2 Maccabees — Chapter 2

Invenitur autem in descriptionibus

It is found in the records of Jeremias the prophet, that he commanded those who were being carried away to take fire. Lapide confirms what was said about the hidden fire from the actual writings of Jeremiah. \"Descriptions\" refers to the journal or commentary in which Jeremiah recorded what he said and did when Jerusalem fell to the Chaldeans — namely: (1) he commanded that the temple fire be hidden in a pit; (2) he exhorted the captives not to be drawn into error by idols; and (3) he took the ark, tabernacle, and altar of incense and hid them in a cave on Mount Nebo. This book of Jeremiah has perished through the ravages of time, along with several others he composed (see Prologue in Jeremiam).

Et dedit illis legem

He gave them the law, that they should not forget the commandments of the Lord, and should not err in their minds, seeing the idols of gold and silver. He gave them a copy of Deuteronomy or the whole Pentateuch to read continually in Babylon, to console themselves, and confirm themselves in the true worship of God. The command \"not to err in minds\" means not to be deceived by the brilliance of gold on idols into thinking there is something of divine majesty in them.

Erat autem in ipsa scriptura

It was in the same writing, how the prophet, warned by God's oracle, commanded that the tabernacle and the ark should accompany him to the mountain where Moses went up and saw God's inheritance. Mount Nebo, where Moses died. Serarius thinks Angels carried the ark after Jeremiah, just as they transported the house of the Blessed Virgin from Palestine to Loreto. St. Epiphanius gives a detailed account: \"Jeremias prayed and caused the rock to swallow up the ark; then marking the rock with his finger he imprinted God's name upon it. The very Lord's name was hidden by cloud so that neither the place can be known nor the name read until the end; by night fire and cloud often appear there, because the glory of the Lord does not cease from his law.\" The ark cannot be found until the resurrection, when Moses the elect prophet will produce it (Epiphanius, Dorotheus).

Quod ignotus erit locus

That the place should be unknown, until God gather together the congregation of the people. Some hold this was fulfilled under Nehemiah, when the people returned. But the stronger and more common view is that the ark, tabernacle, and altar of incense will be revealed at the end of the world when God converts the Jews through Elias and Enoch and gathers them into one Church with the Gentiles. Evidence: (1) if they had been found with the fire, the author would have narrated this as he narrated the fire — he narrates nothing of the kind; (2) the congregation under Nehemiah was incomplete; (3) when the second temple was plundered by Titus, the ark does not appear among the spoils in Josephus, who even states that the Holy of Holies then contained absolutely nothing (Jewish War VI, vi); (4) the universal tradition of Hebrews and of the Fathers (Epiphanius, Dorotheus, Thomas, Lyranus, Dionysius, Bellarmine, Abulensis) affirms the ark was absent from the second temple. The Fathers explain mystically that the ark's absence was because Christ himself — the true ark of the New Testament — was to appear and teach in the temple. See Exodus 25:10.

Et apparebit majestas Domini

The majesty of the Lord will appear, and there will be a cloud. When God reveals the ark, he will simultaneously show his glory in a shining cloud, as he manifested it to Moses and Solomon at the dedication of altar and temple. Mystically, St. Ambrose and Rupert hold Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled when Christ — the true ark containing the tablets of the evangelical law and the manna of the Eucharist — showed himself in the temple to the assembled people.

Magnifice enim sapientiam tractabat

Solomon, the wisest of mortals, magnificently exercised wisdom, and as one having wisdom offered the sacrifice of the dedication and completion of the temple. Solomon, most wise, imitated Moses and by prayer obtained that God show his majesty in a glorious cloud in the temple he had built and dedicated (1 Kings 8:10), and so the descent of heavenly fire followed.

Sicut et Moyses orabat

Just as Moses prayed to the Lord and fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering (Leviticus 9:24), so also Solomon prayed and fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. In the same way the heavenly fire descended at the dedications of Nehemiah and of Judas Maccabeus — to which celebration we Jerusalem Jews exhort you Jews in Egypt.

Et dixit Moyses eo quod

Moses said: because it was not eaten, the sin-offering was consumed. Since the sacrifice for sin was unclean (as sin itself is), and had not been eaten by the priests, it was accordingly consumed by the fire. These words are from Leviticus 10:16, continuous with the preceding argument: just as fire consumed the other victims, so also the sin-offerings were consumed. Thus Serarius, Sanchez.

Inferebantur autem in descriptionibus

These same things were also recorded in the descriptions and commentaries of Nehemiah — written in another commentary of Nehemiah now lost through the ravages of time, not in the canonical Book of Esdras-Nehemiah. \"And as he built a library.\" This is the first celebrated Jewish library built by Nehemiah — preceding Alexander the Great, Aristotle, and Ptolemy Philadelphus (who built the famous Alexandrian library) by more than a hundred years. The Jerusalem Jews cite this to compare Nehemiah's library favourably with the Alexandrian library of which the Egyptian Jews were proud: \"You have secular books; we alone have sacred books and the histories of our nation.\"

Similiter autem et Judas

In like manner Judas gathered together all those things that had perished by reason of the war. By \"Judas\" — not Judas Maccabeus (who was occupied in constant wars), but Judas the Essene, the author of this letter and book. Writing in the name of the whole Senate and people, he here speaks of himself in the third person, assuming the persona of the people and Senate.

Deus autem qui liberavit

God who has delivered his people, and has restored the inheritance to all, and the kingdom, and the priesthood, and the sanctuary. God brought it about that all Jews possess the kingdom of Judaea as an inheritance, each recovering his hereditary portion seized by the Antiochi. The priesthood: Jerusalem has its own pontiff and priests. The \"sanctification\": the holy temple with the holy worship of the one true God, purified by Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 4:52).

De Juda vero Machabaeo

Now concerning Judas Maccabeus and his brothers. The narrative of Book II begins here; its argument is the same as Book I (the deeds of Judas and his brothers), but narrated more fully and with many things omitted from Book I added.

Et de illuminationibus quae

And of the illuminations that were made from heaven to those who fought bravely for the Jews. \"Illuminations from heaven\" refers to heavenly signs given on behalf of Judas and his companions who fought for the Jews aided by angels, overthrowing Antiochus's great armies.

Domino cum omni tranquillitate

The Lord being propitious to them with all clemency. God calming the disturbances and tumults which Antiochus had stirred up against the Jews, and restoring their former peace.

Itemque ab Jasone Cyrenaeo

These things which Jason of Cyrene set forth in five books, we have tried to abridge into one volume. Calvin and the innovators object that Jason was a Gentile and so this book is not canonical. Lapide responds: Jason was a Jew living in Cyrene (Jews were scattered throughout the world, Acts 6:9; 11:20). Moreover, even if Jason had been a Gentile, Judas the author — who selected, arranged, and condensed Jason's writings always aided by the Holy Spirit — made this book canonical. The Canon holds: when a canonical author cites and approves sayings of a profane author, by that act he makes them canonical. So St. Paul (Titus 1:12) citing Epimenides: \"The Cretans are always liars,\" and adding \"This testimony is true,\" granted it canonical authority.

Negotium plenum vigiliarum

A task full of watching and sweat. Great labour and industry is required to read many things and compress them all in few words. Lapide cites the man who wrote the Iliad in letters so minute as to fit in a nut-shell (Pliny VII, xxi), and Archimedes who fitted the motions of sun, moon, and five planets into a sphere (Cicero, Tusculanae I). He cites Plutarch at length on the virtue of brevity and laconism.

Veritatem quidem de singulis

Granting the truth of individual things to the authors — that is, to Jason of Cyrene. I Judas set about only to abridge Jason; I therefore ascribe the full truth of details to Jason as a good and exact writer. The Holy Spirit who used me as instrument directed me so that I wrote nothing except what was true, pious, and holy, and omitted or corrected whatever needed correcting in Jason.

Sicut enim novae domus

For as the master builder of a new house must be concerned with the whole building. From the same modesty, Judas compares Jason to the architect of a great building, and himself to a painter who adorns the completed building. It is the historian's work to construct the fabric of history; the abbreviator's work is to adorn it with a brief and well-ordered style.

Etenim intellectum colligere

For indeed to collect the understanding. \"Understanding\" (intellectum) = the argument or subject matter which the historian gathers and sets before the reader to understand. The historian's task is to gather it curiously and narrate each detail minutely.

Exsecutiones rerum vitare

But to avoid the full treatment of things must be left to the abbreviator. The historian investigates and narrates everything minutely; the abbreviator may omit many details and compress much into little. To compress many things into few words is the mark of a great man and a deep intellect.