Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
1. And Jonathan saw that the time served him, and he chose men and sent them to Rome, to confirm and renew the friendship with them. 2. And he sent letters to the Spartans, and to other places, according to the same form. 3. And they went to Rome, and entered into the senate house, and said: Jonathan the high priest, and the nation of the Jews, have sent us to renew the former friendship and alliance with them. 4. And they gave them letters to the governors of every place, that they should conduct them into the land of Juda in peace. 5. And this is a copy of the letters which Jonathan wrote to the Spartans: 6. Jonathan the high priest, and the ancients of the nation, and the priests, and the rest of the people of the Jews, to the Spartans, their brethren, greeting. 7. Even before this time letters were sent to Onias the high priest from Arius, who reigned among you, to signify that you are our brethren, as the copy here underwritten doth specify. 8. And Onias received the ambassador with honour, and received the letters, wherein there was mention made of the alliance and friendship. 9. We, though we needed none of these things, having for our comfort the holy books that are in our hands, 10. Chose rather to send to you to renew the brotherhood and friendship, lest we should become strangers to you altogether: for a long time is passed since you sent to us. 11. We therefore at all times without ceasing, both on our festivals, and other days wherein it is convenient, remember you in the sacrifices that we offer, and in our observances, as it is meet and becoming to remember brethren. 12. And we are glad of your glory. 13. But we have been encompassed with many troubles and wars, and the kings that are round about us have fought against us. 14. But we would not be troublesome to you, nor to others of our allies and friends, in these wars. 15. For we have had help from heaven, and we are delivered, and our enemies are humbled. 16. Now we have chosen Numenius the son of Antiochus, and Antipater the son of Jason, and have sent them to the Romans, to renew with them the former friendship and alliance. 17. And we have commanded them to go also to you, and to salute you, and to deliver you our letters, concerning the renewing of our brotherhood. 18. And now you shall do well to give us an answer thereto. 19. And this is the copy of the letter which was sent to Onias: 20. Arius king of the Spartans to Onias the high priest, greeting. 21. It is found in writing, concerning the Spartans and the Jews, that they are brethren, and that they are of the stock of Abraham. 22. And now since this is come to our knowledge, you do well to write to us of your prosperity. 23. And we also have written back to you, That our cattle and our possessions are yours: and yours are ours. We therefore have commanded that these things should be told you. 24. And Jonathan heard that the generals of Demetrius were come again with a greater army than before, to fight against him. 25. So he went out from Jerusalem, and met them in the land of Amath: for he gave them no time to enter into his country. 26. And he sent spies into their camp, and they came back and brought him word that they were appointed to come upon them in the night. 27. But when the sun was down, Jonathan commanded his men to watch, and to be in arms all the night long ready for battle, and he set sentinels round about the camp. 28. And the enemies heard that Jonathan was ready with his men for battle, and they were afraid, and trembled in their hearts: and they kindled fires in their camp. 29. But Jonathan and his company knew it not till the morning: for they saw the lights burning. 30. And Jonathan pursued after them, but overtook them not: for they had passed the river Eleutherus. 31. And Jonathan turned upon the Arabians, that are called Zabadeans, and he defeated them, and took their spoils. 32. And he went on and came to Damascus, and passed through all that country. 33. And Simon went forth, and came as far as Ascalon, and the neighbouring fortresses: and he turned aside to Joppe, and took it. 34. (For he had heard that they would deliver the hold to them that took part with Demetrius) and he put a garrison there to keep it. 35. And Jonathan returned, and called together the ancients of the people: and he took a resolution with them to build strong holds in Judea, 36. And to build up walls in Jerusalem, and to raise a great mount between the castle and the city, to separate it from the city, that so it might be alone, and that they might neither buy nor sell. 37. And they came together to build up the city: for the wall that was upon the brook toward the east was fallen down, and he repaired that which is called Caphetetha: 38. And Simon built Adiada in Sephela, and fortified it, and made gates and bars. 39. Now when Tryphon had a design to reign over Asia, and to take the crown, and to stretch out his hand against king Antiochus: 40. Being afraid lest Jonathan would not suffer him, but would fight against him, he sought a means to seize upon Jonathan and kill him. So he removed and came to Bethsan. 41. And Jonathan went out to meet him with forty thousand chosen men for battle, and came to Bethsan. 42. And Tryphon seeing that Jonathan came with a great army, durst not stretch forth his hand against him: 43. But received him with honour, and commended him to all his friends, and gave him presents: and he commanded his troops to obey him, as himself. 44. And he said to Jonathan: Why hast thou troubled all the people, whereas we have no war? 45. Now therefore send them back to their houses, and choose thee a few men that may be with thee, and come with me to Ptolemais, and I will deliver it to thee, with the rest of the strong holds, and the army, and all that have charge of affairs, and I will return and go away: for this is the cause of my coming. 46. And he believed him, and did as he said: and sent away his army, and they departed into the land of Juda. 47. But he kept with him three thousand men, of whom he sent two thousand into Galilee, and one thousand went with him. 48. Now as soon as Jonathan entered into Ptolemais, they of Ptolemais shut the gates of the city, and took him: and all them that came in with him they slew with the sword. 49. And Tryphon sent forces and horsemen into Galilee, and into the great plain to destroy all Jonathan’s company. 50. But they, when they understood that Jonathan was taken, and was lost, and all that were with him, encouraged one another, and went out prepared to fight. 51. And they that had pursued after them, seeing that they stood for their lives, returned back. 52. Then they all came peaceably into the land of Juda: and they bewailed Jonathan, and them that were with him, and they were exceedingly afraid: and all Israel mourned with great lamentation. 53. And all the nations that were round about them sought to destroy them, 54. For they said: They have no prince nor helper: now therefore let us make war upon them, and take away their memory from among men.
1. AND JONATHAN SAW THAT THE TIME SERVED HIM,—in which, after heroic deeds and so many victories, the great fame of his name had spread abroad among the Romans and Spartans, so that they sought to enter friendship and treaty with him.
They were called Laconians or Lacedaemonians, and were descendants of the Heraclids (companions of Hercules) named from Agis, whom Lycurgus raised by his laws to a wondrous polity, temperance and fortitude, and therefore the Laconians fought most keenly in every age for the liberty of Sparta, and even now contend with the Turk. For although they pay him tribute, yet they keep their city and citadel free from every garrison of the Turks, and defend it most constantly.
7. EVEN BEFORE THIS TIME LETTERS WERE SENT TO ONIAS THE HIGH PRIEST (Pontiff) FROM ARIUS, WHO REIGNED AMONG YOU.—This Arius was the fourth from the end among the Agid kings, who fought many battles against Pyrrhus king of Epirus and Antigonus king of Macedonia, and gave to Onias the Pontiff the letters of alliance and treaty which are recited ver. 20.
9. WE, THOUGH WE NEEDED NONE OF THESE THINGS, HAVING FOR OUR COMFORT THE HOLY BOOKS.—The latter part gives the reason of the former, as if to say: therefore we did not need your help, nor implored it; because the books of Moses and the Prophets gave it to us, which surely promise us in straits and desperate things the help of God, if we faithfully serve him and invoke him. Invoking God, therefore, and having him as helper, we did not seek men as helpers.
11. AND IN OUR OBSERVANCES—of sacred rites, feasts and prayers. Whence the Greek more clearly has: in supplications.
21. IT IS FOUND IN WRITING (not sacred, although Josephus, book XIII, chap. ix, also wishes this, but profane, namely in the histories and Chronicles of the Spartans) CONCERNING THE SPARTANS AND THE JEWS, THAT THEY ARE BRETHREN, AND THAT THEY ARE OF THE STOCK OF ABRAHAM.—For the Spartans boasted that they were sprung from Abraham through Cetura, who was Abraham’s third wife, Gen. xxv, 1. So Josephus, although others think that the Spartans descend from Abraham through Agar and Ismael. Serarius brings here, p. 753 in the middle, more conjectures of this kinship of the Spartans with the Jews, the first of which is the great likeness of both, in laws, as Clement of Alexandria noted, II Strom., in institutions, especially in daily ablutions and anointings, of which Strabo, book III, and in constancy, strength and warlike fortitude. Finally, when Nabuchodonosor besieged Tyre, many of the inhabitants fled to Cyprus, Macedonia and Greece, says St. Jerome on chap. xxiii of Isaias. It is plainly credible that the Jews did the same when the neighbouring Jerusalem was besieged by him. Whence the same St. Jerome in his epistle to the Ephesians says that Ephesus was so called from … will, goodwill. And for this reason many Jews lived at Sparta, who contracted marriages with the Spartans.
23. OUR POSSESSIONS ARE YOURS, AND YOURS OURS:—it is a form of speech signifying that they are friends, as if to say: The Spartans are friends of the Jews, and therefore offer them their possessions, and reckon their possessions as their own; for among friends all things are common. Josephus adds that these letters of the Spartans were sealed with the proper seal of their city, which was the sign of an eagle holding a dragon in its talons.
24. THE GENERALS OF DEMETRIUS WERE COME AGAIN WITH A GREATER ARMY THAN BEFORE,—that is, much greater than before, to wipe out the disgrace of the former flight, and attack Jonathan more strongly.
25. AND MET THEM IN THE LAND OF AMATH.—This region is a part of Syria and borders on, indeed is the boundary of Judea, as is clear III Kings viii, 65; and IV Kings xiv, 25, and is situated near Libanus and Damascus. The whole of this region, then, is called Amath, or Emath, or Hamath, or Hemath, and hence Amathites or Hemathites. Jonathan did this prudently, to engage with the enemies outside his Judea in Syria. For it is a military precept that one must engage the enemy in a land not one’s own but hostile, that you may lay waste that, not yours. So Scipio, about this same time, would not engage with Hannibal in Italy; but crossed over into Africa, and thereby drew Hannibal away, and at length stormed Carthage itself.
…the Demetrians pretended to be staying in the camp and keeping watch, and not fleeing, lest Jonathan, noticing that they fled, should pursue the fugitives. Hannibal did the same, lighting fires to deceive the Romans who surrounded his camp, and slipping out of their hands.
36. JONATHAN TOOK A RESOLUTION TO RAISE A GREAT MOUNT BETWEEN THE CASTLE AND THE CITY, TO SEPARATE IT FROM THE CITY, THAT SO IT MIGHT BE ALONE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT NEITHER BUY NOR SELL.—Jonathan, seeing that the citadel of Sion, held by the Demetrians, could hardly be stormed on account of its fortification, raised a high wall between the citadel and the city of Jerusalem, and thereby cut off the citadel from the city so that it was “alone,” that is, solitary, and had no commerce with the city, and so took from them the power of selling and buying in the city; by which means he drove them to such famine that they were forced to surrender, as will appear chap.
39. NOW WHEN TRYPHON HAD A DESIGN TO REIGN (to lord it) OVER ASIA,—namely to make himself king of Asia, having killed king Antiochus, a ward, whose guardian he was.
40. SO HE REMOVED AND CAME TO BETHSAN, which was afterwards called Scythopolis, and situated near Tiberias.
45. COME WITH ME TO PTOLEMAIS, AND I WILL DELIVER IT TO THEE.—For this city bordered on Judea, and therefore had been promised to Jonathan by Demetrius, chap. x, ver. 39. See here the perfidy, guile and snares of Tryphon.