Commentaria in II Machabaeorum
The first part, from verse 1 to 7, ought in order of time to be placed after verse 16, chapter 1, Book 1; but the latter part, from verse 21 to verse 11, chapter 5, ought to be placed after verse 20, chapter 1, Book 1.
1. AS IF HE (Onias the holy pontiff) HAD INCITED HELIODORUS (that is, impelled him by magical arts) TO DO THESE THINGS—to bear the scourges already mentioned. For so the impious ascribe the miracles of God to magic and the invocation of the demon.
5. HE WENT TO THE KING (Seleucus), etc.,—and cleared away the calumnies of Simon, and imposed silence on Simon through the king.
7. BUT AFTER THE DEATH OF SELEUCUS (the death brought on him by treachery from Heliodorus), WHEN ANTIOCHUS, WHO WAS CALLED THE ILLUSTRIOUS (namely Epiphanes) (and who was brother of the slain Seleucus) TOOK POSSESSION OF THE KINGDOM, JASON (in Hebrew he was called Jesus, but Hellenizing he assumed a heathen name, and was called Jason) THE BROTHER OF ONIAS AMBITIOUSLY SOUGHT THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD,—namely the pontificate.
8. AND WENT TO THE KING, PROMISING HIM 360 TALENTS OF SILVER.—How great this sum was, reckon from what I said in the preceding chapter, verse 11.
9. BESIDES THIS HE PROMISED ALSO 150 MORE, IF HE MIGHT HAVE LICENCE TO SET HIM UP A PLACE FOR EXERCISE, AND A PLACE FOR YOUTH—in the city of Jerusalem. What these were I said in Book I, chapter 1, verse 15; and Peter Faber treats of them at length, Book III Agonisticon, chapters 27 and 28, where among other things he says: Lyranus has best explained the ephebia as a brothel of most beautiful youths; and Athenaeus, Book XI Deipnosophistae, says that ephebi are prostituted boys, who in 4 Kings 23 are called in Hebrew Kadesim, that is, foul and wicked. Our text renders effeminates; Lyranus male brothels. The same are called teloumenoi, that is initiated and consecrated, namely to Astarte, or Venus, or Priapus. For the goddess of the Syrians was Astarte or Venus. They used a broad hat, which was thence called petasus, from petannymi, that is, I extend. Or the petasus was a curtain, which was drawn over a brothel to cover their filthiness. Again the same Faber understands by ephebia taverns and eating-houses for revelling and drinking; for they wished to imitate their king Antiochus Epiphanes, who was wont to feast and carouse with the common people whom he found in the taverns, and to revel and dance with the youths; whence by some he was called, instead of Epiphanes, Epimanes, that is mad, as Athenaeus testifies, Book V Deipnosophistae, page 57. Hence brothels were joined to taverns: for the belly stuffed with food and wine flows into lust; and, as St. Jerome says, foams over. Faber adds the reason, saying: “In Syria, since because of the fertility of the region they were exempt from labours necessary among other nations, the inhabitants repeatedly held banquets, with baths, exercises of sporting contests, and the use of most costly anointings with precious oil; so that in the grammateia also (for so they called the public places of feasts, with a more honourable word, veiling the shame of the thing) no less than each in his private house, they spent the greatest part of the day filling the belly with dainties and wine, not without pleasure to the ears (which the din of the many-voiced lyre itself soothed), and afterwards carried home with them portions of the feasts; Athenaeus taught me,” Book V Deipnosophistae.
AND TO ENTITLE THOSE THAT WERE AT JERUSALEM ANTIOCHIANS.—Antioch was the capital of the kingdom of Syria; wherefore the Antiochians obtained ample privileges from their kings, as likewise the Alexandrians and Romans had. Whence St. Paul, saying: “I am a Roman citizen,” exempted himself from the scourging already prepared, Acts 22:25.
of the Jews in their laws, customs and rites) THE PRIVILEGES GRANTED BY SPECIAL FAVOUR (benevolence) TO THE JEWS BY THE KINGS (of the Persians and Greeks, although heathens and idolaters). (For these kings had allowed their Jews to live by their own laws, and had forbidden them to be forced to the religion and customs of the Gentiles: these, I say, being removed, the impious apostate Jason introduced the rites of the Gentiles; and he did it) BY THE MEANS OF JOHN THE FATHER OF EUPOLEMUS, WHO (Eupolemus afterwards in the time of Judas Maccabeus) WENT AMBASSADOR TO ROME FOR AMITY AND AID (to be entered into with Judas and the Jews) (1 Maccabees 8:17), AND ENDEAVOURING TO OVERTHROW (abrogating, abolishing, destroying) THE LAWFUL WAYS OF LIVING, HE BROUGHT UP NEW CUSTOMS (of the Gentiles and of Gentilism).
12. FOR HE TOOK PLEASURE TO SET UP UNDER THE CASTLE ITSELF (Sion) A PLACE OF EXERCISE, (in which young men might practise gymnastic, and learn to wrestle, run, dance, ride, fence, etc.) AND TO PUT ALL THE NOBLEST OF THE YOUTHS (that is, of the adolescents) IN BROTHEL HOUSES,—for unspeakable and perverse lust. Ephebi in Greek are called the pubescent, adolescents: for ephebeia is puberty, adolescence, which in males is at the age of 14; for hebe is youthful age: whence in Hebrew the wife of Hercules was called the goddess of puberty and youth, born of Jupiter and Juno, says Hesiod in the Theogony. In Greek it is: bringing under the petasus, he led the noblest of the ephebes. The petasus was a broad hat, which was the badge of catamites, or rather the petasus was a veil and curtain covering the brothel, that, covered by it, they might shamelessly practise their shameful and wicked lusts.
14. SO THAT THE PRIESTS, etc., HASTENED TO BE PARTAKERS (namely to watch athletes contending in the palaestra, in wrestling, running, swords, spears, and even to contend themselves in the same, and obtain the prize appointed for the victor; whence, explaining, he adds) OF THE UNLAWFUL ALLOWANCE THEREOF,—of the prizes which were wont to be furnished to the victors, such as gold, silver, crowns, garments, arms, etc., which he calls unlawful, that is unjust, because they were unworthy of priests, as being lay, youthful, shameless and wanton.
AND OF THE EXERCISE OF THE DISCUS. What these were I said in Book I, chapter 1, verse 15. The Greek has: after the throwing of the discus: for the discus was wont to be carried round the palaestra, and the prize set for the victor placed on the discus, that thereby more might be invited and provoked to the contest of the discus, as Peter Faber teaches, Book II Agonisticon, chapter 22.