Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
3. AND PUT ON A BREASTPLATE AS A GIANT,—both because Judas was of tall and vast body, and therefore in that age, in which they fought not with guns but with arms and swords, most strong; whence explaining he adds: AND PROTECTED THE CAMP WITH HIS SWORD,—and because he was of extraordinary and gigantic strength, both of body and of mind; for God continually and constantly gave him this, as he hoped in him alone, for the protection of Israel. So Saul, David, Julius Caesar, Constantine, Heraclius, Charlemagne, Godfrey of Bouillon were of tall and strong body, as well as of mind, and therefore extraordinary warriors, cutting down many of the enemy with their own hands and swords. For a giant is a symbol of rare strength and fortitude; for giants of old were very vast and very strong, and therefore terrible to all, so that no one dared to oppose himself to them. Such was Judas.
In the old law therefore priests and Pontiffs were often soldiers and leaders of war, and Judas and his brothers were priests; for this properly they were by God and the people chosen, that they might raise up and support Israel, now almost prostrate and deserted by all. They were chosen therefore primarily as leaders of war; but the Pontificate was added to them, that they might fight more ardently against Antiochus for religion, the temple and God, and for other causes recounted above. Nor is this strange; for the priesthood was then rude and carnal; for the priests were like butchers in slaughtering and cutting up the sheep and oxen to be immolated to God: wherefore in these things they learned to slay the enemies of Israel. For no soldiers are fiercer than butchers, who are constantly occupied in slaughter and blood. It is otherwise in the New Testament, where the priesthood is far more sublime and holy, and priests are employed about consecrating and offering the body of Christ in the Eucharist: wherefore it becomes them to be, after the pattern of Christ, meek, pious, and intent on God, and therefore to stand far from fighting and killing.
4. HE WAS LIKE A LION,—according to what was foretold of Juda the son by the Patriarch Jacob, Genes. 49, 9: “Juda is a lion’s whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up; resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him?” because in the place of this Juda, to whom Jacob attributed the principate, succeeded this our Judas Maccabeus, leader and prince of the people, although sprung not from Juda but from Levi, and was not inferior to him in strength, vigour and victories, but superior. The Hebrews relate that Judas bore a lion as his device on his standards.
AND LIKE A LION’S WHELP ROARING FOR HIS PREY.—Greek eis thēran, that is, for the hunt, or for prey. For lions’ whelps, when they hunger with a barking stomach, roar, and roaring rush upon sheep and cows, to satisfy their hunger.
6. AND SALVATION PROSPERED IN HIS HAND,—as if to say: Rightly and directly salvation came to Israel through the hand, strength and battles of Judas; for Judas by his industry and fortitude rightly directed Israel to salvation, and made it tend to it in a straight path and course. It can be explained secondly by hypallage thus: that is, the hand of Judas was directed to bring salvation to Israel. For God directed the hand of Judas to continual victories, by which salvation came directly to Israel. For “was directed” the Greek is euodōthē, that is, it went by an easy way, it prospered; whence euodia is a prosperous journey, likewise prosperity. Again, salvation here can be taken for victory; for in this consisted the salvation and safety of the people. So salvation is taken for victory by metonymy, Ju-
7. AND HE GRIEVED (irritated, provoked, stirred to anger and indignation) MANY KINGS,—namely Antiochus Epiphanes, and his son Antiochus Eupator, and Demetrius, and their neighbours and friends; for with these he fought many battles, always conquering and triumphing.
10. A GREAT AND NUMEROUS ARMY.—Greek dynamin, that is, a great force of soldiers.
11. AND JUDAS UNDERSTOOD IT, AND WENT OUT (with a few) TO MEET HIM, AND DEFEATED HIM AND SLEW HIM—Apollonius, the leader of the enemy. Hear Josephus Gorionides narrating the matter graphically:
“When Judas saw Apollonius standing in the midst of his army, he ran down upon him with the greatest fury, as far as the middle of the camp, piercing everything, to the right, to the left, laying low the strongest of the enemy, just as a reaper casts down the sheaves and ears of his harvest, and going on to Apollonius he struck him and laid him low with his sword.”
12. AND JUDAS TOOK THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS, AND FOUGHT WITH IT ALL HIS LIFE,—both because this sword, as that of so great a leader, was remarkable, large, strong and sharp; and as a sign of victory and a trophy; and that by the sight of it Judas might rouse himself and his men to fight bravely and conquer in the remaining battles, as they had conquered and slain Apollonius with his men, when they wrested this sword from him.
13. AND SERON HEARD.—This is the second leader of Antiochus, whom, invading him with great forces, Judas with a few, and these exhausted with fasting, as is said in verse 17, struck down bravely and slew; because they had come fasting, having marched all night, says Gorionides.
18. IT IS AN EASY THING (God leading, on whom we rely) FOR MANY TO BE SHUT UP IN THE HANDS OF A FEW, AND THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SIGHT OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN TO DELIVER WITH A GREAT MULTITUDE OR WITH A SMALL COMPANY,—because God can as easily apply his power, help and victory to a few as to many; for one soldier equipped with the strength of God will as easily lay low twenty or a hundred as two hundred, destitute of such strength of God, will do the same. Therefore God, who chooses the weak things of the world to confound the strong, often selects a few, and through them lays low many, to show that the few do this not by their own strength but by God’s, and that the few about to fight with the many may call upon God and hope for victory from him. Hence God commanded Gedeon to go forth with three hundred unarmed men against a hundred and twenty thousand Madianites, all of whom Gedeon slew by means of the three hundred, Judges 7. Indeed distinguished leaders of war select for great undertakings few soldiers, but veterans, strong, and ready either to conquer or to die; for among many there are many timid, thievish, disorderly men, who confuse and disturb the battle line, so that they are easily conquered by a few strong well-ordered men. Alexander the Great with 40,000 veterans overthrew Darius furnished with many hundreds of thousands, indeed subdued almost the whole world. Leonidas with three hundred cut down Xerxes’ countless forces at Thermopylae. Abraham with his three hundred servants overcame four kings, Genesis 14.
19. STRENGTH COMETH FROM HEAVEN.—Angels are wont to fight for the people of God. Hence in 2 Machab. 10, 29 and 38 we read that five men on horses, adorned with golden bridles, appeared from heaven and gave leadership to the Jews. And in 2 Machab. 11, 8, an Angel in the form of a horseman, clothed in white, brandishing a spear, went before the army of the Jews. Of old also the ancients thought that divinities bore arms against enemies, and fought with them, as Cicero taught, book 1 On Divination. For when the temple of Apollo had been laid waste by Brennus, it is recorded that the Pythia, from the oracle, said this: “I shall see to this matter, I and the white maidens.” And white apparitions presented to the army of the Gauls soon utterly destroyed and overwhelmed it. But that is fiction. Yet that Constantine conquered in wars by the help of God and by miracles evidently shown, Eusebius testifies in the life of Constantine, and in book 9 of the History, chap. 9. That with the Emperor Theodosius the Apostles John and St. Philip fought openly against his enemies, Theodoretus testifies, book 5 of the History, chap. 24. That for the younger Emperor Theodosius angels fought against the Saracens, Socrates writes, book 7, chap. 18. And that at the prayers of St. Martin armed Angels came, the Priest Fortunatus relates, book 1, chap. 16:
Immediately two starry princes stand before him in angelic soldiery, holding spears and shields: at close quarters they of their own accord address the saint in words: We glide down from the stars, Martin, to your aid.
27. NOW WHEN KING ANTIOCHUS HEARD THESE WORDS (announcing that his two leaders Apollonius and Seron had been slain by Judas), HE WAS ANGRY IN HIS HEART.—This anger made him rash, so that he gathered his whole army, and exhausted on it all his strength and wealth, and so consumed himself.
28. AND HE OPENED HIS TREASURY, AND GAVE PAY TO THE SOLDIERS FOR A YEAR.—He did this imprudently; both because this army was of his whole kingdom, so that the pay for a year exhausted the whole treasury; and because a soldier abounding in money squanders it by feasting, drinking, dressing splendidly, dice and similar games: wherefore being at once reduced to want, to provide a living he is forced to plunder, or die of hunger. Whence it follows:
29. AND HE SAW THAT THE MONEY FAILED, (especially because besides the pay he made large largesses to the soldiers), AND GIFTS, verse 30. Whence, recognising too late the error of his prodigality, he fled INTO PERSIA,—verse 31, to collect new tributes and plunder temples, 2 Machab. 9, 2. Moreover Ulpian, law 7, Digest, on the Meaning of Words: “Stipendium,” he says, “is named from stips, because it is gathered by stipes, that is, by small sums.” Varro says almost the same, book 21 On the Life of the Roman people: “Stipendium,” he says, “is so called because bronze was given to the soldier for half a year or a year; but it is said to come from stips, because they stored the bronze not in a chest but in some cell,” that is, pressed it together. To a foot soldier, however, as pay there were given daily of old two obols, to the centurion four obols, to the horseman a drachma, says Polybius, book 6.
AND THE TRIBUTES OF THE COUNTRY WERE SMALL BECAUSE OF THE DISSENSION,—because namely many nations were beginning to murmur and rebel against Antiochus, both on account of the new and immoderate tributes imposed by him, and because they saw him twice struck down and almost crushed by a few Jews.