THE report of the revolt under Mattathias reached Jerusalem, and a great body of troops was dispatched against the insurgents. The mass of the fugitives in the wilderness (from whom Mattathias and his immediate followers seem to have been separated) were attacked on the Sabbath, and believing that self-defense would involve a breach of that law for which they were suffering, no blow was struck by them, and a thousand unhappy people were butchered. This catastrophe led to the decision that, for the future, Sabbath attacks should be resisted. A company of Asidæans or Chasidim (i.e., “the pious”), noted for their devout adherence to the law, joined themselves to Mattathias. Their numbers daily increased; they were men of valor, rendered desperate, too, by the circumstances of the case, for they could die only once, and it were better fighting to fall, than to be slaughtered like a flock of sheep. So this desperate band went about the country, victorious in all their skirmishes, pulling down idol-altars, and circumcising the uncircumcised children.
In about a year (B.C. 166) brave Mattathias died. In true patriarchal fashion, he gathered his sons about him before he died, charged them to carry on the work, and to be zealous for the law, encouraging them by the example and rewards of Abraham and Joseph, Phineas and Joshua, Caleb and David, Elijah and Daniel and others. He appointed Judas Maccabeus, “mighty and strong from his youth up,” to be their captain, while he directed that great attention should be paid to the counsel of Simon. So he died, and was buried at Modin, a great and true lamentation being made over him.
The national cause in no way flagged under the leadership of the son of Mattathias. Placing himself at the head of his band, Judas was everywhere victorious; his sudden and unexpected night attacks were irresistible, and it became apparent that nothing but an elaborate effort could overthrow him. Accordingly, Apollonius, the governor for Antiochus in Samaria, advanced against him with “a great host,” but was defeated, with heavy loss of men and spoil; moreover, Apollonius was himself slain, and with his sword Judas afterward fought all his life.
This attempt having ended so disastrously, Seron, commander of the army in Cœle-Syria, fondly thought to make his own name famous by the defeat of the valiant Jewish commander. When he had advanced as far as Bethoron, Judas went out with his army to meet him— a small company, rendered weak, too, by their enforced fasting all that day. At the sight of the Syrian host, fear began to chill the hearts of the Jews. “How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong?” The answer of Judas recalls the pious spirit of Asa of former days: “With the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company.” Encouraged by his words, his men aroused themselves for the attack, and, under the gallant leadership of Judas, completely defeated and dispersed the foe.
Antiochus was infuriated by the failure of these attempts to crush the rebellion, the reports of which, and the fame of whose leader, were spreading all through his dominions. He accordingly set about extensive preparations for a campaign which was to completely quell the Maccabean rising, and determined to conduct the operations in person. The preparations were delayed by the unfortunate circumstance of his treasury being well-nigh exhausted. This had to be remedied, and he therefore journeyed into Persia to collect tribute, and in other ways to raise money. Having abandoned the scheme of personally leading his army, he committed the Judæan campaign into the hands of one Lysias, to whom he gave half of his force, and whom he charged to root out all Israel, to take away every memorial of their existence, and to divide the land among strangers. Subdividing the command between Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias, Lysias sent 40,000 foot and 7000 horsemen into Judæa. This army at least, he thought, should be sufficient for its task! So sure were the Syrians of victory, chat it was made known that the Jews were to be sold as slaves, at the exceedingly low price of ninety Jews for a talent. By this means. Nicanor (whose scheme it was) hoped to raise at least 2000 talents―no mean sum―for his impoverished king. Accordingly, there flocked from the cities of the coast a swarm of merchants, ready with silver and gold to buy, and with servants to carry away, chose who were to fall so easy and so certain a prey. And thus the enemy came upon the land, and pitched near Emmaus.
On the other hand Judas possessed an army of only 6000 men. The command was divided between Judas and his brothers Simon, Joseph and Benjamin. Clothed in sackcloth, and with ashes upon their heads, the Jews assembled at Mizpeh for prayer and fasting. Eleazar, the brother of Judas, real from the scriptures, and the watchword was passed round: “The help of God.” And so with encouraged hearts, they waited for the morrow.
Gorgias thought by an early attack to defeat the Jewish band. Accordingly, while it was still dark, he led forward 5000 foot and moo horsemen, but when they arrived at the Jewish camp, they found it deserted. For Judas had heard of Gorgias’ scheme, and met it by counter tactics. He had roused up his men betimes, and, taking another route than that by which Gorgias was marching, he was ready to attack the enemy’s camp by the morning’s light. Badly armed, badly fed, and badly disciplined, it seemed, indeed, “a forlorn hope.” But the thought of home, their laws, their country, their desperate condition, and above all, their God, gave them an energy which their opponents lacked. “Fear ye not,” was Judas’s cry; there was the blast of trumpets, a vigorous assault, and the enemy was dispersed all through the plain. The Jews pursued the flying foe for some distance; 3000 men fell before them. In the meantime, Gorgias, ignorant of what was done, returned with his troops to the camp. “These fellows flee from us,” said he. But when they reached a point of the hills from whence they could look down upon the plain, behold, the Jews were in possession, and the tents were on fire. Thoroughly disheartened, Gorgias and his men fled before the onslaught of the victors, who took much spoil, which after the rest of the following Sabbath, was divided among the people.
Lysias was much disconcerted at the turn events had taken, and in the following year, gathered together a still greater host of 60,000 foot and 5000 horsemen. He marched into Idumea, and was met by Judas with 10,000 men. Supplicating the help of “the Saviour of Israel,” Judas was again victorious, and Lysias retreated to Antiochia.
Seeing that the Lord had granted them such success, Judas and his brethren went up to Jerusalem to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary. The sight that met their eyes, made their hearts ache. The temple was desolate, the altar profaned, the gate burned, the courts were overgrown with shrubs like a forest, and the priests’ chambers pulled down. The people rent their clothes, and made great mourning. But the trumpet set them astir again, and while some held in check the alien garrison stationed in the fortress, others carried away the defiled stones from the courts. The altar of burnt-offerings, polluted as it had been by the idol of, and offerings to, Jupiter, they pulled down, and the stones they put in a convenient place, till a prophet should arise who could tell what should be done with them. A new altar was built; new holy vessels were made; the veil was set up; the Temple was ornamented with crowns of gold and with shields, and the gates were renewed. Pious priests were deputed for the holy service, and on the 25th Chisleu (B.C. 165), exactly three years from the day on which the first offering had been made to Jupiter, the flames were once more kindled on the altar of the living God, and the smoke of sacrifices rolled up to heaven. The Temple was re-dedicated, and for eight days a glad and solemn feast was kept. Once more the sound of praise, and the music of harps, cithers and cymbals, were heard as “the reproach of the heathen was rolled away,” and the people rejoiced in their liberty and their God.
By a decree, this feast was put upon the annual register―The Feast of Dedication, or of Lights. It is to this feast that the evangelist John refers, when he says: “It was the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter.” The month Chisleu corresponds to our December.
In the following year (B.C. 164) Antiochus died―a horrible death, in which mental anguish vied with bodily ill, and which has by common consent been regarded as the direct visitation of God. At the time, he was hastening back at full speed from Persia to Judea to avenge the defeat of his forces.
He had reigned eleven years. Jr.