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The Antiquities of the Jews

F >> Flavius Josephus >> The Antiquities of the Jews




6. When therefore the generals of Antiochus's armies had been
beaten so often, Judas assembled the people together, and told
them, that after these many victories which God had given them,
they ought to go up to Jerusalem, and purify the temple, and
offer the appointed sacrifices. But as soon as he, with the whole
multitude, was come to Jerusalem, and found the temple deserted,
and its gates burnt down, and plants growing in the temple of
their own accord, on account of its desertion, he and those that
were with him began to lament, and were quite confounded at the
sight of the temple; so he chose out some of his soldiers, and
gave them order to fight against those guards that were in the
citadel, until he should have purified the temple. When therefore
he had carefully purged it, and had brought in new vessels, the
candlestick, the table [of shew-bread], and the altar [of
incense], which were made of gold, he hung up the veils at the
gates, and added doors to them. He also took down the altar [of
burnt-offering], and built a new one of stones that he gathered
together, and not of such as were hewn with iron tools. So on the
five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, which the Macedonians
call Apeliens, they lighted the lamps that were on the
candlestick, and offered incense upon the altar [of incense], and
laid the loaves upon the table [of shew-bread], and offered
burnt-offerings upon the new altar [of burnt-offering]. Now it so
fell out, that these things were done on the very same day on
which their Divine worship had fallen off, and was reduced to a
profane and common use, after three years' time; for so it was,
that the temple was made desolate by Antiochus, and so continued
for three years. This desolation happened to the temple in the
hundred forty and fifth year, on the twenty-fifth day of the
month Apeliens, and on the hundred fifty and third olympiad: but
it was dedicated anew, on the same day, the twenty-fifth of the
month Apeliens, on the hundred and forty-eighth year, and on the
hundred and fifty-fourth olympiad. And this desolation came to
pass according to the prophecy of Daniel, which was given four
hundred and eight years before; for he declared that the
Macedonians would dissolve that worship [for some time].

7. Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the
sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of
pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and
splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by
hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of
their customs, when, after a long time of intermission, they
unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they
made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a
festival, on account of the restoration of their temple worship,
for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this
festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, because
this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was
the name given to that festival. Judas also rebuilt the walls
round about the city, and reared towers of great height against
the incursions of enemies, and set guards therein. He also
fortified the city Bethsura, that it might serve as a citadel
against any distresses that might come from our enemies.

CHAPTER 8.

How Judas Subdued The Nations Round About; And How Simon Beat The
People Of Tyre And Ptolemais; And How Judas Overcame Timotheus,
And Forced Him To Fly Away, And Did Many Other Things After
Joseph And Azarias Had Been Beaten

1. When these things were over, the nations round about the Jews
were very uneasy at the revival of their power, and rose up
together, and destroyed many of them, as gaining advantage over
them by laying snares for them, and making secret conspiracies
against them. Judas made perpetual expeditions against these men,
and endeavored to restrain them from those incursions, and to
prevent the mischiefs they did to the Jews. So he fell upon the
Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, at Acrabattene, and slew a great
many of them, and took their spoils. He also shut up the sons of
Bean, that laid wait for the Jews; and he sat down about them,
and besieged them, and burnt their towers, and destroyed the men
[that were in them]. After this he went thence in haste against
the Ammonites, who had a great and a numerous army, of which
Timotheus was the commander. And when he had subdued them, he
seized on the city Jazer, and took their wives and their children
captives, and burnt the city, and then returned into Judea. But
when the neighboring nations understood that he was returned,
they got together in great numbers in the land of Gilead, and
came against those Jews that were at their borders, who then fled
to the garrison of Dathema; and sent to Judas, to inform him that
Timotheus was endeavoring to take the place whither they were
fled. And as these epistles were reading, there came other
messengers out of Galilee, who informed him that the inhabitants
of Ptolemais, and of Tyre and Sidon, and strangers of Galilee,
were gotten together.

2. Accordingly Judas, upon considering what was fit to be done,
with relation to the necessity both these cases required, gave
order that Simon his brother should take three thousand chosen
men, and go to the assistance of the Jews in Galilee, while he
and another of his brothers, Jonathan, made haste into the land
of Gilead, with eight thousand soldiers. And he left Joseph, the
son of Zacharias, and Azarias, to be over the rest of the forces;
and charged them to keep Judea very carefully, and to fight no
battles with any persons whomsoever until his return.
Accordingly, Simon-went into Galilee, and fought the enemy, and
put them to flight, and pursued them to the very gates of
Ptolemais, and slew about three thousand of them, and took the
spoils of those that were slain, and those Jews whom they had
made captives, with their baggage, and then returned home.

3. Now as for Judas Maccabeus, and his brother Jonathan, they
passed over the river Jordan; and when they had gone three days
journey, they lighted upon the Nabateans, who came to meet them
peaceably, and who told them how the affairs of those in the land
of Gilead stood; and how many of them were in distress, and
driven into garrisons, and into the cities of Galilee; and
exhorted him to make haste to go against the foreigners, and to
endeavor to save his own countrymen out of their hands. To this
exhortation Judas hearkened, and returned to the wilderness; and
in the first place fell upon the inhabitants of Bosor, and took
the city, and beat the inhabitants, and destroyed all the males,
and all that were able to fight, and burnt the city. Nor did he
stop even when night came on, but he journeyed in it to the
garrison where the Jews happened to be then shut up, and where
Timotheus lay round the place with his army. And Judas came upon
the city in the morning; and when he found that the enemy were
making an assault upon the walls, and that some of them brought
ladders, on which they might get upon those walls, and that
others brought engines [to batter them], he bid the trumpeter to
sound his trumpet, and he encouraged his soldiers cheerfully to
undergo dangers for the sake of their brethren and kindred; he
also parted his army into three bodies, and fell upon the backs
of their enemies. But when Timotheus's men perceived that it was
Maccabeus that was upon them, of both whose courage and good
success in war they had formerly had sufficient experience, they
were put to flight; but Judas followed them with his army, and
slew about eight thousand of them. He then turned aside to a city
of the foreigners called Malle, and took it, and slew all the
males, and burnt the city itself. He then removed from thence,
and overthrew Casphom and Bosor, and many other cities of the
land of Gilead.

4. But not long after this, Timotheus prepared a great army, and
took many others as auxiliaries; and induced some of the
Arabians, by the promise of rewards, to go with him in this
expedition, and came with his army beyond the brook, over against
the city Raphon; and he encouraged his soldiers, if it came to a
battle with the Jews, to fight courageously, and to hinder their
passing over the brook; for he said to them beforehand, that "if
they come over it, we shall be beaten." And when Judas heard that
Timotheus prepared himself to fight, he took all his own army,
and went in haste against Timotheus his enemy; and when he had
passed over the brook, he fell upon his enemies, and some of them
met him, whom he slew, and others of them he so terrified, that
he compelled them to throw down their arms and fly; and some of
them escaped, but some of them fled to what was called the Temple
of Camaim, and hoped thereby to preserve themselves; but Judas
took the city, and slew them, and burnt the temple, and so used
several ways of destroying his enemies.

5. When he had done this, he gathered the Jews together, with
their children and wives, and the substance that belonged to
them, and was going to bring them back into Judea; but as soon as
he was come to a certain city, whose name was Ephron, that lay
upon the road, (and it was not possible for him to go any other
way, so he was not willing to go back again,) he then sent to the
inhabitants, and desired that they would open their gates, and
permit them to go on their way through the city; for they had
stopped up the gates with stones, and cut off their passage
through it. And when the inhabitants of Ephron would not agree to
this proposal, he encouraged those that were with him, and
encompassed the city round, and besieged it, and, lying round it
by day and night, took the city, and slew every male in it, and
burnt it all down, and so obtained a way through it; and the
multitude of those that were slain was so great, that they went
over the dead bodies. So they came over Jordan, and arrived at
the great plain, over against which is situate the city Bethshah,
which is called by the Greeks Scythopolis. (20) And going away
hastily from thence, they came into Judea, singing psalms and
hymns as they went, and indulging such tokens of mirth as are
usual in triumphs upon victory. They also offered
thank-offerings, both for their good success, and for the
preservation of their army, for not one of the Jews was slain in
these battles.(21)

6. But as to Joseph, the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, whom
Judas left generals [of the rest of his forces] at the same time
when Simon was in Galilee, fighting against the people of
Ptolemais, and Judas himself, and his brother Jonathan, were in
the land of Gilead, did these men also affect the glory of being
courageous generals in war, in order whereto they took the army
that was under their command, and came to Jamnia. There Gorgias,
the general of the forces of Jamnia, met them; and upon joining
battle with him, they lost two thousand of their army, (22) and
fled away, and were pursued to the very borders of Judea. And
this misfortune befell them by their disobedience to what
injunctions Judas had given them, not to fight with any one
before his return. For besides the rest of Judas's sagacious
counsels, one may well wonder at this concerning the misfortune
that befell the forces commanded by Joseph and Azarias, which he
understood would happen, if they broke any of the injunctions he
had given them. But Judas and his brethren did not leave off
fighting with the Idumeans, but pressed upon them on all sides,
and took from them the city of Hebron, and demolished all its
fortifications, and set all its towers on fire, and burnt the
country of the foreigners, and the city Marissa. They came also
to Ashdod, and took it, and laid it waste, and took away a great
deal of the spoils and prey that were in it, and returned to
Judea.

CHAPTER 9.

Concerning The Death Of Antiochus Epiphane. How Antiochus Eupator
Fought Against Juda And Besieged Him In The Temple And Afterwards
Made Peace With Him And Departed; Of Alcimus And Onias.

1. About this time it was that king Antiochus, as he was going
over the upper countries, heard that there was a very rich city
in Persia, called Elymais; and therein a very rich temple of
Diana, and that it was full of all sorts of donations dedicated
to it; as also weapons and breastplates, which, upon inquiry, he
found had been left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, king
of Macedonia. And being incited by these motives, he went in
haste to Elymais, and assaulted it, and besieged it. But as those
that were in it were not terrified at his assault, nor at his
siege, but opposed him very courageously, he was beaten off his
hopes; for they drove him away from the city, and went out and
pursued after him, insomuch that he fled away as far as Babylon,
and lost a great many of his army. And when he was grieving for
this disappointment, some persons told him of the defeat of his
commanders whom he had left behind him to fight against Judea,
and what strength the Jews had already gotten. When this concern
about these affairs was added to the former, he was confounded,
and by the anxiety he was in fell into a distemper, which, as it
lasted a great while, and as his pains increased upon him, so he
at length perceived he should die in a little time; so he called
his friends to him, and told them that his distemper was severe
upon him; and confessed withal, that this calamity was sent upon
him for the miseries he had brought upon the Jewish nation, while
he plundered their temple, and contemned their God; and when he
had said this, he gave up the ghost. Whence one may wonder at
Polybius of Megalopolis, who, though otherwise a good man, yet
saith that "Antiochus died because he had a purpose to plunder
the temple of Diana in Persia;" for the purposing to do a thing,
(23) but not actually doing it, is not worthy of punishment. But
if Polybius could think that Antiochus thus lost his life on that
account, it is much more probable that this king died on account
of his sacrilegious plundering of the temple at Jerusalem. But we
will not contend about this matter with those who may think that
the cause assigned by this Polybius of Megalopolis is nearer the
truth than that assigned by us.

2. However, Antiochus, before he died, called for Philip, who was
one of his companions, and made him the guardian of his kingdom;
and gave him his diadem, and his garment, and his ring, and
charged him to carry them, and deliver them to his son Antiochus;
and desired him to take care of his education, and to preserve
the kingdom for him. (24) This Antiochus died in the hundred
forty and ninth year; but it was Lysias that declared his death
to the multitude, and appointed his son Antiochus to be king, (of
whom at present he had the care,) and called him Eupator.

3. At this time it was that the garrison in the citadel of
Jerusalem, with the Jewish runagates, did a great deal of harm to
the Jews; for the soldiers that were in that garrison rushed out
upon the sudden, and destroyed such as were going up to the
temple in order to offer their sacrifices, for this citadel
adjoined to and overlooked the temple. When these misfortunes had
often happened to them, Judas resolved to destroy that garrison;
whereupon he got all the people together, and vigorously besieged
those that were in the citadel. This was in the hundred and
fiftieth year of the dominion of the Seleucidse. So he made
engines of war, and erected bulwarks, and very zealously pressed
on to take the citadel. But there were not a few of the runagates
who were in the place that went out by night into the country,
and got together some other wicked men like themselves, and went
to Antiochus the king, and desired of him that he would not
suffer them to be neglected, under the great hardships that lay
upon them from those of their own nation; and this because their
sufferings were occasioned on his father's account, while they
left the religious worship of their fathers, and preferred that
which he had commanded them to follow: that there was danger lest
the citadel, and those appointed to garrison it by the king,
should be taken by Judas, and those that were with him, unless he
would send them succors. When Antiochus, who was but a child,
heard this, he was angry, and sent for his captains and his
friends, and gave order that they should get an army of
mercenaries together, with such men also of his own kingdom as
were of an age fit for war. Accordingly, an army was collected of
about a hundred thousand footmen, and twenty thousand horsemen,
and thirty-two elephants.

4. So the king took this army, and marched hastily out of
Antioch, with Lysias, who had the command of the whole, and came
to Idumea, and thence went up to the city Bethsnra, a city that
was strong, and not to be taken without great difficulty. He set
about this city, and besieged it. And while the inhabitants of
Bethsura courageously opposed him, and sallied out upon him, and
burnt his engines of war, a great deal of time was spent in the
siege. But when Judas heard of the king's coming, he raised the
siege of the citadel, and met the king, and pitched his camp in
certain straits, at a place called Bethzachriah, at the distance
of seventy furlongs from the enemy; but the king soon drew his
forces from Bethsura, and brought them to those straits. And as
soon as it was day, he put his men in battle-array, and made his
elephants follow one another through the narrow passes, because
they could not be set sideways by one another. Now round about
every elephant there were a thousand footmen, and five hundred
horsemen. The elephants also had high towers [upon their backs],
and archers [in them]. And he also made the rest of his army to
go up the mountains, and put his friends before the rest; and
gave orders for the army to shout aloud, and so he attacked the
enemy. He also exposed to sight their golden and brazen shields,
so that a glorious splendor was sent from them; and when they
shouted the mountains echoed again. When Judas saw this, he was
not terrified, but received the enemy with great courage, and
slew about six hundred of the first ranks. But when his brother
Eleazar, whom they called Auran, saw the tallest of all the
elephants armed with royal breastplates, and supposed that the
king was upon him, he attacked him with great quickness and
bravery. He also slew many of those that were about the elephant,
and scattered the rest, and then went under the belly of the
elephant, and smote him, and slew him; so the elephant fell upon
Eleazar, and by his weight crushed him to death. And thus did
this man come to his end, when he had first courageously
destroyed manyof his enemies.

5. But Judas, seeing the strength of the enemy, retired to
Jerusalem, and prepared to endure a siege. As for Antiochus, he
sent part of his army to Bethsura, to besiege it, and with the
rest of his army he came against Jerusalem; but the inhabitants
of Bethsura were terrified at his strength; and seeing that their
provisions grew scarce, they delivered themselves up on the
security of oaths that they should suffer no hard treatment from
the king. And when Antiochus had thus taken the city, he did them
no other harm than sending them out naked. He also placed a
garrison of his own in the city. But as for the temple of
Jerusalem, he lay at its siege a long time, while they within
bravely defended it; for what engines soever the king set against
them, they set other engines again to oppose them. But then their
provisions failed them; what fruits of the ground they had laid
up were spent and the land being not ploughed that year,
continued unsowed, because it was the seventh year, on which, by
our laws, we are obliged to let it lay uncultivated. And withal,
so many of the besieged ran away for want of necessaries, that
but a few only were left in the temple.

6. And these happened to be the circumstances of such as were
besieged in the temple. But then, because Lysias, the general of
the army, and Antiochus the king, were informed that Philip was
coming upon them out of Persia, and was endeavoring to get the
management of public affairs to himself, they came into these
sentiments, to leave the siege, and to make haste to go against
Philip; yet did they resolve not to let this be known to the
soldiers or to the officers: but the king commanded Lysias to
speak openly to the soldiers and the officers, without saying a
word about the business of Philip; and to intimate to them that
the siege would be very long; that the place was very strong;
that they were already in want of provisions; that many affairs
of the kingdom wanted regulation; and that it was much better to
make a league with the besieged, and to become friends to their
whole nation, by permitting them to observe the laws of their
fathers, while they broke out into this war only because they
were deprived of them, and so to depart home. When Lysias had
discoursed thus to them, both the army and the officers were
pleased with this resolution.

7. Accordingly the king sent to Judas, and to those that were
besieged with them, and promised to give them peace, and to
permit them to make use of, and live according to, the laws of
their fathers; and they gladly received his proposals; and when
they had gained security upon oath for their performance, they
went out of the temple. But when Antiochus came into it, and saw
how strong the place was, he broke his oaths, and ordered his
army that was there to pluck down the walls to the ground; and
when he had so done, he returned to Antioch. He also carried with
him Onias the high priest, who was also called Menelaus; for
Lysias advised the king to slay Menelaus, if he would have the
Jews be quiet, and cause him no further disturbance, for that
this man was the origin of all the mischief the Jews had done
them, by persuading his father to compel the Jews to leave the
religion of their fathers. So the king sent Menelaus to Berea, a
city of Syria, and there had him put to death, when he had been
high priest ten years. He had been a wicked and an impious man;
and, in order to get the government to himself, had compelled his
nation to transgress their own laws. After the death of Menelaus,
Alcimus, who was also called Jacimus, was made high priest. But
when king Antiochus found that Philip had already possessed
himself of the government, he made war against him, and subdued
him, and took him, and slew him. Now as to Onias, the son of the
high priest, who, as we before informed you, was left a child
when his father died, when he saw that the king had slain his
uncle Menelaus, and given the high priesthood to Alcimus, who was
not of the high priest stock, but was induced by Lysias to
translate that dignity from his family to another house, he fled
to Ptolemy, king of Egypt; and when he found he was in great
esteem with him, and with his wife Cleopatra, he desired and
obtained a place in the Nomus of Heliopolis, wherein he built a
temple like to that at Jerusalem; of which therefore we shall
hereafter give an account, in a place more proper for it.

CHAPTER 10.

How Bacchides, The General Of Demetrius's Army, Made An
Expedition Against Judea, And Returned Without Success; And How
Nicanor Was Sent A Little Afterward Against Judas And Perished,
Together With His Army; As Also Concerning The Death Of Alcimus
And The Succession Of Judas.

1. About the same time Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, fled away
from Rome, and took Tripoli, a city of Syria, and set the diadem
on his own head. He also gathered certain mercenary soldiers
together, and entered into his kingdom, and was joyfully received
by all, who delivered themselves up to him. And when they had
taken Autiochus the king, and Lysias, they brought them to him
alive; both which were immediately put to death by the command of
Demetrius, when Antiochus had reigned two years, as we have
already elsewhere related. But there were now many of the wicked
Jewish runagates that came together to him, and with them Alcimus
the high priest, who accused the whole nation, and particularly
Judas and his brethren; and said that they had slain all his
friends, and that those in his kingdom that were of his party,
and waited for his return, were by them put to death; that these
men had ejected them out of their own country, and caused them to
be sojourners in a foreign land; and they desired that he would
send some one of his own friends, and know from him what mischief
Judas's party had done.

2. At this Demetrius was very angry, and sent Bacchides, a friend
of Antiochus Epiphanes, (25) a good man, and one that had been
intrusted with all Mesopotamia, and gave him an army, and
committed Alcimus the high priest to his care; and gave him
charge to slay Judas, and those that were with him. So Bacchides
made haste, and went out of Antioch with his army; and when he
was come into Judea, he sent to Judas and his brethren, to
discourse with them about a league of friendship and peace, for
he had a mind to take him by treachery. But Judas did not give
credit to him, for he saw that he came with so great an army as
men do not bring when they come to make peace, but to make war.
However, some of the people acquiesced in what Bacchides caused
to be proclaimed; and supposing they should undergo no
considerable harm from Alcimus, who was their countryman, they
went over to them; and when they had received oaths from both of
them, that neither they themselves, nor those of the same
sentiments, should come to any harm, they intrusted themselves
with them. But Bacchides troubled not himself about the oaths he
had taken, but slew threescore of them, although, by not keeping
his faith with those that first went over, he deterred all the
rest, who had intentions to go over to him, from doing it. But as
he was gone out of Jerusalem, and was at the village called
Bethzetho, he sent out, and caught many of the deserters, and
some of the people also, and slew them all; and enjoined all that
lived in the country to submit to Alcimus. So he left him there,
with some part of the army, that he might have wherewith to keep
the country in obedience and returned to Antioch to king
Demetrius.

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