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1 Maccabees 6

1^a As King Antiochus passed through the eastern provinces, he heard that in Persia there was a city, Elam,^* famous for its wealth in silver and gold,

2and that its temple was very rich, containing gold helmets, breastplates, and weapons left there by the first king of the Greeks, Alexander, son of Philip, king of Macedon.

3He went therefore and tried to capture and loot the city. But he could not do so, because his plan became known to the people of the city

4who rose up in battle against him. So he fled and in great dismay withdrew from there to return to Babylon.

5While he was in Persia, a messenger brought him news that the armies that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed;

6that Lysias had gone at first with a strong army and been driven back; that the people of Judah had grown strong by reason of the arms, wealth, and abundant spoils taken from the armies they had cut down;

7that they had pulled down the abomination which he had built upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded with high walls both the sanctuary, as it had been before, and his city of Beth-zur.^b

8When the king heard this news, he was astonished and very much shaken. Sick with grief because his designs had failed, he took to his bed.

9There he remained many days, assailed by waves of grief, for he thought he was going to die.

10So he called in all his Friends and said to them: “Sleep has departed from my eyes, and my heart sinks from anxiety.

11I said to myself: ‘Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule.’

12But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed.

13I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land.”

14Then he summoned Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of his whole kingdom.

15He gave him his diadem, his robe, and his signet ring, so that he might guide the king’s son Antiochus and bring him up to be king.

16So King Antiochus died there in the one hundred and forty-ninth year.^*

17When Lysias learned that the king was dead, he set up the king’s son Antiochus,^* whom he had reared as a child, to be king in his place; and he gave him the title Eupator.^c

Siege of the Citadel.

18Those in the citadel were hemming Israel in around the sanctuary, continually trying to harm them and to strengthen the Gentiles.^d

19And so Judas planned to destroy them, and assembled the people to besiege them.

20So in the one hundred and fiftieth year^* they assembled and besieged the citadel, for which purpose he constructed platforms and siege engines.

21But some of the besieged escaped, and some renegade Israelites joined them.

22They went to the king and said: “How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge our kindred?

23We agreed to serve your father and to follow his orders and obey his edicts.

24And for this our own people have become our enemies; they have put to death as many of us as they could find and have seized our inheritances.

25They have acted aggressively not only against us, but throughout their whole territory.

26Look! Today they have besieged the citadel in Jerusalem in order to capture it, and they have fortified the sanctuary and Beth-zur.

27Unless you act quickly to prevent them, they will do even worse things than these, and you will not be able to stop them.”

28^e When the king heard this he was enraged, and he called together all his Friends, the officers of his army, and the commanders of the cavalry.

29Mercenary forces also came to him from other kingdoms and from the islands of the seas.

30His army numbered a hundred thousand footsoldiers, twenty thousand cavalry, and thirty-two elephants trained for war.

31They passed through Idumea and camped before Beth-zur. For many days they attacked it; they constructed siege engines, but the besieged made a sortie and burned these, and they fought bravely.

Battle of Beth-zechariah.

32Then Judas marched away from the citadel and moved his camp to Beth-zechariah,^* opposite the king’s camp.

33The king, rising before dawn, moved his force hastily along the road to Beth-zechariah; and the troops prepared for battle and sounded the trumpet.

34They made the elephants drunk on the juice of grapes and mulberries to get them ready to fight.

35The beasts were distributed along the phalanxes, each elephant having assigned to it a thousand men in coats of mail, with bronze helmets on their heads, and five hundred picked cavalry.

36These accompanied the beast wherever it was; wherever it moved, they moved too and never left it.

37Each elephant was outfitted with a strong wooden tower, fastened to it by a harness; each tower held three soldiers who fought from it, besides the Indian driver.

38The remaining cavalry were stationed on one or the other of the two flanks of the army, to harass the enemy and to be protected by the phalanxes.

39When the sun shone on the gold and bronze shields, the mountains gleamed with their brightness and blazed like flaming torches.

40Part of the king’s army spread out along the heights, while some were on low ground, and they marched forward steadily in good order.

41All who heard the noise of their numbers, the tramp of their marching, and the clanging of the arms, trembled; for the army was very great and strong.

42Judas with his army advanced to fight, and six hundred men of the king’s army fell.

43Eleazar, called Avaran, saw one of the beasts covered with royal armor and bigger than any of the others, and so he thought the king was on it.^f

44He gave up his life to save his people and win an everlasting name for himself.

45He dashed courageously up to it in the middle of the phalanx, killing men right and left, so that they parted before him.

46He ran under the elephant, stabbed it and killed it. The beast fell to the ground on top of him, and he died there.

47But when Judas’ troops saw the strength of the royal army and the ardor of its forces, they retreated from them.

The Siege of Jerusalem.

48Some of the king’s army went up to Jerusalem to attack them, and the king established camps in Judea and at Mount Zion.

49He made peace with the people of Beth-zur, and they evacuated the city, because they had no food there to enable them to withstand a siege, for that was a sabbath year in the land.^{* g}

50The king took Beth-zur and stationed a garrison there to hold it.

51For many days he besieged the sanctuary, setting up platforms and siege engines, fire-throwers, catapults and mechanical bows for shooting arrows and projectiles.

52The defenders countered by setting up siege engines of their own, and kept up the fight a long time.

53But there were no provisions in the storerooms, because it was the seventh year, and the reserves had been eaten up by those who had been rescued from the Gentiles and brought to Judea.

54Few men remained in the sanctuary because the famine was too much for them; the rest scattered, each to his own home.

Peace Treaty.

55^h Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus, before his death, had appointed to train his son Antiochus to be king,

56had returned from Persia and Media with the army that accompanied the king, and that he was seeking to take over the government.

57So he hastily decided to withdraw. He said to the king, the leaders of the army, and the soldiers: “We are growing weaker every day, our provisions are scanty, the place we are besieging is strong, and it is our duty to take care of the affairs of the kingdom.ⁱ

58Therefore let us now come to terms with these people and make peace with them and all their nation.

59Let us grant them freedom to live according to their own laws as formerly; it was on account of their laws, which we abolished, that they became enraged and did all these things.”

60The proposal pleased the king and the leaders; he sent peace terms to the Jews, and they accepted.

61So the king and the leaders swore an oath to them, and on these terms the Jews evacuated the fortification.

62But when the king entered Mount Zion and saw how the place was fortified, he broke the oath he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the encircling wall.

63Then he departed in haste and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip in control of the city. He fought against him and took the city by force.

1 Maccabees 7

Expedition of Bacchides and Alcimus.

1^a In the one hundred and fifty-first year,^* Demetrius, son of Seleucus, set out from Rome, arrived with a few men at a coastal city, and began to rule there.

2As he was entering the royal palace of his ancestors, the soldiers seized Antiochus and Lysias to bring them to him.

3When he was informed of this, he said, “Do not show me their faces.”

4So the soldiers killed them, and Demetrius assumed the royal throne.

5Then all the lawless men and renegades of Israel came to him. They were led by Alcimus,^* who desired to be high priest.

6They made this accusation to the king against the people: “Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends and have driven us out of our land.

7So now, send a man whom you trust to go and see all the destruction Judas has wrought on us and on the king’s territory, and let him punish them and all their supporters.”

8So the king chose Bacchides, one of the King’s Friends, who ruled the province of West-of-Euphrates, a great man in the kingdom, and faithful to the king.

9He sent him and the renegade Alcimus, to whom he granted the high priesthood, with orders to take revenge on the Israelites.

10They set out and, on arriving in the land of Judah with a great army, sent messengers who spoke deceitfully to Judas and his brothers in peaceful terms.

11But these paid no attention to their words, seeing that they had come with a great army.

12A group of scribes, however, gathered about Alcimus and Bacchides to ask for a just agreement.

13^b The Hasideans were the first among the Israelites to seek peace with them,

14for they said, “A priest of the line of Aaron has come with the army, and he will not do us any wrong.”

15He spoke with them peacefully and swore to them, “We will not seek to injure you or your friends.”

16So they trusted him. But he arrested sixty of them and killed them in one day, according to the words that he wrote:^*

17“The flesh of your faithful,

and their blood they have spilled all around about Jerusalem,

and no one was left to bury them.”^c

18Then fear and dread of them came upon all the people, who said: “There is no truth or justice among them; they violated the agreement and the oath that they swore.”

19Bacchides withdrew from Jerusalem and camped in Beth-zaith.^* He had many of the men who deserted to him arrested and some of the people. He killed them and threw them into a great cistern.

20He handed the province over to Alcimus, leaving troops to help him, while he himself returned to the king.

21Alcimus struggled to maintain his high priesthood,

22and all those who were troubling the people gathered about him. They took possession of the land of Judah and caused great distress in Israel.

23When Judas saw all the evils that Alcimus and those with him were bringing upon the Israelites, even more than the Gentiles had,

24he went about all the borders of Judea and took revenge on the men who had deserted, preventing them from going out into the country.

25But when Alcimus saw that Judas and his followers were gaining strength and realized that he could not resist them, he returned to the king and accused them of grave crimes.

Defeat of Nicanor.

26^d Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honored officers, who was a bitter enemy of Israel, with orders to destroy the people.

27Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large force and deceitfully sent to Judas^* and his brothers this peaceable message:

28“Let there be no fight between me and you. I will come with a few men to meet you face to face in peace.”

29So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably. But Judas’ enemies were prepared to seize him.

30When he became aware that Nicanor had come to him with deceit in mind, Judas was afraid of him and would not meet him again.^e

31When Nicanor saw that his plan had been discovered, he went out to fight Judas near Capharsalama.^*

32About five hundred men of Nicanor’s army fell; the rest fled to the City of David.^*

33^f After this, Nicanor went up to Mount Zion. Some of the priests from the sanctuary and some of the elders of the people came out to greet him peaceably and to show him the burnt offering that was being sacrificed for the king.

34But he mocked and ridiculed them, defiled them,^* and spoke arrogantly.

35In a rage he swore: “If Judas and his army are not delivered to me at once, when I return victorious I will burn this temple down.” He went away in great anger.

36^g The priests, however, went in and stood before the altar and the sanctuary. They wept and said:

37“You have chosen this house to bear your name, to be a house of prayer and supplication for your people.

38Take revenge on this man and his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember their blasphemies, and do not let them continue.”

39Nicanor left Jerusalem and camped at Beth-horon, where the Syrian army joined him.

40But Judas camped in Adasa^* with three thousand men. Here Judas uttered this prayer:

41^h “When they who were sent by the king^* blasphemed, your angel went out and killed a hundred and eighty-five thousand of them.ⁱ

42In the same way, crush this army before us today, and let the rest know that Nicanor spoke wickedly against your sanctuary; judge him according to his wickedness.”

43The armies met in battle on the thirteenth day of the month Adar. Nicanor’s army was crushed, and he himself was the first to fall in the battle.^j

44When his army saw that Nicanor had fallen, they threw down their weapons and fled.

45The Jews pursued them a day’s journey from Adasa to near Gazara, blowing the trumpets behind them as signals.

46From all the surrounding villages of Judea people came out and outflanked them. They turned them back, and all the enemies fell by the sword; not a single one escaped.

47Then the Jews collected the spoils and the plunder; they cut off Nicanor’s head and his right arm, which he had lifted up so arrogantly. These they brought and displayed in the sight of Jerusalem.

48The people rejoiced greatly, and observed that day as a day of much joy.

49They decreed that it should be observed every year on the thirteenth of Adar.^*

50And so for a few days^* the land of Judah was at rest.

1 Maccabees 8

Eulogy of the Romans.

1^* Judas had heard of the reputation of the Romans. They were valiant fighters and acted amiably to all who took their side. They established a friendly alliance with all who applied to them.

2He was also told of their battles and the brave deeds that they performed against the Gauls,^* conquering them and forcing them to pay tribute;

3and what they did in Spain to get possession of the silver and gold mines there.

4By planning and persistence they subjugated the whole region, although it was very remote from their own. They also subjugated the kings who had come against them from the far corners of the earth until they crushed them and inflicted on them severe defeat. The rest paid tribute to them every year.

5Philip^* and Perseus, king of the Macedonians, and the others who opposed them in battle they overwhelmed and subjugated.

6Antiochus^* the Great, king of Asia, who fought against them with a hundred and twenty elephants and with cavalry and chariots and a very great army, was defeated by them.

7They took him alive and obliged him and the kings who succeeded him to pay a heavy tribute, to give hostages and to cede

8Lycia, Mysia, and Lydia^* from among their best provinces. The Romans took these from him and gave them to King Eumenes.

9^* When the Greeks planned to come and destroy them,

10the Romans discovered it, and sent against the Greeks a single general who made war on them. Many were wounded and fell, and the Romans took their wives and children captive. They plundered them, took possession of their land, tore down their strongholds and reduced them to slavery even to this day.

11All the other kingdoms and islands that had ever opposed them they destroyed and enslaved; with their friends, however, and those who relied on them, they maintained friendship.

12They subjugated kings both near and far, and all who heard of their fame were afraid of them.

13Those whom they wish to help and to make kings, they make kings; and those whom they wish, they depose; and they were greatly exalted.

14Yet with all this, none of them put on a diadem or wore purple as a display of grandeur.

15But they made for themselves a senate chamber, and every day three hundred and twenty men took counsel, deliberating on all that concerned the people and their well-being.

16They entrust their government to one man^* every year, to rule over their entire land, and they all obey that one, and there is no envy or jealousy among them.

Treaty with the Romans.

17So Judas chose Eupolemus, son of John, son of Accos, and Jason, son of Eleazar, and sent them to Rome to establish friendship and alliance with them.^a

18He did this to lift the yoke from Israel, for it was obvious that the kingdom of the Greeks was subjecting them to slavery.

19After making a very long journey to Rome, the envoys entered the senate chamber and spoke as follows:

20“Judas, called Maccabeus, and his brothers, with the Jewish people, have sent us to you to establish alliance and peace with you, and to be enrolled among your allies and friends.”

21The proposal pleased the Romans,

22and this is a copy of the reply they inscribed on bronze tablets and sent to Jerusalem,^* to remain there with the Jews as a record of peace and alliance:^b

23“May it be well with the Romans and the Jewish nation at sea and on land forever; may sword and enemy be far from them.

24But if war is first made on Rome, or any of its allies in any of their dominions,

25the Jewish nation will fight along with them wholeheartedly, as the occasion shall demand;

26and to those who wage war they shall not give or provide grain, weapons, money, or ships, as seems best to Rome. They shall fulfill their obligations without receiving any recompense.

27In the same way, if war is made first on the Jewish nation, the Romans will fight along with them willingly, as the occasion shall demand,

28and to those who attack them there shall not be given grain, weapons, money, or ships, as seems best to Rome. They shall fulfill their obligations without deception.

29On these terms the Romans have made an agreement with the Jewish people.

30But if both parties hereafter agree to add or take away anything, they shall do as they choose, and whatever they shall add or take away shall be valid.

31“Moreover, concerning the wrongs that King Demetrius is doing to them, we have written to him thus: ‘Why have you made your yoke heavy upon our friends and allies the Jews?

32If they petition against you again, we will enforce justice and make war on you by sea and land.’”

1 Maccabees 9

Death of Judas.

1When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he again sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah, along with the right wing of his army.

2They took the road to Galilee, and camping opposite the ascent at Arbela, they captured it^* and killed many people.

3In the first month of the one hundred and fifty-second year,^* they encamped against Jerusalem.

4Then they set out for Berea with twenty thousand men and two thousand cavalry.

5Judas, with three thousand picked men, had camped at Elasa.

6When they saw the great number of the troops, they were very much afraid, and many slipped away from the camp, until only eight hundred of them remained.

7When Judas saw that his army was melting away just as the battle was imminent, he was brokenhearted, because he had no time to gather them together.

8In spite of his discouragement he said to those who remained: “Let us go forward to meet our enemies; perhaps we can put up a good fight against them.”

9They tried to dissuade him, saying: “We certainly cannot. Let us save our own lives now, and come back with our kindred, and then fight against them. Now we are too few.”

10But Judas said: “Far be it from me to do such a thing as to flee from them! If our time has come, let us die bravely for our kindred and not leave a stain upon our honor!”

11Then the army of Bacchides moved out of camp and took its position for combat. The cavalry were divided into two squadrons, and the slingers and the archers came on ahead of the army, and in the front line were all the best warriors. Bacchides was on the right wing.

12Flanked by the two squadrons, the phalanx attacked as they blew their trumpets. Those who were on Judas’ side also blew their trumpets.

13The earth shook with the noise of the armies, and the battle raged from morning until evening.

14When Judas saw that Bacchides was on the right, with the main force of his army, all the most stouthearted rallied to him,

15and the right wing was crushed; Judas pursued them as far as the mountain slopes.^*

16But when those on the left wing saw that the right wing was crushed, they closed in behind Judas and those with him.

17The battle became intense, and many on both sides fell wounded.

18Then Judas fell, and the rest fled.

19Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judas and buried him in the tomb of their ancestors at Modein.

20All Israel wept for him with great lamentation. They mourned for him many days, and they said,

21“How the mighty one has fallen, the savior of Israel!”^a

22The other acts of Judas, his battles, the brave deeds he performed, and his greatness have not been recorded; but they were very many.

III. LEADERSHIP OF JONATHAN

Jonathan Succeeds Judas.

23After the death of Judas, the lawless raised their heads in every part of Israel, and all kinds of evildoers appeared.

24In those days there was a very great famine, and the country deserted to them.

25Bacchides chose renegades and made them masters of the country.

26These sought out and hunted down the friends of Judas and brought them to Bacchides, who punished and derided them.

27There was great tribulation in Israel, the like of which had not been since the time prophets ceased to appear among them.

28Then all the friends of Judas came together and said to Jonathan:

29“Ever since your brother Judas died, there has been no one like him to lead us against our enemies, both Bacchides and those of our nation who are hostile to us.

30Now therefore we have chosen you today to be our ruler and leader in his place, to fight our battle.”

31From that moment Jonathan accepted the leadership, and took the place of Judas his brother.

Bacchides Pursues Jonathan.

32When Bacchides learned of it, he sought to kill him.

33But Jonathan and his brother Simon and all who were with him discovered this, and they fled to the wilderness of Tekoa^* and camped by the waters of the pool of Asphar.

[34]^*

35Jonathan sent his brother^* as leader of the convoy to implore his friends, the Nabateans, to let them deposit with them their great quantity of baggage.^b

36But the tribe of Jambri from Medaba^* made a raid and seized and carried off John and everything he had.

37After this, word was brought to Jonathan and his brother Simon: “The tribe of Jambri are celebrating a great wedding, and with a large escort they are bringing the bride, the daughter of one of the great princes of Canaan, from Nadabath.”

38Remembering the blood of John their brother, they went up and hid themselves under cover of the mountain.

39As they watched there appeared a noisy throng with much baggage; then the bridegroom and his friends and kinsmen had come out to meet them with tambourines and musicians with their instruments.

40Jonathan and his party rose up against them from their ambush and killed them. Many fell wounded; the rest fled toward the mountain; all their spoils were taken.

41Thus the wedding was turned into mourning, and the sound of their music into lamentation.

42Having taken their revenge for the blood of their brother, they returned to the marshes of the Jordan.

43When Bacchides heard of it, he came on the sabbath to the banks of the Jordan with a large force.

44Then Jonathan said to his companions, “Let us rise up now and fight for our lives, for today is not like yesterday and the day before.

45The battle is before us, behind us are the waters of the Jordan, on either side of us, marsh and thickets; there is no way of escape.^*

46Cry out now to Heaven so that you may be delivered from the hand of our enemies.”

47When they joined battle, Jonathan raised his hand to strike Bacchides, but Bacchides backed away from him.

48Jonathan and those with him jumped into the Jordan and swam across to the other side, but the enemy did not pursue them across the Jordan.

49About a thousand men on Bacchides’ side fell that day.

50On returning to Jerusalem, Bacchides built strongholds in Judea: the Jericho fortress, as well as Emmaus, Beth-horon, Bethel, Timnath, Pharathon, and Tephon, with high walls and gates and bars.^*

51In each he put a garrison to harass Israel.

52He fortified the city of Beth-zur, Gazara and the citadel, and put troops in them and stores of provisions.

53He took as hostages the sons of the leading people of the country and put them in custody in the citadel at Jerusalem.^c

54In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month,^* Alcimus ordered the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary to be torn down, thus destroying the work of the prophets. But he only began to tear it down.

55Just at that time Alcimus was stricken, and his work was interrupted; his mouth was closed and he was paralyzed, so that he could no longer utter a word or give orders concerning his household.

56Alcimus died in great agony at that time.

57Seeing that Alcimus was dead, Bacchides returned to the king, and the land of Judah was at rest for two years.

58Then all the lawless took counsel and said: “Jonathan and those with him are living in peace and security. Now then, let us have Bacchides return, and he will capture all of them in a single night.”

59So they went and took counsel with him.

60When Bacchides was setting out with a large force, he sent letters secretly to all his allies in Judea, telling them to seize Jonathan and his companions. They were not able to do this, however, because their plan became known.

61In fact, Jonathan’s men seized about fifty of the men of the country who were leaders in the conspiracy and put them to death.

62Then Jonathan and those with him, along with Simon, withdrew to Bethbasi^* in the wilderness; he rebuilt its ruins and fortified it.

63When Bacchides learned of this, he gathered together his whole force and sent word to those who were in Judea.

64He came and camped before Bethbasi, and constructing siege engines, he fought against it for many days.

65Leaving his brother Simon in the city, Jonathan, accompanied by a small group of men, went out into the countryside.

66He struck down Odomera and his kindred and the tribe of Phasiron in their encampment; these men had begun to attack and they were going up with their forces.

67Simon and those with him then sallied forth from the city and set fire to the siege engines.

68They fought against Bacchides, and he was crushed. They caused him great distress, because the enterprise he had planned was in vain.

69He was enraged with the lawless men who had advised him to invade the province. He killed many of them and resolved to return to his own country.

70Jonathan learned of this and sent ambassadors to agree on peace with him and to obtain the release of the prisoners.

71He agreed to do as Jonathan asked. He swore an oath to him that he would never try to do him any harm for the rest of his life;

72and he released to him the prisoners he had previously taken from the land of Judah. Thereupon he returned to his own land and never came into their territory again.

73Then the sword ceased from Israel. Jonathan settled in Michmash;^* he began to judge the people and he eliminated the renegades from Israel.

Matthew 23 : 24-39

24^{* k} Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

25^{* l} “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.

26Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.

27^* “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.

28^m Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

29^* “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,^* you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,

30ⁿ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’

31^o Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;

32now fill up what your ancestors measured out!

33^p You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?

34^{* q} Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,

35so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

36Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The Lament over Jerusalem.^*

37^r “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!^s

38^t Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.

39^u I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

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THE FIRST BOOK OF MACCABEES

The name Maccabee, probably meaning “hammer,” is actually applied in the Books of Maccabees to only one man, Judas, third son of the priest Mattathias and first leader of the revolt against the Seleucid kings who persecuted the Jews (1 Mc 2:4, 66; 2 Mc 8:5, 16; 10:1, 16). Traditionally the name has come to be extended to the brothers of Judas, his supporters, and even to other Jewish heroes of the period, such as the seven brothers (2 Mc 7).

The two Books of Maccabees contain independent accounts of events (in part identical) that accompanied the attempted suppression of Judaism in Palestine in the second century B.C. The vigorous reaction to this attempt established for a time the religious and political independence of the Jews.

First Maccabees was written about 100 B.C., in Hebrew, but the original has not come down to us. Instead, we have an early, pre-Christian, Greek translation full of Hebrew idioms. The author, probably a Palestinian Jew, is unknown. He was familiar with the traditions and sacred books of his people and had access to much reliable information on their recent history (from 175 to 134 B.C.). He may well have played some part in it himself in his youth. His purpose in writing is to record the deliverance of Israel that God worked through the family of Mattathias (5:62)—especially through his three sons, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson, John Hyrcanus. The writer compares their virtues and their exploits with those of Israel’s ancient heroes, the Judges, Samuel, and David.

There are seven poetic sections in the book that imitate the style of classical Hebrew poetry: four laments (1:25–28, 36–40; 2:7–13; 3:45), and three hymns of praise of “our fathers” (2:51–64), of Judas (3:3–9), and of Simon (14:4–15). The doctrine expressed in the book is the customary belief of Israel, without the new developments which appear in 2 Maccabees and Daniel. The people of Israel have been specially chosen by the one true God as covenant-partner, and they alone are privileged to know and worship God, their eternal benefactor and unfailing source of help. The people, in turn, must worship the Lord alone and observe exactly the precepts of the law given to them. The rededication of the Jerusalem Temple described in 4:36–59 (see 2 Mc 10:1–8) is the origin of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah.

Unlike the Second Book of Maccabees, there is no doctrine of individual immortality except in the survival of one’s name and fame, nor does the book express any messianic expectation, though messianic images are applied historically to “the days of Simon” (1 Mc 14:4–17). In true Deuteronomic tradition, the author insists on fidelity to the law as the expression of Israel’s love for God. The contest which he describes is a struggle, not simply between Jew and Gentile, but between those who would uphold the law and those, Jews or Gentiles, who would destroy it. His severest condemnation goes, not to the Seleucid politicians, but to the lawless apostates among his own people, adversaries of Judas and his brothers, who are models of faith and loyalty.

The first and second Books of Maccabees, though regarded by Jews and Protestants as apocryphal, i.e., not inspired Scripture, because not contained in the Jewish list of books drawn up at the end of the first century A.D., have always been accepted by the Catholic Church as inspired and are called “deuterocanonical” to indicate that they are canonical even though disputed by some.

First Maccabees can be divided as follows:

1. Crisis and Response (1:1–2:70)
2. Leadership of Judas Maccabeus (3:1–9:22)
3. Leadership of Jonathan (9:23–12:53)
4. Leadership of Simon (13:1–16:24)

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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

The position of the Gospel according to Matthew as the first of the four gospels in the New Testament reflects both the view that it was the first to be written, a view that goes back to the late second century A.D., and the esteem in which it was held by the church; no other was so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity. Although the majority of scholars now reject the opinion about the time of its composition, the high estimation of this work remains. The reason for that becomes clear upon study of the way in which Matthew presents his story of Jesus, the demands of Christian discipleship, and the breaking-in of the new and final age through the ministry but particularly through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The gospel begins with a narrative prologue (Mt 1:1–2:23), the first part of which is a genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham, the father of Israel (Mt 1:1–17). Yet at the beginning of that genealogy Jesus is designated as “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1). The kingly ancestor who lived about a thousand years after Abraham is named first, for this is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the royal anointed one (Mt 1:16). In the first of the episodes of the infancy narrative that follow the genealogy, the mystery of Jesus’ person is declared. He is conceived of a virgin by the power of the Spirit of God (Mt 1:18–25). The first of the gospel’s fulfillment citations, whose purpose it is to show that he was the one to whom the prophecies of Israel were pointing, occurs here (Mt 1:23): he shall be named Emmanuel, for in him God is with us.

The announcement of the birth of this newborn king of the Jews greatly troubles not only King Herod but all Jerusalem (Mt 2:1–3), yet the Gentile magi are overjoyed to find him and offer him their homage and their gifts (Mt 2:10–11). Thus his ultimate rejection by the mass of his own people and his acceptance by the Gentile nations is foreshadowed. He must be taken to Egypt to escape the murderous plan of Herod. By his sojourn there and his subsequent return after the king’s death he relives the Exodus experience of Israel. The words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Hosea, “Out of Egypt I called my son,” are fulfilled in him (Mt 2:15); if Israel was God’s son, Jesus is so in a way far surpassing the dignity of that nation, as his marvelous birth and the unfolding of his story show (see Mt 3:17; 4:1–11; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16; 27:54). Back in the land of Israel, he must be taken to Nazareth in Galilee because of the danger to his life in Judea, where Herod’s son Archelaus is now ruling (Mt 2:22–23). The sufferings of Jesus in the infancy narrative anticipate those of his passion, and if his life is spared in spite of the dangers, it is because his destiny is finally to give it on the cross as “a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). Thus the word of the angel will be fulfilled, “…he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21; cf. Mt 26:28).

In Mt 4:12 Matthew begins his account of the ministry of Jesus, introducing it by the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist (Mt 3:1–12), the baptism of Jesus that culminates in God’s proclaiming him his “beloved Son” (Mt 3:13–17), and the temptation in which he proves his true sonship by his victory over the devil’s attempt to deflect him from the way of obedience to the Father (Mt 4:1–11). The central message of Jesus’ preaching is the coming of the kingdom of heaven and the need for repentance, a complete change of heart and conduct, on the part of those who are to receive this great gift of God (Mt 4:17). Galilee is the setting for most of his ministry; he leaves there for Judea only in Mt 19:1, and his ministry in Jerusalem, the goal of his journey, is limited to a few days (Mt 21:1–25:46).

In this extensive material there are five great discourses of Jesus, each concluding with the formula “When Jesus finished these words” or one closely similar (Mt 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). These are an important structure of the gospel. In every case the discourse is preceded by a narrative section, each narrative and discourse together constituting a “book” of the gospel. The discourses are, respectively, the “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5:3–7:27), the missionary discourse (Mt 10:5–42), the parable discourse (Mt 13:3–52), the “church order” discourse (Mt 18:3–35), and the eschatological discourse (Mt 24:4–25:46). In large measure the material of these discourses came to Matthew from his tradition, but his work in modifying and adding to what he had received is abundantly evident. No other evangelist gives the teaching of Jesus with such elegance and order as he.

In the “Sermon on the Mount” the theme of righteousness is prominent, and even at this early stage of the ministry the note of opposition is struck between Jesus and the Pharisees, who are designated as “the hypocrites” (Mt 6:2, 5, 16). The righteousness of his disciples must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees; otherwise, in spite of their alleged following of Jesus, they will not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:20). Righteousness means doing the will of the heavenly Father (Mt 7:21), and his will is proclaimed in a manner that is startling to all who have identified it with the law of Moses. The antitheses of the Sermon (Mt 5:21–48) both accept (Mt 5:21–30, 43–48) and reject (Mt 5:31–42) elements of that law, and in the former case the understanding of the law’s demands is deepened and extended. The antitheses are the best commentary on the meaning of Jesus’ claim that he has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law (Mt 5:17). What is meant by fulfillment of the law is not the demand to keep it exactly as it stood before the coming of Jesus, but rather his bringing the law to be a lasting expression of the will of God, and in that fulfillment there is much that will pass away. Should this appear contradictory to his saying that “until heaven and earth pass away” not even the smallest part of the law will pass (Mt 5:18), that time of fulfillment is not the dissolution of the universe but the coming of the new age, which will occur with Jesus’ death and resurrection. While righteousness in the new age will continue to mean conduct that is in accordance with the law, it will be conduct in accordance with the law as expounded and interpreted by Jesus (cf. Mt 28:20, “…all that I have commanded you”).

Though Jesus speaks harshly about the Pharisees in the Sermon, his judgment is not solely a condemnation of them. The Pharisees are portrayed as a negative example for his disciples, and his condemnation of those who claim to belong to him while disobeying his word is no less severe (Mt 7:21–23, 26–27).

In Mt 4:23 a summary statement of Jesus’ activity speaks not only of his teaching and proclaiming the gospel but of his “curing every disease and illness among the people”; this is repeated almost verbatim in Mt 9:35. The narrative section that follows the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 8:1–9:38) is composed principally of accounts of those merciful deeds of Jesus, but it is far from being simply a collection of stories about miraculous cures. The nature of the community that Jesus will establish is shown; it will always be under the protection of him whose power can deal with all dangers (Mt 8:23–27), but it is only for those who are prepared to follow him at whatever cost (Mt 8:16–22), not only believing Israelites but Gentiles who have come to faith in him (Mt 8:10–12). The disciples begin to have some insight, however imperfect, into the mystery of Jesus’ person. They wonder about him whom “the winds and the sea obey” (Mt 8:27), and they witness his bold declaration of the forgiveness of the paralytic’s sins (Mt 9:2). That episode of the narrative moves on two levels. When the crowd sees the cure that testifies to the authority of Jesus, the Son of Man, to forgive sins (Mt 9:6), they glorify God “who had given such authority to human beings” (Mt 9:8). The forgiveness of sins is now not the prerogative of Jesus alone but of “human beings,” that is, of the disciples who constitute the community of Jesus, the church. The ecclesial character of this narrative section could hardly be more plainly indicated.

The end of the section prepares for the discourse on the church’s mission (Mt 10:5–42). Jesus is moved to pity at the sight of the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36), and he sends out the twelve disciples to make the proclamation with which his own ministry began, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7; cf. Mt 4:17), and to drive out demons and cure the sick as he has done (Mt 10:1). Their mission is limited to Israel (Mt 10:5–6) as Jesus’ own was (Mt 15:24), yet in Mt 15:16 that perspective broadens and the discourse begins to speak of the mission that the disciples will have after the resurrection and of the severe persecution that will attend it (Mt 10:18). Again, the discourse moves on two levels: that of the time of Jesus and that of the time of the church.

The narrative section of the third book (Mt 11:2–12:50) deals with the growing opposition to Jesus. Hostility toward him has already been manifested (Mt 8:10; 9:3, 10–13, 34), but here it becomes more intense. The rejection of Jesus comes, as before, from Pharisees, who take “counsel against him to put him to death” (Mt 12:14) and repeat their earlier accusation that he drives out demons because he is in league with demonic power (Mt 12:22–24). But they are not alone in their rejection. Jesus complains of the lack of faith of “this generation” of Israelites (Mt 11:16–19) and reproaches the towns “where most of his mighty deeds had been done” for not heeding his call to repentance (Mt 11:20–24). This dark picture is relieved by Jesus’ praise of the Father who has enabled “the childlike” to accept him (Mt 11:25–27), but on the whole the story is one of opposition to his word and blindness to the meaning of his deeds. The whole section ends with his declaring that not even the most intimate blood relationship with him counts for anything; his only true relatives are those who do the will of his heavenly Father (Mt 12:48–50).

The narrative of rejection leads up to the parable discourse (Mt 13:3–52). The reason given for Jesus’ speaking to the crowds in parables is that they have hardened themselves against his clear teaching, unlike the disciples to whom knowledge of “the mysteries of the kingdom has been granted” (Mt 13:10–16). In Mt 13:36 he dismisses the crowds and continues the discourse to his disciples alone, who claim, at the end, to have understood all that he has said (Mt 13:51). But, lest the impression be given that the church of Jesus is made up only of true disciples, the explanation of the parable of the weeds among the wheat (Mt 13:37–43), as well as the parable of the net thrown into the sea “which collects fish of every kind” (Mt 13:47–49), shows that it is composed of both the righteous and the wicked, and that separation between the two will be made only at the time of the final judgment.

In the narrative that constitutes the first part of the fourth book of the gospel (Mt 13:54–17:27), Jesus is shown preparing for the establishment of his church with its teaching authority that will supplant the blind guidance of the Pharisees (Mt 15:13–14), whose teaching, curiously said to be that of the Sadducees also, is repudiated by Jesus as the norm for his disciples (Mt 16:6, 11–12). The church of Jesus will be built on Peter (Mt 16:18), who will be given authority to bind and loose on earth, an authority whose exercise will be confirmed in heaven (Mt 16:19). The metaphor of binding and loosing has a variety of meanings, among them that of giving authoritative teaching. This promise is made to Peter directly after he has confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16), a confession that he has made as the result of revelation given to him by the heavenly Father (Mt 16:17); Matthew’s ecclesiology is based on his high christology.

Directly after that confession Jesus begins to instruct his disciples about how he must go the way of suffering and death (Mt 16:21). Peter, who has been praised for his confession, protests against this and receives from Jesus the sharpest of rebukes for attempting to deflect Jesus from his God-appointed destiny. The future rock upon whom the church will be built is still a man of “little faith” (see Mt 14:31). Both he and the other disciples must know not only that Jesus will have to suffer and die but that they too will have to follow him on the way of the cross if they are truly to be his disciples (Mt 16:24–25).

The discourse following this narrative (Mt 18:1–35) is often called the “church order” discourse, although that title is perhaps misleading since the emphasis is not on the structure of the church but on the care that the disciples must have for one another in respect to guarding each other’s faith in Jesus (Mt 18:6–7), to seeking out those who have wandered from the fold (Mt 18:10–14), and to repeated forgiving of their fellow disciples who have offended them (Mt 18:21–35). But there is also the obligation to correct the sinful fellow Christian and, should one refuse to be corrected, separation from the community is demanded (Mt 18:15–18).

The narrative of the fifth book (Mt 19:1–23:39) begins with the departure of Jesus and his disciples from Galilee for Jerusalem. In the course of their journey Jesus for the third time predicts the passion that awaits him at Jerusalem and also his resurrection (Mt 20:17–19). At his entrance into the city he is hailed as the Son of David by the crowds accompanying him (Mt 21:9). He cleanses the temple (Mt 21:12–17), and in the few days of his Jerusalem ministry he engages in a series of controversies with the Jewish religious leaders (Mt 21:23–27; 22:15–22, 23–33, 34–40, 41–46), meanwhile speaking parables against them (Mt 21:28–32, 33–46), against all those Israelites who have rejected God’s invitation to the messianic banquet (Mt 22:1–10), and against all, Jew and Gentile, who have accepted but have shown themselves unworthy of it (Mt 22:11–14). Once again, the perspective of the evangelist includes not only the time of Jesus’ ministry but that of the preaching of the gospel after his resurrection. The narrative culminates in Jesus’ denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, reflecting not only his own opposition to them but that of Matthew’s church (Mt 23:1–36), and in Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem (Mt 23:37–39).

In the discourse of the fifth book (Mt 24:1–25:46), the last of the great structural discourses of the gospel, Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple and his own final coming. The time of the latter is unknown (Mt 24:36, 44), and the disciples are exhorted in various parables to live in readiness for it, a readiness that entails faithful attention to the duties of the interim period (Mt 24:45–25:30). The coming of Jesus will bring with it the great judgment by which the everlasting destiny of all will be determined (Mt 25:31–46).

The story of Jesus’ passion and resurrection (Mt 26:1–28:20), the climax of the gospel, throws light on all that has preceded. In Matthew “righteousness” means both the faithful response to the will of God demanded of all to whom that will is announced and also the saving activity of God for his people (see Mt 3:15; 5:6; 6:33). The passion supremely exemplifies both meanings of that central Matthean word. In Jesus’ absolute faithfulness to the Father’s will that he drink the cup of suffering (Mt 26:39), the incomparable model for Christian obedience is given; in his death “for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28), the saving power of God is manifested as never before.

Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus in his passion combines both the majestic serenity of the obedient Son who goes his destined way in fulfillment of the scriptures (Mt 26:52–54), confident of his ultimate vindication by God, and the depths of fear and abandonment that he feels in face of death (Mt 26:38–39; 27:46). These two aspects are expressed by an Old Testament theme that occurs often in the narrative, i.e., the portrait of the suffering Righteous One who complains to God in his misery, but is certain of eventual deliverance from his terrible ordeal.

The passion-resurrection of God’s Son means nothing less than the turn of the ages, a new stage of history, the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom (Mt 28:18; cf. Mt 16:28). That is the sense of the apocalyptic signs that accompany Jesus’ death (Mt 27:51–53) and resurrection (Mt 28:2). Although the old age continues, as it will until the manifestation of Jesus’ triumph at his parousia, the final age has now begun. This is known only to those who have seen the Risen One and to those, both Jews and Gentiles, who have believed in their announcement of Jesus’ triumph and have themselves become his disciples (cf. Mt 28:19). To them he is constantly, though invisibly, present (Mt 28:20), verifying the name Emmanuel, “God is with us” (cf. Mt 1:23).

The questions of authorship, sources, and the time of composition of this gospel have received many answers, none of which can claim more than a greater or lesser degree of probability. The one now favored by the majority of scholars is the following.

The ancient tradition that the author was the disciple and apostle of Jesus named Matthew (see Mt 10:3) is untenable because the gospel is based, in large part, on the Gospel according to Mark (almost all the verses of that gospel have been utilized in this), and it is hardly likely that a companion of Jesus would have followed so extensively an account that came from one who admittedly never had such an association rather than rely on his own memories. The attribution of the gospel to the disciple Matthew may have been due to his having been responsible for some of the traditions found in it, but that is far from certain.

The unknown author, whom we shall continue to call Matthew for the sake of convenience, drew not only upon the Gospel according to Mark but upon a large body of material (principally, sayings of Jesus) not found in Mark that corresponds, sometimes exactly, to material found also in the Gospel according to Luke. This material, called “Q” (probably from the first letter of the German word Quelle, meaning “source”), represents traditions, written and oral, used by both Matthew and Luke. Mark and Q are sources common to the two other synoptic gospels; hence the name the “Two-Source Theory” given to this explanation of the relation among the synoptics.

In addition to what Matthew drew from Mark and Q, his gospel contains material that is found only there. This is often designated “M,” written or oral tradition that was available to the author. Since Mark was written shortly before or shortly after A.D. 70 (see Introduction to Mark), Matthew was composed certainly after that date, which marks the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans at the time of the First Jewish Revolt (A.D. 66–70), and probably at least a decade later since Matthew’s use of Mark presupposes a wide diffusion of that gospel. The post-A.D. 70 date is confirmed within the text by Mt 22:7, which refers to the destruction of Jerusalem.

As for the place where the gospel was composed, a plausible suggestion is that it was Antioch, the capital of the Roman province of Syria. That large and important city had a mixed population of Greek-speaking Gentiles and Jews. The tensions between Jewish and Gentile Christians there in the time of Paul (see Gal 2:1–14) in respect to Christian obligation to observe Mosaic law are partially similar to tensions that can be seen between the two groups in Matthew’s gospel. The church of Matthew, originally strongly Jewish Christian, had become one in which Gentile Christians were predominant. His gospel answers the question how obedience to the will of God is to be expressed by those who live after the “turn of the ages,” the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The principal divisions of the Gospel according to Matthew are the following:

1. The Infancy Narrative (1:1–2:23)
2. The Proclamation of the Kingdom (3:1–7:29)
3. Ministry and Mission in Galilee (8:1–11:1)
4. Opposition from Israel (11:2–13:53)
5. Jesus, the Kingdom, and the Church (13:54–18:35)
6. Ministry in Judea and Jerusalem (19:1–25:46)
7. The Passion and Resurrection (26:1–28:20)

I. THE INFANCY NARRATIVE