Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Mattathias opposes Antiochus; then, verse 23, he kills a Jew sacrificing to idols and also the prefect of Antiochus who was compelling this, exclaiming: "Let everyone who has zeal come out after me." He therefore flees with those following him into the mountains; those who in verse 37, attacked on the sabbath, allow themselves to be killed; then, lest all perish, they defend themselves with arms. Thirdly, verse 44, Mattathias gathers an army and fights for the faith and the fatherland; about to die, he exhorts his sons and the rest to the same and to zeal for the law, and assigns his son Judas as commander of the war.
Vulgate Text: 1 Maccabees 2:1-70
1. In those days Mattathias the son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, rose up from Jerusalem and settled on the mountain of Modin; 2. and he had five sons: John, who was surnamed Gaddi; 3. and Simon, who was surnamed Thassi; 4. and Judas, who was called Maccabeus; 5. and Eleazar, who was surnamed Avaran; and Jonathan, who was surnamed Apphus. 6. These saw the evils that were being done among the people of Judah and in Jerusalem. 7. And Mattathias said: Woe is me! Why was I born to see the destruction of my people and the destruction of the holy city, and to sit there while it is given into the hands of enemies? 8. The holy things have been given into the hands of strangers; her temple has become like a man without honor. 9. Her glorious vessels have been carried away captive; her elders have been slain in her streets, and her young men have fallen by the sword of enemies. 10. What nation has not inherited her kingdom and seized her spoils? 11. All her adornment has been taken away. She who was free has become a slave. 12. And behold, our holy things and our beauty and our glory have been laid waste, and the Gentiles have defiled them. 13. Why then should we still live? 14. And Mattathias and his sons tore their garments, and covered themselves with sackcloth, and mourned greatly. 15. And those who had been sent by King Antiochus came there to compel those who had taken refuge in the city of Modin to sacrifice and burn incense and to depart from the law of God. 16. And many of the people of Israel consented and came to them; but Mattathias and his sons stood firm. 17. And those who had been sent by Antiochus answered and said to Mattathias: You are a ruler and an illustrious and great man in this city, and distinguished with sons and brothers. 18. Therefore come first and carry out the king's command, as all the nations have done, and the men of Judah and those who remain in Jerusalem; and you and your sons shall be among the king's friends, and enriched with gold and silver and many gifts. 19. And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice: Even if all the nations obey King Antiochus, so that each one departs from the worship of the law of his fathers and consents to his commands; 20. yet I and my sons and my brothers will obey the law of our fathers. 21. God forbid: it is not profitable for us to abandon the law and the ordinances of God. 22. We will not heed the words of King Antiochus, nor will we sacrifice, transgressing the commands of our law, that we should go another way. 23. And when he had ceased speaking these words, a certain Jew came forward in the sight of all to sacrifice to idols upon the altar in the city of Modin, according to the king's command, 24. and Mattathias saw it, and grieved, and his inmost parts trembled, and his fury was kindled according to the judgment of the law, and leaping upon him he slew him upon the altar; 25. and also the man whom King Antiochus had sent, who was compelling them to sacrifice, he killed at the same time, and destroyed the altar. 26. And he was zealous for the law, as Phinehas did to Zimri the son of Salu. 27. And Mattathias cried out with a loud voice in the city, saying: Let everyone who has zeal for the law, upholding the covenant, come out after me. 28. And he fled, he and his sons, into the mountains, and left behind whatever they had in the city. 29. Then many who sought justice and righteousness went down into the desert; 30. and they sat there, they and their sons and their wives and their cattle, because evils had overwhelmed them. 31. And it was reported to the king's men and to the army that was in Jerusalem in the city of David, that certain men who had defied the king's command had gone away to secret places in the desert, and many had gone after them. 32. And immediately they went out against them and prepared for battle against them on the sabbath day, 33. and said to them: Do you still resist? Come out and do according to the word of King Antiochus, and you shall live. 34. And they said: We will not come out, nor will we do the king's bidding, to profane the sabbath day. 35. And they launched an attack against them. 36. And they did not answer them, nor cast a stone at them, nor block up their hiding places, 37. saying: Let us all die in our innocence; and heaven and earth shall be witnesses over us that you destroy us unjustly. 38. And they made war against them on the sabbath; and they died, they and their wives and their children and their cattle, up to a thousand souls. 39. And Mattathias and his friends learned of it, and mourned greatly over them. 40. And each man said to his neighbor: If we all do as our brothers have done, and do not fight against the nations for our lives and our ordinances, they will now quickly destroy us from the earth. 41. And they resolved on that day, saying: Whoever comes against us in battle on the sabbath day, let us fight against him; and let us not all die as our brothers died in the hiding places. 42. Then there gathered to them the congregation of the Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel, every one who was a volunteer for the law; 43. and all who were fleeing from evils were added to them, and became a reinforcement for them. 44. And they gathered an army, and struck down sinners in their anger, and wicked men in their indignation; and the rest fled to the nations to escape. 45. And Mattathias and his friends went about and tore down the altars; 46. and they circumcised all the uncircumcised boys they found within the borders of Israel, by force. 47. And they pursued the sons of pride, and the work prospered in their hands; 48. and they recovered the law from the hands of the nations and from the hands of kings, and did not yield power to the sinner. 49. And the days of Mattathias drew near to die, and he said to his sons: Now pride and punishment have grown strong, and a time of overthrow and fierce anger. 50. Now therefore, O my sons, be zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers, 51. and remember the deeds of your fathers that they did in their generations; and you will receive great glory and an everlasting name. 52. Was not Abraham found faithful in trial, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? 53. Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment, and became lord of Egypt. 54. Phinehas our father, by being zealous with the zeal of God, received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. 55. Joshua, because he fulfilled the word, became a leader in Israel. 56. Caleb, because he bore witness in the assembly, received an inheritance. 57. David, through his mercy, obtained the throne of the kingdom forever. 58. Elijah, because he was zealous with zeal for the law, was taken up into heaven. 59. Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, by believing, were delivered from the flame. 60. Daniel in his innocence was delivered from the mouth of lions. 61. And so consider from generation to generation: all who hope in Him shall not be weakened. 62. And do not fear the words of a sinful man, for his glory is dung and worms; 63. today he is exalted, and tomorrow he will not be found, for he has returned to his dust and his plans have perished. 64. Therefore, my sons, be strong and act manfully in the law; for in it you shall be glorious. 65. And behold, Simon your brother — I know that he is a man of counsel; listen to him always, and he shall be a father to you. 66. And Judas Maccabeus, strong in valor from his youth, let him be your commander of the army, and he shall lead the war of the people. 67. And gather to yourselves all the doers of the law, and avenge the vengeance of your people. 68. Repay the nations their recompense, and attend to the precept of the law. 69. And he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. 70. And he died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year; and he was buried by his sons in the sepulchres of his fathers in Modin, and all Israel mourned him with great mourning.
Verse 1: In Those Days Mattathias Rose Up
1. IN THOSE DAYS MATTATHIAS ROSE UP — or by crasis "Matthias," as Josephus and Theodoret call him: which name in Hebrew means "gift of God," and is therefore the same as the Greek Theodosius, Theodore, or inversely Dorotheus, and in Latin Adeodatus; for by a great gift this man was given by God as a leader to Israel to resist Antiochus. You ask: Who and what sort of man was Mattathias? I answer that he was a priest of the first class from the tribe of Levi, namely from the line of Joarib, which among the priestly families is placed first, 1 Chronicles 24:7. Moreover, Mattathias, by God's choosing and impelling him and the people's approval, became High Priest and Leader and champion of the people against the common enemy Antiochus; for after the return from captivity by order of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the same men were both High Priests and Leaders of the people, as Josephus attests, book 11, chapter 4. The same is clear from 1 Ezra 7:25-26 and 2 Ezra 9:36. For even if Mattathias was not descended from the immediate line of High Priests, nevertheless, that line having failed, the Pontificate devolved upon him as a priest of the first class. For Onias III, surnamed the Holy, had already been killed in the 5th year of Antiochus, which was 145 of the Greeks. But the son of Onias, namely Onias the younger, had fled to Egypt and had become High Priest at Heliopolis of the new temple called Onion after him. Jason, however, the brother of Onias, having become an apostate, was compelling the rest to apostatize and convert to Gentilism. Therefore it fell to Mattathias to take up the Pontificate and the Leadership of the people, to protect and defend both religion and the state, which had been brought to the utmost danger by Antiochus. Especially since there was no one else who dared do it, but all, from fear of Antiochus, either hid and kept silent or fled. Therefore God raised him up and gave him courage for this undertaking, to preserve the faith and worship of God and the safety of the fatherland. He did this in the ninth year of Antiochus, which was 145 of the Greeks. Accordingly, the Chaldean paraphrase on Song of Songs 6:6, Josephus and Josippus, Aben-Ezra and the Hebrews call Mattathias the high priest, or Pontiff, both from God's designation, from the election of the people, and from the right of succession and kinship, as I have said. So Abulensis on Exodus 20, question 25; Serarius, Sigonius, Severus Sulpitius, Torniellus, Genebrardus, whom Salianus cites and follows. Hence Mattathias calls Phinehas the Pontiff his father: therefore descended from a Pontiff, with the others having failed, he had the right to succeed. But he was Pontiff and leader for only a few months, because dying in the same year, he designated as his successor in the Pontificate and Leadership his son Judas Maccabeus.
Verse 2: And He Had Five Sons: John, Who Was Surnamed Gaddi
2. AND HE HAD FIVE SONS: JOHN, WHO WAS SURNAMED GADDI. — Gaddi means "heap" or "pile of grain," as if to say "Abundant" or "More Abundant": by which name two martyrs under Diocletian were called, whose sacred relics under Pope Gregory XIII were transferred with solemn pomp to the professed house of the Society of Jesus at Rome.
3. AND SIMON, WHO WAS SURNAMED THASSI — that is, "he-goat": for thais is a he-goat, or "cutter off," from the root tazaz, that is, to cut off.
4. AND JUDAS, WHO WAS CALLED MACCABEUS. — I gave the etymology of Maccabeus in the Introduction. This surname was first given to Judas, and from him the other brothers and companions were called Maccabees, as is clear from this passage. It is a prolepsis, or anticipation; for this surname was given to Judas not from boyhood, but later, when he inscribed on his banners the name Machabi, as I said in the Introduction. So the Antiochids were afterward surnamed from their deeds and victories: Soters, Epiphanes, Ceraunii, Callinici, Nicanors; and the Ptolemies were called Eupators, Philadelphi, Philometors, Euergetes, etc.
Verse 5: And Eleazar, Who Was Surnamed Avaran
5. AND ELEAZAR, WHO WAS SURNAMED AVARAN — that is, "strong": for abbir means powerful, strong. AND JONATHAN, WHO WAS SURNAMED APPHUS — that is, "a man of counsel," or "one willing to take counsel"; perhaps because he was by nature fiery and choleric, and therefore of quick wit and rapid counsel, which is most useful in wars. So Pagninus in the Hebrew Names.
7. WOE IS ME! — This lament of Mattathias over the devastation of the temple and Jerusalem proceeded from the zeal for religion with which he burned. Similar was the zeal and lament of Jeremiah over the destruction of Jerusalem in Lamentations and Jeremiah 20.
8. HER TEMPLE IS LIKE A MAN WITHOUT HONOR — that is, a vile, poor, rustic man, indeed a fool, an idiot, and a buffoon, whom everyone mocks, tramples, pulls at, and beats with impunity. So Sanchez. For thus the soldiers of Antiochus Epiphanes mocked, trampled, plundered, and pulled at the temple, the priests, Levites, and other Jews, whom they forced, as if they were drunken fools, to crown themselves with ivy in honor of Bacchus, to dance, and to carouse, book 2, chapter 6.
10. WHAT NATION HAS NOT INHERITED HER KINGDOM? — For mixed with the Greek soldiers of Antiochus were Chaldeans, Persians, Medes, Assyrians, etc., and also Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, Arabs, Idumeans, and other enemies of the Jews, who when they saw them so harassed by Antiochus, rushed in to help him and to plunder and punish the Jews.
13. WHY THEN SHOULD WE STILL LIVE? — For life amid so many calamities is far more death than life, as St. Gregory says. And as the Tragedian says: "It has the changes of death when life is dragged out with slow groaning." So Anchises: "He refuses to prolong his life with Troy destroyed," Aeneid.
And others after the fall of Troy cry out in misery, Aeneid 1: "O thrice and four times blessed, Those who before their fathers' eyes beneath the lofty walls of Troy Were granted death! O bravest of the Danaan race, Tydeus' son, that I could not have fallen on the Trojan plains And poured forth this soul by your right hand!"
21. GOD FORBID — as if to say: May God grant us this grace, that He avert from us so great an evil and so great a crime and sin of apostasy and idolatry. Hence the Seventy translate: "May God not permit us." Others: "May God forbid this"; for the Hebrews use this expression when they greatly abominate and execrate something.
Verse 24: And His Inmost Parts Trembled
24. AND HIS INMOST PARTS TREMBLED. — By "kidneys" understand by synecdoche the rest of the internal organs; for the kidneys are the seat of desire, the heart of spirit and boldness, the liver of love, the gall of anger and fury — as if to say, Mattathias' inward parts were stirred partly by compassion and grief at the violated law, partly by ardor and zeal to defend it, partly by anger and fury to pursue and kill its violators, as in fact he did kill the Jew who was committing idolatry and the Legate of Antiochus who was compelling it. Whence follows: AND HIS FURY WAS KINDLED ACCORDING TO THE JUDGMENT (that is, decree) OF THE LAW — which in Deuteronomy 11:6 commands that he be killed who leads others away from their ancestral religion and the worship of God, as this Jew sacrificing to Jupiter was doing, and whom therefore Mattathias killed. For zeal for God's honor drove him: "Driven by love's fury and conscious virtue." Morally, learn here how effective zeal is, so that like fire it overcomes and consumes all things. Hear St. Ambrose on Psalm 118, Octonary 18, on the words: "My zeal has consumed me (for which St. Ambrose reads 'sought out'). A priest must have zeal, who strives to preserve the uncorrupted chastity of the Church. And therefore the Chief Priest says: Zeal for Your house has devoured me. And Phinehas was a priest and grandson of a priest and son of a priest. Good and useful is zeal in a priest, especially that he not be negligent, not be lax. It is better that by the condemnation of one or two, very many be freed, than that by the acquittal of two, more be endangered." And shortly after: "The zeal of God is life; Elijah had zeal, and therefore was caught up to heaven. 'Being zealous,' he says, 'I have been zealous for the Lord.' Mattathias son of John had zeal, who stirred up God's people against the sacrileges of Antiochus. Those who have zeal count as their own enemies all who are enemies of God, even father, brothers, sisters. To all he says: They have become my enemies; as David says." And after some intervening words: "Zeal therefore is charity. Indeed, strong as death is charity, hard as hell is zeal. Zeal is hard, which no allurement of this life can overcome. Hard as hell, through which we die to sin that we may live for God. Angels too without zeal are nothing, and lose the prerogative of their nature unless they sustain it by the ardor of zeal."
Whence shortly after he concludes: "And why should we marvel if the Angels have it? God the Father Himself says: Being zealous I will be zealous for Jerusalem with great zeal; because God is great, therefore His zeal also is great, and according to the quality of each one's power, so also his zeal is either moderate or great. By zeal Jerusalem is vindicated, by zeal the Church is gathered, by zeal faith is acquired, by zeal chastity is possessed. The Lord Jesus also says: Zeal for Your house has consumed me; rebuking the Jews because they had made the house of prayer a den of thieves and a house of commerce."
25. AND ALSO THE MAN WHOM KING ANTIOCHUS HAD SENT, WHO WAS COMPELLING THEM TO SACRIFICE, HE KILLED. — Josephus, book 12, chapter 8, calls this man Apelles. The same author, however, in book 1 On the War, chapter 1, calls him Bacchides, and adds that the sons of Mattathias helped their father in this slaughter; for the soldiers of Apelles were killed along with him. Mattathias did this justly, at God's instigation, as judge and avenger of Israel, and of religion and the worship of God, and by this act he entered upon and consecrated his Pontificate and leadership, just as Elijah made himself champion of the faith by killing the priests of Baal, 3 Kings 18; and Moses with the Levites by killing the worshippers of the golden calf, Exodus 32, to whom accordingly he said: "You have consecrated your hands today to the Lord, each one in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you." And Phinehas killing the prince who was sacrificing to Priapus, Numbers 25; see what I said there. So regarding the blasphemer St. Chrysostom judged and said: "If you hear anyone blaspheming God, approach, rebuke him: and if it is necessary to inflict blows, do not refuse; strike his face with a slap, crush his mouth, sanctify your hand with the blow." For indeed "zeal purges the crime," nay it sanctifies it and makes it a sacrifice, and makes it like a holocaust offered to divine justice and vengeance as a sweet fragrance.
Remarkable was the courage, fortitude, and boldness of Mattathias in this slaughter, by which he, almost alone, opposed himself to a powerful, proud, and cruel king, and impelled the rest to oppose themselves, generously exposing his fortunes, family, children, reputation, and life to danger for God, for the faith, for the fatherland. He was therefore an illustrious Hero, and made his five sons Heroes by leading them into battle against the tyrant: but faith and hope in God animated him and made him superior to all dangers, so that like a lion with his five cubs he crushed all enemies.
27. AND HE CRIED OUT, etc.: LET EVERYONE WHO HAS ZEAL FOR THE LAW, UPHOLDING THE COVENANT — striving that the covenant, that is, the pact made with God, may stand in its full force — as if to say: Whoever wants religion and the Republic to be safe, "let him come out after me," let him follow me as leader. Here Mattathias sounds the trumpet of war, and by it summons all to holy war, so that in it they either bravely conquer, or generously fall for God, the faith, and the fatherland. So at Rome, Gaius Marius, opposing Sulla who was invading the Republic, cried out:
"Whoever wants the Republic to be safe, let him follow me" (these words we still read inscribed in capital letters on the stone lintel of the Porta Angelica at Rome, through which he went forth). Having said this, Marius went out to the neighboring mountain and gathered his forces. Scipio cried out the same after the disaster at Cannae; and Nasica from the Capitol against Gracchus, as Livy, Paterculus, and Valerius Maximus (book 3, chapter 2) attest; and long after, Narses under the Emperor Justin opposing the Gauls, as Agathias attests, book 2. Finally Servius on Aeneid book 8: "If there were a tumultus," he says, "that is, great fear from the proximity of danger, because there was no time to summon individual soldiers, he who was about to lead the army would go to the Capitol, and bringing forth two standards from there — one red, which summoned the infantry, and another blue, which was the emblem of the cavalry — would say: Whoever wants the Republic to be safe, let him follow me."
Verse 28: And He Fled, He And His Sons
28. AND HE FLED, HE AND HIS SONS — from Jerusalem, where he had been living as a priest and had killed the Jew who was sacrificing to idols on the altar; "into the mountains, living among wild beasts and feeding on grass, lest they share in the defilement," as is said in book 2, chapter 5:27. Therefore they lived on herbs, the milk of cattle, food sent by neighbors, and the spoils of enemies.
29. THEN MANY WENT DOWN SEEKING JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE — that is, seeking from Mattathias what was right and just, namely, what at such a critical juncture of pressing persecution they ought to do — namely, endure exile, hunger, cold, nakedness, wounds, and all manner of hardships, and death itself, rather than yield to the tyrant and apostatize from God and His law and worship to idols.
Verse 37: Let Us All Die In Our Innocence
37. LET US ALL DIE IN OUR INNOCENCE — in the simple observance of the sabbath, so that on that day we observe the full rest prescribed by God, to the extent that on it we do not fight, indeed we do not defend ourselves against those attacking us, but allow ourselves to be killed like simple and innocent lambs. They said this not from superstition, nor from imprudence, as the Innovators (Protestants) claim, but from devotion to perfect religion. For the sabbath was held in the highest reverence among the Jews. Therefore, although they could have lawfully fought and defended themselves on that day, nevertheless out of zeal for religion they preferred to offer themselves to death rather than violate the worship and rest of the sabbath even in appearance and shadow only, because by this reasoning they became martyrs: and martyrdom is the noblest act, and therefore far nobler than fighting and living. The same was done by the Jews attacked by Ptolemy Lagus, and afterward by Mithridates, as Josephus narrates, book 12, chapter 1, and book 18, last chapter, whom St. Ambrose praises for their piety and religion, book 1 On Duties, chapter 40. So the Theban Legion, under St. Maurice as commander, could have resisted the Emperor Maximian; but they refused, and throwing down their arms allowed themselves to be killed like sheep, because the faithful legionaries preferred to be martyrs rather than soldiers. So the Carthusians by vow abstain from meat, preferring to die rather than eat meat, even when a physician judges it necessary for preserving health and life. For religion and regular observance are more important than health and life.
Verse 39: And Mattathias Learned Of It
39. AND MATTATHIAS LEARNED OF IT. — Here, as Pontiff, he interpreted the law of the sabbath as not binding in such a case, where one is attacked by an enemy, and said it was better to fight for God and the law, lest all the people of God be killed and so the Church and the worship of God should perish. Whence the rest followed this ruling of his, and resolved on the sabbath day to repel with arms those who attacked them, as is clear from verse 41.
42. THEN THERE GATHERED TO THEM THE CONGREGATION OF THE HASIDEANS (some incorrectly read "of the Jews") MIGHTY IN STRENGTH FROM ISRAEL, EVERY ONE WHO WAS A VOLUNTEER FOR THE LAW.
You ask who the Hasideans were. First, Hugo, Lyranus, Dionysius, the Gloss, and St. Thomas on chapter 14 reply that the Hasideans were so called from "assiduity," as if constant in the worship of God. But Assidai is a Hebrew word; therefore it has a Hebrew etymology, not a Latin one. Secondly, Serarius on chapter 7, Josephus, Stephen here in the Proem page 5, Genebrardus, Torniellus, Salianus, and Delrio in the Adagiales, chapter 10 and 30, think the Hasideans were Essenes or related to the Essenes, and of the same institution and profession. But against this stands first the fact that the Essenes did not yet exist at that time, for they arose shortly before Christ, as Baronius teaches. Second, the Essenes were not "mighty in strength," because they weakened their strength by abstinence and daily fasting. Third, the Essenes devoted themselves solely to God through prayer, reading, and contemplation. Hence: "Among them," says Philo in the book On the Essenes, "no one makes weapons, swords, helmets, breastplates, shields, nor machines, nor anything else useful for war." But the Hasideans abounded in these things, being devoted not to choir, like the Essenes, but to war. See what I said about the Essenes at Acts 4:2. I say therefore that the Hasideans were soldiers of the holy war, who volunteered for sacred military service for the sake of the law and the Synagogue, such as the temple soldiers were afterward, and now are the Military Orders of the Knights of Malta, St. John, St. Stephen, the Teutonic Knights, and similar orders, who fight generously for the Church of God against the Turks, Saracens, and heretics. For when Antiochus was striving to overthrow God's law, temple, and Synagogue, God raised up the Hasideans, who would devote themselves to sacred military service, fight for the protection of the temple and the law, and voluntarily offer themselves to all the dangers of war. That this is so is clear first from the word "synagogue," that is, assembly, collection, congregation of soldiers for defending the Synagogue. Second, from the phrase "mighty in strength." Third, from the phrase "volunteer for the law," namely one who voluntarily out of zeal would defend and champion the law. Therefore the Hasideans joined themselves to Judas Maccabeus as the leader of the holy war, and were his chief soldiers, through whom he won so many and such great victories. This is clear from book 2, 14:6: "Those who are called Hasideans among the Jews, over whom Judas Maccabeus presides, foster wars and seditions
and do not allow the kingdom to be at peace." These are the words of enemies, who were accusing the Hasideans as seditious before King Demetrius. And from chapter 7:12, where the Hasideans, as the foremost men, together with the congregation of scribes negotiate about making a common peace with Bacchides and Alcimus. Whence it is clear that they were men uniquely honored and prominent in Israel. You ask secondly whence they are called Hasideans. I answer that in Hebrew they are called chasidim, which some derive from chasida, that is, stork or kite, because like kites they swooped upon enemies and seized spoils. Others interpret chasidim as "hunters" from tsud, that is, to hunt, because they hunted the enemies of Israel just as a hunter hunts deer and hares. Better, Pagninus, Sanchez, Serarius, and others interpret chasidim as pious, merciful, religious, holy, from chesed, that is, piety, mercy, because they waged a pious war on behalf of the Israelites. Hear now St. Chrysostom on Psalm 43: "When a severe war was pressing and the Maccabees could do nothing useful, they hid themselves; for the Apostles also did this. They did not always appear and rush into the midst of dangers; but sometimes withdrew, fleeing and hiding. But after they had caught their breath a little, like noble young cubs leaping from their dens and emerging from their hiding places, they resolved no longer merely to save themselves, but also as many others as they could, and going through the cities and the whole region they gathered all whom they found still healthy and whole, and even many who were suffering and corrupted they restored to their former state, persuading them to return to their ancestral laws."
Verse 44: And They Struck Down The Sinners
44. AND THEY STRUCK DOWN THE SINNERS — that is, the apostates who had defected from Judaism to Antiochus and Gentilism. For this was the supreme sin and the supreme iniquity, by which all religion, faith, and virtue was betrayed and lost.
46. AND BY FORCE — repeat: "they circumcised the uncircumcised boys, as many as they found within the borders of Israel," as if to say: By force they circumcised the boys, even against the parents' will, because the parents were Israelites and were therefore obligated to circumcise their sons, and could therefore be compelled to this by Mattathias as Leader and Pontiff; just as now the Church compels the faithful to present their children for Baptism. If among them there were sons of unbelievers, they circumcised these also as now belonging to them and captured by right of war and separated from their parents. And although Lyranus says he did this only with the sons of Jews, nevertheless Scripture speaks absolutely; and although Dominicus Soto in his fourth treatise On Baptism says: If Mattathias did this with the sons of the Gentiles, he acted according to his knowledge — yet this does not seem rightly said of so distinguished and most holy a man: therefore it is better asserted that, since they had already been reduced to servitude by right of war and separated from their parents, they could lawfully be circumcised, just as we also now lawfully baptize the sons of Saracens captured in war, says Suarez, part 3, volume 3, Question 67, article 10, disputation 25, section 4.
Verse 48: They Recovered The Law From The Hand Of The Nations
48. THEY RECOVERED THE LAW FROM THE HAND OF THE NATIONS — as if to say: They restored to Israel, by force of arms, the law and worship of God that had been taken away by Antiochus and the nations, and caused God's law and worship to recover its former dignity and veneration. AND DID NOT YIELD POWER TO THE SINNER — as if to say: They did not allow the horns, that is, the pride, strength, and power of Antiochus to grow; but these, if they did not amputate, they certainly cut back and greatly diminished, so that he could not and dared not rampage and rage as he had been accustomed to do. Learn here that the horns of the proud, as well as of bulls that gore, must be cut back: for whoever does not remove them from the proud and fierce man adds to and increases them; therefore whoever can must remove them, lest those raging with them strike and overthrow many.
49. PUNISHMENT, etc. AND FIERCE ANGER — namely of God, by which God, angry and indignant at our sins, so atrociously punishes us through Antiochus, giving him free rein to rage and be fierce against us. So Attila king of the Huns, devastating Gaul and Italy, when asked by St. Lupus the Bishop of Troyes who he was and what he wanted, replied that he was the scourge of God to punish the crimes of the faithful: so Tamerlane was a scourge of God, and now the Ottomans are. So Nebuchadnezzar was shown to Jeremiah, chapter 1, in the form of a watchful rod.
Verse 50: And Give Your Lives For The Covenant
50. AND GIVE YOUR LIVES FOR THE COVENANT — that is, for the pact, namely for the law of God: for the law was the condition of the covenant entered into by Abraham, Moses, and the people with God.
51. AND YOU WILL RECEIVE GREAT GLORY — not only in this world among men, for that is vain, brief, and meager, but also in heaven before God, the Angels, and saints — immense, heavenly, and eternal glory.
52. WAS NOT ABRAHAM, IN THE TRIAL by which God tested his faith and obedience, commanding him to sacrifice to Him his only son Isaac, through whom He had promised him abundant posterity, indeed Christ, FOUND FAITHFUL, faithfully offering his son to God, hoping and believing with certain faith that God would raise him from death after the sacrifice: AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS — as if to say: This act of Abraham's obedience and offering of Isaac was counted and esteemed by God as an act of great righteousness, that is, of great virtue and holiness; and accordingly Abraham, who was already righteous, through it merited a great increase of grace and righteousness, and became before God much more righteous and holy. See what I said at Romans 4:3 and Genesis 15:6.
53. JOSEPH IN THE TIME OF HIS DISTRESS (which he suffered in prison) KEPT THE COMMANDMENT, the fifth of the Decalogue: "You shall not commit adultery," because when solicited by his mistress he refused to lie with her; AND (therefore) HE BECAME LORD OF EGYPT. — Admirably St. Cyprian, in the treatise On Mortality: "Let adversities not be stumbling blocks to you," he says, "but battles; let them not weaken or break the faith of Christians, but rather let them display virtue in the struggle, since every injury of present evils must be despised in confidence of future goods. Unless a battle has preceded, there can be no victory; when there has been victory in the engagement of battle, then the crown is given to the victors. The helmsman is tested in the storm, the soldier is proved in the battle line." And below: "Adversities do not call us away from the truth of virtue and faith, but strengthen us in suffering. How great a sublimity it is, to stand erect amid the ruins of the human race!" etc.
Verse 54: Phinehas Our Father
54. PHINEHAS OUR FATHER (hence it is clear that Mattathias and the Maccabees were descended from the tribe of Levi and Phinehas the Pontiff, and therefore, the others having failed, the Pontificate belonged to them by right of succession) BY BEING ZEALOUS WITH THE ZEAL OF GOD (killing the prince who was sacrificing to Baal-peor), RECEIVED THE COVENANT (that is, God's promise and pact) OF AN EVERLASTING PRIESTHOOD — namely that the Pontificate would endure in his descendants until the end of the Synagogue and Judaism, that is, until Christ. See what I said at Numbers 25.
Verse 55: Joshua, Because He Fulfilled The Word
55. JOSHUA (the successor of Moses), BECAUSE HE FULFILLED THE WORD (that is, the commandment by which God through Moses ordered him to survey Canaan, Numbers 14; to defeat Amalek, Exodus 17; and after Moses to take up the care of the people, Joshua 1), BECAME A LEADER IN ISRAEL — succeeding Moses in the leadership of the people.
Verse 56: Caleb, Because He Bore Witness In The Assembly
56. CALEB, BECAUSE HE BORE WITNESS IN THE ASSEMBLY (against his fellow explorers who said that Canaan was unconquerable on account of its giant inhabitants and fortified cities, testifying that with God's help it could be conquered, and that in reality it must be conquered by the Hebrews, as God had promised), RECEIVED AN INHERITANCE — a special one in Hebron, Numbers 14 and Joshua 14:12. See the praises of Joshua and Caleb, Sirach 50.
Verse 57: David, Through His Mercy
57. DAVID, THROUGH HIS MERCY (that is, through the merit of his mercy, by which he was pious and merciful both toward others and toward Saul who was persecuting him, refusing to harm him when he had him in his power), OBTAINED THE THRONE OF THE KINGDOM FOREVER — so that he obtained the royal throne and transmitted it to his descendants, to endure for them as long as the kingdom of Israel and Judah should last, namely until the Babylonian captivity. For "forever" here signifies not absolute perpetuity, but relative and limited, namely a perpetual duration throughout the entire state and kingdom of Judah; so that as long as this lasted, the kingdom of David would last in it.
Verse 58: Elijah, Because He Was Zealous With Zeal For The Law
58. ELIJAH, BECAUSE HE WAS ZEALOUS WITH ZEAL FOR THE LAW (killing all the prophets and priests of Baal and opposing Ahab, Jezebel, and the Baalites, 3 Kings 18), WAS TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN — snatched there by a chariot of fire, 4 Kings 2.
Verse 59: Hananiah, Azariah, And Mishael, Believing
59. HANANIAH, AZARIAH, AND MISHAEL, BELIEVING in the true God and offering themselves to the flames for this faith, believing that God could deliver them from them, WERE DELIVERED FROM THE FLAME — Daniel 3.
Verse 60: Daniel, In His Innocence
60. DANIEL, IN HIS INNOCENCE, that is, integrity, sincerity, constancy in worshipping God alone, truly persevering, by its merit WAS DELIVERED FROM THE MOUTH OF LIONS — Daniel 6.
Verse 62: And Do Not Fear The Words Of A Sinful Man
62. AND DO NOT FEAR THE WORDS OF A SINFUL MAN (the threats of the impious Antiochus), FOR HIS GLORY IS DUNG AND WORMS — to be corrupted, to rot and stink, while shortly afterward, by God's vengeance, all his glory is turned to ignominy and all his fame to infamy, as clearly happened to Antiochus, book 2, chapter 9.
Verse 64: Therefore, My Sons, Be Strong And Act Manfully
64. THEREFORE, MY SONS, BE STRONG AND ACT MANFULLY IN THE LAW (in defending and championing it), FOR IN IT YOU SHALL BE GLORIOUS — both by fighting and conquering, and by falling gloriously for it, as all of them fell for it: namely Judas, Jonathan, and Simon. For what is more glorious than to fight and die for the law, for the fatherland, for God? Mattathias heartens his sons for the fierce contests that threatened them with Antiochus, and therefore sets before them the examples of ancient heroes, that they might imitate them and attain a similar glory; for nothing so animates in difficult circumstances as the examples of ancestors. Hence Ovid, book 4 of Tristia, Elegy 3: "Fill the sad material with your virtues; Glory travels a steep road through headlong paths. Who would have known Hector, had Troy been fortunate? The public road of virtue is made through evils. Your art, Tiphys, lies idle if there be no waves on the sea; If men be healthy, your art, Phoebus, lies idle. Virtue that lies hidden and rests in good times, unknown, Appears and is revealed in adversity. Use the times, on whose gift you now rely, And a wide field lies open for your praises."
Verse 65: And Behold, Simon Your Brother
65. AND BEHOLD, SIMON YOUR BROTHER — I KNOW THAT HE IS A MAN OF COUNSEL; LISTEN TO HIM ALWAYS, AND HE SHALL BE A FATHER TO YOU — so that by his counsels he may direct you, as a father directs his sons. Again, so that he may govern my house and family as a father. Hence Josippus son of Gorion and Annius of Viterbo think Simon was the firstborn of Mattathias. But Josephus, Seder Olam Minor, and the Hebrews report that Judas was the firstborn; whence he succeeded his father in the Leadership and Pontificate; the secondborn was John; the thirdborn was Jonathan; and finally the fourth was Simon.
Verse 66: And Let Judas Maccabeus Be Your Commander
66. AND LET JUDAS MACCABEUS, STRONG IN VALOR FROM HIS YOUTH, BE YOUR COMMANDER OF THE ARMY. — Hence it is clear that Judas, not only in his father's old age when he raised the banner against Antiochus shortly before death, but also in his youth, had performed outstanding exploits in war, relying on God's help, and therefore had inscribed on his banners: Machabi, that is, mi camocha baelim Jehova, meaning: "Who is like You among the mighty (Gods), O Lord?" and from this was surnamed Maccabeus. For so his father here, on his deathbed, calls him, and therefore appoints him commander of the war. See what I said in the Introduction.
Verse 70: And He Died In The Year 146
70. AND HE DIED IN THE YEAR 146. — Namely in the same year in which he opposed Antiochus and entered upon the Leadership and Pontificate. Some think he died from a wound received in battle, for since he had shortly before killed the Jew and the prefect of Antiochus, and had roused all the Jews by going about, and had gathered them into a camp against Antiochus, and had done many similar things that require great physical as well as spiritual strength, it does not seem that he could have so quickly failed in strength from old age and died, but rather that he received a wound from continual battles and died from it, or at least that he died exhausted from constant labors and excessive fatigue.
All agree that Mattathias was a priest; some deny that he was a Pontiff, including Josephus, Eusebius, and Sigonius; but that he was indeed a Pontiff is asserted by the Hebrews and the Chaldean paraphrase on Song of Songs 6:6, and Serarius proves this with many arguments. Certainly in the Pontificate, as well as the Leadership, Judas succeeded his father, then Jonathan, then Simon, and from Simon his sons down to Herod and Christ. Moreover, the illustrious hero Mattathias died in the year 146 of the Greeks, which was 158 years from the death of Alexander the Great, and 164 years before the birth of Christ. AND HE WAS BURIED IN THE SEPULCHRES OF HIS FATHERS IN MODIN. — This sepulchre was afterward magnificently adorned by his son Simon, as is clear from chapter 13:27; and St. Jerome acknowledges that it still existed in his time. WITH GREAT MOURNING. — "The great mourning is to be understood not as the fainting of the mourners, but as the pomp of the funeral and the large attendance at the obsequies," says St. Jerome, epistle 25 to Paula.