Chapter Two

Mattathias and his sons (1 Macc 2:1-5). Their mourning and grief over the devastation of Judea and Jerusalem (1 Macc 2:6-14). The occasion for the Maccabees’ uprising (1 Macc 2:15-26). Mattathias’s call to revolt by all who were faithful to the Law — for the faith of their fathers — and their withdrawal into the wilderness (1 Macc 2:27-38). The resolution of Mattathias and his companions not to observe the commandment of Sabbath rest in cases of necessary self-defense against attacks; the growth of his followers (1 Macc 2:39-48). The dying Mattathias’s testament to his children, his final instructions, blessing, and death (1 Macc 2:49-70).

1 Maccabees 2:1. In those days Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, arose from Jerusalem; he lived in Modein. “Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon...” — This Simeon is more precisely identified by Josephus with the addition tou Asamonaiou, that is, son of Hasmonaeus (Antiquities Иуд. XII, 6, 1). From the name of this ancestor, the children and grandchildren of Mattathias are generally referred to in Jewish literature as the Hasmoneans; hence such expressions as: he Asamonaion genea, the race of the Hasmoneans (Antiquities Иуд. XIV, 16, 4); hoi Asamonaiou paides, the children of Hasmonaeus (Antiquities XX, 8, 11), and similar ones. — “A priest of the sons of Joarib...” means from the priestly division of Joarib, the first of the twenty-four priestly divisions, corresponding to the priestly genealogical lines into which David organized them when distributing their service in the Temple (1 Chr 24:7). According to Josephus (Vita, 1), this division or genealogy enjoyed preeminent honor above the rest, and descent from it was considered the highest rank in the spiritual hierarchy. Through the word iereus, Mattathias is designated as an ordinary priest, but later Jewish traditions also place him among the high priests, and some interpreters find this possible, pointing to the period when, after the death of Onias III (2 Macc 4:34) and following the apostasy of his brother Jason to paganism (2 Macc 4:7), and also due to the flight of Onias IV to Egypt, the high priesthood, after such disruptions, would naturally have passed to Mattathias. — “Modein” — Modein — was a city lying near Diospolis, that is Lydda, on the road from Jerusalem to Joppa (modern Jaffa), on a hill from which the sea could be seen (1 Macc 13:29).

1 Maccabees 2:2–5. He had five sons: John, who was called Gaddi, Simon, who was called Thassi, Judas, who was called Maccabeus, Eleazar, who was called Avaran, Jonathan, who was called Apphus. All five sons of Mattathias had, in addition to their given names, also nicknames that pointed either to their characteristic qualities or to their deeds. John (properly Iohannan) was called Gaddi — probably from the Hebrew... (Num 13:11, in the LXX — Gaddi), from... — “fortune,” thus — “the fortunate,” “the favored” (possibly an allusion to his martyr’s death, 1 Macc 9:36). Simon was called Thassi, from the Aramaic... — fervere effervescere — and means fervens, “fiery,” “passionate.” Judas bore the nickname Maccabeus (Makkabaios), the same as the Germanic “Martel,” that is, “hammer” (see above, the introduction). Eleazar was called Avaran (Auaran), from the verb... — to pierce, to raise one’s hand, to strike — a probable allusion to his heroic self-sacrificing combat with an elephant, in which the elephant’s death cost him his own life (1 Macc 6:43-46). — Jonathan was called Apphus (Apphous), meaning “secretive,” “cunning.”

1 Maccabees 2:6–10. Seeing the blasphemies that were taking place in Judea and Jerusalem, he said: Woe is me! Why was I born to see the ruin of my people and the ruin of the holy city, and to remain here while it is given into the hands of enemies and the sanctuary into the hands of foreigners? Its Temple has become like a man without honor, its precious vessels have been carried away into captivity, its infants have been slain in the streets, its young men have fallen by the sword of the enemy. What nation has not seized its kingdom and taken possession of its spoils? “What nation has not seized its kingdom?” Mattathias could say this with regard to the diverse composition of the Syrian army, in which representatives of the Philistines, Idumeans, Ammonites, Moabites, Samaritans, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks, and Macedonians (2 Macc 8:9) were all present — longstanding enemies of the Jewish people. All of them had once again together participated in the desecration and devastation of the holy city, justifying the long-standing Jewish contempt for them.

1 Maccabees 2:11–17. All its glory has been taken away; from being free it has become a slave. And now our holy things, our beauty, and our glory are desolate, and the Gentiles have defiled them. Why should we live any longer? And Mattathias and his sons tore their garments and put on sackcloth and mourned bitterly. Then men came from the king to the city of Modein to enforce apostasy, that they should offer sacrifice. And many from Israel joined them; but Mattathias and his sons held firm. Then those who came from the king answered and said to Mattathias: You are a leader, honorable and great in this city, and supported by sons and brothers. “And those who came from the king answered...” Since one normally “answers” a question or objection, and neither is recorded here on Mattathias’s part, it seems natural that those who “came from the king” are here “answering” simply his still-silent protest against their actions (“held firm” — Mattathias and his sons).

1 Maccabees 2:18. So come now, be the first to carry out the king’s command, as all the nations have done, and also the men of Judah and those who have remained in Jerusalem, and you and your household will be numbered among the king’s friends, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts. “Those who have remained in Jerusalem” — as opposed to those who had fled it to save their faith and their lives.

1 Maccabees 2:19–24. And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice: Even if all the nations in the realm of the king obey him and every one of them departs from the worship of his fathers and submits to his commands, yet I and my sons and my brothers will follow the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the Law and its ordinances! We will not obey the words of the king to depart from our worship to the right or to the left. When he had finished speaking these words, a Jewish man came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein according to the king’s command. When Mattathias saw it, he burned with zeal, and his innermost being trembled, and his anger blazed according to the Law, and he ran up and killed him at the altar. “His innermost being trembled” — literally “his kidneys,” which in the understanding of that time were considered to be the seat or center of the emotional faculty.

1 Maccabees 2:25–26. And at the same time he killed the king’s man who had been compelling them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. So he burned with zeal for the Law, just as Phinehas did with Zimri the son of Salu. For a more detailed account of this event, see Num 25:7-8 and following.

1 Maccabees 2:27–30. And Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice: Let everyone who is zealous for the Law and stands by the covenant follow me! And he and his sons fled into the mountains, leaving behind everything they had in the city. Then many who were devoted to righteousness and the Law went out into the wilderness and stayed there — they and their sons and their wives and their livestock — because evils multiplied upon them. 1 Macc 2:28-30: Mattathias and his sons and others who were faithful to righteousness and the Law withdrew into the mountains and the wilderness. These are the Judean hills and the Judean wilderness on the western side of the Dead Sea. Right at the sea, this region is completely devoid of any trace of life or vegetation, but where it is watered by springs it is covered with lush growth, so that the fugitives could find there sufficient means of subsistence for themselves and their livestock. — “Devoted to righteousness and the Law” — Greek: zetountes dikaiosynen kai krima, literally “seeking justice and righteousness,” as translated more precisely in the Slavonic.

1 Maccabees 2:31. And it was reported to the king’s men and the forces stationed in Jerusalem, the city of David, that some men who had violated the king’s command had gone away into hidden places in the wilderness. “In Jerusalem, the city of David...” — that is, in Jerusalem, specifically in the part called “the city of David” (see on this above, at 1 Macc 1:33), which had been turned into a fortress for the Syrian army. — “Hidden places in the wilderness...” The Judean wilderness and its hills abounded in numerous caves and ravines that could serve as convenient refuges for fugitives; David himself had fled from his enemies here (1 Sam 24:4 and many other passages).

1 Maccabees 2:32–33. And many pursued them and overtook them, and encamped against them and drew up in battle array against them on the Sabbath day, and said to them: There is still time; come out and do according to the word of the king, and you will live. “There is still time...” — Greek: heos tou nyn, literally “until now,” “while there is still time...”

1 Maccabees 2:34. But they answered: We will not come out, nor will we do according to the word of the king, and we will not profane the Sabbath day. “We will not come out, nor will we do according to the word of the king, and we will not profane the Sabbath day...” The last statement — about not profaning the Sabbath day — relates properly to the first action (going out to battle). As for the second (obedience to the king’s will), the refusal of the Jews is absolute and clear in itself, regardless of any day of the week.

1 Maccabees 2:35–36. Then they hurried to attack them. But they did not answer them, nor did they throw even a stone at them, nor block off their hidden refuges, “They did not answer them...” — that is, they did not respond with any action to the enemy’s preparations for battle, as is further explained below.

1 Maccabees 2:37–39. and said: Let us all die in our innocence; heaven and earth are witnesses against you that you are destroying us without just cause. And they attacked them on the Sabbath, and they died — they and their wives and their children and their livestock — as many as a thousand souls. When Mattathias and his friends learned of it, they mourned bitterly over them; “They mourned bitterly over them...” — Greek: heos sphodra, Slavonic: “plakashesya o nikh zelo” (“wept over them greatly”).

1 Maccabees 2:40–41. and said to one another: If we all do as our brothers have done and refuse to fight against the Gentiles for our lives and our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth. And they resolved that same day, saying: Whoever comes against us to battle on the Sabbath day, we will fight against him, so that we do not all die as our brothers died in their hidden places. The resolution — to defend oneself against enemy attacks on the Sabbath day — in no way contradicts the spirit of Mosaic legislation. According to the meaning of the law concerning the Sabbath, only domestic and civic activities are prohibited on that day, but not acts of necessity, such as the defense of life and property against enemy attack. — To passively accept death on the Sabbath at the hands of enemies is characteristic only of holy simplicity and Pharisaic servility to the letter of the Law against its spirit — something the Savior so strongly and frequently rebuked in the scribes and Pharisees of his own time.

1 Maccabees 2:42–44. Then there gathered to them a company of Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel, all who were devoted to the Law. And all who were fleeing from disaster joined them and became a reinforcement for them. So they formed an army and in their anger struck down the sinners and in their wrath the lawless men; and the rest fled to the Gentiles for safety. “They struck down... the sinners... and the lawless men...” These “sinners” and “lawless men,” Greek: hamartoloi kai andres anomoi, are not the Gentiles, but rather Jews who had apostatized from the faith, since they are counted in a different category from those who sought safety by fleeing to the Gentiles — “the rest” (hoi loipoi).

1 Maccabees 2:45–46. And Mattathias and his friends went around and tore down the altars; and they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys whom they found within the borders of Israel, “They forcibly circumcised the uncircumcised...” — “forcibly” — Greek: en ischyi, the Slavonic translation is more precise: “with strength,” that is, “with authority,” and where necessary also by compulsion, not yielding to the false fear of the parents before the Gentiles, nor to their indifference to the ancestral Law.

1 Maccabees 2:47. and they pursued the sons of arrogance, and the work prospered in their hands. “The sons of arrogance...” — hyioi tes hyperephanias — judging by the context, most likely refers to the Syrians.

1 Maccabees 2:48. So they rescued the Law from the hands of the Gentiles and from the hands of kings, and they did not let the sinner triumph. “They did not let the sinner triumph...” — Greek: ouk edokan keras to hamartolo, more precisely translated in the Slavonic: “ne dasha roga greshhniku,” that is, they did not allow the sinner to display his strength. The “horn” is a symbol of strength and valor, or ferocity — borrowed from the nature of horned animals. — “The sinner” — that is, the Gentiles and paganism in general; the singular is used in a collective, generic sense.

1 Maccabees 2:49. The days of Mattathias’s death drew near, and he said to his sons: Now arrogance and rebuke are gaining strength; now is a time of destruction and violent wrath. 1 Macc 2:49-70: Sensing the approach of death, Mattathias exhorts his sons to continue the struggle for the faith of the fathers with zeal, inspiring and encouraging them by the examples of the zeal of the most distinguished God-lovers of ancient times. “The days of Mattathias’s death drew near...” — Greek: kai engisan... apothanein — the Slavonic is more precise: “i priblizhishesya dnie Mattatfiyu umreti.” This formula is typically used in accounts of the final days of only the most distinguished men of antiquity; for example, concerning Jacob (Gen 47), Moses (Deut 31), Joshua (Josh 22), and David (1 Kgs 2). — “Arrogance has grown stronger...” — that is, the pride and insolence of godlessness (see 1 Macc 1:21). — “And rebuke” — that is, the testing for the faithful and devout through this dominion of godlessness. — “A time of destruction...” — kairos katastrophes — the equivalent of a revolution, but from above downward — a destruction of the foundations of life by the ruling power. — “Violent wrath...” — orge thymou — fierce wrath, which may be understood here specifically as God’s wrath.

1 Maccabees 2:50–51. And now, children, be zealous for the Law, and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers. Remember the deeds of our fathers which they did in their generations, and you will receive great glory and an everlasting name. “Remember the deeds of our fathers... and you will receive” — that is, having been inspired to perform similar deeds — “great glory and an everlasting name...” The motives that Mattathias holds before his children for the accomplishment of their great work might seem one-sided, because they do not touch upon the future reward in the afterlife, but have in view only the consequences of good deeds in this same earthly life — “great glory and an everlasting name.” It is permissible to think, however, that higher motives of heavenly, posthumous reward for good are not excluded here at all, as they were not excluded earlier in all the cases cited where the exploits of the great men of antiquity and the fruits or rewards of those exploits are noted. The sacred writers wish to show by this only that the reward of the righteous for their faith and good deeds begins already in this present life.

1 Maccabees 2:52. Was not Abraham found faithful in trial? And it was reckoned to him as righteousness. The “trial” of Abraham here refers to the testing of his faith by the Lord’s demand that he offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen 22:1; cf. Gen 15:6).

1 Maccabees 2:53. Joseph, in the time of his distress, kept the commandment and became lord over Egypt. By the “distress” of Joseph some here understand the entire period of his enslavement from his sale until his liberation and elevation to “ruler” over the land of Egypt (Gen 39:1-42:6). — “Kept the commandment” would in that case signify his faith in the promises of God, which gave him strength and courage in this trial. But closer to the truth would seem to be an understanding of the incident with the Egyptian woman, which placed him in a genuinely hopeless situation and gave him occasion to show rare self-denial and to “keep the commandment” concerning chastity and the inviolability of another man’s household.

1 Maccabees 2:54. Phinehas our father, because he was deeply zealous, received a covenant of everlasting priesthood. “Phinehas our father...” — ho pater hemon — that is, our forefather in the priesthood (Num 25:11-13).

1 Maccabees 2:55. Joshua, for fulfilling the word, became a judge over Israel. By “the word” of God for the fulfillment of which Joshua became a judge over Israel is meant the command given to him after the death of Moses — to lead the people into the Promised Land (Josh 1:2-10).

1 Maccabees 2:56. Caleb, for bearing witness before the assembly, received an inheritance in the land. “Caleb, for bearing witness before the assembly” — described in Num 14:6-8. — “Received an inheritance in the land” (Josh 14:6-14), more precisely — “received” — ges kleronomian — “an inheritance of land,” as it is also translated in the Slavonic — that is, a heritage and portion in the Promised Land — specifically, the city of Hebron.

1 Maccabees 2:57. David, because of his mercy, inherited the throne of the kingdom forever. “David, because of his mercy...” — Greek: en to eleei autou, the Slavonic is more precise: “in his mercy.” — “Mercy” here in the sense of piety in general (“I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Hos 6:6; “I remembered the mercy of your youth,” Jer 2:2). — “Forever” — Greek: eis aiona aionos, Slavonic more precisely: “vo vek veka” (“forever and ever”). Taking “eternity” in the strict sense, one may find here a reference to the expected coming of the Messiah from the line of David, whose kingdom will indeed have no end.

1 Maccabees 2:58–61. Elijah, because of his great zeal for the Law, was taken up even to heaven. Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael were saved from the flame by faith. Daniel, because of his innocence, was rescued from the jaws of the lions. And so, from generation to generation, remember that all who hope in Him will not grow faint. “All who hope in Him...” — that is, in God — “will not grow faint” (cf. Ps 24:2 — “trusting in the Lord, I shall not grow faint”).

1 Maccabees 2:62. Do not fear the words of a sinful man, for his glory will become dung and worms. “Do not fear the words” — that is, the commands or threats — “of a sinful man...” — that is, a sinner in the general sense, whether a Gentile or an apostate Jew.

1 Maccabees 2:63–69. Today he is exalted, but tomorrow he will not be found, for he has returned to his dust, and his scheme has perished. But you, my children, be courageous and stand firm in the Law, for through it you will gain glory. And here is Simon your brother — I know that he is a man of counsel; listen to him all your days; he will be a father to you. Judas Maccabeus, who has been mighty in strength from his youth, shall be your commander and shall lead the war against the peoples. Gather around you all who observe the Law, and avenge the wrongs of your people; repay the Gentiles in full, and hold fast to the commandments of the Law. And he blessed them and was gathered to his fathers. “And he was gathered to his fathers...” — a common formula, especially in the Pentateuch, for the passing of the patriarchs, denoting their repose as a joining with those who had previously descended to Sheol — the place of their sojourn after death.

1 Maccabees 2:70. He died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year; and his sons buried him in the tomb of his fathers in Modein, and all Israel mourned for him with great lamentation. Mattathias died in the year 146 of the Seleucid era, three years after the desecration of the Temple (1 Macc 1:20) and one year after the installation of the abomination of desolation in its place (1 Macc 1:54), that is, in 167–166 B.C. — Regarding the “tomb of his fathers” in Modein, see 1 Macc 13:27. * * * The Books of the Maccabees have been translated from the Greek, since they do not exist in Hebrew.