV) Now Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they were very strong and were well-disposed toward all who made an alliance with them, that they pledged friendship to those who came to them, 2 and that they were very strong. Men told him of their wars and of the brave deeds which they were doing among the Gauls, how they had defeated them and forced them to pay tribute, 3 and what they had done in the land of Spain to get control of the silver and gold mines there, 4 and how they had gained control of the whole region by their planning and patience, even though the place was far distant from them. . .
17 So Judas chose Eupolemus the son of John, son of Accos,
and Jason the son of Eleazar, and sent them to
(RSV)
28 Then all the friends of Judas assembled and said to Jonathan, 29 "Since the death of your brother Judas there has been no one like him to go against our enemies and Bacchides, and to deal with those of our nation who hate us. 30 So now we have chosen you today to take his place as our ruler and leader, to fight our battle." 31 And Jonathan at that time accepted the leadership and took the place of Judas his brother.
32 When Bacchides learned of this, he tried to kill him. 33 But Jonathan and Simon his brother and all who were with him heard of it, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoa and camped by the water of the pool of Asphar. . .
43
When Bacchides heard of this, he came with a large force on the sabbath day to
the banks of the
68 They fought with Bacchides, and he was crushed by them. They distressed him greatly, for his plan and his expedition had been in vain. 69 So he was greatly enraged at the lawless men who had counseled him to come into the country, and he killed many of them. Then he decided to depart to his own land.
70
When Jonathan learned of this, he sent ambassadors to him to make peace with
him and obtain release of the captives. 71 He agreed, and did as he said; and
he swore to Jonathan that he would not try to harm him as long as he lived. 72
He restored to him the captives whom he had formerly taken from the
[Jonathan uses cunning to negotiate favors from rivals to the Seleucid throne, Alexander and Demetrius]
(RSV) In the one hundred and sixtieth year [152 BCE] Alexander Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus, landed and occupied Ptolemais. They welcomed him, and there he began to reign. 2 When Demetrius the king heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle. 3 And Demetrius sent Jonathan a letter in peaceable words to honor him; 4 for he said, "Let us act first to make peace with him before he makes peace with Alexander against us, 5 for he will remember all the wrongs which we did to him and to his brothers and his nation." 6 So Demetrius gave him authority to recruit troops, to equip them with arms, and to become his ally; and he commanded that the hostages in the citadel should be released to him.
7
Then Jonathan came to
10
And Jonathan dwelt in
12 Then the foreigners who were in the strongholds that Bacchides had built fled; 13 each left his place and departed to his own land. 14 Only in Beth-zur did some remain who had forsaken the law and the commandments, for it served as a place of refuge.
15 Now Alexander the king heard of all the promises which Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and men told him of the battles that Jonathan and his brothers had fought, of the brave deeds that they had done, and of the troubles that they had endured. 16 So he said, "Shall we find another such man? Come now, we will make him our friend and ally." 17 And he wrote a letter and sent it to him, in the following words:
18 "King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting. 19 We have heard about you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend. 20 And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king's friend" (and he sent him a purple robe and a golden crown) "and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us."
21 So Jonathan put on the holy garments in the seventh month of the one hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast of tabernacles, and he recruited troops and equipped them with arms in abundance. . .
47 They favored Alexander, because he had been the first to speak peaceable words to them, and they remained his allies all his days.
[After
Jonathan was killed deceitfully by Trypho, a usurper who was formerly a
supporter of Alexander, Jonathan’s brother Simon took charge of the Jewish
resistance. He made an alliance with Demetrius, and negotiated freedom from
tribute for the Jewish people. In 140 BCE, the Jewish people elect Simon as
leader, high priest, and governor—that is, to have military, religious, and
political power]
(RSV) But Simon built up the strongholds of
41 In
the one hundred and seventieth year the yoke of the Gentiles was removed from
25
When the people heard these things they said, "How shall we thank Simon
and his sons? 26 For he and his brothers and the house of his father have stood
firm; they have fought and repulsed
This is a copy of what they wrote: "On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred and seventy-second year [140 BCE], which is the third year of Simon the great high priest, 28 in Asaramel, in the great assembly of the priests and the people and the rulers of the nation and the elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us:
29 "Since wars often occurred in the country, Simon the son of Mattathias, a priest of the sons of Joarib, and his brothers, exposed themselves to danger and resisted the enemies of their nation, in order that their sanctuary and the law might be perserved; and they brought great glory to their nation. . . 35 "The people saw Simon's faithfulness and the glory which he had resolved to win for his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest, because he had done all these things and because of the justice and loyalty which he had maintained toward his nation . . .
38 "In view of these things King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood, 39 and he made him one of the king's friends and paid him high honors. 40 For he had heard that the Jews were addressed by the Romans as friends and allies and brethren, and that the Romans had received the envoys of Simon with honor.
41 "And the Jews and their priests decided that Simon should be their leader and high priest for ever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise, 42 and that he should be governor over them and that he should take charge of the sanctuary and appoint men over its tasks and over the country and the weapons and the strongholds, and that he should take charge of the sanctuary, 43 and that he should be obeyed by all, and that all contracts in the country should be written in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple and wear gold. . . .”
46 And all the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act in accord with these decisions. 47 So Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, to be commander and ethnarch of the Jews and priests, and to be protector of them all. 48 And they gave orders to inscribe this decree upon bronze tablets, to put them up in a conspicuous place in the precincts of the sanctuary, 49 and to deposit copies of them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them.
[A
Letter to the Jews in
(RSV)
The Jews in
To
their Jewish kindred in
2 May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3 May he give you all a heart to worship him and to do his will with a strong heart and a willing spirit. 4 May he open your heart to his law and his commandments, and may he bring peace. 5 May he hear your prayers and be reconciled to you, and may he not forsake you in time of evil. 6 We are now praying for you here.
7 In the reign of Demetrius, in the one hundred sixty-ninth year, {143 B.C.} we Jews wrote to you, in the critical distress that came upon us in those years after Jason and his company revolted from the holy land and the kingdom 8 and burned the gate and shed innocent blood. We prayed to the Lord and were heard, and we offered sacrifice and grain offering, and we lit the lamps and set out the loaves. 9 And now see that you keep the festival of booths in the month of Chislev, in the one hundred eighty-eighth year. {124 B.C.}
10 {A
letter to Aristobulus} The people of
To
Aristobulus, who is of the family of the anointed priests, teacher of King
Ptolemy, and to the Jews in
Greetings and good health.
11
Having been saved by God out of grave dangers we thank him greatly for taking
our side against the king, 12 for he drove out those who fought against the
holy city. 13 When the leader reached
18 Since on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev we shall celebrate the purification of the temple, we thought it necessary to notify you, in order that you also may celebrate the festival of booths and the festival of the fire given when Nehemiah, who built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices.
19
For when our ancestors were being led captive to
""O
Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, you are awe-inspiring and strong and
just and merciful, you alone are king and are kind, 25 you alone are bountiful,
you alone are just and almighty and eternal. You rescue
30 Then the priests sang the hymns. 31 After the materials of the sacrifice had been consumed, Nehemiah ordered that the liquid that was left should be poured on large stones. 32 When this was done, a flame blazed up; but when the light from the altar shone back, it went out. 33 When this matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians that, in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire, the liquid had appeared with which Nehemiah and his associates had burned the materials of the sacrifice, 34 the king investigated the matter, and enclosed the place and made it sacred. 35 And with those persons whom the king favored he exchanged many excellent gifts. 36 Nehemiah and his associates called this "nephthar," which means purification, but by most people it is called naphtha.
2:1 {Jeremiah Hides the Tent, Ark, and Altar} One finds in the records that the prophet Jeremiah ordered those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has been mentioned, 2 and that the prophet, after giving them the law, instructed those who were being deported not to forget the commandments of the Lord, or to be led astray in their thoughts on seeing the gold and silver statues and their adornment. 3 And with other similar words he exhorted them that the law should not depart from their hearts.
4 It was also in the same document that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. 5 Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the entrance. 6 Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way, but could not find it. 7 When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: "The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. 8 Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated."
9 It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom Solomon offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple. 10 Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the whole burnt offerings. 11 And Moses said, "They were consumed because the sin offering had not been eaten." 12 Likewise Solomon also kept the eight days.
13 The same things are reported in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, and also that he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings. 14 In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had been lost on account of the war that had come upon us, and they are in our possession. 15 So if you have need of them, send people to get them for you.
16 Since, therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification, we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days? 17 It is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the inheritance to all, and the kingship and the priesthood and the consecration, 18 as he promised through the law. We have hope in God that he will soon have mercy on us and will gather us from everywhere under heaven into his holy place, for he has rescued us from great evils and has purified the place.
http://www.amuseum.org/book/page5.html;
http://www.amuseum.org/book/page6.html
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~dfalk/courses/ejud/hasmonean_palace.htm
[John Hyrcanus succeeded his father Simon as leader and high priest, 134-104 BCE]
249–50
But Hyrcanus opened the sepulcher of David, who excelled all other kings in
riches, and took out of it three thousand talents. He was also the first of the
Jews that, relying on this wealth, maintained foreign troops.
There was also a league of friendship and mutual assistance made
betweenThem [Hyrcanus and Antiochus Sidetes, ruler of
254–59 BUT when Hyrcanus heard of the death of Antiochus, he presently made an expedition against the cities of Syria, hoping to find them destitute of fighting men, and of such as were able to defend them. However, it was not till the sixth month that he took Medaba, and that not without the greatest distress of his army. After this he took Samega, and the neighboring places; and besides these, Shechem and Gerizzim, and the nation of the Cutheans, who dwelt at the temple which resembled that temple which was at Jerusalem, and which Alexander permitted Sanballat, the general of his army, to build for the sake of Manasseh, who was son-in-law to Jaddua the high priest, as we have formerly related; which temple was now deserted two hundred years after it was built. Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.
But Hyrcanus the high priest was desirous to renew that league of friendship they had with the Romans. Accordingly, he sent an embassage to them; and when the senate had received their epistle, they made a league of friendship with them
284 Now it happened at this time, that not only those
Jews who were at Jerusalem and in Judea were in prosperity, but also those of
them that were at Alexandria, and in Egypt and Cyprus . . .
288-300 However, this prosperous state of affairs moved the Jews to envy Hyrcanus; but they that were the worst disposed to him were the Pharisees, who were one of the sects of the Jews, as we have informed you already. These have so great a power over the multitude, that when they say any thing against the king, or against the high priest, they are presently believed. Now Hyrcanus was a disciple of theirs, and greatly beloved by them. And when he once invited them to a feast, and entertained them very kindly, when he saw them in a good humor, he began to say to them, that they knew he was desirous to be a righteous man, and to do all things whereby he might please God, which was the profession of the Pharisees also. (290) However, he desired, that if they observed him offending in any point, and going out of the right way, they would call him back and correct him. On which occasion they attested to his being entirely virtuous; with which commendation he was well pleased. But still there was one of his guests there, whose name was Eleazar, (291) a man of an ill temper, and delighting in seditious practices. This man said," Since thou desirest to know the truth, if thou wilt be righteous in earnest, lay down the high priesthood, and content thyself with the civil government of the people," (292) And when he desired to know for what cause he ought to lay down the high priesthood, the other replied, "We have heard it from old men, that thy mother had been a captive under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes.” This story was false, and Hyrcanus was provoked against him; and all the Pharisees had a very great indignation against him.
(293) Now there was one Jonathan, a very great friend of Hyrcanus's, but of the sect of the Sadducees, whose notions are quite contrary to those of the Pharisees. He told Hyrcanus that Eleazar had cast such a reproach upon him, according to the common sentiments of all the Pharisees, and that this would be made manifest if he would but ask them the question, What punishment they thought this man deserved? (294) for that he might depend upon it, that the reproach was not laid on him with their approbation, if they were for punishing him as his crime deserved. So the Pharisees made answer, that he deserved stripes and bonds, but that it did not seem right to punish reproaches with death. And indeed the Pharisees, even upon other occasions, are not apt to be severe in punishments. (295) At this gentle sentence, Hyrcanus was very angry, and thought that this man reproached him by their approbation. It was this Jonathan who chiefly irritated him, and influenced him so far, that he made him leave the party of the Pharisees, and abolish the decrees they had imposed on the people, and to punish those that observed them. From this source arose that hatred which he and his sons met with from the multitude: (297) but of these matters we shall speak hereafter. What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. And concerning these things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among them, while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich, and have not the populace obsequious to them, but the Pharisees have the multitude on their side. But about these two sects, and that of the Essenes, I have treated accurately in the second book of Jewish affairs.
(299) But when Hyrcanus had put an end to this sedition, he after that lived happily, and administered the government in the best manner for thirty-one years, and then died, leaving behind him five sons. He was esteemed by God worthy of three of the greatest privileges, - the government of his nation, the dignity of the high priesthood, and prophecy; (300) for God was with him, and enabled him to know futurities; and to foretell this in particular, that, as to his two eldest sons, he foretold that they would not long continue in the government of public affairs; whose unhappy catastrophe will be worth our description, that we may thence learn how very much they were inferior to their father's happiness.
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
[Aristobulus succeeded his father John Hyrcanus.
He was the first of the Hasmoneans to take the title “king”. He reigned only
from 104-103 BCE, but his reign was marked by intense cruelty, even killing his
mother and brother.]
NOW
when
their father Hyrcanus was dead, the eldest son Aristobulus,
intending
to change the government into a kingdom, for so he resolved to
do,
first of all put a diadem on his head, four hundred eighty and one years
and
three months after the people had been delivered from the Babylonish
slavery,
and were returned to their own country again. This Aristobulus
loved
his next brother Antigonus, and treated him as his equal; but the
others
he held in bonds. He also cast his mother into prison, because she
disputed
the government with him; for Hyrcanus had left her to be
mistress
of all. He also proceeded to that degree of barbarity, as to kill her
in
prison with hunger; nay, he was alienated from his brother Antigonus
by
calumnies, and added him to the rest whom he slew; yet he seemed to
have
an affection for him, and made him above the rest a partner with him
in the kingdom. . . . [but he later had him murdered
treacherously]
318
He was called a lover of the Grecians; and had conferred many benefits on his
own
country, and made war against Iturea, and added a great part of it to
country, to be circumcised, and to live according to the
Jewish laws.
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
(320) WHEN Aristobulus was dead,
his wife Salome, who, by the Greeks, was called Alexandra, let his brethren out
of prison, (for Aristobulus had kept them in bonds, as we have said already,)
and made Alexander Janneus king, who was the superior in age and in moderation.
This child happened to be hated by his father as soon as he was born, and could
never be permitted to come into his father's sight till he died .
. .
(324) When Alexander Janneus had settled the
government in the manner that he judged best, he made an expedition against
Ptolemais; and having overcome the men in battle, he shut them up in the city,
and sat round about it, and besieged it . . .
(356) So when Alexander was delivered from the fear
he was in of Ptolemy, he presently made an expedition against Coelesyria .
. . .
[Defeat of
(372)
As to Alexander, his own people were seditious against him; for
at a festival which was then celebrated, when he stood upon the altar, and was
going to sacrifice, the nation rose upon him, and pelted him with citrons
[which they then had in their hands, because] the law of the Jews required that
at the feast of tabernacles every one should have branches of the palm tree and
citron tree; which thing we have elsewhere related. They also reviled him, as
derived from a captive [that is, they accused him as a bastard born out of
rape], and so unworthy of his dignity and of sacrificing. At this he
was in a rage, and slew of them about six thousand. He also built a partition-wall
of wood round the altar and the temple, as far as that partition within
which it was only lawful for the priests to enter; and by this means he
obstructed the multitude from coming at him. He also maintained foreign
troops of Pisidie and
He
also overcame the Arabians, such as the Moabites and Gileadites, and made them
bring tribute. Moreover, he demolished Amathus, while Theodorus durst not fight with him; but as he had joined
battle with Obedas, king of the Arabians, and fell into an ambush in the places
that were rugged and difficult to be traveled over, he was thrown down into a
deep valley, by the multitude of the camels at Gadurn, a village of Gilead, and
hardly escaped with his life. From thence he fled to
(377) SO Demetrius came with an army, and took those that invited him, and pitched his camp near the city Shechem; upon which Alexander, with his six thousand two hundred mercenaries, and about twenty thousand Jews, who were of his party, went against Demetrius, who had three thousand horsemen, and forty thousand footmen. Now there were great endeavors used on both sides, - Demetrius trying to bring off the mercenaries that were with Alexander, because they were Greeks, and Alexander trying to bring off the Jews that were with Demetrius. However, when neither of them could persuade them so to do, they came to a battle, and Demetrius was the conqueror; in which all Alexander's mercenaries were killed, when they had given demonstration of their fidelity and courage. A great number of Demetrius's soldiers were slain also.
(379) Now as Alexander fled to the mountains, six thousand of the Jews hereupon came together [from Demetrius] to him out of pity at the change of his fortune; upon which Demetrius was afraid, and retired out of the country; after which the Jews fought against Alexander, and being beaten, were slain in great numbers in the several battles which they had; and when he had shut up the most powerful of them in the city Bethome, he besieged them therein; and when he had taken the city, and gotten the men into his power, he brought them to Jerusalem, and did one of the most barbarous actions in the world to them; for as he was feasting with his concubines, in the sight of all the city, he ordered about eight hundred of them to be crucified; and while they were living, he ordered the throats of their children and wives to be cut before their eyes. This was indeed by way of revenge for the injuries they had done him; which punishment yet was of an inhuman nature, though we suppose that he had been never so much distressed, as indeed he had been, by his wars with them, for he had by their means come to the last degree of hazard, both of his life and of his kingdom, while they were not satisfied by themselves only to fight against him, but introduced foreigners also for the same purpose; nay, at length they reduced him to that degree of necessity, that he was forced to deliver back to the king of Arabia the land of Moab and Gilead, which he had subdued, and the places that were in them, that they might not join with them in the war against him, as they had done ten thousand other things that tended to affront and reproach him. However, this barbarity seems to have been without any necessity, on which account he bare the name of a Thracian among the Jews whereupon the soldiers that had fought against him, being about eight thousand in number, ran away by night, and continued fugitives all the time that Alexander lived; who being now freed from any further disturbance from them, reigned the rest of his time in the utmost tranquillity.
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
398 After this, king Alexander, although he fell into a distemper by hard drinking, and had a quartan ague, which held him three years, yet would not leave off going out with his army, till he was quite spent with the labors he had undergone, and died in the bounds of Ragaba, a fortress beyond Jordan. But when his queen saw that he was ready to die, and had no longer any hopes of surviving, she came to him weeping and lamenting, and bewailed herself and her sons on the desolate condition they should be left in; and said to him, "To whom will you leave me and my children, who are destitute of all other supports, and this when you know how much ill will your nation bears you?" But he gave her the following advice: That she need but follow what he would suggest to her, in order to retain the kingdom securely, with her children: that she should conceal his death from the soldiers till she should have taken that place; after this she should go in triumph, as upon a victory, to Jerusalem, and put some of her authority into the hands of the Pharisees; for that they would commend her for the honor she had done them, and would reconcile the nation to her for he told her they had great authority among the Jews, both to do hurt to such as they hated, and to bring advantages to those to whom they were friendly disposed; for that they are then believed best of all by the multitude when they speak any severe thing against others, though it be only out of envy at them. And he said that it was by their means that he had incurred the displeasure of the nation, whom indeed he had injured. . . .
SO Alexandra, when she had taken the fortress, acted as her husband had suggested to her, and spoke to the Pharisees, and put all things into their power, both as to the dead body, and as to the affairs of the kingdom, and thereby pacified their anger against Alexander, and made them bear goodwill and friendship to him; who then came among the multitude, and made speeches to them, and laid before them the actions of Alexander, and told them that they had lost a righteous king; and by the commendation they gave him, they brought them to grieve, and to be in heaviness for him, so that he had a funeral more splendid than had any of the kings before him. Alexander left behind him two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but committed the kingdom to Alexandra. Now, as to these two sons, Hyrcanus was indeed unable to manage public affairs, and delighted rather in a quiet life; but the younger, Aristobulus, was an active and a bold man; and for this woman herself, Alexandra, she was loved by the multitude, because she seemed displeased at the offenses her husband had been guilty of.
2. So she made Hyrcanus high priest, because he was the elder, but much more because he cared not to meddle with politics, and permitted the Pharisees to do every thing; to whom also she ordered the multitude to be obedient. She also restored again those practices which the Pharisees had introduced, according to the traditions of their forefathers, and which her father-in-law, Hyrcanus, had abrogated. So she had indeed the name of the regent, but the Pharisees had the authority; for it was they who restored such as had been banished, and set such as were prisoners at liberty, and, to say all at once, they differed in nothing from lords. However, the queen also took care of the affairs of the kingdom, and got together a great body of mercenary soldiers, and increased her own army to such a degree, that she became terrible to the neighboring tyrants, and took hostages of them: and the country was entirely at peace, excepting the Pharisees; for they disturbed the queen, and desired that she would kill those who persuaded Alexander to slay the eight hundred men; after which they cut the throat of one of them, Diogenes; and after him they did the same to several, one after another, till the men that were the most potent came into the palace, and Aristobulus with them, for he seemed to be displeased at what was done; and it appeared openly, that if he had an opportunity, he would not permit his mother to go on so.
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
(13.422) After this, when the queen was fallen into a dangerous distemper, Aristobulus resolved to attempt the seizing of the government; so he stole away secretly by night, with only one of his servants, and went to the fortresses, wherein his friends, that were such from the days of his father, were settled; for as he had been a great while displeased at his mother's conduct, so he was now much more afraid, lest, upon her death, their whole family should be under the power of the Pharisees; for he saw the inability of his brother, who was to succeed in the government; nor was any one conscious of what he was doing but only his wife, whom he left at Jerusalem with their children.
(14.4) Hyrcanus then began his high priesthood on the third year of the hundred and seventy-seventh Olympiad . . . when presently Aristobulus began to make war against him; and as it came to a battle with Hyrcanus at Jericho, many of his soldiers deserted him, and went over to his brother; upon which Hyrcanus fled into the citadel, where Aristobulus's wife and children were imprisoned by their mother, as we have said already, and attacked and overcame those his adversaries that had fled thither, and lay within the walls of the temple. So when he had sent a message to his brother about agreeing the matters between them, he laid aside his enmity to him on these conditions, that Aristobulus should be king, that he should live without intermeddling with public affairs, and quietly enjoy the estate he had acquired. When they had agreed upon these terms in the temple, and had confirmed the agreement with oaths, and the giving one an. other their right hands, and embracing one another in the sight of the whole multitude, they departed; the one, Aristobulus, to the palace; and Hyrcanus, as a private man, to the former house of Aristobulus.
(14.8) But there was a certain friend of Hyrcanus, an Idumean, called Antipater, who was very rich, and in his nature an active and a seditious man; who was at enmity with Aristobulus, and had differences with him on account of his good-will to Hyrcanus . . . But now this younger Antipater was suspicious of the power of Aristobulus, and was afraid of some mischief he might do him, because of his hatred to him; so he stirred up the most powerful of the Jews, and talked against him to them privately; and said that it was unjust to overlook the conduct of Aristobulus, who had gotten the government unrighteously, and ejected his brother out of it, who was the elder, and ought to retain what belonged to him by prerogative of his birth. And the same speeches he perpetually made to Hyrcanus; and told him that his own life would be in danger . . .
(14.14) Since therefore Antipater saw that Hyrcanus did not attend to what he said, he never ceased, day by day, to charge reigned crimes upon Aristobulus, and to calumniate him before him, as if he had a mind to kill him; and so, by urging him perpetually, he advised him, and persuaded him to fly to Aretas, the king of Arabia . . .
(14.19) AFTER these promises had been given to Aretas, he
made an expedition against Aristobulus with an army of fifty thousand horse and
foot, and beat him in the battle. And when after that victory many went over
to Hyrcanus as deserters, Aristobulus was left desolate, and fled to
Jerusalem; (20) upon which the king of Arabia took all his army, and made an
assault upon the temple, and besieged Aristobulus therein, the people still
supporting Hyreanus, and assisting him in the siege, while none but the priests
continued with Aristobulus. (21) So Aretas united the forces of the Arabians
and of the Jews together, and pressed on the siege vigorously. As this
happened at the time when the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated,
which we call the passover, the principal men among the Jews left the country,
and fled into
(25) But God punished them immediately for this their
barbarity, and took vengeance of them for the murder of Onias, in the manner
following: While the priests and Aristobulus were besieged, it happened that
the feast called the passover was come, at which it is our custom to offer a
great number of sacrifices to God; (26) but those that were with Aristobulus
wanted sacrifices, and desired that their countrymen without would furnish them
with such sacrifices, and assured them they should have as much money for them
as they should desire; and when they required them to pay a thousand drachmae
for each head of cattle, Aristobulus and the priests willingly undertook to pay
for them accordingly, and those within let down the money over the walls, and
gave it them. (26) But when the others had received it, they did not deliver
the sacrifices, but arrived at that height of wickedness as to break the
assurances they had given, and to be guilty of impiety towards God, by not
furnishing those that wanted them with sacrifices. (28) And when the priests
found they had been cheated, and that the agreements they had made were
violated, they prayed to God that he would avenge them on their countrymen.
Nor did he delay that their punishment, but sent a strong and vehement storm of
wind, that destroyed the fruits of the whole country, till a modius of wheat
was then bought for eleven drachmae.
[adapted
from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
(29) In the mean time Pompey [Roman consul] sent Scaurus
[general of Pompey’s army] into Syria [66 BCE], while he was himself in
Armenia, and making war with Tigranes; but when Scaurus was come to Damascus,
and found that Lollins and Metellus had newly taken the city, he came himself
hastily into Judea. And when he was come thither, ambassadors came to him,
both from Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, and both desired he would assist them. And
when both of them promised to give him money, Aristobulus four hundred
talents, and Hyrcanus no less, he accepted of Aristobulus's promise, . .
. He therefore made an agreement with Aristobulus . . . and took his money, and raised the siege,
and ordered Aretas to depart, or else he should be declared an enemy to the
Romans. So Scaurus returned to
(34) A LITTLE afterward Pompey came to
(46) When Pompey had heard the causes of these two, and had condemned Aristobulus for his violent procedure, he then spake civilly to them, and sent them away; and told them, that when he came again into their country, he would settle all their affairs . . .
[Aristobulus disobeyed Pompey’s instructions and marched against Hyrcanus]
(57) At this Pompey was very angry, and put Aristobulus into prison, and came himself to the city, which was strong on every side, excepting the north, which was not so well fortified, for there was a broad and deep ditch that encompassed the city and included within it the temple, which was itself encompassed about with a very strong stone wall.
[Pompey takes
(58) Now there was a sedition of the men that were within the city,
who did not agree what was to be done in their present circumstances, while
some thought it best to deliver up the city to Pompey; but Aristobulus's party
exhorted them to shut the gates, because he was kept in prison. Now these
prevented the others, and seized upon the temple, and cut off the bridge which
reached from it to the city, and prepared themselves to abide a siege; (59) but
the others admitted Pompey's army in, and delivered up both the city and the
king's palace to him. So Pompey sent his lieutenant Piso with an army, and
placed garrisons both in the city and in the palace, to secure them, . . . (60) And in the first place, he offered terms
of accommodation to those within; but when they would not comply with what was
desired, he encompassed all the places thereabout with a wall, wherein Hyrcanus
did gladly assist him on all occasions; . . . a bank was raised, day by day,
with a great deal of labor . . . he brought his mechanical engines and
battering-rams from
(64) Which thing when the Romans understood, on those days which we call Sabbaths they threw nothing at the Jews, nor came to any pitched battle with them; but raised up their earthen banks, and brought their engines into such forwardness, that they might do execution the next day. And any one may hence learn how very great piety we exercise towards God, and the observance of his laws, since the priests were not at all hindered from their sacred ministrations by their fear during this siege, but did still twice a-day, in the morning and about the ninth hour, offer their sacrifices on the altar; nor did they omit those sacrifices, if any melancholy accident happened by the stones that were thrown among them; for although the city was taken on the third month, on the day of the fast . . . and the enemy then fell upon them, and cut the throats of those that were in the temple; yet could not those that offered the sacrifices be compelled to run away, neither by the fear they were in of their own lives, nor by the number that were already slain, as thinking it better to suffer whatever came upon them, at their very altars, than to omit any thing that their laws required of them. . . .
(69) But when the battering-engine was brought near, the greatest of the towers was shaken by it, and fell down, and broke down a part of the fortifications, so the enemy poured in apace . . . now all was full of slaughter; some of the Jews being slain by the Romans, and some by one another; nay, some there were who threw themselves down the precipices, or put fire to their houses, and burnt them, as not able to bear the miseries they were under. Of the Jews there fell twelve thousand, but of the Romans very few. . . . and no small enormities were committed about the temple itself, which, in former ages, had been inaccessible, and seen by none; for Pompey went into it, and not a few of those that were with him also, and saw all that which it was unlawful for any other men to see but only for the high priests. There were in that temple the golden table, the holy candlestick, and the pouring vessels, and a great quantity of spices; and besides these there were among the treasures two thousand talents of sacred money: yet did Pompey touch nothing of all this, on account of his regard to religion; and in this point also he acted in a manner that was worthy of his virtue.
(73) The next day he gave order to those that had the charge of the temple to cleanse it, and to bring what offerings the law required to God; and restored the high priesthood to Hyrcanus, . . .
(74) and he made
(77) Now the occasions of this misery which came upon
[To reward Hyrcanus II for assisting him in a military campaign in
(192) I Julius Caesar, imperator the second time, and high priest, have made this decree, with the approbation of the senate. Whereas Hyrcanus, the son of Alexander the Jew, hath demonstrated his fidelity and diligence about our affairs, and this both now and in former times, both in peace and in war, as many of our generals have borne witness, and came to our assistance in the last Alexandrian war, with fifteen hundred soldiers; and when he was sent by me to Mithridates, showed himself superior in valor to all the rest of that army; - for these reasons I will that Hyrcanus, the son of Alexander, and his children, be ethnarchs of the Jews, and have the high priesthood of the Jews for ever, according to the customs of their forefathers, and that he and his sons be our confederates; and that besides this, everyone of them be reckoned among our particular friends . . .
. . . (202) That all the country of the Jews, excepting Joppa, do pay a tribute yearly for the city Jerusalem, excepting the seventh, which they call the sabbatical year, because thereon they neither receive the fruits of their trees, nor do they sow their land . . .
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
[Caesar had named Antipater as procurator over Judea, to administer
(469) . . . they all met together at the walls of Jerusalem, and encamped at
the north wall of the city, being now an army of eleven legions, armed men on
foot, and six thousand horsemen, with other auxiliaries out of Syria. The
generals were two: Sosius, sent by
2. Now the Jews that were enclosed within the walls of the city fought against Herod with great alacrity and zeal (for the whole nation was gathered together); they also gave out many prophecies about the temple, and many things agreeable to the people, as if God would deliver them out of the dangers they were in; they had also carried off what was out of the city, that they might not leave any thing to afford sustenance either for men or for beasts; and by private robberies they made the want of necessaries greater. . . .
(477) . . . but now fearing lest the Romans should hinder them from offering their daily sacrifices to God, they sent an embassage, and desired that they would only permit them to bring in beasts for sacrifices, which Herod granted, hoping they were going to yield; but when he saw that they did nothing of what he supposed, but bitterly opposed him, in order to preserve the kingdom to Antigonus, he made an assault upon the city, and took it by storm; and now all parts were full of those that were slain, by the rage of the Romans at the long duration of the siege, and by the zeal of the Jews that were on Herod's side, who were not willing to leave one of their adversaries alive; so they were murdered continually in the narrow streets and in the houses by crowds, and as they were flying to the temple for shelter, and there was no pity taken of either infants or the aged, nor did they spare so much as the weaker sex; nay, although the king sent about, and besought them to spare the people, yet nobody restrained their hand from slaughter, but, as if they were a company of madmen, they fell upon persons of all ages, without distinction; and then Antigonus, without regard to either his past or present circumstances, came down from the citadel, and fell down at the feet of Sosius, who took no pity of him, in the change of his fortune, but insulted him beyond measure, and called him Antigone [i.e. a woman, and not a man;] yet did he not treat him as if he were a woman, by letting him go at liberty, but put him into bonds, and kept him in close custody.
(482) And now Herod having overcome his enemies, his care was to govern those foreigners who had been his assistants, for the crowd of strangers rushed to see the temple, and the sacred things in the temple; but the king, thinking a victory to be a more severe affliction than a defeat, if any of those things which it was not lawful to see should be seen by them, used entreaties and threatenings, and even sometimes force itself, to restrain them. . . .
4. This destruction befell the city of
And thus did the government of the Hasmoneans cease, a hundred twenty and six years after it was first set up. This family was a splendid and an illustrious one, both on account of the nobility of their stock, and of the dignity of the high priesthood, as also for the glorious actions their ancestors had performed for our nation; but these men lost the government by their dissensions one with another, and it came to Herod, the son of Antipater, who was of no more than a vulgar family, and of no eminent extraction, but one that was subject to other kings. And this is what history tells us was the end of the Hasmonean family.
[adapted from Whiston translation, http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/]
[The Psalms of Solomon are Jewish psalms dating from the
early Roman period, some of them reflecting specifically on the Roman conquest
of
[In this psalm, the psalmist blames the Hasmonean kings for the Roman conquest.
He regards the Hasmoneans as sinners worse than gentiles, and illegitimate
kings--they usurped the throne that rightly belongs only to a descendant of
David (vv. 6-8). Pompey (the "man that was alien to our race", v. 9)
was God's judgment on the Hasmoneans. The psalmist hopes for God to place a
true Davidic king--the Messiah--on the throne, to destroy all sinners, and to
restore the nation to peace and piety.]
5 Thou, O Lord, didst choose David (to be) king over
And swaredst
to him touching his seed that never should his kingdom fail before Thee.
6 But, for our sins, sinners rose up against us;
They
assailed us and thrust us out;
What Thou
hadst not promised to them, they took away (from us) with violence.
7 They in no wise glorified Thy honorable name;
They set a (worldly) monarchy in
place of (that which was) their excellency;
8 They laid waste the
throne of David in tumultuous arrogance.
But Thou, O God, didst cast them down and remove their seed from
the earth,
9 In that there rose up
against them a man that was alien to our race.
10 According to their sins didst Thou recompense them, O God;
So that it
befell them according to their deeds.
11 God showed them no pity;
He sought
out their seed and let not one of them go free.
12 Faithful is the Lord in all His judgments Which He doeth upon the earth.
13 The lawless one laid waste our land so that none inhabited it,
They
destroyed young and old and their children together.
14 In the heat of His anger He sent them away even unto the west,
And (He
exposed) the rulers of the land unsparingly to derision.
15 Being an alien the enemy acted proudly,
And his
heart was alien from our God.
16 And all things [whatsoever he did in]
As also the
nations [in the cities to their gods.]
17 And the children of the covenant in the midst of the mingled peoples
[surpassed them in evil.]
There was not among them one that wrought in the midst of
18 They that loved the synagogues of the pious fled from them,
As sparrows
that fly from their nest.
19 They wandered in deserts that their lives might be saved from harm,
And precious
in the eyes of them that lived abroad was any that escaped alive from them.
20 Over the whole earth were they scattered by lawless (men).
. . .
21 For there was none among them that wrought righteousness and justice;
From the chief of them to the least (of them) all were
sinful;
22 The king was a transgressor, and
the judge disobedient, and the people sinful.
23 Behold, O Lord, and raise up unto them their king, the son of David,
At the time
in the which Thou seest, O God, that he may reign
over Israel Thy servant
24 And gird him with strength, that he may shatter unrighteous rulers,
25 And that he may purge Jerusalem
from nations that trample (her) down to destruction.
Wisely, righteously 26 he shall thrust out sinners from (the) inheritance,
He shall
destroy the pride of the sinner as a potter's vessel.
With a rod of iron he shall break in pieces all their substance,
21 He shall destroy the godless
nations with the word of his mouth;
At his rebuke nations shall flee before him,
And he shall
reprove sinners for the thoughts of their heart.
28 And he shall gather together a holy people, whom he shall lead in
righteousness,
And he shall
judge the tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the Lord his God.
29 And he shall not suffer unrighteousness to lodge any more in their midst,
Nor shall
there dwell with them any man that knoweth wickedness,
30 For he shall know them, that they
are all sons of their God.
And he shaIl divide them according to their tribes upon the land,
31 And neither sojourner nor alien
shall sojourn with them any more.
He shall judge peoples and nations in the wisdom of his righteousness. Selah.
32 And he shall have the heathen nations to serve him under his yoke;
And he shall
glorify the Lord in a place to be seen of (?) all the earth;
33 And he shall purge Jerusalem, making it holy as of old:
34 So that nations shall come from the ends of the earth to see his glory,
Bringing as
gifts her sons who had fainted,
35 And to see the glory of the Lord,
wherewith God hath glorified her.
And he (shall be) a righteous king, taught of God, over them,
36 And there shall be no unrighteousness in his days in their midst,
For all
shall be holy and their king the anointed [or Messiah] of the Lord.
(translated by G. Buchanan Gray in R. H. Charles, ed., The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913) 2: 631-652)
[Among the
Commentary on Nahum column 1:
Where a lion went to go into it, a lion cub [without anyone confining him (Nahum 2:12) “[Its interpretation concerns Deme]trius king of Greece, who wanted to enter Jerusalem on the advice of those looking for easy interpretations, [but he did not enter, for God had not given Jerusalem] into the hand of the kings of Greece from Antiochus up to the appearance of the chiefs of the Kittim. But later it will be trampled . . . ”
[He fills] his cave [with prey] and his den with spoils (Nahum 2:13) “Its interpretation concerns the Angry Lion [who filled his cave with a mass of corpses, carrying out rev]enge against those looking for easy interpretations, who hanged living men [from the tree, as it was done] in Israel in former times” (Wise; or “[committing an atrocity which had not been committed] in Israel since ancient times”
“... and “his spoils” is the wealth which [the pries]ts of
column 2:
Alas the bloody city, all of it [treachery,] stuffed with
[loo]t! (Nahum 3:1) “Its interpretation:
it is the city of
[Translation adapted from M. Wise, M. Abegg, and E. Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation (1996), 217–18]
Commentary on Habakkuk
(1QpHab 4:9-11):
[describes the invasion of the Romans under Pompey in 63
BC by the name Kittim (in the Bible referred to coastal peoples, then any
invaders from the West) at the invitation of the rivals Hyrcanus II and
Aristobulus II who were vying for the throne after the death of their mother
Salome Alexandra.]
(Habakkuk 1:11) Then a wind passes and they are gone, having made might their god. “Its interpretation concerns the rulers of the Kittim [a code name for the Romans], who enter the land by the advice of a family of criminals ...” “... Its interpretation: they offer sacrifices to their standards and their weapons are the object of their worship.”
(1QpHab 8:3-13)
(Hab 2:5-6) Surely wealth will corrupt the boaster ... All
the peoples ally against him ... Its interpretation concerns the Wicked
Priest, who was called loyal at the start of his office. However, when he
ruled over
[Translations adapted from M. Wise, M. Abegg, and E. Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation (1996), 117, 120]