2 Maccabees — Chapter 10

Et de ignitis lapidibus

Having made a new altar, they offered sacrifice, and kindled incense, and lighted lamps, and set forth the loaves. By \"igneous stones\" (lapidibus ignitis) Salianus and Mariana understand flints from which fire is easily struck; but the Greek says πυρεῖα, fire-receiving stones. More correctly: the prayers of Judas and the priests called down fire from heaven which ignited the stones; from these the priests took fire to burn the sacrifices. Before Judas, Nehemiah had done this (chapter 1), and God commanded in Leviticus 6:12 that victims be consumed not by common but by heavenly fire. \"After two years\" refers not to the profanation of the temple (from which three years had passed) but to the beginning of Judas's command, as Serarius, Salianus, and others explain. Gorionides (III, xii) confirms: \"When they had arranged the wood, they could not find the holy fire; but they cried to the Lord, and fire leapt from the stone that lay beneath the altar; they added wood to it. That fire lasted until the third captivity\" — until it was destroyed by Titus.

Et cum laetitia diebus octo

With great joy celebrated the feast eight days after the manner of the feast of tabernacles. They celebrated the feast of Encaenia (Hanukkah) for eight days with the same rite and rejoicing as the feast of Tabernacles, because God had restored them to Jerusalem and to their own homes, whereas a short time before, fleeing Antiochus's persecution, they had hidden in forests and mountains and made themselves huts of branches of trees.

Propter quod thyrsos et ramos

They carried green boughs and fair branches, and palms also. Thyrsi were fronds and shoots with which soldiers after a victory dressed themselves and their weapons. Among the pagans the thyrsus was a spear tipped with ivy, brandished in the Bacchic Orgia; hence Bacchus was called thyrsiger (thyrsus-bearer).

Constituit super negotia regni

He appointed Lysias over the affairs of the kingdom. The Greek says Lysias was constituted \"Protarches\" — that is, \"first chief\" or viceroy — as the regent who governed in the king's name.

Nam Ptolemaeus qui dicebatur

For Ptolemy, who was called Macer…thought it just to deal equitably with the Jews. This Ptolemy appears to be the same as the governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia at chapter 8:8, who sent Nicanor against Judas; but having seen the innocence of the Jews and God fighting for them, he began to favour them — and was therefore accused before Eupator as if he had defected to the Jews.

Veneno vitam finivit

He made an end of his life by poison. Some Greek manuscripts add that Ptolemy, unable to endure the charge of treason, voluntarily fled to poison and drank it of his own will. Yet it is not great fortitude but weak and small spirit to be broken by men's reproaches and kill oneself; it is a sign of fortitude to bear all things manfully and overcome them with virile magnanimity, according to Martial: \"He acts bravely who can bear to be wretched.\"

Gorgias autem cum esset dux

But Gorgias, who was the governor of the places, taking hired foreign soldiers. \"Foreign\" (advenas) = soldiers conscripted from Thrace, Egypt, Africa, and other foreign regions; hence at verse 24 they are called \"an army of foreign multitude.\" The native troops were Asians and Syrians.

Judaei vero qui tenebant

But the Jews that inhabited the strong holds…received fugitives from Jerusalem and attempted war. Lapide notes a textual variant: for \"Jews\" we should perhaps read \"Idumaeans\" (as in the Greek manuscripts), since the fortifications mentioned are those of the Idumaeans. The Idumaeans, perpetual enemies of the Jews, had seized certain Jewish fortifications and into them received Jewish apostates and deserters. With these they attempted war against Jerusalem. But Judas, having invoked God, rushed with armed force upon these fortifications and slew twenty thousand.

Multaque vi insistentes

And with great strength compelling them, took the places, and put to flight all that stood upon the walls. The Greek reads \"nine thousand.\"

Hi vero qui cum Simone

But Simon's men were led by covetousness, and were prevailed upon by some of those who were in the towers, and taking seventy thousand drachmas let some of them escape. These soldiers, led by avarice and bribed for seventy thousand didrachmas (if Attic = 5,833 gold pieces; if Hebrew, double), let some besieged enemies escape. When Judas was told of this, he assembled the leaders of the people and condemned them as traitors who had sold their brethren's safety to the enemy.

Hos igitur proditores factos

Having put to death those who had been traitors, he forthwith took the two towers. One who releases already-captured enemies or those about to be captured betrays the safety of his fellow citizens — the released men return and attack, plunder, and kill, especially to recover the ransom they paid.

Primo autem solis ortu

When the sun had newly risen, both sides joined battle. Those with Judas had the Lord as their sponsor of victory together with virtue — that is, God gave them praying soldiers the sure hope of victory, which was increased by virtue (the probity, fortitude, and generosity of Judas and his companions, who were prepared to fight for God's law even unto death, and had resolved to conquer or die). The Greek reads: \"Having God as their sponsor of victory and prosperity together with virtue.\" These two things — invocation of God and personal virtue — are the most efficacious remedies, which almost guarantee certain victory through God.

Sed cum vehemens pugna

While the battle was going on earnestly, there appeared to the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses with bridles of gold, conducting the Jews. Two of them, having Maccabeus in the middle, sheltered him on both sides, kept him safe and sound; the others hurled darts and fire-bolts against the adversaries, confounding them with blindness and full of trouble so that they fell down. These were five angels fighting for Judas at God's command. So angels fought for Theodosius against Eugenius (Theodoret V, xxiv), for St. Wenceslas duelling with Radislaus, and for Constantine the Great (Panegyricus VI).

Timotheus vero confugit

But Timothy fled into a very strong hold called Gazara. Note the unceasing victories of Judas granted by God — especially those by which he slew twenty thousand of Timothy's forces, just as shortly before he had slain twenty thousand Idumaeans, and finally slew Timothy himself along with Chaereus and Apollophanes.

Viginti juvenes accensi animis

About twenty young men burning with anger over the blasphemies, attacked the wall manfully. Note what the spirit and ardour of youth can achieve. Note how foolish and dangerous it is to inflame enemies' spirits by mockery and blasphemy. Alexander the Great (Curtius, near end of bk. VII), besieging a sheer rock held by Arimazes the Sogdian with thirty thousand armed men, was mocked when he asked for surrender and was asked whether he could fly; stung, Alexander declared he would show the next night that Macedonians can fly — and so excited three hundred youths with great prizes to scale the rock from the rear through inaccessible places by night. Arimazes was so struck that he surrendered. Alexander had them all beaten and crucified at the base of the rock.