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on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword: remember their blasphemies, and suffer them not to live any longer.'

And Nicanor went forth from Jerusalem, and encamped in Bethhoron, and there met him the host of Syria. And Judas encamped in Adasa with three thousand men: and Judas prayed and said, 'When they that came from the king blasphemed, thine angel went out, and smote among them a hundred and fourscore and five thousand. Even so discomfit thou this army before us to-day, and let all the rest know that he hath spoken wickedly against thy sanctuary, and judge thou him according to his wickedness.

And on the thirteenth day of the month Adar the armies joined battle: and Nicanor's army was discomfited, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle. Now when his army saw that Nicanor was fallen, they cast away their arms, and fled. And they pursued after them a day's journey from Adasa until thou comest to Gazara, and they sounded an alarm after them with the solemn trumpets.

And they came forth out of all the villages of Judæa round about, and closed them in; and these turned them back on those, and they all fell by the sword, and there was not one of them left. And they took the spoils, and the booty, and they smote off Nicanor's head, and his right hand, which he stretched out so haughtily, and brought them, and hanged them up beside Jerusalem. And the people was exceeding glad, and they kept that day as a day of great gladness. And they ordained to keep this day year by year, to wit, the thirteenth day of Adar. And the land of Judah had rest a little while.

§ 5. The Romans and their government.-Though Judas was thus once more, as Professor Schürer says, ' master of the situation,' he seems to have realized that it was impossible for him, if alone and unaided, to maintain his position and secure political independence, for the acquisition of which he had thus boldly thrown down the gauntlet, against the undivided power of the Syrian kingdom. Our authority tells us that he turned for help to that great power of the West, at whose orders the Seleucid kings had already more than once been compelled to give up and to give way. He turned to Rome.

The First Book of the Maccabees gives a vivid and deeply interesting sketch of the Roman policy and government, as seen

from an idealized point of view and afar off, by a Jewish writer at the close of the second century B.C. Not many years after the Jews were to learn by experience how far the reality might correspond with the description.

And Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men, and have pleasure in all that join themselves unto them, and make amity with all such as come unto them. And they told hin. of their wars and exploits which they do among the Gauls, and how that they conquered them, and brought them under tribute; and what things they did in the land of Spain, that they might become masters of the mines of silver and gold which were there; and how that by their policy and persistence they conquered all the place (and the place was exceeding far from them), and the kings that came against them from the uttermost part of the earth, until they had discomfited them, and smitten them very sore; and how the rest give them tribute year by year: and Philip, and Perseus, king of Chittim, and them that lifted up themselves against them, did they discomfit in battle, and conquered them: Antiochus also, the great king of Asia, who came against them to battle, having a hundred and twenty elephants, with horse, and chariots, and an exceeding great host, and he was discomfited by them, and they took him alive, and appointed that both he and such as reigned after him should give them a great tribute, and should give hostages, and a parcel of land, to wit, the country of India, and Media, and Lydia, and of the goodliest of their countries; and they took them from him, and gave them to king Eumenes and how they of Greece took counsel to come and destroy them; and the thing was known to them, and they sent against them a captain, and fought against them, and many of them fell down wounded to death, and they made captive their wives and their children, and spoiled them, and conquered their land, and pulled down their strongholds, and spoiled them, and brought them into bondage unto this day: and the residue of the kingdoms and of the isles, as many as rose up against them at any time, they destroyed and made them to be their servants; but with their friends and such as relied upon them they kept amity; and they conquered the kingdoms that were

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nigh and those that were far off, and all that heard of their fame were afraid of them: moreover, whomsoever they will to succour and to make kings, these do they make kings; and whomsoever they will, do they depose; and they are exalted exceedingly: and for all this none of them did ever put on a diadem, neither did they clothe themselves with purple, to be magnified thereby: and how they had made for themselves a senate house, and day by day three hundred and twenty men sat in council, consulting alway for the people, to the end they might be well ordered: and how they commit their government to one man year by year, that he should rule over them, and be lord over all their country, and all are obedient to that one, and there is neither envy nor emulation among them.

Even a slight knowledge of Roman history will suffice to reveal the inaccuracies in this curious panegyric, and I need not recapitulate them here. In the passage about Greece our author is probably guilty of an anachronism. He seems to refer to the war against the Achaean league in 147 and 146 B. C., some fourteen or fifteen years after the death of Judas.

§ 6. Judas sends an embassy to Rome.-In accordance with the advice thus tendered to Judas, he dispatched an embassy to Rome, the coming and results of which are thus described.

And Judas chose Eupolemus the son of John, the son of Accos, and Jason the son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome, to make a league of amity and confederacy with them, and that they should take the yoke from them; for they saw that the kingdom of the Greeks did keep Israel in bondage. And they went to Rome (and the way was exceeding long), and they entered into the senate house, and answered and said, 'Judas, who is also called Maccabæus, and his brethren, and the people of the Jews, have sent us unto you, to make a confederacy and peace with you, and that we might be registered your confederates and friends.'

And the thing was well-pleasing in their sight. And this is the copy of the writing which they wrote back again on tables of brass, and sent to Jerusalem, that it might be with them there for a memorial of peace and confederacy:

'Good success be to the Romans, and to the nation of the Jews, by sea and by land for ever: the sword also and

the enemy be far from them. But if war arise for Rome first, or any of their confederates in all their dominion, the nation of the Jews shall help them as confederates, as the occasion shall prescribe to them, with all their heart: and unto them that make war upon them they shall not give, neither supply, food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome, and they shall keep their ordinances without taking anything therefore.

"In the same manner, moreover, if war come first upon the nation of the Jews, the Romans shall help them as confederates with all their soul, as the occasion shall prescribe to them: and to them that are confederates with their foes there shall not be given food, arms, money, or ships, as it hath seemed good unto Rome; and they shall keep these ordinances, and that without deceit. According to these words have the Romans made a covenant thus with the people of the Jews.

'But if hereafter the one party and the other shall take counsel to add or diminish anything, they shall do it at their pleasure, and whatsoever they shall add or take away shall be established.

'And as touching the evils which king Demetrius doeth unto them, we have written to him, saying, Wherefore hast thou made thy yoke heavy upon our friends and confederates the Jews? If therefore they plead any more against thee, we will do them justice, and fight with thee by sea and by land.'

§ 7. The last battle.-But the message of Rome to Demetrius arrived too late. The king had immediately resolved to undo and avenge the defeat of Adasa. He dispatched a considerable army into Judæa; Bacchides was its general. The Syrian forces advanced towards Jerusalem. Judas with but three thousand men was encamped over against them at Elasa. The mournful issue of the battle which ensued is thus described to us. The first month of the 152nd year of the Seleucid era nearly corresponds with April, 161 B. C. Less than two months had elapsed since the fight of Adasa.

And Demetrius heard that Nicanor was fallen with his forces in battle, and he sent Bacchides and Alcimus again into the land of Judah a second time, and the right wing of his army with them: and they went by the way that

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leadeth to Gilgal, and encamped against Mesaloth, which is in Arbela, and gat possession of it, and destroyed much people.

And the first month of the hundred and fifty and second year they encamped against Jerusalem: and they removed, and went to Berea, with twenty thousand footmen, and two thousand horse.

And Judas was encamped at Elasa, and three thousand chosen men with him: and they saw the multitude of the forces, that they were many, and they feared exceedingly: and many slipped away out of the army; there were not left of them more than eight hundred men. And Judas saw that his army slipped away, and that the battle pressed upon him, and he was sore troubled in heart, for that he had no time to gather them together, and he waxed faint.

And he said to them that were left, 'Let us arise and go up against our adversaries, if peradventure we may be able to fight with them.' And they would have dissuaded him, saying, 'We shall in no wise be able: but let us rather save our lives now let us return again, we and our brethren, and fight against them: but we are few.' And Judas said, 'Let it not be so that I should do this thing, to flee from them and if our time is come, let us die manfully for our brethren's sake, and not leave a cause of reproach against our glory.'

And the host removed from the camp, and stood to encounter them, and the horse was parted into two companies, and the slingers and the archers went before the host, and all the mighty men that fought in the front of the battle. But Bacchides was in the right wing; and the phalanx drew near on the two parts, and they blew with their trumpets. And the men of Judas' side, even they sounded with their trumpets, and the earth shook with the shout of the armies, and the battle was joined, and continued from morning until evening.

And Judas saw that Bacchides and the strength of his army were on the right side, and there went with him all that were brave in heart, and the right wing was discomfited by them, and he pursued after them unto the mount Azotus. And they that were on the left wing saw that the right wing was discomfited, and they turned and followed upon the footsteps of Judas and of those that were with him: and 3 C

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