Chapter Fourteen

Demetrius’s campaign to Media and his capture there (Antt. XIII, 5, 11) (1 Macc 14:1-3). The prosperity of Judea under Simon’s rule and his services to his people (1 Macc 14:4-15). Renewal of friendship and alliance with the Romans and Spartans (1 Macc 14:16-24). The perpetuation of Simon’s merits and those of the Maccabean family to the Jewish people on bronze memorial tablets (1 Macc 14:25-49).

1 Maccabees 14:1. In the one hundred and seventy-second year King Demetrius assembled his forces and marched into Media to obtain help there for his war against Trypho. “In the 172nd year” of the Seleucid era — 141–140 BC. Demetrius “marched into Media to obtain help for his war against Trypho.” This statement can only be understood to mean that Demetrius wished first of all to conquer Media, so that from that conquered land he could then gather an auxiliary army for his struggle against Trypho.

1 Maccabees 14:2. But Arsaces, king of Persia and Media, when he heard that Demetrius had entered his territory, sent one of his commanders to take him alive. “Arsaces,” Ἀρσάχης — the common name of all Parthian kings, named after the founder of the Parthian kingdom. Here it is generally held to be Arsaces VI, whose personal name was Mithridates (I). This king annexed to his kingdom all the Seleucid provinces beyond the Euphrates, which had been striving for independence since the time of Antiochus III, and thereby extended his kingdom from the Euphrates to India. In this passage he bears the title of king of Persia and Media after the two most important provinces used to designate the whole kingdom (cf. VI:56). Arsaces sends a commander to seize Demetrius “alive.” It is supposed that by this Arsaces wished to more easily carry out his intention of becoming king of Syria himself. It is also possible that the order to “take him alive” simply expressed contempt for the strength of the opponent.

1 Maccabees 14:3. He set out, defeated the army of Demetrius, took him prisoner, and brought him to Arsaces, who put him in prison. The capture of Demetrius, according to other accounts, did not occur so easily. According to Justin (XXXVI, 1 and XXXVIII, 9), he fought several (“many”) battles with the Parthians and was finally captured only through cunning (under the pretext of peace negotiations and by means of an ambush). As a prisoner he was paraded through all the provinces that had revolted from him, for the final humiliation of himself and his supporters; but later Mithridates’s favor toward him was restored to such a degree that he was even honored with marriage to Mithridates’s daughter Rhodogune, after which he made several unsuccessful attempts at escape — while according to Jos. Antt. VIII, 4 he was released.

1 Maccabees 14:4. And the land of Judea rested all the days of Simon; he sought the good of his people, and his authority and glory pleased them all his days. In the phrase “all the days of Simon” one must make the qualification that toward the end of his reign the peace was disturbed by a new war with Antiochus Sidetes (XV:27 ff.; XVI:1 ff.). What follows (vv. 5–15) lists the glorious deeds and services of Simon to his people.

1 Maccabees 14:5–7. And to add to all his glory, he took Joppa as a harbor and opened access to the islands of the sea; he extended the borders of his people and gained control of the land. He gathered many captives and held sway over Gazara and Beth-zur and the citadel, which he cleansed of defilement, and there was no one to resist him. 1 Macc 14:5-7: The liberation of Judea from the enemy yoke and the extension of its borders. — “He took Joppa as a harbor,” ἔλαβε τὴν Ἰόππην εἰς λιμένα. This expression alludes to the natural unsuitability of Joppa as a harbor, a deficiency that had to be remedied artificially — by improving its port and providing protection from the sea. — “He opened access to the islands of the sea,” i.e., to the trading commerce of their inhabitants with Judea through Joppa. “He gathered many captives,” more precisely in the Slavonic: “he gathered (συνήγαγεν) much captivity” — an expression that evidently means not that he “took” many enemies prisoner in war, but that he “freed” a great many Jewish captives and “gathered” them again in their homeland. On the capture of Gazara, Beth-zur, and “the citadel” (in Jerusalem), see XIII:43 ff.; XI:65 ff. — “There was no one to resist him” — an expression meaning not literally the absence of opponents, but merely the absence of any successful resistance on their part.

1 Maccabees 14:8–10. The Jews peacefully tilled their land, and the land yielded its produce and the trees of the fields their fruit. The elders sat in the streets, all deliberating on matters of public welfare, and the young men put on splendid and military garments. He supplied the cities with provisions and made them into fortified places, so that his glorious name was spoken to the ends of the earth. A description of the civil prosperity of the people. The elders sitting in the streets in peaceful conversation is an image of the peaceful, blessed state of the land (Zech 8:4 ff.). — “On matters of public welfare,” περὶ ἀγαθῶν, more precisely in the Slavonic: “on good things” — de salute publica. — Just as it is fitting and natural for a happy old age to express its contentment in peaceful conversation in the streets, so the self-satisfied mood of the young found expression in flaunting military attire, which at that time could constantly prove useful for defending the homeland against a possible enemy attack. — “Made them into fortified places,” ἔταξεν αὐτὰς ἐν σκεύεσιν ὀχυρώσεως, more precisely in the Slavonic: “he set them in vessels of fortification” — meaning that he not only fortified them, but by supplying them with all kinds of provisions and military equipment made them strongholds capable of firmly and unshakably fulfilling their purpose, even in the event of a very prolonged siege.

1 Maccabees 14:11–15. He restored peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy. Each man sat under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one made them afraid. No one was left in the land who fought against them, and kings were humbled in those days. He strengthened all the poor among his people, sought the fulfillment of the law, and eliminated every lawbreaker and evildoer; he adorned the sanctuary and multiplied the sacred vessels. The restoration of peace in the land. The “sitting” of each person “under his vine and under his fig tree” is an image of contentment, peace, and the generally blessed state of the land, frequently used in Holy Scripture; cf. 1 Kgs 4:25; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10. — “No one was left in the land who fought against them,” more precisely in the Slavonic: “and he that warred against them (ὁ πολεμῶν) was lacking in the land.”

1 Maccabees 14:16–24. When news reached Rome and Sparta that Jonathan had died, they were greatly grieved. But when they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his place and was ruling over the land and the cities in it, they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendship and alliance they had made with his brothers Judas and Jonathan. These were read before the assembly in Jerusalem. This is a copy of the letters that the Spartans sent: “The rulers of the Spartans and the city, to Simon the high priest and to the elders and priests and all the people of the Jews, our brothers — greetings. The envoys sent to our people told us of your glory and honor, and we rejoiced at their arrival and recorded what they said in a public council as follows: Numenius the son of Antiochus and Antipater the son of Jason, envoys of the Jews, came to us to renew the friendship with us. It pleased the people to receive these men with honor and to insert a record of their words in the public registers, as a memorial for the people of Sparta. And a copy of this we have written for the high priest Simon.” After this, Simon sent Numenius to Rome with a large golden shield weighing a thousand minas, to confirm the alliance with them. 1 Macc 14:16-24: Among Simon’s services to his people is counted his renewal of friendship and alliance with the Romans and Spartans. Judging by vv. 16–18, the initiative for this renewal seems to be credited to the Romans themselves; however, it is more natural to think that Simon, and not the Romans, sent the envoys for this purpose, as the matter is also presented in the renewal of friendship with the Spartans (vv. 21–33). This follows still more clearly from v. 24, which explicitly states that “Simon sent Numenius to Rome to conclude an alliance with them,” and the response brought from the Romans by Numenius (cf. XIV:24; XV:15–21) leaves no doubt that Simon himself initiated the matter. — “They wrote” (v. 18) — here one must understand not only the Romans, who had concluded an alliance with Judas and Jonathan (chs. VIII and XII), but also the Spartans, although these had renewed an alliance only with Jonathan (XII:6). This same double subject (Romans and Spartans) also applies to the expression “they were grieved” (v. 16). The Spartan letter (vv. 20–23) is headed not with the name of a king but with “the rulers of the Spartans and the city,” ἄρχοντες Σπαρτιατῶν, i.e., the ephors: after Pelops, who succeeded his father Lycurgus in 211 BC, Sparta had no more kings, and after the assassination of Nabis in 192 BC it had no more tyrants. — The envoys sent to the Spartans were the same as previously, at the time of Jonathan (XII:16). — “In the public registers,” ἐν τοῖς ἀποδεδειγμένοις τοῦ δήμου βιβλίοις, in the Slavonic: “in the special public books,” i.e., books intended for public use and information. “Weighing a thousand minas.” Taking the mina as 1/60 of an ancient Greek talent (see note on XI:28), we get in a thousand minas a value of about 37,000 rubles in our money.

1 Maccabees 14:25–27. When the people heard about this, they said: How shall we thank Simon and his sons? For he stood firm, he and his brothers and his father’s house, and they drove away the enemies of Israel and secured its freedom. And they wrote about this on bronze tablets and set them up on pillars on Mount Zion. This is a copy of what was written: “On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred and seventy-second year — this was the third year under the high priest Simon — “On Mount Zion,” i.e., more precisely on the Temple mount (see note on I:33, and also v. 48 of the present chapter). — “On the 18th day of Elul (i.e., the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year; cf. Neh 6:15) in the 172nd year” of the Seleucid era — 140 BC.

1 Maccabees 14:28. in Asaramel, in a great assembly of priests and people and leaders of the nation and elders of the country, the following was proclaimed to us: “In Asaramel,” ἐν Σαραμέλ (in some texts ἐν ἀσαραμέλ, vet. Lat.: in Asaramel) — an obscure name that is difficult to interpret, probably designating the place of public assemblies in Jerusalem.

1 Maccabees 14:29. Since wars have often occurred in this land, Simon the son of Mattathias, a son of the sons of Jarib, and his brothers exposed themselves to danger and resisted the enemies of their people, in order to preserve its sanctuary and the law, and they brought great glory to their people. “A son of the sons of Jarib,” ὁ υἱὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰαρίβ; see II:1.

1 Maccabees 14:30. Jonathan gathered the people together and became their high priest, and he was gathered to his people. “Jonathan gathered his people,” cf. IX:28–31. — “He was gathered to his people,” i.e., he died (see note on II:69).

1 Maccabees 14:31. But when their enemies planned to invade their land, to ravage their land and lay their hands on their sanctuary, On the enemies’ intentions after Jonathan’s death, see III:1 ff.; 20 ff.; on Simon’s coming forward in defense of the homeland, see XIII:10 ff.

1 Maccabees 14:32–34. Simon then rose up and fought for his people and spent much of his own money, supplying the brave men of his people with weapons and paying their wages. He fortified the cities of Judea and Beth-zur on the borders of Judea, where the weapons of the enemy had formerly been kept, and he stationed a garrison of Jews there. He also fortified Joppa by the sea and Gazara on the borders of Azotus, where the enemy had previously dwelt, and settled Jews there, providing these places with everything needed to restore them. On Beth-zur, see XI:65 ff.; on Joppa, XII:33 ff.; on Gazara, XIII:43–48.

1 Maccabees 14:35–36. The people saw the deeds of Simon and the glory he had sought to bring to his people, and they made him their leader and high priest because of all that he had done, and because of the justice and loyalty he had maintained toward his people, seeking in every way to exalt them. In his days, at his hands, the Gentiles were successfully driven out of the land, as well as those who had occupied the city of David in Jerusalem, who had built themselves a citadel from which they would sally out and defile everything around the sanctuary and cause great harm to its holiness. On the expulsion of the Gentiles from the citadel of Jerusalem, see XIII:49 ff. Vv. 38–39: A reference to Demetrius’s letter, XIII:36–39 ff.

1 Maccabees 14:37–40. He settled Jews there and fortified it for the security of the land and the city, and he raised the walls of Jerusalem. Accordingly, King Demetrius confirmed to him the high priesthood, enrolled him among his friends, and honored him with great glory. For he heard that the Romans had called the Jews friends and allies and brothers and had received the envoys of Simon with honor, “Friends and allies and brothers.” In reality, the Romans called the Jews only φίλοι καὶ σύμμαχοι; cf. v. 18 and note on VIII:20; XV:17.

1 Maccabees 14:41. and that the Jews and priests had agreed that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a faithful Prophet should arise, “Leader and high priest forever.” Here, accordingly, this dignity is recognized as hereditary for Simon’s descendants — for all time (cf. vv. 25 and 49). — “Until a faithful Prophet should arise,” ἕως τοῦ ἀναστῆναι προφήτην πιστόν — a faithful Prophet, that is, one whose pronouncements would command full belief, since he would proclaim divine Revelation, in contrast to prophets who spoke from their own invention. Some have understood this to mean the “Messiah” as well, although the absence of the article ὁ before προφήτης seems to argue against this interpretation. However one interprets it, the faithful Prophet was to decide whether the hereditary dignity of the principate and the high priesthood should be assigned to Simon and his successors — a question made all the more sharply urgent by its intrinsic importance, since a certain innovation was permitted — namely, the transfer of the high-priestly succession to the Hasmonean family (after the flight of Onias, the last legitimate high priest, to Egypt), in which the high priesthood was inseparably joined with kingship, something that was properly to be realized (and “forever, after the order of Melchizedek”) in the person of the promised heir of the house of David (2 Sam 7:14 ff.; cf. 1 Macc 2:57; Ps 109).

1 Maccabees 14:42–49. and that he should be their commander and take charge of the holy things and appoint them over their duties, and over the region, and over the weapons, and over the fortresses, and that he should take charge of the sanctuary, and that all should obey him, and that all contracts in the land should be written in his name, and that he should be clothed in purple and wear a golden ornament. And let no one among the people or the priests be permitted to annul any of these things or to oppose his words, or to convene an assembly in the land without him, or to be clothed in purple or wear a golden clasp. Whoever does anything contrary to this or annuls any of this shall be liable to punishment. And all the people agreed to grant Simon the right to act in accordance with these provisions. Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, commander, and ruler of the Jews and the priests, and to preside over all. And they decided to inscribe this record on bronze tablets and place them in the wall of the sanctuary in a prominent place, and to deposit copies of them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them. * * * The Books of the Maccabees have been translated from the Greek, for they do not exist in Hebrew. Subscribe to our Telegram channel