What steps intervene between the Modin raid and renewed peace?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Prayer and a night raid are followed by Bethsura’s resistance, supplies, a spy’s imprisonment, local agreement, further defeat and news of Philip’s rebellion before royal concessions.

Chapter breakdown

In year one hundred forty-nine Judas learns Antiochus Eupator is coming against Judea with Lysias, regent over realm affairs, a hundred ten thousand footmen, five thousand horsemen, twenty-two elephants and three hundred hooked chariots. The note explains differences from First Machabees four through armies’ changing strength: detachments sent away, sickness or fresh troops under differing circumstances. It gives possible explanations rather than proof of a specific change in this force.

Menelaus joins them and deceitfully petitions Antiochus in hope of chief rule, not his country’s welfare. The account attributes Antiochus’s changed mind to the King of kings; Lysias says Menelaus caused the evils, and the king orders arrest and customary execution there. An unnamed location has a fifty-cubit tower with surrounding ashes and a steep drop. Menelaus is thrown into the ashes, everyone thrusting him toward death, and receives no earthly burial. The narrator calls the ash sentence just because he sinned against the altar’s holy fire and ashes. Berea and death by suffocation are not specified.

The king continues raging, intending worse treatment of Jews than his father. Judas orders day-and-night prayer for help, fearing loss of law, country and temple and renewed subjection to blasphemous nations after their brief respite. They weep, fast and prostrate for three days, then Judas urges readiness. He and the ancients decide to go out before the king enters Judea and masters the city, entrusting the event to the Lord’s judgment. He commits all to the Creator, exhorts defense unto death of law, temple, city, country and citizens, and places the army near Modin.

With the watchword The victory of God, he attacks the king’s quarters by night with chosen courageous young men, kills four thousand in camp and the greatest elephant with those upon it. The enemy camp is filled with fear and tumult; they leave successfully. The account places completion at daybreak under the Lord’s protection. A tactical mechanism guaranteeing later peace is not added.

Experiencing Jewish hardiness, the king attempts strongholds by policy. He attacks Bethsura but is repulsed, fails and loses men. Judas sends necessities to those inside. Rhodocus, from the Jewish army, discloses secrets to enemies and is sought, arrested and imprisoned. The king again treats with Bethsura’s occupants, exchanging right hands and departing. He then fights Judas and is overcome. Learning that Philip, left over affairs, has rebelled at Antioch, he is distressed, petitions and yields to the Jews, swears to reasonable terms and, reconciled, sacrifices, honors the temple and gives gifts. He embraces Machabeus and makes him governor and prince from Ptolemais to the Gerrenians.

At Ptolemais residents resent the peace conditions, angry with fear concerning covenant-breaking. Lysias rises to the judgment seat, explains the reason, appeases them and returns to Antioch. The chapter closes the king’s coming and return. It does not record Philip already seizing the city, a signed treaty, or the king and Lysias’s later overthrow.

The story inside

Menelaus’s execution precedes the defensive preparation. Judas and the ancients choose to go out before the city is mastered. The successful raid changes the king’s approach, yet multiple separate events intervene before reconciliation and Ptolemais’s objection.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The army-number note gives detachments, sickness and reinforcements as explanations of varying totals.
2
The tower’s location and a suffocation mechanism are not named.
3
Bethsura’s right-hand agreement and Ptolemais’s appeasement are distinct from the broader peace.

Test your recall

What does Judas send to Bethsura’s defenders?

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 109845–109917
13:1. In the year one hundred and forty-nine, Judas understood that Antiochus Eupator was coming with a multitude against Judea, 13:2. And with him Lysias, the regent, who had charge over the affairs of the realm, having with him a hundred and ten thousand footmen, five thousand horsemen, twenty-two elephants, and three hundred chariots armed with hooks. A hundred and ten thousand, etc.... The difference between the numbers here set down, and those recorded, 1 Mac. 4, is easily accounted for; if we consider that such armies as these are liable to be at one time more numerous than at another; either by sending away large detachments, or being diminished by sickness; or increased by receiving fresh supplies of troops, according to different exigencies or occurrences. 13:3. Menelaus also joined himself with them: and with great deceitfulness besought Antiochus, not for the welfare of his country, but in hopes that he should be appointed chief ruler. 13:4. But the King of kings stirred up the mind of Antiochus against the sinner, and upon Lysias suggesting that he was the cause of all the evils, he commanded (as the custom is with them) that he should be apprehended and put to death in the same place. 13:5. Now there was in that place a tower fifty cubits high, having a heap of ashes on every side: this had a prospect steep down. 13:6. From thence he commanded the sacrilegious wretch to be thrown down into the ashes, all men thrusting him forward unto death. 13:7. And by such a law it happened that Menelaus the transgressor of the law, was put to death: not having so much as burial in the earth. 13:8. And indeed very justly, for insomuch as he had committed many sins against the altar of God, the fire and ashes of which were holy: he was condemned to die in ashes. 13:9. But the king, with his mind full of rage, came on to shew himself worse to the Jews than his father was. 13:10. Which when Judas understood, he commanded the people to call upon the Lord day and night, that as he had always done, so now also he would help them: 13:11. Because they were afraid to be deprived of the law, and of their country, and of the holy temple: and that he would not suffer the people, that had of late taken breath for a little while, to be again in subjection to blasphemous nations. 13:12. So when they had all done this together, and had craved mercy of the Lord with weeping and fasting, lying prostrate on the ground for three days continually, Judas exhorted them to make themselves ready. 13:13. But he, with the ancients, determined before the king should bring his army into Judea, and make himself master of the city, to go out, and to commit the event of the thing to the judgment of the Lord. 13:14. So committing all to God, the Creator of the world, and having exhorted his people to fight manfully, and to stand up even to death for the laws, the temple, the city, their country, and citizens: he placed his army about Modin. 13:15. And having given his company for a watchword, The victory of God, with most valiant chosen young men, he set upon the king’s quarter by night, and slew four thousand men in the camp, and the greatest of the elephants, with them that had been upon him, 13:16. And having filled the camp of the enemies with exceeding great fear and tumult, they went off with good success. 13:17. Now this was done at the break of day, by the protection and help of the Lord.
Lines 109919–109949
13:18. But the king having taken a taste of the hardiness of the Jews, attempted to take the strong places by policy: 13:19. And he marched with his army to Bethsura, which was a strong hold of the Jews: but he was repulsed, he failed, he lost his men. 13:20. Now Judas sent necessaries to them that were within 13:21. But Rhodocus, one of the Jews’ army, disclosed the secrets to the enemies, so he was sought out, and taken up, and put in prison. 13:22. Again the king treated with them that were in Bethsura: gave his right hand: took theirs: and went away. 13:23. He fought with Judas: and was overcome. And when he understood that Philip, who had been left over the affairs, had rebelled at Antioch, he was in a consternation of mind, and entreating the Jews, and yielding to them, he swore to all things that seemed reasonable, and, being reconciled, offered sacrifice, honoured the temple, and left gifts. 13:24. He embraced Machabeus, and made him governor and prince from Ptolemais unto the Gerrenians. 13:25. But when he was come to Ptolemais, the men of that city were much displeased with the conditions of the peace, being angry for fear they should break the covenant. 13:26. Then Lysias went up to the judgment seat, and set forth the reason, and appeased the people, and returned to Antioch: and thus matters went with regard to the king’s coming and his return.