Commentaria in II Machabaeorum
25. CONSIDERING THAT THE PRINCES THAT ARE BORDERERS AND NEIGHBOURS WAIT FOR OPPORTUNITIES,—that if they see the king dead they may think it the opportune time to seize the kingdom. He points to his nephew by his brother Seleucus, Demetrius, to whom the kingdom was due by right, as I said on verse 18.
26. REMEMBERING THE BENEFITS.—Here the pretence and flattery of Antiochus are evident. For he splendidly lies, boasting of his benefits to the Jews, when he had practised on them every kind of wrong.
27. AND FOLLOWING MY INTENTIONS,—that he may be well-disposed toward you, as I henceforth propose to be. He feigns and pretends goodwill, when he had been ill-disposed toward the Jews, and his son Eupator followed this ill-will of his father toward the Jews.
WILL BE GRACIOUS (that is, courteous, familiar, affable, kind, benevolent) TO YOU.
28. IN A STRANGE COUNTRY IN THE MOUNTAINS—around Ecbatana, as was said in verse 3, in the town of Tabae, says St. Jerome on Daniel, chapter xi. There, then, in the mountains of Persia and Media, Antiochus died. For although he was proceeding to Babylon, as was said in Book I, chapter vi, verse 4, yet as his torment increased he could not reach it, but died in the mountains. This was the most disastrous end of Antiochus Epiphanes, impious, blasphemer, sacrilegious, atheist, and despiser of all gods, who accordingly was an express type and forerunner of Antichrist.
Moreover, here is to be avoided an error of Josephus. For he, Book XIV, chapter xvii, citing Polybius saying that Antiochus perished for this, that he tried to plunder the temple of Diana, rebukes him: “For to have wished only, and not also to have accomplished the sacrilege, does not seem a thing worthy of punishment.” You err, O Josephus; for all virtue as well as vice, and thence merit and demerit, consists in the will: for the external act is not in itself free, and therefore draws and derives all its freedom, goodness or malice from the internal act of the will, good or evil. But any good act is worthy of praise and reward, and an evil one of blame and punishment. But if Antiochus perished because he wished to plunder the temple of Diana, much more did he perish because he actually despoiled the temple of the true God at Jerusalem, and there wrought such and so great slaughters as we have so far heard.
CHAPTER X. Judas Maccabeus purges the temple defiled by Antiochus. Then, verse 9, Antiochus Epiphanes having died, his son Antiochus Eupator succeeds, under whom Ptolemee Macer, tenacious of justice and a friend of the Jews, is killed with poison. Further, verse 14, Gorgias is routed by the Jews, as also the Idumeans and traitors. Finally, verse 24, Maccabeus, led by Angels, overthrows and kills Timothy, Chereas and Apollonius, and sings a song of victory to God.
1. Now Maccabeus, and they that were with him, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city: 2. And he threw down the altars which the heathens had set up in the streets, and also the temples of the idols. 3. And having purified the temple they made another altar: and striking fire out of flint stones, they offered sacrifices after two years, and set forth incense, and lamps, and the loaves of proposition. 4. And when they had done these things, they besought the Lord, lying prostrate on the ground, that they might fall no more into such evils; but if they should at any time sin, that they might be chastised by him more gently, and not be delivered up to barbarous and blasphemous men. 5. Now on the same day that the temple was polluted by the strangers, on that very day it was cleansed again, to wit, on the five and twentieth day of the same month, which is Casleu. 6. And they kept eight days with gladness, in the manner of the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long before, they had kept the feast of the tabernacles when they were in the mountains and in dens like wild beasts. 7. Therefore they now carried boughs, and green branches, and palms for him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. 8. And they ordained by a common statute and decree, that every year those days should be kept by the whole nation of the Jews. 9. And this was the end of Antiochus, called the Illustrious. 10. But now we will relate the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of that wicked man, abridging the evils that happened in the wars. 11. For he, when he came to the crown, appointed one Lysias over the affairs of his kingdom, and made him chief governor of Celesyria and Phenicia. 12. For Ptolemee, who was called Macer, determined to keep justice with the Jews, and especially because of the wrong that had been done them, and endeavoured to carry on peaceably with them. 13. Whereupon being accused by the king’s friends before Eupator, and hearing himself called traitor at every turn, because he had left Cyprus, which Philometor had committed to him, and coming over to Antiochus Illustrious, had also revolted from him, and not being able to uphold the dignity of his place, he poisoned himself and died. 14. Now Gorgias, who was governor of the places, hired soldiers, and at every turn made war upon the Jews: 15. And the Jews that had the strongholds near, received those that were driven out of Jerusalem, and endeavoured to make war. 16. But they that were with Maccabeus, after they had made prayers to the Lord, that he would be their helper, rushed with violence upon the strongholds of the Idumeans: 17. And assaulting them strongly, they took the places, and beat off all that fought upon the wall, and slew all they met with, and killed no fewer than twenty thousand. 18. And whereas some were fled into two towers, very strong, and had all necessaries to sustain a siege, 19. Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and Zacheus, and them that were with them, in sufficient number to besiege them, and he departed to those places where he was more needed. 20. But they that were with Simon, being led by covetousness, were persuaded for money by some of them that were in the towers, and taking seventy thousand didrachmas, let some of them escape. 21. And when Maccabeus was told what was done, he assembled the rulers of the people, and accused those men that they had sold their brethren for money, by letting their enemies escape. 22. So he put these traitors to death, and forthwith took the two towers. 23. And having good success with his arms in all things he undertook, he slew in the two strongholds more than twenty thousand. 24. Now Timothy, who had been overcome by the Jews before, having gathered a great multitude of foreign troops, and collected horses out of Asia, not a few, came on as though he would take Judea by force of arms. 25. But when he drew near, they that were with Maccabeus turned themselves to pray unto God, sprinkling earth upon their heads, and girding their loins with sackcloth, 26. Lying prostrate at the foot of the altar, they begged of him to be merciful to them, and be an enemy to their enemies, and an adversary to their adversaries, as the law saith. 27. And so after prayer, taking their weapons, they advanced further from the city: and when they were come very near the enemies, they stopped. 28. And as soon as the sun was risen, they joined battle: the one part having, together with virtue, the Lord for a surety of their success and victory: the other making their rage their leader in battle. 29. But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared to the enemies from heaven five men on horses, with bridles of gold, leading on the Jews: 30. Two of whom took Maccabeus between them, and covering him on every side with their armour, kept him safe: but they shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that being confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they fell down. 31. And there were slain twenty thousand five hundred, and six hundred horsemen. 32. And Timothy fled into Gazara, a strong hold, where Chereas was governor. 33. But Maccabeus and his company were glad, and besieged the fortress four days. 34. And they that were within, trusting in the strength of the place, blasphemed exceedingly, and uttered wicked words. 35. But when the fifth day appeared, twenty young men of the company of Maccabeus, inflamed in their minds because of the blasphemy, approached manfully to the wall, and with fierce courage went up: 36. And others also ascending in like manner, while they were fighting against those that were within, set fire to the towers and gates, and burnt the blasphemers alive. 37. And for two days together they sacked the stronghold, and found Timothy hiding himself in a certain place, and slew him: and his brother Chereas, and Apollophanes. 38. Which things being done, they blessed the Lord with hymns and thanksgiving, who had done great things in Israel, and given them the victory.
The first part, the purging of the temple, from verse 1 to 9, is to be placed in the order of time in Book I, chapter iv, after verse 35. The rest of this chapter, and indeed of chapters xi and xii, is to be inserted in Book I, chapter xvi, before verse 18. For the purging of the temple by Judas, though it is narrated here after the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, yet happened before it, namely in the year of the Greeks 148, as is clear from Book I, chapter iv, verse 52. Antiochus, however, died in the year 149 of the Greeks, as was said above.