This unjuft fentence afforded the traitor Menelaus fuch Menelaus's a complete victory over all his oppofers, that from thence- tyranny and forth he gave himself up to all manner of tyranny and impiety. wickednefs: Jerufalem became deftitute of protectors; the fanhedrim were fo terrified by this laft cruelty exercifed on their deputies, that they no longer dared to oppofe him, though they faw, that every ftep he took was with defign to enflave the nation ftill more, and to overturn the fmall remains of their religion and liberties. This fatal change was occafioned by an accident, which feemed at first of no great confequence, but proved in a little time the cause of all their miferies. Antiochus was then engroffed by the conquest of Egypt, when a false rumour was fpread, that he had been killed before Alexandria. Jafon, who had been forced to retire into the land Jason of Ammon after his depofition, hearing this rumour, forces into thought it was a fit opportunity to attempt the recovery of Jerufalem. his dignity; and that his nation, tired with the Syrian government, and especially with the tyranny of Menelaus, would readily receive him again with open arms. To this end he raised a band of about one thousand refolute men, at the head of whom he quickly appeared before the walls of Jerufalem, which, by the help of a party which he had within that metropolis, he eafily entered, and forced his brother to retire into the citadel; after which fuccefs, minding nothing but his refentment, he committed the most horrid butcheries against fuch of the Commits Jews as he fufpected to have been of the contrary party. horrid He was, however, foon after forced to leave both the city and country, at the news of Antiochus coming with a powerful army against him; for that prince, highly provoked at this rebellion, and especially at the news, that the Jewish nation had made fome rejoicings, at the report of his death, was actually coming with a great army against Jerufalem. The Jews, apprifed of his defign Antiochus against them, seem to have made a ftout refiftance, and takes it by to have given him no small trouble in making his way into form. their metropolis (O); but the gates being at length forced (0) So fays the book of the Maccabees, with whom agree Diodorus Siculus, and even Jofephus, in his Wars of the Jews, where he exprefsly fays, that he laid fiege to that city, and represents him as enraged open, at the trouble it gave him; but E 3 butcheries there. 2178. Yr. of Fl. open, he fpared no cruelty against its unhappy inhabitants, infomuch that within three days they reckoned no less than forty thousand killed, and as many taken captives, and fold for flaves to the neighbouring nations". Ante Chr. 170. His cruelty. Profanes and plun ders the temple. His fury did not ftop here: he caused the traitor Menelaus, who, by this time, had by fome means recovered his good graces, to lead him to the temple, which he entered, even to its moft facred receffes, laying his impious hands on all the veffels that were in it; and caufed the golden altar of incenfe, the golden table of the shewbread, the golden candlestick, the cenfers, bowls, and other utenfils belonging to that holy place, to be seized, together with the golden fhields, crowns, and other ornaments, which had been dedicated to it. He caufed alfo the gold plating that covered the gates, and other architecture of the temple, the veil that divided the holy from the most holy place, and, in a word, all that was valuable, either for its metal or workmanship, to be carried off, befides one thoufand eight hundred talents of gold and filver, which he forced out of the treasury. Having thus glutted his revenge and avarice, he returned in triumph to Antioch 1. As a further mark of his fpleen Judæa un- against that unhappy nation, he put it under the governder brutish ment of one Philip, a moft barbarous Phrygian; and left governors. the apoftate Menelaus in poffeffion of the high-priesthood*. What the Jewish nation fuffered under thofe governors, is more eafily imagined than defcribed; but their miseries were not to end there. Some time after, Antiochus having received a mortifying letter from the Roman fenate, he chose them above all other people to wreck his resentment against, and with as much cruelty, as if they had been the cause of his difgrace. To this end he dispatched from his army, as he was marching through Paleftine, Apollonius, at the head of twenty-two thousand men, with orders to plunder all the cities of Judæa, to murder all the men, and to fave only the women and children, for fale. Apollonius came accordingly with his army, and, to outward appearance, with a peaceable intention. He kept himself inactive till the next fabbath, when they were all Leaves The Jews horridly butchered. Yr. of Fl. 2180. Ante Chr. 168. i 2 Maccab. v. 21. h 2 Maccab. v. ver. 11, & 14. phus might eafily forget him- fome measure atone for feveral inconfiftencies of the fame nature, which are to be met with in his works. in profound quiet, when on a fudden he commanded his men to arms: fome of them he fent to cut all in pieces that were gone to the temple, and to the other fynagogues, whilft the reft, going through the streets of the city, maffacred all that fell in their way, without the least resistance from those unhappy wretches, who suffered themselves to be butchered in that merciless manner, rather than break their fabbath, by ftanding on their defence. He next ordered the city to be plundered, and fet on fire; pulled down all their stately fabrics; caufed the walls to be demolished; and carried away captive about ten thousand of those that had been faved from the flaughter. From that time, the service of the temple was quite abandoned, that place having been every where polluted, both with the blood of the flain, and with many other defilements. From the ruins of the city, the officers of Antiochus built a large fortrefs, on an eminence in the city of David, fortified it with a strong wall, ftately towers, and placed a garifon in it to command the temple, over-against which it was built; fo that the foldiers could eafily fee and fally upon all those that ventured to approach that facred place, fo many of whom were continually plundered and murdered by them, that the reft, not daring to stay longer in Jerufalem, went and dwelt in the neighbouring cities of the Gentiles. In this polluted and forfaken condition did this metropolis, and its temple, continue three full years and a half; that is, till Judas Maccabeus, having wrefted both out of their hands, purified and restored them to their ancient fplendor and use TM (P). The 11 Maccab. i. 30, & feq. 2 Maccab. v. 24, & feq. Jofeph. Antiq. lib. xii. cap. 7. m 1 Maccab. iv. paffim. 2 Maccab. x. Jofeph. ubi fupra, & Præfat. in Bell. Judaic. & Hiftor. de Bell. lib. i. cap. 1. lib. vi. cap. 11. (P) In the time of this perfecution under Antiochus, is generally supposed to have lived Jefus the fon of Sirach, author of the apocryphal book of Ecclefiafticus. Some place him indeed in the time of Onias II. but, by fome paffages fcattered here and there in this work, he feems rather to have lived about the time of Onias III. and when his nation fuffered Lomne grievous perfecution. Who this author was, is neither agreed, nor eafily gueffed. It appears, that his great thirst after wisdom made him pray fervently, study hard, travel much, and undergo many great dangers for it; that he had been unjustly traduced to the king; whence he is fuppofed to have retired into Egypt, and there compofed his book. Laftly, he tells us, that he was the laft writer of E 4 the Jews perjecuted every where. A cruel perfecution in Judæa. Jupiter's Batue fet up in the temple. The fury of this perfecution was not confined to the Jews of Paleftine. Antiochus, refolved either totally to abolish their religion, or to deftroy their whole race, as far at leaft as he could reach them, caufed a decree to be iffued out the following year, that all nations within his dominions fhould forfake their old religion and gods, and worship thofe of the king, under the fevereft penalties, To make his orders more effectual, he fent overfeers into every province to fee them ftrictly put in execution; and as the Jews were the only people, who he knew would difobey them, efpecial directions were given to treat them with the utmoft feverity. Many, therefore, either to avoid the effects of his rage, or to ingratiate themselves with him, not only complied with great readinefs, but, having once apoftatized, became the bittereft enemies of those who had the courage to refuse". It fared far other wife with the Samaritans, whofe zeal, either for the Jewish nation, or the Mofaic law, a much less danger would have cooled (Q ). > But whilst they were peacefully enjoying the fruits of their treacherous complaifance, Atheneas, an old minifter, well verfed in all the heathenifh rites, as well as in cruelty, made thofe of Judæa undergo the moft fevere punifhments for their zeal and firmness to their law. He began with dedicating the temple to Jupiter Olympius, and caufing his ftatue to be erected on the altar of burnt-offerings (R), with * Jofeph. ubi fupra. the Jewish nation who treated of moral fubjects. This is all that we know of the author. (Q) Thefe, to convince the king that they did not defign to die martyrs to either, fent a deputation to him, fetting forth, that though they had hitherto conformed to many of the Jewish fuperftitions, in imitation of their forefathers, who had been perfuaded to it - for their own fafety, yet they were now ready to forfake them, and to embrace the king's religion. They added, that they had a temple on Mount Garizzim, which was dedicated to a God without a name, but Maccab. vi. 21, & feq. (R) This idol was fet up in with another leffer altar before it, whereon they facrificed to that falfe deity. All thofe, therefore, that refused to come and worship it, were either immediately maffacred, or put to fome lingering torments, till they either complied, or expired. At the fame time, altars, groves, and ftatues, were fet up in every city and town of Judæa, to which the inhabitants were compelled to come and facrifice, under the fame fevere penalties. When the feast of Execrable Bacchus revolved, they were either forced to affift at it, butcheries and to go about the streets with their heads crowned with committed in the city ivy, in honour of that beaftly deity, or expofe themselves and counto fome cruel death; all this, while it was made imme- try. diate death to be caught obferving either the fabbath, the rite of circumcifion, or any other branch of the Mofaic law; infomuch that two women, having been found to have circumcifed the children of which they had lately been delivered, were both led, with the infants hung about their necks, through feveral streets of Jerufalem, and caft headlong down from the highest walls of the city; and all that had affifted at the ceremony were put to death °. tire into caverns Thefe unheard-of barbarities obliged many of the Jews Jews reto leave their habitations, and hide themselves among the cragged rocks in holes and caverns, where they lived upon wild roots and herbs. Some of these ventured to affemble in a cavern near Jerufalem, to celebrate the fabbath ; but Philip, their barbarous Phrygian governor, having been informed of their defign, came against them with a fufficient force; and, after having in vain offered them a Yr. of Fl. general amnesty, if they would forfake their religion, and conform to that of the king, he waited, without any other Ante Chr. hoftilities, till the next fabbath; on which, entering the cave without refiftance, he caused them all, men, WOmen, and children, to be maffacred, to the number of a thousand P. As foon as Antiochus had heard that fuch numbers re- Antiochus mained inflexible, he refolved to come in perfon to Jeru- comes to Jerufalem. • Maccab. & Jofeph. ubi fupra. the temple on the fifteenth of the month Cifleu, which anfwers to part of our November and December; but they did not begin to offer facrifices to it till the twenty-fifth of that month, which was the king's P 2 Maccab. vi. 10, & feq. birth-day; fo that from thenceforth they continued facrificing to it every twenty-fifth day of the month, till the Jewish religion and state were restored by Judas Maccabeus. falem, 2180. 168. and maf cred. |