Commentaria in I Machabaeorum
Chapter 15. Synopsis of the Chapter
Antiochus Sidetes, brother of Demetrius captured by Arsaces, by great promises seeks the friendship of Simon; soon conquers Tryphon and besieges him in the city of Dora. Then, ver. 15, the ambassadors of Simon return from Rome with ample promises. Finally, ver. 27, Antiochus perfidiously breaks the treaty with Simon, and sends Cendebeus with a great army into Judea.
1. And king Antiochus the son of Demetrius sent letters from the isles of the sea to Simon the priest and prince of the nation of the Jews, and to all the people: 2. And the contents were these: King Antiochus to Simon the high priest, and to the nation of the Jews, greeting. 3. Forasmuch as certain pestilent men have usurped the kingdom of our fathers, and my purpose is to challenge the kingdom, and to restore it to its former estate: and I have chosen a multitude of soldiers, and have built ships of war. 4. And I intend to go through the country, that I may take revenge on them that have destroyed our country, and that have made many cities desolate in my realm. 5. Now therefore I confirm to thee all the oblations which the kings before me remitted to thee, and whatsoever other gifts they remitted to thee. 6. And I give thee leave to coin thy own money in thy country. 7. And let Jerusalem be holy and free, and all the armour that hath been made, and the fortresses which thou hast built, and which thou keepest in thy hands, let them remain to thee. 8. And all that is owing to the king, and that which should be the king’s hereafter, from this present and for ever, is forgiven thee. 9. And when we shall have recovered our kingdom, we will glorify thee and thy nation, and the temple, with great glory, so that your glory shall be made manifest in all the earth. 10. In the hundred and seventy-fourth year Antiochus entered into the land of his fathers, and all the forces came together to him, so that few were left with Tryphon. 11. And Antiochus the king pursued after him, and he came flying along by the sea coast to Dora. 12. For he perceived that evils were gathered upon him, and his troops had forsaken him. 13. And Antiochus camped above Dora with a hundred and twenty thousand men of war, and eight thousand horses. 14. And he compassed the city round about, and ships joined battle by sea: and he annoyed the city by land and sea, and suffered none to go out or in. 15. And Numenius and his company came from Rome, having letters written to the kings and countries, in which were contained these things: 16. Lucius the consul of the Romans to king Ptolemee, greeting. 17. The ambassadors of the Jews our friends came to us, to renew the former friendship and alliance, being sent from Simon the high priest, and the people of the Jews. 18. And they brought also a shield of gold of a thousand pounds. 19. It hath seemed good therefore to us to write to the kings and countries, that they should do them no harm, nor fight against them, their cities, or countries, nor give aid to them that fight against them. 20. And it hath seemed good to us to receive the shield of them. 21. If therefore any pestilent men are fled out of their country to you, deliver them to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their own law. 22. These same things were written to king Demetrius, and to Attalus, and to Gortyna, and Gnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene. 24. And they wrote a copy thereof to Simon the high priest, and to the people of the Jews. 25. But Antiochus the king moved his camp to Dora the second time, assaulting it continually, and making engines: and he shut up Tryphon that he could not go out. 26. And Simon sent him two thousand chosen men to aid him, silver also, and gold, and much furniture. 27. And he would not receive them, but broke all the agreements he had made with him before, and became estranged from him. 28. And he sent to him Athenobius, one of his friends, to treat with him, saying: You hold Joppe and Gazara, and the castle that is in Jerusalem, which are cities of my kingdom. 29. Their borders you have wasted, and you have made great havoc in the land, and have got the dominion of many places in my kingdom. 30. Now therefore deliver up the cities which you have taken, and the tributes of the places, whereof you have gotten the dominion without the borders of Judea. 31. But if not, give me for them five hundred talents of silver: and for the havoc that you have made, and the tributes of the cities, other five hundred talents: otherwise we will come and fight against you. 32. So Athenobius the king’s friend came to Jerusalem: and saw the glory of Simon, and his magnificence in gold and silver, and his great equipage, and he was astonished: and told him the king’s words. 33. And Simon answered him, and said to him: We have neither taken other men’s land, nor do we hold that which is other men’s, but the inheritance of our fathers, which was for a time unjustly possessed by our enemies. 34. But we having opportunity, hold the inheritance of our fathers. 35. And as to Joppe and Gazara, which thou demandest, they did great harm to the people in our country: yet for these we will give a hundred talents. And Athenobius answered him not a word: 36. But returning in a rage to the king, made a report to him of the words of Simon, and of his glory, and of all that he had seen: and the king was exceeding angry. 37. And Tryphon fled away by ship to Orthosias. 38. And the king appointed Cendebeus captain of the sea coast, and gave him an army of footmen and horsemen: 39. And commanded him to march with his army against Judea: and commanded him to build up Gedor, and to fortify the gates of the city, and to war against the people. But the king himself pursued after Tryphon. 40. And Cendebeus came to Jamnia, and began to provoke the people, and to ravage Judea, and to take the people captive, and to kill, and to build Gedor. 41. And he placed there horsemen, and an army: that they might issue forth, and make incursions upon the ways of Judea, as the king had commanded him.
1. AND KING ANTIOCHUS THE SON OF DEMETRIUS (the elder, surnamed Soter, but brother of the younger Demetrius surnamed Nicanor) SENT LETTERS FROM THE ISLES OF THE SEA (from Rhodes, says Appian) TO SIMON THE PRIEST,—the high priest, that is, the Pontiff, and prince of Juda. That you may understand this history from the egg, note that, when Demetrius, routed by Tryphon, was detained an exile and captive by Arsaces, the tyrant Tryphon occupied a great part of Syria, and Cleopatra, wife of Demetrius, fled with a few troops to Seleucia, to which many who detested the tyranny of Tryphon daily deserted. She, to strengthen herself more in the kingdom, invited Antiochus, younger brother of her captive husband Demetrius, to the kingdom and to her marriage. Hear Josephus, book XIII, chap. vii: “As soon as Tryphon was declared king, he began to act otherwise than a private person; which was of no small advantage to the adversary’s party. For the soldiers, wearied of his ways, went over to Cleopatra the wife of Demetrius, who had then shut herself up in Seleucia with her children. And when Antiochus, the brother of Demetrius surnamed Soter, was wandering about, and was received by no city for fear of Tryphon, Cleopatra sent to him, offering him her marriage and the kingdom; and she did this partly by the persuasion of friends, partly because she feared lest some of the Seleucians should betray the city to Tryphon.”