How do rival payments and intervention by a royal favorite affect justice?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The account traces purchased office, neglected worship, theft, murder and a reversed judgment that condemns innocent advocates.

Chapter breakdown

Simon, previously described as betraying the money and country, slanders Onias as though he had incited Heliodorus and promoted evil, calling him a traitor despite his defense of the nation and zeal for God’s law. Some of Simon’s friends commit murders. Onias sees danger in the contention, with governor Apollonius’s outrageous conduct increasing Simon’s malice. He goes to the king for the common good, not to accuse his countrymen, believing that peace and an end to Simon’s folly require the king’s care.

After Seleucus dies and Antiochus the Illustrious takes the kingdom, Onias’s brother Jason ambitiously seeks the high priesthood. He promises three hundred and sixty silver talents and eighty from other revenues, plus one hundred and fifty more for permission to establish places for exercise and youth and call Jerusalem’s people Antiochians. With royal approval and authority, he introduces heathen fashions. He abolishes royal favors secured through John, father of Eupolemus, who went to Rome for friendship and alliance, and overturns lawful civic ordinances. Beneath the castle he sets an exercise place and puts the choicest youths in brothel houses. The narrator calls this an increase, not the beginning, of foreign manners and condemns Jason as impious and no priest.

Priests neglect altar duties and sacrifices for games, their unlawful allowance and discus exercise. They prize Grecian glories over ancestral honors, pursuing the ordinances of those described as their enemies and murderers. The narrator warns that wrongdoing against God’s laws does not go unpunished, with the following time to show it. At Tyre’s fifth-year games, attended by the king, Jason sends three hundred silver didrachmas for Hercules’s sacrifice. The bearers ask to use it for other charges because sacrifice is unnecessary, and it goes toward making galleys. Their inward conscientious motive and the ships’ military purpose are not specified.

Apollonius son of Mnestheus goes to Egypt to treat with king Philometor’s nobles. Learning he is excluded from that kingdom’s affairs, Antiochus consults his own interest and comes through Joppe to Jerusalem. Jason and the city receive him magnificently with torch lights and praises; he returns with his army to Phenicia. Three years afterward Jason sends Menelaus, Simon’s brother, to bring money and obtain answers on necessary affairs. Menelaus gains recommendation, magnifies the appearance of his power and obtains the high priesthood by offering three hundred silver talents more than Jason. The narrator describes his return as bringing nothing worthy of the office, with a tyrant’s mind and savage rage. Jason, who undermined his brother, is now undermined and flees to the Ammonites.

Menelaus neglects his promised payment when castle governor Sostratus, responsible for tax collection, demands it. Both are summoned before the king. The text says Menelaus is removed from the priesthood and his brother Lysimachus succeeds, while Sostratus is made governor of the Cyprians; it does not merely say Menelaus leaves a deputy. Tharsus and Mallos rebel after being given as a gift to the king’s concubine, named Antiochus in this edition. The king hastens to appease them, leaving the noble Andronicus as deputy.

Judging the time convenient, Menelaus steals gold temple vessels, gives some to Andronicus and sells others in Tyre and neighboring cities. Onias learns this certainly and reproves him from a safe place at Antioch beside Daphne. Menelaus asks Andronicus to kill Onias. Andronicus gives his right hand with an oath; though Onias suspects him, he persuades Onias out of the sanctuary and immediately kills him unjustly. Jews and other nations grieve with indignation. After the king returns from Cilicia, Jews at Antioch and Greeks complain. Antiochus weeps for Onias, remembering his sobriety and modesty, then angrily orders Andronicus stripped of purple, led through the whole city and executed at the murder’s place. The narrator presents this as the Lord’s deserved repayment.

Many temple sacrileges by Lysimachus, advised by Menelaus, and reports of carried-off gold bring the multitude against him. As they rise in anger, Lysimachus arms about three thousand men under Tyrannus, described as advanced in age and madness, and begins violence. People take stones and strong clubs or throw ashes upon Lysimachus. Many of his force are wounded, some knocked down and all put to flight; Lysimachus is killed beside the treasury. No door location or precise crowd size is supplied.

An accusation follows against Menelaus. At Tyre three men sent by the ancients plead the cause before the king; their own status as elders and eloquence are not specified. Convicted Menelaus promises Ptolemee much money to win royal favor. The note identifies Ptolemee as Dorymenus’s son and the king’s favorite. He approaches the king in a court where he is cooling himself and changes his mind. Menelaus is acquitted, while the advocates are condemned to death; the narrator says even Scythians would have judged them innocent. Their cause concerned city, people and sacred vessels. Tyrians indignantly provide generously for their burial. Menelaus remains in authority through those in power’s covetousness, increasing his betrayal of citizens.

The story inside

Onias seeks royal help against escalating violence. Jason buys authority and introduces foreign practices; Menelaus obtains the office with a higher offer. Theft and Onias’s murder bring royal punishment for Andronicus, but the later proceeding is reversed after Ptolemee’s intervention, preserving Menelaus’s authority.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Jason’s promises are three hundred sixty, eighty and a conditional hundred fifty talents.
2
The edition says Menelaus is removed and Lysimachus succeeds, rather than silently describing a deputy appointment.
3
The bearers divert the Hercules contribution to galleys; their inward motive is not narrated.

Test your recall

What does Menelaus promise Ptolemee after being convicted?

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 108410–108473
4:7. But after the death of Seleucus, when Antiochus, who was called the Illustrious, had taken possession of the kingdom, Jason, the brother of Onias, ambitiously sought the high priesthood: 4:8. And went to the king, promising him three hundred and sixty talents of silver, and out of other revenues fourscore talents. 4:9. Besides this he promised also a hundred and fifty more, if he might have license to set him up a place for exercise, and a place for youth, and to entitle them that were at Jerusalem, Antiochians. 4:10. Which when the king had granted, and he had gotten the rule into his hands, forthwith he began to bring over his countrymen to the fashion of the heathens. 4:11. And abolishing those things, which had been decreed of special favour by the kings in behalf of the Jews, by the means of John, the father of that Eupolemus, who went ambassador to Rome to make amity and alliance, he disannulled the lawful ordinances of the citizens, and brought in fashions that were perverse. 4:12. For he had the boldness to set up, under the very castle, a place of exercise, and to put all the choicest youths in brothel houses. 4:13. Now this was not the beginning, but an increase, and progress of heathenish and foreign manners, through the abominable and unheard of wickedness of Jason, that impious wretch, and no priest. 4:14. Insomuch that the priests were not now occupied about the offices of the altar, but despising the temple and neglecting the sacrifices, hastened to be partakers of the games, and of the unlawful allowance thereof, and of the exercise of the discus. 4:15. And setting nought by the honours of their fathers, they esteemed the Grecian glories for the best: 4:16. For the sake of which they incurred a dangerous contention, and followed earnestly their ordinances, and in all things they coveted to be like them, who were their enemies and murderers. 4:17. For acting wickedly against the laws of God doth not pass unpunished: but this the time following will declare. 4:18. Now when the game that was used every fifth year was kept at Tyre, the king being present, 4:19. The wicked Jason sent from Jerusalem sinful men, to carry three hundred didrachmas of silver for the sacrifice of Hercules; but the bearers thereof desired it might not be bestowed on the sacrifices, because it was not necessary, but might be deputed for other charges. 4:20. So the money was appointed by him that sent it to the sacrifice of Hercules: but because of them that carried it was employed for the making of galleys. 4:21. Now when Apollonius, the son of Mnestheus was sent into Egypt to treat with the nobles of king Philometor, and Antiochus understood that he was wholly excluded from the affairs of the kingdom, consulting his own interest, he departed thence and came to Joppe, and from thence to Jerusalem. 4:22. Where he was received in a magnificent manner by Jason, and the city, and came in with torch lights, and with praises, and from thence he returned with his army into Phenicia.
Lines 108491–108584
4:27. So Menelaus got the principality: but as for the money he had promised to the king, he took no care, when Sostratus, the governor of the castle, called for it. 4:28. For to him appertained the gathering of the taxes: wherefore they were both called before the king. 4:29. And Menelaus was removed from the priesthood, Lysimachus, his brother, succeeding: and Sostratus was made governor of the Cyprians. 4:30. When these things were in doing, it fell out that they of Tharsus, and Mallos, raised a sedition, because they were given for a gift to Antiochus, the king’s concubine. 4:31. The king, therefore, went in all haste to appease them, leaving Andronicus, one of his nobles, for his deputy. 4:32. Then Menelaus supposing that he had found a convenient time, having stolen certain vessels of gold out of the temple, gave them to Andronicus, and others he had sold at Tyre, and in the neighbouring cities: 4:33. Which when Onias understood most certainly, he reproved him, keeping himself in a safe place at Antioch, beside Daphne. 4:34. Whereupon Menelaus coming to Andronicus, desired him to kill Onias. And he went to Onias, and gave him his right hand with an oath, and (though he were suspected by him) persuaded him to come forth out of the sanctuary, and immediately slew him, without any regard to justice. 4:35. For which cause not only the Jews, but also the other nations, conceived indignation, and were much grieved for the unjust murder of so great a man. 4:36. And when the king was come back from the places of Cilicia, the Jews that were at Antioch, and also the Greeks, went to him: complaining of the unjust murder of Onias. 4:37. Antiochus, therefore, was grieved in his mind for Onias, and being moved to pity, shed tears, remembering the sobriety and modesty of the deceased. 4:38. And being inflamed to anger, he commanded Andronicus to be stripped of his purple, and to be led about through all the city: and that in the same place wherein he had committed the impiety against Onias, the sacrilegious wretch should be put to death, the Lord repaying him his deserved punishment. 4:39. Now when many sacrileges had been committed by Lysimachus in the temple, by the counsel of Menelaus, and the rumour of it was spread abroad, the multitude gathered themselves together against Lysimachus, a great quantity of gold being already carried away. 4:40. Wherefore the multitude making an insurrection, and their minds being filled with anger, Lysimachus armed about three thousand men, and began to use violence, one Tyrannus being captain, a man far gone both in age and in madness. 4:41. But when they perceived the attempt of Lysimachus, some caught up stones, some strong clubs, and some threw ashes upon Lysimachus. 4:42. And many of them were wounded, and some struck down to the ground, but all were put to flight: and as for the sacrilegious fellow himself, they slew him beside the treasury. 4:43. Now concerning these matters, an accusation was laid against Menelaus. 4:44. And when the king was come to Tyre, three men were sent from the ancients to plead the cause before him. 4:45. But Menelaus being convicted, promised Ptolemee to give him much money to persuade the king to favour him. Ptolemee.... The son of Dorymenus, a favourite of the king. 4:46. So Ptolemee went to the king in a certain court where he was, as it were to cool himself, and brought him to be of another mind: 4:47. So Menelaus, who was guilty of all the evil, was acquitted by him of the accusations: and those poor men, who, if they had pleaded their cause even before Scythians, should have been judged innocent, were condemned to death. 4:48. Thus they that prosecuted the cause for the city, and for the people, and the sacred vessels, did soon suffer unjust punishment. 4:49. Wherefore even the Tyrians, being moved with indignation, were very liberal towards their burial. 4:50. And so through the covetousness of them that were in power, Menelaus continued in authority, increasing in malice to the betraying of the citizens.