Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
It is truer that Timotheus said this from warlike experience and conjectural presage. For leaders skilled in war explore the minds of the enemy, whether they are timid, or bold and confident of victory. If they are timid, they gather that they are weak and faint-hearted, and therefore can easily be overthrown; whence they attack and lay them low: but if they see them to be bold and confident, they conjecture that they are stronger than themselves, and so withdraw and flee lest they be slain by them. For much avails to victory the confidence of the soldiers and the diffidence of the enemy. So St. Thomas, Sanchez, Serarius and others. Once when I was in Belgium, at Nimeguen the Catholic citizens were at variance with the heretics, and on both sides lines were being drawn up in the forum to fight; but the leader of the heretics asked a conference with the Consul and leader of the Catholics, that peace might be treated of. The Catholic Consul, taking the hand of the heretical leader, found it trembling: whence returning to his men he said: Come, citizens, let us fight, the enemy fear and tremble, ours is the victory: they fought, conquered, and drove the heretics out of the city. Agesilaus, the most warlike king of Sparta, being asked what most adorns a leader of war, answered: “Boldness against the enemy; and, when opportunity is offered, reason and counsel.” So Stobaeus, serm. 52.
42. AND HE CAUSED THE SCRIBES OF THE PEOPLE (Judas) TO BE SET,—who wrote down the names of the soldiers in a catalogue, that they might see that no one remained on this side of the torrent, but might compel all to cross, that with all his forces rushing boldly upon Timotheus he might overthrow him, as he also did.
43. AND HE PASSED OVER FIRST AGAINST THEM.—Judas, seeing his men fear the crossing of the river on account of the multitude of the enemy, himself crossed the river first, that the rest might follow him generously as their leader. So it was done. Wherefore by this boldness he struck the enemy, put them to flight, slew and crushed them, as follows.
The same was done by great leaders who in arduous affairs, being the first to attempt the matter, encouraged their soldiers by their own example to follow them, and accomplished it. So did Cato in Lucan, book 9, first entering the sands of Libya, whence exhorting the soldiers to follow him he said:
I will first enter the sands, and first set my steps in the dust. [...]
The same was done by Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, as Suetonius testifies in his life, chap. 58 and following. Hackneyed is that saying of Philip, the father of Alexander: “An army of stags with a lion for leader is more formidable than an army of lions with a stag for leader.” And that of Albert duke of Austria in Sylvius, book 2, On the deeds of Alphonsus: “If you seek for the army against the Bohemians any other leader than me, you call me in vain Duke of Austria. For he is truly a leader who leads the army, and whom the army follows fighting fiercely.”
from Galaaditis, where they were surrounded by enemies, should come with him into the land of Juda, and there live safe among the garrisons of the Jews, as I said of the Galileans,
46. AND THEY CAME AS FAR AS EPHRON, AND THIS WAS A GREAT CITY SITUATE IN THE WAY,—that is, placed at the entrance of Galaaditis. Ephron was therefore beyond the Jordan in the land of Galaad. These three names are distinguished, Ephraim, Ephrem and Ephron. For Ephraim was a mountain of the tribe of Ephraim, Ephrem was a small town five miles distant from Bethel, looking to the East, to which Christ, fleeing from the Pharisees, withdrew a little before his death, John 11, 54. Ephron was a city which Asa snatched from Israel in war, 2 Paralip. 13, 19, afterwards a great village towards the North, twenty miles distant from Jerusalem; so Adrichomius and others, although St. Jerome in the Hebrew places seems to say that Ephron is the same as Ephrem. Again Ephron was threefold, one in the tribe of Ephraim, of which I have already spoken; another in the tribe of Juda, say St. Jerome and Adrichomius; the third in the tribe of Manasses, which is treated of here. For this, says Adrichomius, in the Description of the tribe of Manasses, num. 48, was a great and very strong city, furnished with many engines of war and an apparatus of missiles, situated on a public road not far from the Jordan, and almost opposite the city of Bethsan, or Scythopolis: which mountains on both sides so surround that no way lies open except through the city. Whence when Judas Maccabeus was leading his army this way, and passage through the city, which he had modestly asked by messengers, was refused, he was forced to open a way for himself with the sword.
53. AND JUDAS GATHERED UP THE REREWARD—of his army, namely the weak, the feeble, the weary, women, children, old men; that none might fail on the way; or following slowly fall into the hands of the enemy. This was a remarkable providence and charity of Judas; that he might bring all his people back safe to Judea.
AND EXHORTED THE PEOPLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH.—that they should go on boldly, yet so that he should not desert the rear of the line.
56. JOSEPH THE SON OF ZACHARIAS, AND AZARIAS, CAPTAIN OF THE SOLDIERS, HEARD,—that is, the army left by Judas in Judea, to guard it in his absence, with this law, however, that it should not engage the enemy before his return, as was said in verses 18 and 19. Wherefore when these two, against the command of Judas, wished to engage in his absence, they were slain and put to flight. This was indeed the just penalty of disobedience, and of pride, by which they strove, by taking the lead for themselves, to gain fame and glory, instead of obeying Judas.
62. BUT THEY WERE NOT OF THE SEED OF THOSE MEN BY WHOM SALVATION WAS BROUGHT TO ISRAEL;—that is, they were not of the seed of Mattathias and of his sons and followers, whom God had chosen as leaders in the sacred war: and therefore he conferred on them strength, vigour and victories so illustrious. Wherefore when they separated themselves from Judas, and indeed fought against his command, as rivals of his glory, they were deserted by God, conquered and slain. Let each learn here not to thrust himself into battles and offices, but to await the call of God, and follow it: for so, God directing, all things will turn out prosperously; but otherwise, God deserting, unhappily. Moreover God chose Judas for this end, “that the (faithful) people of the Church might be defended, from which the salvation of the world was to come,” says Rupert, book 10, chap. 65, namely that from Israel Christ the Saviour of the world might be born.
63. AND THE MEN OF JUDA WERE GLORIFIED EXCEEDINGLY.—By men of Juda are meant the soldiers of Judas Maccabeus, who had done such splendid deeds in Galaaditis, and were glorious with so many victories. Whence the Greek has clearly: And the man Judas and his brethren were glorified. Wrongly therefore do some gather from this that Judas Maccabeus was sprung from the tribe of Juda, since it is certain that he was of the tribe of Levi.
65. AND HE ATTACKED THE CHILDREN OF ESAU,—Judas, never resting, like lightning went about subduing the Idumeans, Samaritans, Philistines, and the other enemies of the Jews, and therefore triumphed by continual victories over them, God directing: Whence Abdias, Sophonias and other prophets had prophesied of them some centuries before.
67. IN THAT DAY SOME PRIESTS FELL IN BATTLE, WHILE DESIRING TO DO MANFULLY, THEY WENT OUT UNADVISEDLY (and without the direction of Judas their leader) TO FIGHT.—Their rashness, ambition of glory and disobedience deserved this. Mariana and Sanchez think these Priests are Joseph and Azarias already mentioned in verse 56. Others more plainly judge that they were different, who, like them greedy of glory and rivals of Judas, attacking the enemy unadvisedly, were routed and slain by them.