How does the author distinguish an abridgment from a full history?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The letter preserves remembered records and an invitation; the preface explains a demanding abridgment intended to aid reading, memory and profit.

Chapter breakdown

The letter continues with descriptions of Jeremias. The edition explains these as records or memoirs now lost. Jeremias instructs those going into captivity to take the fire, gives them the law, warns against forgetting the Lord’s commandments when seeing gold and silver idols and their ornaments, and exhorts them not to remove the law from their hearts.

The same writing says that, warned by God, he takes the tabernacle and ark to the mountain where Moses saw God’s inheritance. The chapter does not name that mountain. He finds a hollow cave, puts the tabernacle, ark and incense altar inside, and closes its entrance. Some followers try to mark the place but cannot find it. He rebukes them and says it will remain unknown until God gathers the congregation and receives them to mercy. Then the Lord will show these things, his majesty will appear, and a cloud will appear as with Moses and Solomon’s prayer for sanctification. No date or explicit end-of-time identification is supplied.

The letter recalls Solomon’s magnificent treatment of wisdom and dedication sacrifice at the temple’s completion. It compares fire consuming the holocaust after Moses’s prayer with fire consuming the holocaust after Solomon’s prayer. It separately quotes Moses concerning a sin offering consumed because it was not eaten. Solomon’s dedication lasted eight days.

These matters are said to have been recorded in Nehemias’s memoirs and commentaries. He made a library, gathering books of the prophets and David from the countries, along with kings’ epistles concerning holy gifts. Judas similarly gathered things lost during their war, now in the writers’ possession. If the recipients want them, they should send people to fetch them. This is not an explicit offer to dispatch copies. Nor does this passage identify the library’s location or label every collection item Scripture. The writers invite the recipients to keep the same purification days; the note explains the temple’s cleansing feast. They hope that God, who delivered his people and restored inheritance, kingdom, priesthood and sanctuary, will shortly have mercy and gather them from every land into the holy place, as promised in the law. They recall deliverance from great perils and cleansing of the place.

The author then introduces an abridgment concerning Judas Machabeus and his brethren: purification of the great temple, altar dedication, wars against Antiochus the Illustrious and his son Eupator, heavenly manifestations to those fighting for the Jews, few men overcoming a multitude and mastering the country, recovery of the temple, deliverance of the city and restoration of abolished laws through the Lord’s mercy. Jason of Cyrene treated these matters in five books; the author attempts one.

The stated aims respond to the multitude of books and difficulty of lengthy histories: pleasure of mind for readers, easier memorization for the studious and profit for all readers. Abridging is described as no easy task, involving watching and sweat, willingly undertaken for many like the preparation of a feast. The edition’s note says that divine assistance of sacred writers does not remove labor in finding material or arranging its order and manner. It refers to Luke’s diligent attainment to all things, citing Luke 1:3. That explanation is commentary, distinct from the author’s account of work.

Exact treatment of particulars belongs to the original authors, while this author studies brevity. A master builder cares for the whole building; the painter seeks suitable adornment. Likewise, a historian gathers everything to be known, orders the discourse and discusses each particular, whereas an abridger may pursue brief speech and avoid fine elaboration. The author ends the preface and begins the narration: a long prologue followed by a short story would be foolish.

The story inside

Jeremias’s hidden objects are related through a remembered writing, with recovery left to God’s gathering and mercy. The letter then turns to collected books and common observance. The preface names Jason of Cyrene’s five books and explains why one shorter work requires labor and a different scope from the original history.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The mountain is identified by Moses’s experience, without a supplied name or recovery date.
2
Recipients are asked to send people to fetch collected material; dispatching copies is not stated.
3
The editorial aims are pleasure of mind, easier memory and profit, and the labor annotation remains separately attributed.

Test your recall

How many books of Jason of Cyrene does the author attempt to abridge into one?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 108081–108153
2:1.Now it is found in the descriptions of Jeremias, the prophet, that he commanded them that went into captivity, to take the fire, as it hath been signified, and how he gave charge to them that were carried away into captivity. The descriptions.... That is, the records or memoirs of Jeremias, a work that is now lost. 2:2. And how he gave them the law, that they should not forget the commandments of the Lord, and that they should not err in their minds, seeing the idols of gold, and silver, and the ornaments of them. 2:3. And with other such like speeches, he exhorted them that they would not remove the law from their heart. 2:4. It was also contained in the same writing, how the prophet, being warned by God, commanded that the tabernacle and the ark should accompany him, till he came forth to the mountain where Moses went up, and saw the inheritance of God. 2:5. And when Jeremias came thither he found a hollow cave: and he carried in thither the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. 2:6. Then some of them that followed him, came up to mark the place: but they could not find it. 2:7. And when Jeremias perceived it, he blamed them, saying: The place shall be unknown, till God gather together the congregation of the people, and receive them to mercy. 2:8. And then the Lord will shew these things, and the majesty of the Lord shall appear, and there shall be a cloud as it was also shewed to Moses, and he shewed it when Solomon prayed that the place might be sanctified to the great God. 2:9. For he treated wisdom in a magnificent manner: and like a wise man, he offered the sacrifice of the dedication, and of the finishing of the temple. 2:10. And as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven, and consumed the holocaust: so Solomon also prayed, and fire came down from heaven and consumed the holocaust. 2:11. And Moses said: Because the sin offering was not eaten, it was consumed. 2:12. So Solomon also celebrated the dedication eight days. 2:13. And these same things were set down in the memoirs, and commentaries of Nehemias: and how he made a library, and gathered together out of the countries, the books both of the prophets, and of David, and the epistles of the kings, and concerning the holy gifts. 2:14. And in like manner Judas also gathered together all such things as were lost by the war we had, and they are in our possession. 2:15. Wherefore, if you want these things, send some that may fetch them to you. 2:16. As we are then about to celebrate the purification, we have written unto you: and you shall do well, if you keep the same days. The purification.... That is, the feast of the purifying or cleansing of the temple. 2:17. And we hope that God, who hath delivered his people, and hath rendered to all the inheritance, and the kingdom, and the priesthood, and the sanctuary, 2:18. As he promised in the law, will shortly have mercy upon us, and will gather us together from every land under heaven into the holy place.
Lines 108158–108215
2:20. Now as concerning Judas Machabeus, and his brethren, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar: 2:21. As also the wars against Antiochus, the Illustrious, and his son, Eupator: 2:22. And the manifestations that came from heaven to them, that behaved themselves manfully on the behalf of the Jews, so that, being but a few they made themselves masters of the whole country, and put to flight the barbarous multitude: 2:23. And recovered again the most renowned temple in all the world, and delivered the city, and restored the laws that were abolished, the Lord with all clemency shewing mercy to them. 2:24. And all such things as have been comprised in five books by Jason, of Cyrene, we have attempted to abridge in one book. 2:25. For considering the multitude of books, and the difficulty that they find that desire to undertake the narrations of histories, because of the multitude of the matter, 2:26. We have taken care for those indeed that are willing to read, that it might be a pleasure of mind: and for the studious, that they may more easily commit to memory: and that all that read might receive profit. 2:27. And as to ourselves indeed, in undertaking this work of abridging, we have taken in hand no easy task; yea, rather a business full of watching and sweat. No easy task, etc.... The spirit of God, that assists the sacred penmen, does not exempt them from labour in seeking out the matter which they are to treat of, and the order and manner in which they are to deliver it. So St. Luke writ the gospel having diligently attained to all things. Luke 1. ver. 3. 2:28. But as they that prepare a feast, and seek to satisfy the will of others: for the sake of many, we willingly undergo the labour. 2:29. Leaving to the authors the exact handling of every particular, and as for ourselves, according to the plan proposed, studying to be brief. 2:30. For as the master builder of a new house must have care of the whole building: but he that taketh care to paint it, must seek out fit things for the adorning of it: so must it be judged of us. 2:31. For to collect all that is to be known, to put the discourse in order, and curiously to discuss every particular point, is the duty of the author of a history: 2:32. But to pursue brevity of speech, and to avoid nice declarations of things, is to be granted to him that maketh an abridgment. 2:33. Here then we will begin the narration: let this be enough by way of a preface: for it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue, and to be short in the story itself.