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The Incredible Story of the Book of 1 Maccabees – The Book That Was Banned · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: Imagine a book so powerful that it was deliberately excluded
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  Speaker 1: from one of the world's greatest collections of sacred texts.
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  Speaker 1: A narrative that blends heroism, betrayal, epic wars, and a
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  Speaker 1: cultural revolution that forever changed the course of history. This
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  Speaker 1: is the Book of First Maccabees, a text that, for
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  Speaker 1: centuries was considered too dangerous to be included in the
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  Speaker 1: traditional Jewish canon. Why would a story of resistance and
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  Speaker 1: the fight for religious freedom be banned. The answer lies
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  Speaker 1: within its pages, which not only recount a rebellion against
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  Speaker 1: an oppressive empire, but also reveal the complex power dynamics
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  Speaker 1: that continue to shape conflicts in the Middle East today.
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  Speaker 1: It is a story that begins with an act of
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  Speaker 1: defiance in a small town and culminates in the founding
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  Speaker 1: of a dynasty that would rule Judea for a century.
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  Speaker 1: What makes this book even more fascinating is that it
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  Speaker 1: is one of the rare ancient historical texts that has
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  Speaker 1: survived almost intact, offering a unique glimpse into a crucial
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  Speaker 1: era for three major world religions. Its pages contain not
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  Speaker 1: only battles and political intrigues, but also the birth of
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  Speaker 1: traditions that persist to this day, including Hanaka, celebrated annually
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  Speaker 1: by millions of Jews worldwide. The story of the Maccabees
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  Speaker 1: is a striking testament to how a small group of
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  Speaker 1: guerrilla fighters managed to defeat one of the greatest empires
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  Speaker 1: of the ancient world, using tactics that would be studied
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  Speaker 1: and replicated by resistance movements for the next two millennia.
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  Speaker 1: It is a narrative that compels us to ask to
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  Speaker 1: what extent should we fight for our beliefs, what is
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  Speaker 1: the price of religious freedom? And why are some stories
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  Speaker 1: deemed too dangerous to be told. Our story begins at
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  Speaker 1: a time of great transformation for the ancient world, as
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  Speaker 1: the first chapter of Fel machaes Verses one four tells us,
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  Speaker 1: Alexander of Macedon, son of King Philip, set out from
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  Speaker 1: the land of Kittim and defeated Darius, king of the
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  Speaker 1: Persians and Medes, becoming the first ruler over Greece. He
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  Speaker 1: fought many battles, captured strongholds, and eliminated kings from the land.
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  Speaker 1: He advanced to the ends of the earth, plundering many nations,
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  Speaker 1: and the land was silenced before him but Alexander was
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  Speaker 1: not just a ruthless conqueror. During his campaigns, he followed
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  Speaker 1: an intriguing policy regarding the peoples he subjugated. When he
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  Speaker 1: arrived in Jerusalem, Unlike other conquerors, he allowed the Jews
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  Speaker 1: to maintain their religious practices and laws as long as
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  Speaker 1: they paid tribute and recognized his authority. This policy of
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  Speaker 1: relative tolerance allowed Greek and Jewish cultures to begin blending
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  Speaker 1: in ways previously unimaginable. As verses five and six reveal,
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  Speaker 1: Alexander assembled a vast and powerful army. His heart swelled
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  Speaker 1: with pride as he dominated regions, nations, and rulers who
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  Speaker 1: became his tributaries. But then something unexpected happened. At the
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  Speaker 1: height of his power, as verse seven tells us, he
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  Speaker 1: fell ill and realized he was going to die. Before
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  Speaker 1: his death, as described in verse eight, he summoned his
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  Speaker 1: most noble officers, those who had been raised with him
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  Speaker 1: since youth, and divided his kingdom among them. This decision
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  Speaker 1: would have profound consequences for the entire known world, especially
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  Speaker 1: for the Jewish people. Alexander's death at the age of
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  Speaker 1: thirty three plunged his vast empire into chaos. As verse
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  Speaker 1: nine recounts, his officers took control, each in their respective regions,
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  Speaker 1: and after his death they all placed crowns upon their heads,
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  Speaker 1: and their sons after them, bringing many evils upon the
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  Speaker 1: land for years to come. Among these successors, two kingdoms
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  Speaker 1: became particularly significant for Jewish history, the Ptolemaic Kingdom in
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  Speaker 1: Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom in Syria. The land of Israel,
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  Speaker 1: caught between these two powers, became a constant battleground. In
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  Speaker 1: verse ten, we are introduced to a central figure in
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  Speaker 1: our story. From them came forth a sinful route, Antiochus Epiphanes,
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  Speaker 1: son of King Antiochus. This man had been a hostage
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  Speaker 1: in Rome, and upon assuming the throne of the Seleucid
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  Speaker 1: Empire in one hundred and seventy five BCE, he brought
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  Speaker 1: with him very different ideas about governance. The reign of
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  Speaker 1: Antiochus Epiphanes marked a dramatic shift in policy toward the Jews.
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  Speaker 1: Whereas Alexander had allowed religious freedom, Antiochus had other plans.
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  Speaker 1: As Verses eleven to fifteen tell us, in those days,
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  Speaker 1: wicked men arose from Israel and led many astray, saying
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  Speaker 1: let us make a covenant with the surrounding nations, for
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  Speaker 1: ever since we have separated from them, many evils have
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  Speaker 1: come upon us. This proposal found support among some sectors
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish society, particularly among the more Hellenized elites of Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 1: They built a gymnasium according to the customs of the Gentiles,
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  Speaker 1: concealed the mark of circumcision, and abandoned the Sacred Covenant,
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  Speaker 1: aligning themselves with non Jews and selling themselves to do evil.
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  Speaker 1: The situation worsened when, as described in Verses sixteen nineteen, Antiochus,
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  Speaker 1: feeling secure in his kingdom, decided to conquer Egypt in
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  Speaker 1: an attempt to rule over two kingdoms. He invaded Egypt
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  Speaker 1: with a powerful army, including chariots, elephants, cavalry, and a
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  Speaker 1: great fleet. After waging war against Ptolemy, the king of Egypt,
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  Speaker 1: Ptolemy retreated and fled, and many fell wounded. The fortified
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  Speaker 1: cities of Egypt were captured, and Antiochus seized the spoils
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  Speaker 1: of the land. However, Antiochus's ambition was soon checked by
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  Speaker 1: the Romans, who were already emerging as a Mediterranean superpower.
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  Speaker 1: Forced to abandon his claims over Egypt. He turned his
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  Speaker 1: attention and his frustration toward Jerusalem. In one hundred sixty
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  Speaker 1: nine BCE, after returning from his conquest of Egypt, as
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  Speaker 1: verses twenty to twenty four recount, and Tiachus marched against
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  Speaker 1: Israel and Jerusalem with a powerful army. He entered the
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  Speaker 1: sanctuary arrogantly and took the golden altar, the Menorah with
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  Speaker 1: all its utensils, the table of showbread, the vessels for
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  Speaker 1: drink offerings, the cups, the golden censes, the veil, the crowns,
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  Speaker 1: and the golden decoration on the facade of the temple,
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  Speaker 1: seizing everything. The plundering of the temple was only the beginning,
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  Speaker 1: As described in verses twenty five to twenty eight, he
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  Speaker 1: took the silver, gold and precious objects, seized the hidden
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  Speaker 1: treasures he found, and taking everything, returned to his land.
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  Speaker 1: He carried out a great massacre and spoke with great arrogance.
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  Speaker 1: There was deep mourning in Israel and throughout its territories.
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  Speaker 1: Leaders and elders groaned, Virgins and young men lost their vigor,
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  Speaker 1: and the beauty of the women faded. Two years later,
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  Speaker 1: in Hundon City seven BC, the situation worsened even further,
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  Speaker 1: as reported in verses twenty nine to thirty two, the
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  Speaker 1: king sent an official to the cities of Judah. This
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  Speaker 1: envoy arrived in Jerusalem with a powerful army and spoke
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  Speaker 1: peaceful words to the inhabitants who believed him. Then suddenly
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  Speaker 1: he launched an attack on the city, struck it a
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  Speaker 1: severe blow and killed many people in Israel. It was
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  Speaker 1: at this moment that Antiochus initiated his most aggressive policy
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  Speaker 1: of Hellenization, as described in verses forty one to fifty.
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  Speaker 1: He issued a decree throughout his kingdom commanding that all
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  Speaker 1: people become one and abandoned their particular customs. The king
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  Speaker 1: prohibited burnt offerings, sacrifices, and libations in the temple, profaned
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  Speaker 1: the Sabbaths and festivals, and ordered the construction of altars, temples,
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  Speaker 1: and idols. He mandated the sacrifice of pigs and other
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  Speaker 1: unclean animals forbade circumcision, and forced the people to defile
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  Speaker 1: themselves with all sorts of impurity and desecration. The objective
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  Speaker 1: was clear. Anyone who did not comply with the king's
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  Speaker 1: orders would be condemned to death. Antiochus policy posed an
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  Speaker 1: existential threat not only to Jewish religious practices, but to
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  Speaker 1: the very identity of the Jewish people. Many in Israel
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  Speaker 1: accepted his religion, sacrificed to idols, and profaned the Sabbath. However,
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  Speaker 1: as told in verse si Is sixty two to sixty four,
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  Speaker 1: many in Israel remained steadfast and resolved in their hearts
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  Speaker 1: not to eat impure food. They preferred to die rather
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  Speaker 1: than defile themselves with such food and break the Holy Covenant,
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  Speaker 1: and so they perished. It was a time of great
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  Speaker 1: wrath upon Israel. The situation in Jerusalem worsened day by day,
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  Speaker 1: as recounted in the first chapter of First Maccabees, Verses
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  Speaker 1: forty one to forty three, King Antiochus issued a decree
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  Speaker 1: throughout his kingdom, commanding all peoples to abandon their customs
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  Speaker 1: and become one people. All the nations complied with the
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  Speaker 1: king's order, and many Israelites accepted the prescribed worship, sacrificing
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  Speaker 1: to idols and profaning the Sabbath. The persecution became more
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  Speaker 1: systematic and brutal, as described in Verses forty four to
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  Speaker 1: forty seven. The king sent messengers with letters to Jerus
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  Speaker 1: Issalem and all the cities of Judah, ordering them to
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  Speaker 1: adopt foreign customs. They were to suppress burnt offerings, sacrifices
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  Speaker 1: and libations in the sanctuary, profane the Sabbaths and festivals,
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  Speaker 1: and defile the sanctuary and holy things. He also ordered
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  Speaker 1: the construction of altars, temples, and idols, the sacrifice of
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  Speaker 1: pigs and other unclean animals, the abandonment of circumcision, and
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  Speaker 1: the corruption of the people with every kind of impurity
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  Speaker 1: and desecration, so that they would forget the law and
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  Speaker 1: change all their customs. The severity of the punishments was terrifying,
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  Speaker 1: as told in verses forty eight to fifty anyone who
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  Speaker 1: did not obey the king's orders was condemned to death.
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  Speaker 1: Antiacus issued this decree throughout his kingdom and appointed overseers
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  Speaker 1: over the people, commanding the cities of Judah to offer
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  Speaker 1: sacrifices one by one. The impact of these measures on
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  Speaker 1: the Jewish community was devastating. Verses fifty one to fifty
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  Speaker 1: three revealed that many among the people, those who abandoned
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  Speaker 1: the law joined the overseers and committed evil throughout the land.
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  Speaker 1: They forced the faithful of israel to hide wherever they
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  Speaker 1: could find refuge. The profanation of the temple was one
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  Speaker 1: of the most traumatic moments of this period, as narrated
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  Speaker 1: in verses fifty four to fifty six, on the fifteenth
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  Speaker 1: day of the month of Kislev in the year one
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  Speaker 1: to forty five Seleucid calendar, the king ordered the construction
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  Speaker 1: of the abomination of Desolation upon the altar of burnt offerings.
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  Speaker 1: They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah,
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  Speaker 1: and in front of house doors and public squares, they
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  Speaker 1: burned incense. The destruction of sacred books was another tactic
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  Speaker 1: used to try to eradicate the Jewish faith. Verses fifty
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  Speaker 1: seven to fifty nine tell that they took more up
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  Speaker 1: and burned any books of the Law they found. If
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  Speaker 1: someone was discovered in possession of a book of the
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  Speaker 1: Covenant or was found to be living according to the law,
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  Speaker 1: the king's decree sentenced them to death. Passive resistance began
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  Speaker 1: to emerge among the people, as described in verses sixty
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  Speaker 1: to sixty three. They exercised their power month after month
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  Speaker 1: against the Israelites found in the cities. On the twenty
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  Speaker 1: fifth day of each month, they offered sacrifices on the
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  Speaker 1: altar erected over the altar of burnt offerings. Women who
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  Speaker 1: had circumcised their sons were executed as ordered, with their
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  Speaker 1: children hanging from their necks, along with their relatives and
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  Speaker 1: those who had performed the circumcision. However, many in Israel
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  Speaker 1: remained steadfast. Verses sixty four to sixty seven recount that
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  Speaker 1: many in Israel stood firm and resolved in their hearts
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  Speaker 1: not to eat impure food. They preferred to die rather
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  Speaker 1: than defile themselves with such food and break the Holy Covenant,
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  Speaker 1: and so they perished. A great wrath fell upon Israel.
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  Speaker 1: The persecutions spread throughout Judea. In every city, Antiochus's officials
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  Speaker 1: sought to identify and punish those who remained faithful to
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  Speaker 1: the law. Entire families were forced to hide in caves
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  Speaker 1: and remote places. Synagogues were either converted into pagan temples
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  Speaker 1: or completely destroyed. One of the most striking episodes of
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  Speaker 1: this period was the martyrdom of a mother and her
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  Speaker 1: seven sons, as recounted in the second Book of Maccabees.
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  Speaker 1: Although not directly part of the narrative in the first book.
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  Speaker 1: This event illustrates the brutality of the persecution and the
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  Speaker 1: strength of passive resistance. The family was imprisoned and tortured
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  Speaker 1: for refusing to eat pork, which was forbidden by Jewish law.
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  Speaker 1: The situation in Jerusalem became particularly dire. The Temple, the
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  Speaker 1: center of Jewish religious life, was not only profaned, but
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  Speaker 1: transformed into a place of worship for Olympian Zeus. Priests
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  Speaker 1: who refused to participate in pagan rituals were executed. Those
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  Speaker 1: who collaborated were rewarded with positions of power and privileges.
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  Speaker 1: The daily life of devout Jews became a constant exercise
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  Speaker 1: in resistance and survival. Observing the Sabbath, performing circumcision, studying
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  Speaker 1: the Torah, or even possessing a scroll of the scriptures
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  Speaker 1: were acts that could result in death. Families developed codes
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  Speaker 1: and secret signals to communicate and maintain their religious practices.
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  Speaker 1: Jewish merchants and traders faced a particular dilemma to continue
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  Speaker 1: their businesses. They were often forced to participate in pagan
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  Speaker 1: rituals or handle foods prohibited by the law. Many abandoned
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  Speaker 1: their professions to uphold their faith, leading to an economic
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  Speaker 1: crisis within Jewish communities. The surveillance system implemented by Antiochus
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  Speaker 1: was extensive. In every village and city, inspectors were assigned
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  Speaker 1: to ensure compliance with the new laws. They were assisted
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  Speaker 1: by local informants, often Hellenized Jews who saw an opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to gain favour with the Seleucid authorities. Resistance began to
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  Speaker 1: organize in different ways. Some groups sought refuge in the desert,
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  Speaker 1: living an ascetic life while secretly maintaining their religious practices.
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  Speaker 1: Others remained in the cities, creating clandestine networks to preserve
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  Speaker 1: and transmit the teachings of the Torah. The Hasidim, a
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  Speaker 1: group of pious Jews, began to gain influence as spiritual
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  Speaker 1: leaders of the resistance. Women played a crucial role during
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  Speaker 1: this period. In addition to maintaining domestic traditions and educating
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  Speaker 1: their children in the Jewish faith, many risked their lives
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  Speaker 1: to perform the circumcision of their infants and uphold Kosher
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  Speaker 1: dietary laws. Some became messengers between different resistance groups. The
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  Speaker 1: impact of persecution extended beyond the borders of Judea Jewish communities.
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  Speaker 1: Throughout the Seleucid Empire faced similar pressures to abandon their practices.
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  Speaker 1: The diaspora grew as some families fled to more tolerant
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  Speaker 1: regions such as Ptolemaic Egypt. It was in this context
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  Speaker 1: of increasing oppression that a spark of active resistance emerged
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  Speaker 1: in a small town called Modine. As we shall see,
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  Speaker 1: it was there that an elderly priest named Mattathias, along
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  Speaker 1: with his five sons, would ignite a revolt that would
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  Speaker 1: change the course of Jewish history. Amidst the intense persecutions
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  Speaker 1: spreading across Judea, a figure emerged who would alter the
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  Speaker 1: course of Jewish history, as told in First Maccabees two
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  Speaker 1: verses one to five. In those days, Mattathias, son of
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  Speaker 1: John son of Simeon, a priest of the Jorib lineage,
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  Speaker 1: left Jerusalem and settled in Modaine. He had five sons,
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  Speaker 1: John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thasi, Judas called Maccabaeus, Eliazar
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  Speaker 1: called Avaran, and Jonathan called Aphos. Mattathias was no ordinary man,
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  Speaker 1: as a priest of the Jorib order, one of the
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  Speaker 1: twenty four divisions of the Bay priesthood. Established by King David,
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  Speaker 1: he bore a special responsibility toward his people. In Modine,
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  Speaker 1: a small town in the hills northwest of Jerusalem, he
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  Speaker 1: witnessed with great distress the events unfolding around him, as
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  Speaker 1: described in verses six to seven, upon seeing the blasphemies
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  Speaker 1: committed in Judah and Jerusalem, Mattathias exclaimed, woe is me?
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  Speaker 1: Why was I born to see the ruin of my
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  Speaker 1: people and the destruction of the Holy City. To sit
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  Speaker 1: idly while it is handed over to the enemies and
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  Speaker 1: the sanctuary is in the hands of foreigners. Mattathias's sorrow
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  Speaker 1: was deep and personal. Verses eight to eleven reveal his lament.
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  Speaker 1: The temple had become like a man without honor. Its
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  Speaker 1: glorious vessels had been taken as spoils, its elders massacred
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  Speaker 1: in the streets, and its young men fallen by the
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  Speaker 1: sword of the enemy. What nation had not seized its
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  Speaker 1: lands and plundered its riches. The situation in Modine reached
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  Speaker 1: a critical point when, as narrated in verses fifteen to eighteen,
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  Speaker 1: the king's emissaries arrived in the town to enforce apostasy
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  Speaker 1: and conduct sacrifices. Many Israelites approached them, but Mattathias and
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  Speaker 1: his sons remained apart. The king's envoys addressed, Mattathias, you
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  Speaker 1: are a leader, honored and great in this city, and
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  Speaker 1: you have the support of sons and others. Come forward
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  Speaker 1: first and fulfill the King's decree as all the nations,
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  Speaker 1: the men of Judah, and those who remain in Jerusalem
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  Speaker 1: have done. Then you and your sons will be counted
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  Speaker 1: among the King's friends, and you will be honored with silver, gold,
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  Speaker 1: and many gifts. Mattathias's response, recorded in verses nineteen to
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  Speaker 1: twenty two, was a powerful declaration of faith and resistance,
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  Speaker 1: even if all the nations under the King's dominion obey him,
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  Speaker 1: forsaking the worship of their ancestors and submitting to his decrees, I,
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  Speaker 1: my sons, and my brothers will continue to follow the
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  Speaker 1: covenant of our ancestors. May Heaven forbid that we abandon
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  Speaker 1: the law and its commandments. We will not obey the
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  Speaker 1: King's orders to turn away from our worship, neither to
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  Speaker 1: the right nor to the left. The decisive moment came when,
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  Speaker 1: as described in verses twenty three to twenty six. As
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  Speaker 1: soon un as Mattathias had spoken these words, a jew
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  Speaker 1: stepped forward in the sight of all, to sacrifice on
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  Speaker 1: the altar in Modine, following the king's order. Seeing this,
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  Speaker 1: Mattathias was filled with righteous zeal, his heart trembled and
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  Speaker 1: his anger flared according to the law. Rushing to the altar,
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  Speaker 1: he struck down the man and also killed the king's
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  Speaker 1: envoy who had been forcing the sacrifice, then destroyed the altar.
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  Speaker 1: This act by Mattathias, though violent, was a crucial moment
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  Speaker 1: that ignited the revolt, as verses twenty seven to twenty
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  Speaker 1: eight recount, after performing this act, Mattathias cried out through
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  Speaker 1: the city, let everyone who is zealous for the law
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  Speaker 1: and upholds the covenant follow me, and he fled to
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  Speaker 1: the mountains with his sons, leaving behind everything they possessed
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  Speaker 1: in the city. The response of the people was remarkable.
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  Speaker 1: Verses twenty nine and thirty state that many who sought
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  Speaker 1: justice and righteousishness withdrew to the wilderness, taking their children, wives,
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  Speaker 1: and live stock with them, for the oppression had grown unbearable.
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  Speaker 1: The news of the revolt quickly reached the authorities in Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: as described in verses thirty one to thirty eight. The
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  Speaker 1: king's officials and troops in Jerusalem, in the city of
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  Speaker 1: David were informed that men who had defied the king's
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  Speaker 1: command had fled to hideouts in the wilderness. Many pursued
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  Speaker 1: them and caught up with them. They camped in front
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  Speaker 1: of them and prepared to attack them on the Sabbath day.
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  Speaker 1: What happened next demonstrated the dilemma faced by faithful Jews.
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  Speaker 1: Verses thirty nine and forty tell us that the soldiers said,
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  Speaker 1: that's enough, come out, obey the king's command and save
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  Speaker 1: your lives. But they replied, we will not come out,
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  Speaker 1: nor will we obey the king's command to profane the
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  Speaker 1: Sabbath day. The ensuing tragedy was devastating, as recorded in
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  Speaker 1: verses forty one to forty. The soldiers attacked immediately. The
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  Speaker 1: Jews did not retaliate, did not throw stones, nor did
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  Speaker 1: they block the entrances to their hiding places. They said,
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  Speaker 1: let us all die in our innocence. Heaven and earth
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  Speaker 1: are witnesses that you are killing us unjustly. And so
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  Speaker 1: they were attacked on the Sabbath and they died, men, women, children,
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  Speaker 1: and even their livestock about a thousand people. This tragedy
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: led Mattathias and his followers to a crucial decision. Verses
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: forty nine to fifty one reveal that when Mattathias and
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: his friends heard of this, they mourned deeply for them.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: They said to one another, if we all do as
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: our brothers did and refuse to fight against the Gentiles
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: for our lives and our traditions, they will soon wipe
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: us off the face of the earth. That day, they
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: made a decisive resolution, if any one comes to attack
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: us on the Sabbath, we will fight back so that
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: we do not all die as our brothers did. In
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: the hiding places, the resistance movement began to grow, as
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: described in verses forty two to forty four, the Hasideans,
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: valiant men of Israel, all devoted to the law, joined them. Likewise,
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: all those fleeing from oppression joined them, strengthening their ranks.
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: They organized an army and struck down sinners in their
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: wrath and the wicked in their fury. Those who escaped
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: took refuge among the Gentiles to save themselves. Mattathias and
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: his sons traveled throughout the land, as recounted in verses
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: forty five to forty eight, destroying pagan altars forcibly circumcising
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: uncircumcised children they found in Israel. Pursuing the arrogant and
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: making their mission prosper they rescued the law from the
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: power of the gentiles and their kings, and did not
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: allow the sinner to prevail. As his life neared its end,
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: Mattathias gathered his sons to give them his final instructions,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: as recorded in verses forty nine to fifty. When the
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: days of Mattathias's death drew near, he said to his sons,
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: arrogance and disgrace now reign. It is a time of
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: ruin and fierce wrath. In his final speech, found in
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: verses fifty one to sixty eight, Mattathias reminded his sons
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: of the great examples of faith in Israel's history. He
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: spoke of Abraham, who was found faithful in trial, of Joseph,
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: who kept the commandment in his time of distress, of Vainejas,
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: who received the covenant of eternal priesthood for his zeal,
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: of Joshua, who became a judge in Israel, of Caleb,
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: who received an inheritance in the land of David, who
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: obtained the royal throne forever, of Elijah, who was taken
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: up to heaven for his zeal, for the law, of Hannanaiah,
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: Azariah and Michael, who were see from the flames, and
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: of Daniel, who was delivered from the lion's den. His
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: final words were a call to courage and faithfulness. Consider, then,
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: from generation to generation, all who hope in him will
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: not perish. Do not fear the sinner's threats, for his
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: glory will end in filth and worms. To day he
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: exalts himself, But tomorrow he will not be found, for
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: he will have returned to dust, and his plans will
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: have perished, as described in verses sixty nine and seventy.
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: Mattathias died in the year one hundred forty six and
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: was buried in the tomb of his ancestors in Modane.
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: All of Israel mourned him greatly. Before his death, he
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: established a leadership structure among his sons. Simon was to
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: be the counselor, for he was a prudent man, and
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: Judas Maccabeus, because of his strength, since youth would be
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: the commander of the army. After Attathias's death, his son Judas,
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: known as Maccabeus, took up the leadership of the resistance.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: As told in the third chapter of Verse Maccabees Verses
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: one to nine, Judas, called Macabeus, rose in his place.
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: All his brothers and all who had followed his father
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: supported him and fought the battle for Israel with joy.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: He extended the glory of his people, put on his
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: armor like a giant, girded his weapons of war, and
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: waged battles, defending the camp with his sword. He became
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: like a lion in his exploits, like a young lion
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: roaring over its prey. He pursued the wicked, seeking them out,
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: and burned those who disturbed his people. The wicked retreated
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: in fear of him. All evildoers were thrown into confusion,
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: and deliverance advanced by his hand. The impact of judas
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: leadership was immediate, as described in verses ten to twelve.
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: He brought grief to many kings, but brought joy to
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: Jacob with his exploits, and his memory will be blessed forever.
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: He went through the cities of Judah, eliminated the wicked
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: from them and turned away Israel's wrath. His name reached
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: the ends of the earth, and he gathered those who
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: were on the brink of perishing. Judas's first great battle
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: was against Apollonius, the governor of Samaria. As Verses thirteen
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: to fifteen recount, Apollonius gathered gentiles and a great army
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: from Samaria to fight against Israel. When Judas learned of this,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: he went out to meet him, defeated him, and killed him.
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: Many fell wounded, and the rest fled. They took their spoils,
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: and Judas kept Apollonius's sword and fought with it for
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: the rest of his days. Judas's fame grew, and soon
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: he faced an even greater challenge. Verses sixteen to twenty
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: two tell us that Seron, commander of the Syrian army,
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: upon hearing that Judas had gathered around him an assembly
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: of faithful and men of war, decided to march against him.
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: Serron said, I will make a name for myself and
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: cover myself in glory in the kingdom. I will fight
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: against Judas and his companions, who despise the King's command.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: A powerful army of the wicked went up with him
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: to aid him and take vengeance on the sons of Israel.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: The situation seemed desperate, as described in verses twenty three
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: to twenty six. When Siron approached the ascent of beth Horon,
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: Judas went out to meet him with a small group.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: Seeing the army coming against them, Judas's men said to him,
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: how can we so few in number fight against such
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: a powerful multitude. Moreover, we are weakened today by fasting.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: Judas's response, recorded in verses eighteen to twenty two, revealed
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: his deep faith. It is easy for many to be
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: delivered in to the hands of a few, For in
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: Heaven's sight, there is no difference between saving by many
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: or by few. Victory in war does not depend on
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: the number of soldiers, but on the strength that comes
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: from Heaven. They come against us, filled with arrogance and wickedness,
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: to destroy us, our wives and our children, and to
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: plunder us. But we fight for our lives and for
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: our laws. Heaven itself will crush them before us. Do
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: not be afraid of them. The battle that followed was decisive,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: as narrated in verses twenty three to twenty five. As
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: soon as Judas finished speaking, he suddenly launched an attack
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: against them, and Seron and his army were defeated before him.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: They pursued them down the descent of Bethhorun to the plain.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: About eight hundred of their men fell, and the rest
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: fled to the land of the Philistines. The fear of
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: Judas and his men began to spread. Verses twenty six
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: and twenty seven tell Us that the dread of Judas
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: and his brothers and the terror of them started to
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: fall upon the neighboring nations. His name reached even the king,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: and all the nations were talking about Judas's battles. King
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: Antiochus's response was furious, as described in verses twenty seven
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: to thirty seven. When King Antiochus heard these reports, he
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: was enraged. He ordered the assembly of all the forces
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: of his kingdom, a very powerful army. He opened his
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: treasury and gave his troops a year's wages, instructing them
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: to be ready for any eventuality. However, Antiochus faced his
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: own problems, as detailed in verses thirty one to thirty seven.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: He realized that his coffers were running low, and that
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: the region's tributes were insufficient due to the unrest and
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: calamities he had caused by abolishing the laws that had
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: existed from ancient times. Fearing that he would not have
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: enough for his expenses and the gifts he had previously
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: given with lavish generosity, he decided to go to Persia
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: to collect the tributes from those provinces. Before departing, as
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: recorded in verses thirty eight to forty one, he left Lysias,
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: a nobleman of royal blood, in charge of the king's
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: affairs from the Euphrates River to the borders of Egypt
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: and to educate his son Antiochus until his return. He
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: entrusted him with half of the army and the war elephants,
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: giving him instructions on everything he wanted to be done,
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: particularly concerning the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem. He was
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: to send an army against them, to crush and destroy
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: the forces of Israel and what remained of Jerusalem, erasing
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: their memory from that place. Lysius wasted no time. As
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: described in Chapter four, verses one to eleven, he chose Ptolemy,
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: son of Dorimini, Nicoonor and Gorgias, powerful men among the
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: king's friends and sent them with forty thousand infantry and
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: seven thousand cavalry to invade the land of Judah and
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: lay it to waste. According to the king's orders, they
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: set out with their entire army and camp near Emaeus
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: in the plain. News of this vast force reached Judas,
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: as narrated in verses twelve to fifteen. When Judas and
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: his brothers saw that the calamities had increased and that
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: the armies were encamped in their territory. Knowing the king's
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: orders to destroy and annihilate the people, they said to
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: one another, let us lift our people from ruin and
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: fight for our people and our sanctuary. The assembly gathered
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: to prepare for war, as described in verses forty one
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: to forty six, They fasted that day, put on sackcloth,
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: sprinkled ashes on their heads, and tore their garments. They
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: unrolled the book of the Law to consult it, just
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: as the Gentiles consult the images of their idols. They
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: brought out the priestly vestments, the first fruits and the tithes,
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: and summoned the Nazarites who had completed their vows, crying
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: out to heaven they said, what shall we do with
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: these men? Where shall we take them? Your sanctuary has
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: been trampled and profaned, and your priests are in mourning
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: and humiliation. Behold, the nations have united against us to
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: destroy us. You know their plans against us. How can
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: we stand against them unless you help us. It was
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: then that Judas organized his army. As we read in
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: Verses forty two to sixty one, he divided the people
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: into groups of a thousand, one hundred, fifty and ten.
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: He told those who were building houses, those who had
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: recently married, those who were planting vineyards, and the fearful
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: to return home as permitted by the law. Then he
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: broke camp and station, and himself south of Emmaeus. Judas declared,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: gird yourselves and be brave, Be ready to fight early
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: in the morning against these nations that have gathered against us,
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: to destroy us, our people, and our sanctuary. It is
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: better to die in battle than to witness the calamities
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: of our nation and the desecration of the holy place.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: As Heaven wills, so let it be done. The battle
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: that followed was one of Judas's greatest military triumphs. With
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: strategy and faith, he achieved an astonishing victory against vastly
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: superior forces, establishing his reputation as one of the greatest
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: military leaders in Jewish history. This victory paved the way
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: for the recapture of Jerusalem and the purification of the Temple,
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: one of the most significant moments in the Maccabeian revolt.
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: After the victory over gorgious forces and the purification of
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: the Temple, Judah Maccabeus faced new challenges, as recounted in
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: the fifth chapter of First Maccabees Verses one to three.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: When the surrounding nations heard that the altar had been
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: rebuilt and the sanctuary restored to its former state, they
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: became greatly enraged. They resolved to eliminate the descendants of
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: Jacob living among them, and began to attack and kill
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: the people. The situation for the Jews in neighboring regions
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: was particularly perilous. In the region of Gilead, as described
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: in verses nine to thirteen, the other nations gathered against
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: the Israelites living in their territory with the intent to
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: annihilate them. These Israelites fled to the fortress of Datama
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: and sent letters to Judas and his brothers, saying, the
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: nations surrounding us have gathered to exterminate us. They are
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: preparing to attack the fortress where we have taken refuge,
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: and their army is led by Timotheus. Come and rescue
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: us from their hands, for many of our people have
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: already fallen. At the same time, as revealed in verses
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: fourteen and fifteen, other messengers arrived from Galilee with their
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: garments torn, bringing similar news. People from Ptolemais, Tire and Sidon,
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: along with all of the foreign Galilee, have gathered against
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: us to destroy us. Judas's response was swift and strategic,
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: as narrated in verses sixteen to twenty. When Judas and
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: the people heard these words, a great assembly was gathered
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: to deliberate on how to help their brethren who were
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: in distress and under attack from these nations. Judas said
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: to his brother Simon, choose men for yourself and go
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: rescue our brothers in Galilee. My brother Jonathan and I
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: will go to the region of Gilead. He left Joseph,
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: son of Zechariah, and as Aariah as leaders of the people,
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: along with the rest of the army in Judea for
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: its defense, ordering them take charge of this people, but
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: do not engage in battle with the nations until we return.
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: Simon's campaign in Galilee was a remarkable success, as described
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: in verses twenty one to twenty three. Simon was given
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: three thousand men for the expedition to Galilee, while Judas
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: was assigned eight thousand for the region of Gilead. Simon
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: set out for Galilee and engaged in numerous battles with
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: the Pagans. They were defeated before him, and he pursued
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: them to the gates of Ptolemaiz. About three thousand of
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: the enemy fell, and he seized their spoils. Meanwhile, Judas
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: and Jonathan faced even greater challenges in Gilead. As recounted
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: in verses twenty four to twenty eight, they crossed the
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: Jordan and marched for three days through the wilderness. They
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: encountered the Nabateans, who received them peacefully and informed them
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: of everything that had happened to their brethren in Gilead.
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: That many were imprisoned in Bosrah, Bossor Alema, Caspo Massed,
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: and Karnaeum, large fortified cities. There were also captives in
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: other cities, of Gilead, and an attack on the fortresses
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: had been planned for the following day, intending to take
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: them and annihilate them all in one strike. Judas's reaction
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: was immediate and decisive, as detailed in verses twenty nine
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: to thirty four. He swiftly redirected his army toward the
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: wilderness of Bosra. He took the city and put all
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: the men to the sword. He seized all their spoils
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: and set the city on fire. That night, he marched
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: onward to the fortress. At dawn, when they lifted their eyes,
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: they saw an innumerable multitude raising ladders and siege engines
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: to capture the stronghold, and the attack had already begun.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: The battle was intense, as described in verses thirty five
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: to forty three. When Judas saw that the battle had
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: commenced and that the city's cries rose to the heavens
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: with the sound of trumpets and great shouting, he said
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: to his men, fight to day for our brothers. He
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: led three columns to strike from the enemy's rear. They
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: sounded the trumpets and called out in prayer. Timothy's army
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: recognized that it was the Maccabie and fled before him.
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: He inflicted a great defeat upon them. About eight thousand
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: of them fell that day. The campaign continued with equal success,
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: as narrated in verses forty four to fifty four, Judas
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: then turned to a Lemma. He attacked it, captured it,
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: and after killing all its men, seized their spoils and
• 39:44
  Speaker 1: set it on fire. From there, he moved on and
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: took Caspo, Mey, Said Bossau, and the other cities of Gilead. Timothy, however,
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: did not give up easily, As told in verses fifty
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: five to sixty eight, he assembled another army and camped
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: in front of Raphon on the other side of the stream.
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: Judah sent scouts to examine the camp, and they reported
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: all the Pagans surrounding us have gathered with him, forming
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: a massive army. They have also hired Arabs as auxiliaries,
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: and they are camped on the other side of the stream,
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: ready to attack you. Judas advanced to meet them. The
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: decisive battle that followed was fierce, As described in verses
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: forty two to forty four, Judas and his army crossed
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: the stream toward them. Timothy told his commanders. If he
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: crosses over to us first, we will not be able
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: to withstand him, for he will have a great advantage
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: over us. But if he hesitates and camps on the
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: other side, we will cross over to him and defeat
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: him once again. Judas leadership made the difference, as narrated
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: in verses forty five to fifty four. When he approached
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: the stream, he stationed the scribes of the people along
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: the water and ordered them, let no one stay behind.
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: Everyone must go into battle. He crossed first against them,
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: and all the people followed behind him. All the Pagans
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: were defeated before them, threw away their weapons and fled
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: to the temple of Karnim, But the Jews seized the
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: city and burned the temple with everyone inside. Thus Carnim
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: was subdued and they could no longer resist Judas. After
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: these victories, as described in verses forty five to fifty four,
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: Judas gathered all the Israelites who were in the region
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: of Gilead, young and old, along with their wives, children,
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: and belongings, a very large caravan to lead them back
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: to the land of Judah. They arrived at Ephron, a
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: large and well fortified city situated on the passageway. Since
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: the inhabitants refused to let them pass, Judas was forced
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: to take the city by force. The strength of the
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: Maccabees continued to grow, as recounted in verses fifty five
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: to sixty two. After this, they crossed the Jordan into
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: the Great Plain before beth Shahan. Along the way, Judas
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: gathered those who had fallen behind and encouraged the people
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: throughout the journey until they reached the land of Judah.
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: They then ascended Mount Zion with joy and rejoicing, offering
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: burnt offerings, for none of them had fallen. They had
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: returned in peace. While Judas and Jonathan were in the
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: region of Gilead and their brother Simon was in Galilee
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: near Ptolemais, the commanders Joseph son of Zechariah and Azariah,
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: who had remained in charge of the rest of the
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: army in Judea, heard of the great deeds and battles
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: the others had fought, as described in verses fifty five
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: to sixty two. They said, let us also make a
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: name for ourselves and go fight against the nations around us.
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: This decision, contrary to Judas's explicit orders led to disaster,
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: as narrated in verses sixty three to sixty eight, when
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: they commanded the troops with them and marched against Jamnia.
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: Gorgias came out of the city with his men to
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: fight against them. Joseph and Azarias were put to flight
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: as far as the borders of Judea. About two thousand
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: men of the people of Israel fell that day. It
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: was a great defeat for the people because they had
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: not obeyed Judas and his brothers, imagining that they would
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: perform acts of bravery. They were not of the lineage
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: of those men through whose hands Israel's deliverance had been granted.
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: During this period, Antiochus, the fourth Epiphanes, who had set
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: out for Persia in search of resources, met his end,
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: as recounted in Chapter six, verses one to four. While
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: traveling through the upper regions, he heard of Elimia, a
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: city in Persia famous for its wealth, silver and gold.
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: There was a very rich temple there where golden armor, breastplates,
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: and weapons left behind by Alexander, son of Philip, King
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: of Macedonia, the first to reign over the Greeks, was stored.
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: He went there intending to seize and plunder the city,
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: but he failed because his plan became known to the inhabitants.
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: The story takes a dramatic turn with the death of Antiochus,
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: the fourth Epiphanes, as told in First Maccabis, Chapter six,
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: verses five to thirteen. When Antiochus realized that he had failed,
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: he withdrew in deep sorrow and returned to Babylon. It
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: was then that a messenger came to inform him in
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: Persia that the armies sent to Judea had been put
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: to flight. That Lysias, who had led a powerful army,
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: had been repelled by the Jews, who had grown stronger
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: thanks to the weapons, resource and abundant spoils taken from
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: the defeated armies. They had also destroyed the abomination that
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: he had set up on the altar in Jerusalem, and
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, as
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: well as bethsur the King's city. The news of these
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: defeats had a devastating effect on Antiochus, as described in
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: verses eight to thirteen. Upon hearing such news, he was
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: overcome with shock and violently distressed. He fell ill from
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: grief because things had not turned out as he had wished.
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: He remained there for many days, his deep sorrow continually renewed.
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: When he realized that he was going to die, he
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: called all his friends and said, sleep has fled from
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: my eyes, and my heart fails with anguish. I said
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: in my heart, to what tribulation have I come? And
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: into what waves of sorrow am I now plunged? I
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: who was kind and beloved in my power. But now
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: I remember the evils I committed in Jerusalem, where I
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: took all the gold and silver vessels that were there
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: and ordered the unjust slaughter of the inhabitants of Judah.
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: I acknowledge that it is because of this that these
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: misfortunes have come upon me, And behold, I am dying
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: in deep grief in a foreign land. With the death
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: of Antiochus, his son, Antiochus the fair Eupator ascended the
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: throne while still young. As narrated in Verses fourteen to seventeen,
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: he summoned Philip, one of his friends, and appointed him
• 46:36
  Speaker 1: over his entire kingdom. He handed him the diadem, his robe,
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: and his ring, so that he might guide Antiochus his
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: son and educate him. For the throne. King Antiochus died
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: there in the year one hundred and forty nine. When
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: Lysias learned that the king was dead, he established his
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: son Antiochus, whom he had raised since childhood, as king,
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: in his place, and gave him the name Eupator. The
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: struggle for power within the Seleucid Empire would have direct
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: consequences for the Jews, as told in Chapter seven, verses
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: one to seven. In the year one fifty one, Demetrius,
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: son of Seleucus, having departed from Rome, arrived with a
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: few men in a coastal city and began to reign there.
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: When he entered the royal palace of his ancestors, the
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: army seized Antiochus and Lyseus to bring them before him.
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: Upon being informed of this, he said, do not show
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: me their faces. The army killed them, and Demetrius took
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: his seat on the throne of his kingdom. It was
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: in this context that Alcimus emerged, a figure who would
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: change the course of events. As described in verses five
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: to seven, all the wicked and impious men of Israel
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: came to him, led by Alcimus, who sought to become
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: high priest. They accused the people before the king, saying,
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends and
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: have driven us out of our land. Therefore, now send
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: a man you trust to go and see all the
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: ruin they have caused to us, as well as to
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: the provinces of the king, and to punish them and
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: their supporters. King Demetrius decided to act, as narrated in
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: verses eight to twenty. He chose Bacchides, one of the
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: king's trusted friends, governor of the region beyond the River,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: an important man in the kingdom and loyal to the king.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: He sent him with the impious Algymus, whom he appointed
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: as high priest, ordering him to take vengeance on the
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: children of Israel. They set out with a great army
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: for the land of Judah. They sent messengers to Judas
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: and his brothers with peaceful but deceitful words. However, they
• 48:55
  Speaker 1: did not heed them, for they saw that they had
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: come with a great army. Nevertheless, some scribes and righteous
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: men among the people were deceived. As described in verses
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: twelve to eighteen, a group of scribes gathered with Alcimus
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: and backades, seeking a just resolution. The Hacideans were the
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: first among the children of Israel to seek peace with them, saying,
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: a priest of Aaron's lineage has come with the troops.
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: He will not deceive us. Alcamus spoke to them peacefully
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: and swore to them, we will do you no harm
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: nor to your friends. They believed him, but he had
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: sixty of them seized and killed in one day. According
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: to the word that is written, the flesh of your
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: saints and their blood they have shed around Jerusalem, and
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: there was no one to bury them. This betrayal by
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: Alcimus caused great terror, as narrated in Verses nineteen to
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: twenty five. Fear and trembling seized the whole people, who said,
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: there is neither truth nor justice in them, for they
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: have violated the covenant and the both. They made bacades,
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: left Jerusalem and camped at Bethzyth. He ordered the capture
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: of many of those who had defected to him, as
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: well as some of the people, and had them killed,
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: casting them into a deep pit. He then intrusted the
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: province to Alcimus, leaving troops to support him, and returned
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: to the king. The reign of Alcimus was marked by
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: violence and oppression. As described in verses twenty one to
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: twenty five, Alcimus sought the high priesthood, all the troublemakers
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: of his people gathered around him, seized the land of
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: Judah and caused great tribulation in Israel. When Judas saw
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: all the evil that Alcimus and his followers inflicted upon
• 50:43
  Speaker 1: the children of Israel, worse than the gentiles, he traveled
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: throughout the territory of Judah seeking vengeance against the deserters.
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: Thus he prevented them from spreading throughout the land. The
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: situation worsened when, as recounted in verses twenty six thirty two, Alcimus,
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: realizing that Judas and his followers had grown stronger and
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: that he could not withstand them, returned to the king
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: and accused them of serious crimes. The king then sent Niconor,
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: one of his most distinguished generals who hated and opposed Israel,
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: ordering him to exterminate the people. Nicanor's arrival marked the
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: beginning of a new phase in the conflict. As narrated
• 51:26
  Speaker 1: in verses thirty three to thirty eight, Niconor came to
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem with a large army and deceitfully sent peaceful words
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: to Judas and his brothers. Let there be no war
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: between us. I will come with a few men to
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: meet you in peace. He went to Judas and they
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: greeted each other in peace, but the enemies were prepared
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: to capture Judas. However, Judas realized that Niconor had come
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: with malicious intent. He feared him and refused to see
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: his face again. Tension escalated further when described in verses
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: thirty nine to forty seven. Niconor discovered that his plan
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: had been exposed and marched against Judas to fight near
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: Cafar Salama. About five hundred men from Nicanor's army fell,
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: and the rest fled to the city of David. After
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: these events, Niconor went up to Mount Zion. Some of
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: the priests came out of the holy place with the
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: elders of the people to greet him peacefully and show
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: him the burnt offering that was offered for the king. However,
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: he mocked them, ridiculed them, profaned them, and spoke arrogantly.
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: Filled with rage, he swore, if Judas and his army
• 52:38
  Speaker 1: are not handed over to me immediately, as soon as
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: I return victorious, I will burn down this building, and
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: he left in great fury. The priests entered, and standing
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: before the altar and the temple weeping, they said, you
• 52:52
  Speaker 1: have chosen this house for your name to be invoked
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: upon it, and to be a house of prayer and
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: supplication for your people. Take vengeance upon this man and
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: his army, and let them fall by the sword. Remember
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: his blasphemies, and do not let them prevail. After the
• 53:09
  Speaker 1: death of Judas Maccabeus, his brother Jonathan assumed leadership of
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: the resistance. As told in First Maccabees Chapter nine, verses
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: twenty eight to thirty one, Judas's friends gathered and said
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: to Jonathan, since your brother Judas died, there is no
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: one like him to go out against the enemies, against
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: Baccades and the adversaries of our nation. Therefore to day
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: we choose you to be our leader and commander in
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: his place, so that you may continue our war. Jonathan
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: accepted the leadership at that moment and rose in place
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: of his brother Judas. The situation was extremely delicate, as
• 53:49
  Speaker 1: described in verses thirty two to thirty four. When Baccades
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: learned of this, he sought a way to kill Jonathan,
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: but Jonathan, his brother Simon, and all who were with him,
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: upon hearing this, fled to the wilderness of Toccoah and
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: camped by the waters of the Asphar Cistern. The persecution
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: was intense, As narrated in Verses forty three to forty nine,
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: a great battle took place, and many on both sides
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: fell wounded. Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bakides,
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: but he dodged backward. Then Jonathan and those with him
• 54:24
  Speaker 1: jumped into the Jordan River and swam across to the
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: other side. The others did not cross the Jordan after them.
• 54:32
  Speaker 1: About a thousand men from Baccades's army fell that day.
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: Jonathan's strength gradually grew. As told in Verses fifty eight
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: to sixty one, all the wicked and ungodly of Israel
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: gathered in council, saying, behold, Jonathan and his men live
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: in peace and confidence. Let us now summon Bacades. He
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: will capture them all in a single night. They went
• 54:55
  Speaker 1: to him and advised him accordingly. Baccades set out with
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: a great army and secretly instructed all his allies in
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: Judea to seize Jonathan. And his followers, but they failed,
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: for their plan was discovered. Jonathan's leadership solidified through his
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: diplomatic and military skills, as described in Chapter ten, verses
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: one to six. In the year one hundred sixty, Alexander Epiphanes,
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: son of Antiochus, rose and took Ptolemize. He was welcomed
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: and began to reign there. When King Demetrius learned of this,
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: he gathered a vast army and set out against him.
• 55:35
  Speaker 1: Demetrius also sent a letter to Jonathan with peaceful words
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: to elevate him. This was a crucial moment that demonstrated
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: Jonathan's political astuteness. As narrated in verses seven to fourteen,
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: Demetrius said, let us hasten to make peace with him
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: before he makes peace with Alexander against us, for he
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: will remember all the harm we caused him, his brothers,
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: and his nation. He authorized Jonathan to recruit an army
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: and manufacture weapons, declaring him his ally. He also ordered
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: that the hostages in the citadel be handed over to him.
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: Jonathan's response was strategic, as described in verses fifteen to
• 56:17
  Speaker 1: twenty one. When Alexander heard of all the promises, Demetrius
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: had made to Jonathan. He was also informed of the
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: battles and exploits that Jonathan and his brothers had accomplished,
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: and the hardships they had endured. Then he said, where
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: can we find another man like him? Let us make
• 56:36
  Speaker 1: him our friend an ally. Now he wrote him a
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: letter inviting him to be his ally. Jonathan's power grew significantly,
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: as recounted in verses fifty nine to sixty six. On
• 56:50
  Speaker 1: that occasion, Jonathan left Jerusalem with the elders of Judah
• 56:53
  Speaker 1: and the priests and crossed the river to Ptolemas. He
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: found favor in the eyes of both kings. They granted
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: him and his companions gold, silver, and many gifts. King
• 57:05
  Speaker 1: Alexander even requested that Jonathan be clothed in purple, and
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: so it was done, as narrated in Chapter eleven, verses
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: one to seven. The king of Egypt gathered forces as
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with many ships.
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: He sought to seize Alexander's kingdom through cunning and annex
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: it to his own. He set out for Syria with
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: peaceful words, and the inhabitants of the cities opened their
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: gates and went out to meet him. Alexander had ordered
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: that he be received as he was his father in law.
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: The political situation was complex and unstable, as described in
• 57:45
  Speaker 1: Verses eight to thirteen. When Ptolemy entered the cities, he
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: left garrison troops in each one. Upon approaching Ashdod, he
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: was shown the burned temple of Dagon, the destroyed city
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: and its suburbs, corpses scattered about, and the charred remains
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: of those who had been burned in the war. The
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: people told the king what Jonathan had done, attempting to
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: make him detestable, but the king remained silent. Jonathan's diplomatic
• 58:13
  Speaker 1: skill continued to grow, as narrated in Verses twenty to
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: twenty seven. King Ptolemy became the ruler of the coastal
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: cities up to Silucia by the Sea, and harbored malicious
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: intentions against Alexander. He sent envoys to King Demetrius, saying, come,
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: let us make an alliance between us. I will give
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: you my daughter, whom Alexander now possesses, and you shall
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: reign over your father's kingdom. I regret having given my
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: daughter to him, for he sought to kill me amid
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: these dynastic disputes, Jonathan maintained his strong position. As told
• 58:51
  Speaker 1: in verses twenty eight to thirty seven, the king wrote
• 58:54
  Speaker 1: him a letter in these terms, to King Jonathan, our
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: brother and to the nation of the Jews, Greetings, we
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: are sending you a copy of the letter we wrote
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: to Lasthenes, our relative, concerning you, so that you may
• 59:08
  Speaker 1: be informed. King Demetrius to Lasthenes, his father, Greetings, we
• 59:12
  Speaker 1: have decided to treat the nation of the Jews well,
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: for they are our friends and act justly toward us.
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: Because of their good will toward us, Jonathan's authority grew
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: both in military and religious matters, as described in verses
• 59:28
  Speaker 1: fifty four to fifty nine, King Alexander honored him even more.
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: He sent him a golden buckle, as was customary for
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: the king's relatives, and granted him Ekron and all its
• 59:39
  Speaker 1: territory as a possession. The situation changed dramatically when, as
• 59:44
  Speaker 1: narrated in verses sixty to seventy four, the King of
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: Egypt entered Antioch and placed two crowns upon his head,
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: one of Asia and one of Egypt. But King Alexander
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: was then in Silicia, for the inhabitants of that reading
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: had revolted. Upon hearing of this, he marched against him
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 1: to due battle. Ptolemy sent out his army, met him
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: with great forces, and put him to flight. This period
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 1: of political turbulence demanded great diplomatic skill, as told in
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: Chapter twelve, verses one to four. Seeing that circumstances were
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: in his favor, Jonathan sent envoys to Rome to confirm
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: and renew the alliance with the Romans. He also sent
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: letters to the Spartans and other places with the same intent.
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 1: Jonathan's ability to maintain alliances was remarkable, as described in
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 1: verses five to eighteen. His envoys arrived in Rome, entered
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: the Senate and said, the High Priest Jonathan and the
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 1: nation of the Jews have sent us to renew the
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: friendship and alliance with you under the same terms as before.
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: The Senate provided them with letters for the authorities of
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: each word region, insuring their safe return to the land
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: of Judah. However, betrayal was near, as narrated in verses
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 1: thirty nine to fifty three. Trypho aspired to become King
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 1: of Asia, to wear the crown and to seize power
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: from King Antiochus. Fearing that Jonathan would oppose him and
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: wage war against him, he sought a way to capture
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: and kill him. He set out for beth Shan. Jonathan
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: went to meet him with forty thousand chosen men for battle,
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: and arrived at beth Shan. Jonathan's end came through treachery.
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: As recounted in the final verses of chapter twelve, Trypho
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: saw that Jonathan had come with a large army and
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: was afraid to attack him directly. Instead, he received him
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: with honors, introduced him to his friends, gave him gifts,
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: and instructed his troops to obey Jonathan as they would himself. Then,
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: using deception, he convinced Jonathan to dismiss his army and
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: accompany him with only a thousand men to Ptolemize, where
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: he was betrayed and captured. With Jonathan's capture, his brother
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 1: Simon took leadership. At a critical moment, as narrated in
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, verses one to six, Simon learned that Tripho
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: had gathered a great army to invade and devastate the
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: land of Judah. Seeing that the people were fearful and distressed,
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: he went up to Jerusalem, assembled the people and exhorted them, saying,
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: you know how much I, my brothers, and my father's
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: house have done for the commandments and the sanctuary, and
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: the wars and tribulations we have endured. Because of this,
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: All my brothers have perished for the cause of Israel,
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: and I alone remain. The people's response demonstrated their confidence
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: in his leadership, as described in verses seven to eleven.
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: Upon hearing these words, their spirits were revived, and they
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: responded in a loud voice, you shall be our leader
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: in place of Judas and Jonathan. Your brothers fight our battles,
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 1: and whatever you command, we will do. Simon then gathered
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 1: all the men of war, hurried to complete the walls
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: of Jerusalem, and fortified the city all around. Simon's first
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 1: major test as a leader came soon, as narrated in
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 1: verses twelve to nineteen, Trypho set out from Ptolemais with
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: a large army to invade the land of Judah, bringing
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: Jonathan as a prisoner. Simon camped at a deeder facing
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: the plain. When Trypho learned that Simon had succeeded his
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: brother Jonathan and was preparing to fight him. He sent
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: messengers saying, it is because of the money that your
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 1: brother Jonathan owes to the Royal treasury due to the
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: offices he held that we are holding him. Now send
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: a hundred talents of silver and two of his sons
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: as hostages, so that once released, he will not rebel
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: against us and we will let him go. Simon's decision
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: was painful, as described in verses twenty to twenty four.
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: Though he realized that Trypho was deceiving him, he sent
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: the money and the boys to avoid stirring up hostility
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: among the people, who might say Jonathan perished because Simon
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: did not send the money and the boys, so he
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: sent them along with the hundred talents. But Trypho lied
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: and did not release Jonathan. As told in verses twenty
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: three to thirty, Trypho came to invade the region and
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: devastate it, making his way through Adorer, but Simon and
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 1: his army followed him wherever he went. The people of
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: the citadel sent messengers to Trypho, urging him to reach
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: them through the desert and to send them provisions. Trephoe
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: prepared his entire cavalry to go, but that night, viv
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: snow fell, preventing him from proceeding. He then departed and
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: went to the region of Gilead. When he approached Bascama,
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 1: he killed Jonathan, who was buried there. As narrated in
• 1:05:11
  Speaker 1: Verses thirty three to forty two, Simon ordered his brother
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: Jonathan's bones to be collected and buried in Modane, the
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 1: city of their ancestors. All of Israel mourned deeply for
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: him and lamented for many days. Simon built a tall
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 1: monument over the tomb of his father and brothers, visible
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: from a great distance, with polished stones at the front
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 1: and back. He erected seven pyramids, one in front of
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 1: the other for his father, mother, and four brothers. Around them,
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: he constructed a grand structure with large columns, upon which
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 1: he placed armor as an eternal memorial. Alongside the armor,
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: he had ships sculpted, visible to all who sailed the sea,
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: as described in Verses forty three to fifty three, King
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: Demetrius confirmed Simon as high priest, counted him among his friends,
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 1: and bestowed great honors upon him. He had learned that
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: the Romans had recognized the Jews as friends, allies, and brothers,
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: and had received Simon's ambassadors with honors. The Jews and
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: the priests then decided that Simon would be their leader
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: and high priest forever until a trustworthy prophet arose. As
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: recounted in Chapter fourteen, verses four to fifteen, the land
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: of Judah enjoyed peace throughout Simon's reign. He sought the
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: welfare of his nation. His power and glory were well
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: regarded by his people. During his entire rule, he increased
• 1:06:40
  Speaker 1: the glory of his people, took Joppa as a port
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: and established an entryway to the islands of the sea.
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: He expanded the nation's borders and maintained control over the land.
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 1: The elders sat in the squares discussing the well being
• 1:06:56
  Speaker 1: of the land, while the young men dressed in splendor
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: and in garments of war. As narrated in verses twenty
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: seven to forty five, on the eighteenth day of Ellul
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 1: in the year one hundred seventy two, the third year
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 1: of Simon's high priesthood in Assaramel, during the great assembly
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: of priests, the people, the nation's leaders, and the elders
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 1: of the land, the following was recorded. Many times wars
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: have plagued our land. Simon, son of Mattathias, a priest
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: from the descendants of Joarib, and his brothers, risked their
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: lives and resisted the enemies of their nation, ensuring that
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: the sanctuary and the law remained intact, bringing great glory
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: upon their people, as described in verses forty one to
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: forty five. At that time, the people began to inscribe
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 1: on documents and contracts. In the first year of Simon,
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: the Great, High Priest, strategist and leader of the Jews,
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: Simon besieged Gazara, surrounded it with encampment, built a mobile
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: siege tower, moved it close to the city, breached one
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: of its towers, and seized it, as told in Chapter fifteen,
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: verses one to nine. And Tiacus, son of King Demetrius,
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 1: sent letters from the islands of the sea to Simon,
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 1: the Priest and Ethnarch of the Jews, and to the
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: entire nation. The content read King Antiochus, to Simon, the
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 1: High Priest and Ethnarch, and to the Jewish nation, greetings,
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: Since wicked men have seized the kingdom of our ancestors,
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: I intend to reclaim it and restore it to its
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 1: former state. As narrated in Chapter sixteen, verses eleven to fourteen, Ptolemy,
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 1: son of Abubus, had been appointed strategist of the plains
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: of Jericho. He possessed great wealth in silver and gold.
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: As he was the high priest's son in law. Filled
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: with pride, he sought to seize the land. He treacherously
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: plotted against Simon and his son, intending to eliminate them.
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: As described in the final verses of Chapter sixteen, Simon
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: was visiting the cities of the land, overseeing their administration
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: in the year one hundred seventy seven. In the eleventh month,
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: the month of Shabbat, he traveled to Jericho with his sons,
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 1: Mattathias and Judas. The son of Abubus, deceitfully welcomed them
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 1: into the small fortress of doc which he had built.
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 1: He hosted a grand banquet for them, but had hidden
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: men in the area. When Simon and his sons became intoxicated,
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 1: Ptolemy and his men rose up, took their weapons, attacked
• 1:09:40
  Speaker 1: Simon in the banquet hall, and killed him, along with
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: his two sons and some of his servants. After committing
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: this great betrayal, Ptolemy wrote a report to the king
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: requesting that he send troops to aid him, promising to
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 1: deliver the land and cities into his hands. He sent
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 1: others to Gazara to kill John and dispatched letters to
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: military officers inviting them to meet him with the promise
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: of silver, gold and gifts. He also sent men to
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 1: occupy Jerusalem and the Temple mount. As narrated in verses
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 1: twenty one to twenty four, someone ran ahead to Gazara
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: and informed John of the murder of his father and brothers,
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: adding he has sent men to kill you two. Upon
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: hearing this, John was deeply shaken. He captured the men
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 1: sent to assassinate him and executed them, having discovered their
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 1: plot against his life, as revealed in the final verses
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: of the book twenty three to twenty four. The rest
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: of John's story, his wars, his feats, the walls he built,
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 1: and his other deeds are recorded in the chronicles of
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 1: his high priesthood. From the day he succeeded his father,
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: John Hyrcanus would continue the Hasmonian legacy, further expanding Israel's
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: borders and strengthening the dynasty that his grandfather met Aethias
• 1:11:00
  Speaker 1: had established. Under his rule, Judea would experience its greatest
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 1: period of prosperity and power since the days of King Solomon.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 1: The Hasmonian dynasty would continue to govern Judea for several
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: more decades until the arrival of the Romans, marking one
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: of the most significant periods in Jewish history. And so
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: concludes the incredible narrative of the Book of First Maccabees,
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 1: a story of courage, faith, and perseverance that remains relevant
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: to this day, a saga that shows us how a
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: small family of priests led an entire people in the
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: fight for their religious and cultural freedom, standing against one
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: of the greatest empires of the ancient world. If this
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: story of resistance and determination impressed you, don't keep it
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: to yourself. Share this video with your friends and family,
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: especially those interested in ancient history, religion, or simple the
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 1: inspiring tales of overcoming adversity. Did you know there are
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: many other fascinating stories like this in the deuterocanonical books.
• 1:12:09
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• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: from some religious traditions but holding incredible historical treasures, subscribe
• 1:12:19
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• 1:12:22
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• 1:12:26
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• 1:12:31
  Speaker 1: and the incredible discoveries that connect the past to the present.
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: Leave alike if you learn something new today, and tell
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 1: us in the comments which part of this story stood
• 1:12:42
  Speaker 1: out to you the most. See you in the next video.