1 Maccabees — Chapter 2

In diebus illis surrexit Mathathias

VERSE 1. IN DIEBUS ILLIS SURREXIT MATHATHIAS FILIUS JOANNIS FILII SIMONIS SACERDOS EX FILIIS JOARIB. — In those days Mattathias the son of John son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modin. Lapide explains that the name Mattathias means \"gift of God\" in Hebrew — and indeed he was given as a gift to his people in their hour of greatest need. He was of the priestly family of Joarib (Jehoiarib), the first of the twenty-four priestly orders established by David (1 Chronicles 24:7). Lapide notes that Mattathias is not mentioned in 2 Maccabees, which focuses entirely on Judas; he is the central figure of 1 Maccabees chapters 1-2.

Et habebat quinque filios Joannem

VERSE 2. ET HABEBAT QUINQUE FILIOS. — He had five sons: John surnamed Gaddis; Simon called Thassi; Judas called Maccabeus; Eleazar called Avaran; and Jonathan called Apphus. Lapide discusses each of these surnames. \"Gaddis\" may mean \"my fortune\" in Hebrew. \"Thassi\" may mean \"zealot\" or \"ardent.\" \"Maccabeus\" — the most famous — Lapide discusses at length: some derive it from the Hebrew מַכָּבִי (makabi), interpreted as an acronym of the battle-cry מִי כָּמֹכָה בָּאֵלִים יְהוָה (Mi kamokha ba'elim Adonai, \"Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?\" — Exodus 15:11). Others derive it simply from the Hebrew for \"hammer\" (maqqebet), suggesting that Judas hammered the enemy.

Judas qui vocabatur Machabaeus

VERSE 4. JUDAS QUI VOCABATUR MACHABAEUS. — Judas who was called Maccabeus. Lapide reviews the various etymologies of \"Maccabeus\" in detail. The \"hammer\" interpretation is supported by the comparison to Charles Martel and other military leaders given the title of \"Hammer.\" The acronym theory, while popular among rabbis, is questioned by Lapide because there is no clear ancient evidence for it. Most likely it was a personal nickname given to Judas for his hard blows in battle, as \"Marteau\" or \"Hammer\" was given to French warriors.

Et vidit blasphemias quae fiebant

VERSE 6. ET VIDIT BLASPHEMIAS QUAE FIEBANT IN JUDA ET IN JERUSALEM. — He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, and said: \"Woe is me! Why was I born to see this, the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to sit there while it is given over to the enemy, and the sanctuary given over to aliens? Her temple has become like a man without honor.\" Lapide deeply admires Mattathias's lament, comparing it to Jeremiah's Lamentations. He quotes this passage in full and provides a line-by-line spiritual commentary, showing how the language echoes the earlier prophetic laments and the later laments of the Church Fathers over the destruction of the Church by heresy.

Vae mihi ut quid natus sum videre

VERSE 7. VAE MIHI UT QUID NATUS SUM VIDERE CONTRITIONEM POPULI MEI. — \"Woe is me! Why was I born to see the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city?\" Lapide comments that this lament of Mattathias is not a murmuring against God but a holy grief (sanctus dolor) — the grief of a faithful pastor who sees his people destroyed. He contrasts this with the worldly grief (dolor mundanus) that despairs of God's mercy. The lament \"Woe is me that I was born\" echoes Jeremiah's words (Jeremiah 20:14-18), yet in both cases the holy man does not truly wish he had not been born, but expresses the extremity of his grief in hyperbolic language.

Et venerunt missi regis qui cogere compellebant

VERSE 15. ET VENERUNT MISSI REGIS QUI COGERE COMPELLEBANT AD TRANSITUM (APOSTASIAM). — When the officers of the king came to the town of Modin to enforce the apostasy, many people of Israel came to them; and Mattathias and his sons were assembled. Then the officers of the king spoke to Mattathias. Lapide explains the mechanism of the persecution: the king's officers went from town to town enforcing compliance with the royal decree, using a combination of threats, promises, and public sacrifice as the test of apostasy. The ceremony was simple: one had to sacrifice publicly to the pagan gods. Refusal meant death.

Et respondit Mathathias et dixit voce magna

VERSE 19. ET RESPONDIT MATHATHIAS ET DIXIT VOCE MAGNA: ETSI OMNES GENTES REGI OBOEDIANT. — Mattathias answered in a loud voice: \"Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, departing each one from the religion of his fathers — yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers.\" Lapide praises this as one of the most heroic declarations of faith in all Scripture. The language \"even if all\" (etsi omnes) is particularly striking: Mattathias does not qualify his faithfulness by the behavior of others. He will serve God even alone if necessary. This is true faith.

Non relinquemus legem et iustificationes

VERSE 22. NON RELINQUEMUS LEGEM ET IUSTIFICATIONES NOSTRAS. — \"We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.\" Lapide meditates on what it means to \"not turn aside to the right or to the left\" (cf. Deuteronomy 5:32; 17:11; 28:14). To turn to the right is to add to the divine law; to turn to the left is to subtract from it. Both are deviations from the straight path of authentic religious tradition. Mattathias stands for the via media of pure fidelity to the received Law, neither adding nor subtracting.

Et exarsit zelus eius

VERSE 24. ET EXARSIT ZELUS EIUS ET TREMUERUNT RENES EIUS. — His zeal was kindled and his loins trembled. Lapide comments on \"zelus\" as the holy zeal of God, the same zeal that animated Phinehas (Numbers 25), Elijah (1 Kings 19), and all the prophets. The trembling of the loins (renes) is a physical expression of the profound emotion of holy indignation. Lapide notes that holy zeal is different from mere human anger: it is directed against sin for the sake of God, not against persons for the sake of self. Yet it can and must express itself in vigorous action, as Mattathias immediately demonstrates.

Et cucurrit et occidit eum super altare

VERSE 25. ET CUCURRIT ET OCCIDIT EUM SUPER ALTARE. — He ran and killed him upon the altar. When Mattathias saw a fellow Jew coming forward to offer sacrifice upon the altar of the false gods as the king commanded, he was filled with holy zeal and killed both the Jew who sacrificed and the king's officer who was enforcing the apostasy. Lapide defends this act at length: Mattathias acted as a judge in Israel by divine inspiration, comparable to Phinehas who killed Zimri and Cozbi (Numbers 25:7-13). Such extraordinary acts of zeal, performed by divine impulse, were lawful in the Old Testament; they are not, however, to be imitated privately in the New Testament without explicit divine commission.

Aemulatione legis sicuti fecit Phinees

VERSE 26. AEMULATIONE LEGIS SICUTI FECIT PHINEES ZAMBRI FILIO SALOMI. — He acted with zeal for the Law, just as Phinehas did to Zimri the son of Salu. Lapide provides a detailed parallel between Mattathias and Phinehas: both acted out of zeal for God's honor; both killed in public for public apostasy; both received divine commendation. He notes that Phinehas received an eternal covenant of priesthood (Numbers 25:13), and that the Maccabees likewise received the high priesthood as a reward for their fidelity. This is a key typological connection in the book.

Et exclamavit Mathathias in civitate voce magna

VERSE 27. ET EXCLAMAVIT MATHATHIAS IN CIVITATE VOCE MAGNA DICENS: OMNIS QUI ZELUM HABET LEGIS, EXEAT POST ME. — Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice: \"Let every one who is zealous for the Law and supports the covenant come out after me!\" And he fled into the hills with his sons and left all they had in the city. Lapide comments on the courageous public nature of this proclamation: Mattathias does not flee secretly but calls others to follow him openly. This is the act of a true leader and shepherd. The hill country of Judea became the refuge and training ground for the Maccabean resistance.

Et multi qui quaerebant iustitiam

VERSE 29. ET MULTI QUI QUAEREBANT IUSTITIAM ET IUDICIUM DESCENDERUNT IN DESERTUM. — And many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to live there, they, their sons, their wives, and their animals, because troubles pressed so heavily upon them. Lapide notes that these were the Hasideans (Asideans) and other faithful Jews who fled persecution. He discusses the historical identity of the Hasideans (חֲסִידִים, ḥasidim, \"pious ones\") as a distinct religious party known for strict Torah observance, later possibly connected with the Essenes and the Pharisees. Their willingness to die rather than fight on the Sabbath (verses 37-38) shows both their heroic piety and — Mattathias would argue — an excess of rigorism.

Et dixerunt moriemur omnes in simplicitate nostra

VERSE 37. ET DIXERUNT MORIEMUR OMNES IN SIMPLICITATE NOSTRA. — They said: \"Let us all die in our innocence.\" And they died. Lapide notes that these Hasideans, choosing to be killed rather than violate the Sabbath by fighting, were martyrs in a genuine sense: they died for a divine commandment rather than violate it. However, Lapide also follows Mattathias's judgment (verse 41) that their interpretation was too strict: the Sabbath may be violated when one's life is in immediate danger, on the principle that the Law was given to live by, not to die by (Leviticus 18:5).

Et qui in eis erant mille personae virorum

VERSE 38. ET QUI IN EIS ERANT MILLE PERSONAE VIRORUM ET MULIERUM ET PARVULORUM. — About a thousand people died, including women, children, and livestock. Lapide laments this tragedy, placing blame not on these faithful souls who died in their innocence but on the harsh necessity created by Antiochus's persecution. He quotes John 15:13: \"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.\" These thousand martyrs are venerated in the Roman Martyrology on August 1.

Et cognovit Mathathias et amici eius

VERSE 39. ET COGNOVIT MATHATHIAS ET AMICI EIUS ET LUXERUNT SUPER EOS VALDE. — Mattathias and his friends learned of it and they mourned deeply for them. And one said to another: \"If we all do as our brethren have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth.\" Lapide presents Mattathias's response as practical wisdom guided by the divine law of self-preservation. He argued that fighting in self-defense on the Sabbath was not a violation of the Sabbath law but was actually required by it, since the Law was given for life (Leviticus 18:5). This interpretation was later confirmed by the rabbis and became the standard Jewish position on Sabbath defense.

Et constituerunt in die illa dicentes

VERSE 41. ET CONSTITUERUNT IN DIE ILLA DICENTES: QUICUMQUE HOMO VENERIT AD NOS IN BELLO IN DIE SABBATHORUM, PUGNEMUS ADVERSUS EUM. — So they made this decision that day: \"Let us fight against every man who comes to attack us on the Sabbath day; let us not all die as our brethren died in their hiding places.\" Lapide explains the theological principle behind this decision: the Sabbath rest is a positive divine law, which can be suspended when a higher principle is at stake — in this case the preservation of human life and the defense of the holy religion. This principle (pikuach nefesh in Jewish law, salus populi suprema lex in natural law) permits Sabbath violation for life-threatening emergencies.

Tunc congregati sunt ad eos congregatio Assidaeorum

VERSE 42. TUNC CONGREGATI SUNT AD EOS CONGREGATIO ASSIDAEORUM FORTISSIMI VIRORUM EX ISRAEL. — Then there united with them a company of Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel, every one who offered himself willingly for the Law. Lapide discusses the Hasideans at length: they were the forerunners of the later Pharisees and possibly of the Essenes. Their name (Hebrew: ḥasidim) means \"the pious ones\" or \"the faithful ones.\" They were distinguished by strict observance of the Law. While they had previously refused to fight on the Sabbath, they now joined Mattathias under the new ruling permitting Sabbath defense. Their union with the Maccabees was crucial for the success of the revolt.

Et congregaverunt exercitum

VERSE 44. ET CONGREGAVERUNT EXERCITUM ET PERCUSSERUNT PECCATORES IN IRA SUA ET VIROS INIQUOS. — They gathered an army and struck down sinners in their anger and lawless men in their wrath; the survivors fled to the Gentiles for safety. Lapide here defends the Maccabees' violence against the apostate Jews, arguing that they acted as legitimate authorities restoring divine law in the community. He draws an analogy with the purge of idolaters by the Levites after the golden calf (Exodus 32:26-29) and with the action of Phinehas. In extraordinary circumstances, the defense of divine law may require forceful action against apostates within the community itself.

Et circumciderunt filios incircumcisos

VERSE 46. ET CIRCUMCIDERUNT FILIOS INCIRCUMCISOS QUOTQUOT INVENERUNT IN FINIBUS ISRAEL. — And they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of Israel. Lapide defends this action, noting that Mattathias was acting as a legitimate authority of the covenant community enforcing the divine law of circumcision. Children who had been left uncircumcised by apostate parents or by force of the royal decree needed to be incorporated into the covenant. Lapide notes the paradox: the same covenant sign that the apostates had renounced was now forcibly restored to their children.

Et appropinquaverunt dies Mathathiae morientis

VERSE 49. ET APPROPINQUAVERUNT DIES MATHATHIAE MORIENTIS, ET DIXIT FILIIS SUIS. — When Mattathias drew near to death, he said to his sons: \"Arrogance and reproach have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious anger. Now, my children, show zeal for the Law, and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers.\" Lapide treats this death-bed speech of Mattathias as one of the great final testaments of the Old Testament, comparable to Jacob's blessing (Genesis 49), Moses's farewell (Deuteronomy 31-33), and Joshua's last address (Joshua 24). It is a compressed summary of the entire theology of the Maccabean resistance.

Mementote operum patrum

VERSE 51. MEMENTOTE OPERUM PATRUM QUAE FECERUNT IN GENERATIONIBUS SUIS. — \"Remember the deeds of the fathers, which they did in their generations; and receive great honor and an everlasting name.\" Lapide begins his commentary on Mattathias's historical review of the heroes of faith. This review (verses 51-60) is a kind of \"Hebrews 11\" of the Old Testament — a roll call of faith. Lapide connects it explicitly with Hebrews 11, noting that the author of Hebrews was drawing on the same tradition. Each of the heroes mentioned by Mattathias illustrates a specific virtue that the Maccabees now need.

Abraham nonne in temptatione inventus est fidelis

VERSE 52. ABRAHAM NONNE IN TEMPTATIONE INVENTUS EST FIDELIS ET REPUTATUM EST EI AD IUSTITIAM? — Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? Lapide provides a detailed commentary on the testing of Abraham in the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22). He identifies this as the supreme test of faith in the Old Testament, and argues that Abraham's merit was precisely his willingness to sacrifice his most beloved possession, his son of the covenant, at God's command. The lesson for the Maccabees: they must be willing to sacrifice all for God, even what is most precious.

Joseph in angustia sua servavit mandatum

VERSE 53. JOSEPH IN ANGUSTIA SUA SERVAVIT MANDATUM. — Joseph in his time of distress kept the commandment and became lord of Egypt. Lapide's commentary on Joseph focuses on his preservation of chastity when tempted by Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39), followed by his patient endurance of unjust imprisonment. The lesson: fidelity to God's law even in the most desperate circumstances brings eventual exaltation. Joseph's \"distress\" (angustia) — the pit, the prison, the unjust accusation — is a type of the afflictions the Maccabees must endure.

Phinees pater noster zelando zelum Dei

VERSE 54. PHINEES PATER NOSTER ZELANDO ZELUM DEI ACCEPIT TESTAMENTUM SACERDOTII AETERNI. — Phinehas our father, because he was deeply zealous, received the covenant of everlasting priesthood. Lapide treats the act of Phinehas (Numbers 25:7-13) as the supreme Old Testament precedent for the kind of zealous action Mattathias and his sons are undertaking. The \"covenant of everlasting priesthood\" given to Phinehas is seen as the prototype of the Maccabean high priesthood. Lapide argues that while private individuals may not imitate Phinehas, those invested with legitimate authority may and must act with similar zeal when God's honor demands it.

Jesus dum impleret verbum factus est dux in Israel

VERSE 55. JESUS DUM IMPLERET VERBUM FACTUS EST DUX IN ISRAEL. — Joshua, because he fulfilled the command, became a judge (dux) in Israel. Lapide discusses Joshua's faithful execution of God's command to conquer Canaan, and particularly his refusal to make unauthorized peace with any of the peoples God had commanded to be destroyed (cf. the exception of the Gibeonites, Joshua 9). The lesson: true leadership in God's service requires faithful obedience to His commands, even when they are difficult or seem disproportionate.

Caleb dum testificatur in Ecclesia accepit terram

VERSE 56. CALEB DUM TESTIFICATUR IN ECCLESIA ACCEPIT HEREDITATEM. — Caleb, because he bore witness in the assembly, received an inheritance in the land. Lapide refers to Caleb's courageous minority report after the spying mission to Canaan (Numbers 13-14), when he and Joshua alone urged the people to trust God and enter the land. The lesson: in times of crisis, the faithful minority who give true witness against the majority's cowardice are those who ultimately receive God's reward.

David in sua misericordia consecutus est thronum regni

VERSE 57. DAVID IN SUA MISERICORDIA CONSECUTUS EST THRONUM REGNI. — David, for his piety (misericordia), inherited the throne of the kingdom in perpetuity. Lapide discusses David's \"misericordia\" — his lovingkindness, his faithfulness in covenant, his generosity to Saul despite being persecuted by him (1 Samuel 24, 26), and his mercy to Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). The lesson for the Maccabees: the true warrior-king must combine martial courage with mercy and covenant faithfulness.

Elias dum zelat zelum legis receptus est in caelum

VERSE 58. ELIAS DUM ZELAT ZELUM LEGIS RECEPTUS EST IN CAELUM. — Elijah, because he was very zealous for the Law, was taken up into heaven. Lapide provides an extensive commentary on Elijah as the supreme Old Testament model of prophetic zeal for God's honor. He analyzes Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18), his flight to Horeb (1 Kings 19), and his translation to heaven in the fiery chariot (2 Kings 2). He also discusses the tradition that Elijah will return before the Day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5) and identifies him with one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11.

Ananias Azarias Misahel credentes liberati sunt

VERSE 59. ANANIAS AZARIAS MISAHEL CREDENTES LIBERATI SUNT DE FLAMMA. — Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael believed and were saved from the flame. Lapide treats the story of the three young men in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) as the supreme example of fidelity to divine law under threat of death by fire. He notes that they were not miraculously saved from the furnace but were thrown into it and then preserved within it — their faith was tested to the uttermost before being vindicated. The lesson: God does not always prevent suffering, but He accompanies those who trust Him through it.

Daniel in sua simplicitate liberatus est de ore leonum

VERSE 60. DANIEL IN SUA SIMPLICITATE LIBERATUS EST DE ORE LEONUM. — Daniel, because of his innocence, was delivered from the mouth of the lions. Lapide's commentary on Daniel in the lions' den (Daniel 6) focuses on the word \"simplicitate\" (simplicity/innocence): Daniel's deliverance was due not to his cleverness or political skill but to his simple, wholehearted fidelity to God in prayer. He prayed three times a day even when it was illegal to do so. Lapide draws the lesson: simple, persevering fidelity to prayer is the foundation of all other courage.

Nolite timere a verbis hominis peccatoris

VERSE 62. NOLITE TIMERE A VERBIS HOMINIS PECCATORIS. — \"Therefore, my children, be courageous and grow strong in the Law, for by it you will gain honor. Here is your brother Simon who, I know, is a man of counsel; always listen to him; he shall be your father. Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples.\" Lapide focuses on the three gifts Mattathias assigns to his sons: prudence to Simon, military command to Judas, and presumably priestly leadership (implicitly) to Jonathan. This division of gifts prefigures the later Maccabean polity in which the same family holds both priestly and political authority.

Simon frater vester scio quod vir consilii est

VERSE 65. SIMON FRATER VESTER SCIO QUOD VIR CONSILII EST. — \"Your brother Simon — I know that he is a man of counsel; always listen to him; he shall be your father.\" Lapide explains that Mattathias here gives Simon a kind of authority superior even to his own age: he makes Simon the \"father\" of his brothers, i.e., their counselor and guide. This prefigures the role Simon will play throughout the book of Maccabees as the wise political architect of the Maccabean state.

Et Judas Machabaeus fortis viribus

VERSE 66. ET JUDAS MACHABAEUS FORTIS VIRIBUS A JUVENTUTE SUA IPSE ERIT VOS DUX MILITIAE. — \"Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples.\" Lapide praises Mattathias's prophetic insight in recognizing Judas's military gifts from youth. The combination of physical strength, military skill, and holy zeal makes Judas the ideal warrior for God's cause. Lapide compares him to the great judges — Gideon, Samson, Jephthah — who were raised up by God in crisis moments to deliver His people.

Et mortuus est anno centesimo quadragesimo sexto

VERSE 70. ET MORTUUS EST ANNO CENTESIMO QUADRAGESIMO SEXTO, ET SEPULTUS EST IN SEPULCRIS PATRUM SUORUM IN MODIN. — Mattathias died in the year 146 (Seleucid era, i.e., 166 BC) and was buried in the tomb of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel mourned deeply for him. Lapide calculates the dates of the Maccabean leaders carefully, drawing on Josephus, Scaliger, and Salianus. Mattathias led the resistance for only one year (146-147 of the Seleucid era), yet in that brief time he reconstituted the Jewish resistance, established its theological basis, and appointed his sons to continue it. He died in faith, having seen the beginning but not the completion of the deliverance.