Chapter Three
Heliodorus’s attempt to plunder the temple (2 Macc 3:1-40).
2 Maccabees 3:1. When the holy city was inhabited in complete peace and the laws were kept most carefully, owing to the piety and hatred of evil of the high priest Onias, “Owing to the piety and hatred of evil” — dia ten... misoponerian, Slavonic more precisely: “for the sake of piety and hatred of wickedness...” — Misoponiria — not merely aversion from evil, but the pursuit and eradication of it in others as well. This is what is attributed here to Onias (the third with this name, son of Simon; see commentary on 1 Macc 12:5-18).
2 Maccabees 3:2–3. it came about that even kings honored this place and glorified the sanctuary with the finest gifts, so that even Seleucus, king of Asia, contributed from his own revenues all the expenses required for the sacrificial service. “This place,” that is, the holy place of the temple (cf. 2:18). Among the kings who honored the Jewish sanctuary, especially notable are Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy III Euergetes (Josephus, Antiquities XII, 2.4 and following; Against Apion II, 5), Antiochus the Great, and “Seleucus,” as one whose patronage, as king of Asia, toward the Jewish sanctuary was of particular importance (cf. 1 Macc 10:40). Seleucus — the fourth with this name, surnamed Philopator, son and successor of Antiochus the Great, reigned 187–176 BC. Regarding Asia as a designation of the Seleucid kingdom, see commentary on 1 Macc 8:6.
2 Maccabees 3:4. But a certain Simon of the tribe of Benjamin, who had been appointed administrator of the temple, entered into a dispute with the high priest about the violation of the laws in the city. “Simon, who had been appointed administrator of the temple” — prostates tou hierou. Commentators differ in their close definition of the nature of this office. Some regard it as advocatus templi; others, as superintendent of the temple treasury and head of the temple guard (strategos tou hierou, Acts 4:1); still others as praepositus templi in rebus politicis, a person with oversight over temple property, revenues, and the integrity of the temple; yet others saw here a mere honorary title conferred for important services to the temple, which gave its bearer considerable influence and respect among the Jerusalem citizens — of all these views the last is the most probable.
2 Maccabees 3:5. Since he could not prevail against Onias, he went to Apollonius the son of Thraseas, who at that time was governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, Apollonius, son of Thraseas — is hardly the same person as the tax commissioner of the same name mentioned in 5:24 and 1 Macc 1:29, whom Josephus calls Samareias strategos (see commentary on 1 Macc 3:10); more probably he is identical with the Apollonius whom Polybius (XXXI, 21, 3) mentions as an influential person under Seleucus, whose son, Apollonius, was also governor in Coele-Syria — see commentary on 1 Macc 10:69.
2 Maccabees 3:6–7. and told him that the treasury in Jerusalem was full of untold riches, and that the total of the funds was incalculable, amounting to countless talents of money, and that they did not belong to the account of the sacrifices but that it was possible for them to fall under the control of the king. When Apollonius met the king, he told him of the money that had been pointed out; and the king designated Heliodorus, who was in charge of his affairs, and sent him with orders to arrange for the removal of the aforementioned funds. Heliodorus is described as in charge of state affairs (ho epi ton pragmaton), as an administrator of government business (cf. 1 Macc 3:32); this Heliodorus is the same one who later murdered his own royal master (tis ton peri ten aulen, Appian, Syr. c. 45).
2 Maccabees 3:8. Heliodorus at once set out on his way, under the pretense of inspecting the cities of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, but in reality to carry out the king’s will. The concealment of the actual purpose of the journey was arranged by Heliodorus, of course, so that the Jews would not be able to hide their treasures in advance or take measures to defend them. Josephus explains the immensity of these treasures, despite having been plundered repeatedly (not only by Antiochus Epiphanes but also by Pompey, Crassus, and others), by the fact that the Jews sent their offerings here from all parts of the known world, from Europe and Asia.
2 Maccabees 3:9–11. When he arrived in Jerusalem and had been received graciously by the high priest of the city, he told him of the information that had been given and explained why he had come, and asked whether this was really so. The high priest pointed out that there was money deposited belonging to widows and orphans, and some belonging to Hyrcanus the son of Tobias, a man of very high standing, and that the total amounted to four hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold, and that it was utterly impossible that wrong should be done to those people who had trusted in the sanctity of the place and in the honor and inviolability of a temple venerated all over the world. Hyrcanus, son of Tobias... Some identify him with the Hyrcanus mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities XII, 4.2 and following), whose father Tobias — Joseph — had begotten in an unlawful liaison with his own niece, and who, like his father, through cunning and scheming managed to gain favor at court and amassed great wealth by such means. But if this is so, one must say that Hyrcanus was a grandson, not a son, of Tobias, contrary to the designation used, which may, however, indicate a generally close family relationship between Tobias and Hyrcanus. — “A man of very high standing” — sphodra andros en hyperoche kemenou, by virtue of his office and wealth. — “Four hundred talents of silver and two hundred of gold” — given the vagueness of the statement as to which talents are meant — Hebrew or Syrian, which are half the value of Hebrew — it is difficult to judge the exact amount of the sum indicated, which may be half the nominal value. Taking into account also that a significant portion of it constituted private and not temple property, merely deposited for safekeeping in the temple, it turns out that the strictly temple sum was considerably less — not only than the nominal but also the actual sum, a considerable part of which belonged to Hyrcanus. Taking a Hebrew talent of silver at roughly 3,000 rubles and one of gold at about 30,000 rubles, the total sum of the talents amounts to over 1,000,000 in silver and up to 6,000,000 in gold.
2 Maccabees 3:12–15. But to wrong those who had placed their trust in the sanctity of the place, in the dignity and inviolability of the temple honored throughout all the world, was entirely out of the question. Heliodorus, however, with the royal orders in hand, stated categorically that this money must be confiscated for the royal treasury. Having appointed a day, he went in to make an inspection of these matters, and no small distress arose throughout all the city. The priests, in their priestly vestments, prostrated themselves before the altar and called upon heaven for the One who had given the law concerning deposits to keep them safe for those who had deposited them. “The law concerning deposits” is found in Exod 22:7 and following.
2 Maccabees 3:16–18. Whoever saw the face of the high priest was wounded in heart, for his face and the change in his color revealed the anguish within his soul. A terror and a trembling of the body had come over him, by which the distress of his heart was evident to those who looked at him. Some ran hurrying out of their houses in crowds to make public supplication because the holy place was about to be brought into contempt; “Because the holy place was about to be brought into contempt” — dia to mellein eis kataphronesen erchesthai ton topon..., Slavonic: “For the place was about to come into disgrace” — accusative with infinitive: by reason of the fact that the sacred place was about to come into disgrace.
2 Maccabees 3:19. women, girded with sackcloth about their breasts, thronged the streets; the virgins who were kept indoors ran some to the gates, others to the walls, and still others looked out from the windows, “Thronged the streets” — kata tas hodous eplethinon, Slavonic more precisely: “multiplied along the paths,” that is, gathered in large numbers.
2 Maccabees 3:20–21. while all, stretching out their hands toward heaven, prayed. Moving it was to see how the crowd fell prostrate in a mass, and the high priest, in deep anguish, stood waiting. “Moving it was to see how the crowd fell prostrate in a mass” — Eleein d’en ten tou plethous pammigy proptosis..., Slavonic more precisely: “moving was the mingled prostration of the multitude...” — that is, the simultaneous falling prostrate of a great mass of people representing a mixture of all sorts of ages, estates, and conditions — “while the high priest, in deep anguish, stood waiting.” The Slavonic text continues this thought differently, with subject and predicate in close relation without the mediating “how”: “Moving was... the prostration, and the expectation of the high priest in the utmost distress...” (Greek: eleein d’en...proptosis, ten te tou megalos diagoniountos archieros prosdokian). In Russian, this turn of phrase could more precisely be rendered: “Moving was the combined prostration of the whole multitude and the expectation of the utterly undone high priest.” In diagoniontos there is already in itself an intensification — something far greater than the simple agoniontos; but here it is intensified even more by the addition of megalos — denoting the complete undoing of the high priest.
2 Maccabees 3:22–24. They entreated the almighty Lord to keep the deposits safe and secure for those who had deposited them. But Heliodorus carried out what he had decided. When he arrived at the treasury with his armed escort, the Lord of spirits and of all authority manifested a great sign; and all who had dared to follow him were struck down by the fear of God’s power and fell into a state of helplessness and terror, The “sign” itself that the Lord manifested is described in verse 25; here (in v. 24) only the consequence of the sign is stated. Hence both the Greek text (as in the Slavonic) has after the word “sign” the conjunction: hoste (“so that”), which is entirely incorrectly replaced in the Russian translation by a colon.
2 Maccabees 3:25–30. For there appeared to them a horse with a fearful rider, adorned with a magnificent covering, and it rushed violently and struck Heliodorus with its front hoofs, while the rider seemed to have armor of gold. Two other young men also appeared to him, radiant with strength and glorious in beauty and splendidly attired, who stood on either side of him and kept flogging him, inflicting many blows upon him. When he suddenly fell to the ground and deep darkness came over him, they picked him up and put him on a stretcher. The man who had just entered the aforementioned treasury with a great retinue and with his entire bodyguard was carried out, utterly helpless, thus making clearly evident to all the sovereign power of God. He lay speechless and deprived of all hope and relief through the power of God. They then praised the Lord who had glorified his holy place; and the temple, which a little while before had been full of fear and disturbance, was filled with joy and gladness at the manifestation of the Lord Almighty. “At the manifestation of the Lord Almighty” — that is, in the sign described, in which his angels may have been the active agents. — It is noteworthy that a record of this “sign” has also been preserved by Polybius (in book XVI of his history), who may have heard of it from Demetrius I (son of Seleucus IV), with whom he was on close terms.
2 Maccabees 3:31–40. While Heliodorus lay prostrate, some of his close friends quickly appealed to Onias to call upon the Most High to grant life to the one who lay in his last breath. The high priest, fearing that the king might form the suspicion that some foul play had been perpetrated on Heliodorus by the Jews, offered a sacrifice for the man’s recovery. As the high priest was making the offering of atonement, the same young men appeared again to Heliodorus dressed in the same garments, and they stood and said: “Give great thanks to Onias the high priest, since for his sake the Lord has granted you your life. And you, having been flogged by heaven, proclaim to all men the majestic power of God.” Having said this, they vanished. Then Heliodorus, after offering a sacrifice to the Lord and making great vows to the One who had preserved his life, and giving thanks to Onias, returned with his troops to the king. He bore witness before all men to the works of the great God, which he had seen with his own eyes. When the king asked Heliodorus what sort of person would be suitable to send again to Jerusalem, he replied: “If you have any enemy or one who plots against your government, send him there and you will get him back thoroughly flogged, if he escapes at all, for there is truly some divine power about the place. For he who dwells in heaven watches over that place and brings it aid, and he strikes and destroys those who come to do it injury.” This, then, is how the affair of Heliodorus and the preservation of the temple treasury came out. Our Telegram channel