The Bible Story Part 216

_Philip, pretender to Syrian crown_.

_Demetrius I., king of Syria_.

_Syrian generals under Demetrius_.

_Bacchides_, _Nicanor_,

_Alexander Bolas, A general who contested with Demetrius for the Syrian crown_.

_Demetrius II., king of Syria_.

_Antiochus, son of Bolas, pretender to the crown_.

_Tryphon, a general who supported Antiochus, and who afterward became king_.

_Antiochus VII., brother of Demetrius II., who defeated Tryphon_.

_Ptolemy, king of Egypt_.

PLACE OF THE STORY.

The action moves over nearly the whole of Palestine. Some of the places mentioned are Modin, home of the Maccabees, Jerusalem, Beth-Horon, Bethsura, Jaffa, Kedesh, Gazara.

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THE MACCABEES.

_The Story of a Village Priest and His Five Sons Who Made a Gallant Struggle for Liberty_.

(Palestine was one of the countries overrun and conquered by Alexander the Great. One of his successors, Antiochus IV., attempted to force Greek customs and worship upon the people. Many Jews yielded, but some resisted. Because of this resistance the foreign soldiery ma.s.sacred many of the people, including helpless women and children. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the altars of the Lord broken down and polluted.

Then, as in the brave days of old, arose a deliverer. A priest named Mattathias lived with his five stalwart sons in the little village of Modin. They slew the king's officer who attempted to impose foreign religious rites upon the villagers, and, fleeing to the mountains, set up the standard of revolt. The greatest of the sons of the priest was called Maccabaeus, "the Hammer," because he smote his enemies so fiercely. From this, his family and his followers came to be called "Maccabees." These great warriors won many battles against great odds, and set the nation free. There is no more heroic story in all the history of Israel than theirs. The story is told in the "Books of the Maccabees," which are contained in what is called the "Apocrypha.")

[Footnote: Apocrypha--See note at the end of the volume.]

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I.

_How Alexander the Great, After He Had Conquered the World, Died, and How the Evil Antiochus Reigned in His Stead in Palestine_.

And it came to pa.s.s, after Alexander the Macedonian, the son of Philip, came and smote Darius king of the Persians and Medes, and reigned in his stead, that he fought many battles, and won many strongholds, and slew the kings of the earth, and went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of a mult.i.tude of nations. And the earth was quiet before him, and he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up, and he gathered together an exceeding strong host, and ruled over countries and nations and princ.i.p.alities, and they became tributary unto him. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die. And he called his generals, and he divided unto them his kingdom, while he was yet alive. And Alexander reigned twelve years, and he died. And his generals bore rule, each one in his place.

And they all put crowns upon themselves after he was dead, and so did their sons after them many years: and they multiplied evils in the earth.

In those days came there forth out of Israel transgressors of the law, and persuaded many, saying, "Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles that are round about us; for since we were parted from them many evils have befallen us."

And the saying was good in their eyes. And certain of the people were eager in this matter and went to the king, and he gave them license to do after the ordinances {420} of the Gentiles. And they forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the Gentiles, and sold themselves to do evil.

II.

_How Antiochus, After He Had Conquered Egypt, Returned to Bring Woeful Persecution Upon the Jews_.

And a wicked ruler arose, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been a hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

And the kingdom was well ordered in the sight of Antiochus, and he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might reign over the two kingdoms. And he entered into Egypt with a great mult.i.tude, with chariots, and with elephants, and with hors.e.m.e.n, and with a great navy; and he made war against Ptolemy king of Egypt; and Ptolemy was put to shame before him, and fled; and many fell wounded to death. And they got possession of the strong cities in the land of Egypt; and he took the spoils of Egypt.

And Antiochus, after he had smitten Egypt, returned in the hundred and forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great mult.i.tude, and entered presumptuously into the sanctuary, and took the golden altar, and the candlestick, and all that pertained thereto, and the table of the s...o...b..ead, and the cups, and the bowls, and the golden censers, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornaments which were before the temple, and he pulled them all off.

And he took {421} the silver and the gold and the precious vessels; and he took the hidden treasures which he found. And when he had taken all, he went away into his own land, having made a great ma.s.sacre.

And after two full years the king sent a chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Judah, and he came unto Jerusalem with a great mult.i.tude. And he spoke peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they believed him he fell upon the city suddenly, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people out of Israel. And he took the spoils of the city, and set it on fire, and pulled down the houses thereof and the walls thereof on every side. And they led captive the women and the children, and the cattle they took in possession. And they builded the city of David with a great and strong wall, with strong towers, and it became unto them a citadel. And they put there a garrison of cruel soldiers, transgressors of the law, and they strengthened themselves therein. And they stored up arms and provisions, and gathering together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there. And they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled the sanctuary. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them; and she became a habitation of strangers, and she became strange to them that were born in her, and her children forsook her. Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into reproach, her honor into contempt. According to her glory, so was her dishonor multiplied, and her high estate was turned into mourning.

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And King Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and that each should forsake his own laws. And all the nations agreed according to the word of the king; and many of Israel consented to his worship, and sacrificed to the idols and profaned the Sabbath.

And the king sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, that they should follow laws strange to the land, and should forbid whole burnt offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the sanctuary; and should profane the Sabbaths and feasts, and pollute the sanctuary and them that were holy; that they should build altars, and temples, and shrines for idols, and should sacrifice swine's flesh and unclean beasts. And whosoever shall not do according to the word of the king, he shall die. According to all these words wrote he to his whole kingdom; and he appointed overseers over all the people, and he commanded the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city. And from the people were gathered together unto them many, everyone that had forsaken the law; and they did evil things in the land; and they made the Israelites to hide themselves in every place of refuge which they had.

III.

_How Mattathias the Priest and His Five Sons Rebelled Against the Authority of the King, and Fled to the Mountains_.

In those days rose up Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest from Jerusalem; and he dwelt at Modin. And he had five sons, John, who was surnamed {423} Gaddis; Simon, who was called Tha.s.si; Judas, who was called Maccabaeus; Eleazar, who was called Avaran; Jonathan, who was called Apphus.

And he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Judah and in Jerusalem, and he said,--

"Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see the destruction of my people, and the destruction of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was given into the hand of the enemy, the sanctuary into the hand of aliens? Her temple is become as a man without glory: her vessels of glory are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in her streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. What nation hath not inherited her palaces, and gotten possession of her spoils? her adorning is all taken away; instead of a free woman she is become a bond woman: and, behold, our holy things and our beauty and our glory are laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned them. Wherefore should we live any longer?"

And Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned exceedingly.

And the king's officers, that were enforcing the evil laws, came into the city Modin to sacrifice. And many of Israel came unto them, and Mattathias and his sons were gathered together. And the king's officers answered and spoke to Mattathias, saying, "Thou art a ruler and an honorable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren: now therefore come thou first and do the commandment of the king, as all the nations have done, and the men of Judah, and they that remain in {424} Jerusalem: and thou and thy house shall be in the number of the king's Friends, and thou and thy sons shall be honored with silver and gold and many gifts."

And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice, "If all the nations that are under the king's dominion hearken unto him, to fall away each one from the worship of his fathers, and have made choice to follow his commandments, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. Heaven forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king's words, to go aside from our worship, on the right hand, or on the left."

And when he had ceased speaking these words, there came a Jew in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment. And Mattathias saw it, and his zeal was kindled, and he was hot with indignation, and ran, and slew him upon the altar. And the king's officer, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and pulled down the altar. And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying, "Whosoever is zealous for the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him come forth after me."

And he and his sons fled into the mountains, and forsook all that they had in the city.

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IV.