Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
30. AND THE HALF OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREES,—that is, of all fruits which are wont to be produced from trees, that is, orchard trees, of which you paid me half, I now remit to you.
31. AND LET JERUSALEM BE HOLY AND FREE; (first, that it as a holy city be restored to the faithful and holy people, namely the Jews: wherefore let my soldiers who are in the citadel of Sion take care not to profane it, nay depart from the citadel, and deliver it to Jonathan and the Jews, as is clear from the following verse; secondly, that it as a “holy” city be free, and enjoy full immunity and liberty, such as temples and other holy places enjoy; thirdly, that in it God alone be holily worshipped, and holy victims be sacrificed to him, wherefore I forbid my soldiers or other idolaters to defile it with their idolatrous victims and rites; fourthly, that) THE TENTHS AND TRIBUTES BE FOR ITSELF,—namely that the tenths henceforth be paid not to me or mine, but to the temple and priests, as formerly by the ordinance of God.
the dominion of the citadel on Mount Sion, which I hold, I remit, and resign it and hand it over to Jonathan, as to the high priest. This Demetrius promised Jonathan, but in fact did not perform, because Jonathan made a treaty with Alexander, the enemy of Demetrius.
33. AND EVERY SOUL OF THE JEWS THAT WAS CARRIED CAPTIVE,—as if to say: All the Jews who have been led captive out of Judea and scattered through all my kingdom, I will to be sent away free, and that freely and without ransom, and I absolve them from all tribute, even of their cattle.
34. AND ALL THE FESTIVAL DAYS, AND THE SABBATHS, AND THE NEW MOONS, AND THE DAYS APPOINTED,—those namely which were appointed and assigned to some festivity not by the law, but by the Jews themselves, as the feast of the Dedication was appointed by Judas for the cleansing of the temple; likewise the feast of the victory of Judith for the slaying of Holofernes, and the feast of Esther for the slaying of Aman. So Salianus. As if to say: I ordain and decree that all the Jews who are in my kingdom freely celebrate their sabbaths, new moons, and other feast days appointed and decreed by the law or the Synagogue, nay that three days before and three days after any solemnity be for the Jews days of immunity and release, on which they can neither be summoned to law nor forced by anyone to servile works, as the following verse explains.
36. AND THEIR PAY SHALL BE GIVEN THEM,—that is, abundant pay as well as provisions.
AND OF THEM SOME SHALL BE PLACED IN THE STRONG HOLDS OF THE GREAT KING,—namely Demetrius; as if to say: I will hand over my citadels to the Jews, that they as faithful to me may guard them. For “great” the Greek has “great ones,” as if to say: I will entrust my great and chief citadels to the Jews, for they require faith and the utmost silence and secrecy.
AND LET THEIR LEADERS BE OF THEMSELVES (who shall govern both my provinces and armies), AND LET THEM WALK IN THEIR OWN LAWS,—that according to them they may live as Jews in my kingdom, as they live in Judea.
39. PTOLEMAIS (the city which Alexander, my cousin and rival, seized) AND THE CONFINES THEREOF, WHICH I GIVE AS A FREE GIFT TO THE SANCTUARY THAT IS IN JERUSALEM,—namely to the holy Pontiff and the holy, that is, the faithful Jews; again I now give, and confirm the gift made by me. For “that is” the Greek has “which,” as if to say: These colonies I have given to the holy things, that is, to the Sanctuary, or holy temple which is in Jerusalem, namely the Holy and the Holy of Holies, that from their revenues victims may be bought, and other things necessary for the worship of God in his holy temple.
41. AND ALL THAT IS ABOVE, WHICH THEY PAID NOT,—that they render and restore to the temple what they had withdrawn from the revenues and other things destined for the temple, and carried into my treasury. Or as Salianus: as if to say: I order that the Jewish publicans who are liable to render account, and have not yet satisfied the royal quaestors, pay it not to the royal treasury but to the temple at Jerusalem. For concerning the revenues of the temple he adds a new benefit, ver. 42.
42. WHICH THEY RECEIVED FROM THE ACCOUNT OF THE HOLY PLACES,—that is, from the revenue and treasury of the holy temple, to bring into my treasury: now I order it to be restored to the temple, namely “five thousand sicles,” that is, five thousand Francs, or Brabant florins. For the sicle weighs four drachms, and is worth four Julios, or four Spanish reals.
43. AND WHOSOEVER (whether Jews or Gentiles) SHALL FLEE TO THE TEMPLE, etc., LET THEM BE SET AT LIBERTY,—as if to say: I command and ordain the right of asylum which the temple had, indeed I increase it. For I will that, when anyone flees to the temple, as long as he remains in it, no one may seize his goods in my kingdom, although situated elsewhere. But Demetrius promises here too ample things: wherefore Jonathan and the Jews did not believe him, thinking that he promised these things feignedly through necessity, but would not keep them afterwards; especially because they had often experienced his malevolence: wherefore, Demetrius being left, they adhered to Alexander.
Note: here Demetrius promises Jonathan twelve immense benefits if he will follow and uphold his side against Alexander; whence you may gather how great were the strength and fame of Jonathan. The first is immunity from tributes; the second, the liberty of Jerusalem, that it be free from a garrison of Demetrius’s soldiers; the third, restoration of captives; the fourth, permission of festal rest; the fifth, the right of honourable military service; the sixth, the right of governing; the seventh, the right of keeping their own law and rule; the eighth, enlargement of the Pontifical dominion; the ninth, the gift of Ptolemais; the tenth, a yearly revenue for the temple of fifteen thousand sicles; the eleventh, the right of asylum in the temple; the twelfth, the building of the walls of Jerusalem.
47. BECAUSE HE HAD BEEN THE FIRST THAT SPOKE TO THEM WORDS OF PEACE,—that is, because Alexander first, and before Demetrius, had asked peace and a treaty of the Jews.
50. AND DEMETRIUS WAS SLAIN,—conquered by Alexander by the help of Jonathan and the Jews. Demetrius fell, his horse falling and darts overthrowing him, says Josephus, book XIII, chap. i. Moreover, although Demetrius had rather the right to the kingdom of Asia, as son of Seleucus, who was the elder son of Antiochus the Great, and therefore successor in the kingdom, than Alexander, as son of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was the younger brother of Seleucus; yet Jonathan lawfully helped Alexander against Demetrius, both because Demetrius had hitherto been an enemy of the Jews and had attacked and laid waste their land in a hostile manner; wherefore Jonathan could by his right use, indeed implore, the help of Alexander against him; and because Alexander had the right of war against Demetrius, in that he had slain his elder brother Antiochus Eupator; he wished therefore to avenge the death of his brother, especially because the people, detesting the crimes and tyranny of Demetrius, had preferred Alexander to him, and made him their king.
51. AND ALEXANDER SENT TO PTOLEMEE (Philometor) KING OF EGYPT AMBASSADORS,—asking his daughter Cleopatra to wife, that in this way he might confirm a treaty with him and strengthen himself against Demetrius, son of the Demetrius slain by him. Moreover, Cleopatra in Greek is the same as the glory and honour of her father and country. Would that she had been such!
Note: There were many Cleopatras, whose origin and series was this. The first Cleopatra was a daughter of Antiochus the Great, and sister of Antiochus Epiphanes, who married Ptolemy Epiphanes, the fifth king of Egypt after Alexander the Great. She was most beautiful, and therefore by Daniel, chap. xi, ver. 17, is called “the daughter of women,” that is, most beautiful, and hence named Cleopatra, that is, the glory and honour of her father. Whence from her all the other queens of Egypt, as descended from her, were called Cleopatras. She therefore bore to Ptolemy Epiphanes Ptolemy Philometor, Ptolemy Physcon, and a daughter Cleopatra, whom, though their sister, Philometor and afterwards Physcon took as wife.
This is therefore the second Cleopatra, who was sister, wife and moreover as it were mother, or rather mother-in-law, of Physcon. For Physcon, after repudiating her, took her daughter to wife.
The third Cleopatra was the daughter of this second by Philometor, whom her father Philometor first betrothed to Demetrius Nicanor, then he being captured she married Antiochus Sidetes, brother of Demetrius. She, giving poison to her son Antiochus Grypus, and compelled by him to drink it, killed herself. Of her it is here treated.
The fourth Cleopatra was the sister of Ptolemy Lathurus, who was the son and successor of Ptolemy Physcon, and wife of Zizenus king of Asia, and by her sister Gryphina in the temple embracing the images, was ordered to be stabbed and killed, as Justin testifies, book XXXIX. The fifth Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy Auletes, and sister and wife of Ptolemy Dionysius, the last king of Egypt, whom Antony loved, repudiating the sister of Augustus Caesar, and therefore, conquered by him, was driven to voluntary death: Cleopatra also killed herself by applying serpents to her body. So Eusebius, Josephus, Strabo, Bede and others.