CHAPTER VIII.
VICTORIES OF JUDAS MACCABEUS.
Rising of the Jews—Martyrs to the Law—Apollonius Defeated—Seron Defeated—Lycias Defeated—The Temple Cleansed—Death of Epiphanes—Siege of Bethsura—Exploit of Eleazar—The Temple Besieged.
The noble family of the Asmoneans, so called from Asmoneus, one of its ancestors, was amongst the most distinguished in Judea, and dwelt at this period in the town of Modin. At the head of this family was Mattathias, the father of five noble sons, Joanan, Simon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and the illustrious Judas, surnamed Maccabeus.
Deeply did Mattathias mourn over the oppression of his people, and the desecration of the altar of his God; and he heard with emotions of indignation that the king’s officers had come to his own town, to compel all to sacrifice to the gods of the heathen.
Mattathias being a person of great influence, the emissaries of Antiochus spared no pains to induce him, by many promises, to give an example of submission. But the brave old Jew answered with a loud voice, “Though all the nations that are under the king’s dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of his fathers, yet will I and my sons walk in the covenant. God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances! We will not hearken to the king’s words, to go either to the right hand or the left.”
When Mattathias had concluded his declaration, there came a renegade Jew, in the sight of all, to sacrifice at the altar at Modin. Filled with indignation and inflamed with zeal, Mattathias, like another Phinehas, rushed forward and slew him on the altar; then turning on the commissioner, him he also slew, and pulled down the altar to the ground!
This was indeed drawing the sword and throwing away the scabbard! Mattathias exclaimed, “Who is zealous for the law and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me!” and leaving all that he possessed, he fled into the mountains with his sons, where they were joined by numbers of the faithful and brave, who were ready, like themselves, to yield up their lives rather than their faith.
A touching example of obedience to the law of God was given by a large band of Jews who, with their wives and little ones, had tied into the wilderness to escape the persecutions of the king. The fugitives were pursued, and the forces of Antiochus came up to them at a place where they had taken refuge in a cave. Philip, the leader of the soldiers, endeavoured to induce the Jews to come forth and make submission, but this they firmly refused to do. He then attacked them, and the day being the Sabbath, the Jews, scrupulously observant of the law which commands that day to be kept holy, neither stopped up the mouth of their cave nor raised a weapon against their foes. “Let us die all in our innocence,” they exclaimed; and thus all—men, women, and children—were slain unresisting by the Syrians.
Mattathias and his followers were greatly grieved on receiving tidings of this cruel massacre. In full debate, after due deliberation, they came to the decision that self-defence is lawful on the Sabbath; and that, if attacked by the foe on that day, they would fight for their lives and their laws.