Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
56. AND I MAY MARRY HER TO THEE,—that is, give my daughter to thee as a bride. For to spondere belongs to a parent, to despondere to the husband, and hence the words sponsus and sponsa, and sponsalia and sponsare have come.
59. KING ALEXANDER WROTE TO JONATHAN THAT HE SHOULD COME TO MEET HIM,—as if to say: Alexander invited Jonathan to Ptolemais to celebrate his nuptials with Cleopatra.
62. HE CLOTHED HIM WITH PURPLE,—that is, a royal robe: for purple was the garment of kingdom and of kings. Alexander therefore adorns Jonathan here with royal insignia, on account of the help and aid given by him against Demetrius, and orders this to be proclaimed and published through the whole city by his princes. Yet by this he does not make Jonathan king, but a dynast and prince, for purple was the robe of dynasts, who were the king’s friends, and from the purple robe were called purpled. So Mardochaeus was adorned by Assuerus with a golden crown on his head and a purple robe: for he was one of the king’s chief dynasts and friends, Esther viii, 15.
67. IN THE YEAR 165 CAME DEMETRIUS (the younger) THE SON OF DEMETRIUS—the elder, conquered by Alexander and Jonathan and slain. He came, I say, from Crete, where he had lain hid, into Syria, to avenge his father’s death and, Alexander being routed, recover his ancestral kingdom. This happened in the fifth year of the reign of Alexander, which was the third from his nuptials with Cleopatra; for he entered these in the year 162 of the Greeks, as was said ver. 57; but he took the kingdom in the year 160 of the Greeks, as was said ver. 4.
Note: From Justin, book XXXV, Demetrius the elder, at the beginning of the war against Alexander, deposited his two sons, namely Demetrius Nicanor and Antiochus Sidetes, who both afterwards reigned in succession, with his host the Cnidian (Cnidus is in the extreme of Asia near Halicarnassus and Rhodes, on the extreme promontory which looks toward Crete) with a great store of gold, that they might be removed from the dangers of war, and if fortune so willed, be kept for avenging their father’s death. So it was done; for Demetrius Nicanor, his father Demetrius being slain, fled from Crete into Syria and seized the kingdom. At this same time died Cato the elder, the Roman consul Marcellus waged war in Spain, the Praetor Attilius in Lusitania, and Carthage prepared a third Punic war against the Romans, in which it was conquered and destroyed by Scipio Africanus. So Salianus.
69. AND DEMETRIUS APPOINTED APOLLONIUS TO BE HIS GENERAL, WHO WAS OVER CELESYRIA.—This Apollonius had formerly served Alexander, but went over from him to Demetrius, enticed by hope of greater honours and wealth which the new king Demetrius promised. For courtiers always look to the rising sun, as is commonly said. This Apollonius, whom Josephus surnames Daus, was another from Apollonius the Tharsean’s son, who in the time of king Seleucus was over Celesyria, of whom II Mach. iii, 5. He was also another from Apollonius son of Alnesthes, whom Antiochus Epiphanes sent with 22 thousand to occupy Jerusalem and Egypt, II Mach. iv, 21. Also another from Apollonius son of Gennaeus, who harassed the Jews under Eupator, of whom II Mach. xii, 2. This Apollonius seems to have been appointed prefect of Celesyria by Demetrius, then, on Alexander’s coming, to have revolted from Demetrius to him; then from Alexander to have gone over with many others to Demetrius the son of Demetrius. Hence Justin says that the soldiers of the father transferred their standards to the son Demetrius.
70. BECAUSE THOU SHEWEST THY POWER AGAINST US IN THE MOUNTAINS,—that is, in Judea, which is mountainous, as if to say: Thou, O Jonathan, keepest thyself among the mountains of Judea, and there rulest and resistest me. Come out therefore from Judea into the plain of Syria, and there in open fight engage with me, if thou art a man and strong in strength for war, as thou boastest; for in the narrow places of the mountains it is easy for an unwarlike man with a few to resist many.
THOU ALONE STANDEST AGAINST US.—For, as Justin says, book XXXV, of this Demetrius: “Hearing of the luxury of Alexander, whom unlooked-for wealth and the ornaments of another’s fortune held idle in the palace like a captive among troops of harlots, with the help of the Cretans he attacks him, secure and fearing nothing hostile. The Antiochenes also, to make amends by new services for their old offence to his father, surrender to him; but the soldiers also of his father, inflamed with favour for the youth, preferring the religion of their former oath to the pride of the new king, transferred their standards
71. NOW THEREFORE IF THOU TRUSTEST IN THY FORCES (in Greek dynamesi, that is, strength and armies), COME DOWN TO US INTO THE PLAIN, AND THERE LET US TRY ONE ANOTHER (in Greek, let us be compared, brought together, matched), (that foot to foot, hand to hand, we may show which is stronger, thou or I:) FOR WITH ME IS THE STRENGTH OF WAR.—In Greek, for with me is the powerful army of the cities, as if to say: I challenge thee into the plain, where we must fight with arms, not with rocks, and in which there is no refuge for the conquered. Our text reads polemon, that is, of wars; others read poleon, that is, of cities, and so also reads Josephus.
72. FOR TWICE THY FATHERS HAVE BEEN PUT TO FLIGHT,—namely once, when Mathathias fled with his sons, I Mach. ii, 28; again in the fight with Bacchides, in which, Judas being slain, the other Jews fled,
74. NOW WHEN JONATHAN HEARD THE WORDS OF APOLLONIUS, HIS MIND WAS MOVED,—blazing with anger and burning for battle, that by the very deed he might refute the reproach of Apollonius, and show in fact that he was mighty in war both in the plains and in the mountains, indeed a lion.
AND THEY SHUT HIM (Jonathan) OUT OF THE CITY: BECAUSE THE GARRISON (the guard of soldiers to keep the city) OF APOLLONIUS WAS IN JOPPE (in Greek in Joppe). The Greek is apekleisan, that is, they shut out, namely the soldiers of the garrison shut out Jonathan.
80. AND THEY SURROUNDED (the enemies, namely the horsemen of Apollonius) HIS CAMP (namely that of Jonathan), AND CAST DARTS AT THE PEOPLE, namely at the allies of Jonathan.
81. BUT THE PEOPLE STOOD STILL (with constant mind, receiving and repelling the darts with their shields on foot and by hand). The horses and horsemen of Apollonius were tired, because they laboured all day running about and casting darts into the camp of Jonathan. Whence Simon, attacking them weary and spent, routed and put them to flight.
82. AND SIMON BROUGHT FORTH (in Greek exeporen, that is, drew out, led forth, sent out, unfolded, spread out) HIS ARMY (the wings of soldiers) AND ENGAGED (battle) AGAINST THE LEGION (in Greek against the phalanx, namely against the enemy’s line); FOR THE HORSEMEN WERE SPENT (for the cause already stated), AND THEY WERE DISCOMFITED BY HIM (by Simon the brother of Jonathan), AND FLED.
the house of Dagon, namely into the temple of Dagon, who was their god or “idol,” in Greek into the idolion, that is, the idol-temple or fane of their idol, namely Dagon. But how could he who could not free his idol from the hands of Jonathan free them from the slaughter of Jonathan? Wherefore all with their idol and idols were set on fire and burnt by Jonathan.
86. AND THEY CAME OUT (the Ascalonites) OF THE CITY TO MEET HIM (Jonathan) WITH GREAT HONOUR,—that is, receiving him with great honour and pomp, and giving themselves and their city to him, lest they be burnt by him like Bethdagon.
89. AND HE SENT (King Alexander, enemy of Demetrius and Apollonius) HIM (Jonathan, for the crushing of Apollonius) A BUCKLE OF GOLD. In Greek perone, which some translate a necklace hanging from the neck or girdle, such as the golden fleece is in Belgium. Our version better renders “buckle,” with which longer tunics and garments are wont to be fastened, according to that line of Aeneid IV:
A golden brooch fastens the purple robe.
This was a military ornament, as Livy testifies, books VII and IX; not formerly wont to be given except to kinsmen of kings and chief friends, as is said here. This buckle therefore bound and fastened loose and flowing garments, either at the breast or at the girdle. Whence Virgil, Aeneid XII:
The brooch bites the joinings of the sides.
And Ovid, Metam. VIII:
A polished brooch there bit the top of the robe,
And St. Jerome, epist. 40: “He shook to the ground the brooch which bit the edges of the cloak.” Tertullian, On the Pallium, chap. i: “In men, he says, the dress of the pallium outwardly, itself four-cornered, thrown back from both sides and bound round the neck, rested on the shoulders in the bite of a brooch.”
Ptolemy Philometor takes from Alexander his daughter Cleopatra, whom he had given him to wife, together with the kingdom. Alexander flees into Arabia, and there is killed by Zabdiel the king, who sends the head of the slain man to Philometor. Philometor, having received it, dies on the third day after. Soon, ver. 19, Demetrius, his kingdom established, makes a treaty with Jonathan, who frees him from death, a hundred thousand of the enemy being slain; but Demetrius, now secure of the kingdom, ver. 53, perfidiously breaks the treaty made with Jonathan. Wherefore Jonathan transfers himself to Antiochus, son of the slain Alexander, and is honoured by him with great honours. Whence fighting for him he occupies many cities of Demetrius, and routs and puts to flight his forces.