were with him: but that when they had once overcome them, then they might securely plunder the camp; because these were the only enemies remaining, and they expected no others. And just as he was speaking to his soldiers, Gorgias's men looked down into that army, which they left in their camp, and saw that it was overthrown, and the camp burnt; for the smoke that arose from it shewed them, even when they were a great way off, what had happened. When therefore those that were with Gorgias understood that things were in this posture, and perceived that those that were with Judas were ready to fight them, they also were affrighted, and put to flight. But then Judas, as though he had already beaten Gorgias's soldiers without fighting, returned and seized on the spoils. He took a great quantity of gold, and silver, and purple, and blue; and then returned home with joy, and singing hymns to God for their good success. For this victory greatly contributed to the recovery of their liberty.*

Lysias was confounded at the defeat of the army, which he had sent; and the next year he assembled sixty thousand chosen men. He also took five thousand horsemen, and fell upon Judea: and he went up to the hill country, at Bethsur,† a village of Judea, and pitched his camp there: where Judas met him, with ten thousand men. And when he saw the great number of his enemies, he prayed to God, that he would assist him; and joined battle with the first of the enemy that appeared, and slew about five thousand of them; and became thereby terrible to the rest. Nay indeed Lysias observing the great spirit of the Jews, how they were prepared to die, rather than lose their liberty; and being afraid of their desperate way of fighting, as if it were real strength; he took the rest of the army back with him, and returned to Antioch; where he enlisted foreigners into the service, and prepared to fall upon Judea with a greater army.

When therefore the generals of Antiochus's armies had been defeated so often, Judas assembled the people, and told them,

* 1 Macc. iv. 24.

↑ It had been fortified by king Rehoboam, 2 Chron. xi. 7. and was, at this time, a very important fortress, as being one of the keys of Judea on the south side of Idumea. Universal History, lib. 2. c. 11. B.

1

that after these many victories which God had given them, they ought to go up to Jerusalem, and purify the temple, and offer the appointed sacrifices.* But as soon as he, with the whole multitude, was come to Jerusalem, and found the temple deserted, and its gates burnt down, and plants growing in the temple of their own accord, on account of its desertion; he and those that were with him began to lament, and were quite confounded at the the sight of the temple. So he chose out some of his soldiers, and gave them order to fight against those guards that were in the citadel; until he should have purified the temple. When therefore he had carefully purged it, and had brought in new vessels; the candlestick, the table of shew-bread, and the altar of incense, which were made of gold; he hung up the veils at the gates, and added doors to them. He also took down the altar of burnt-offering; and built a new one of stones that he gathered together, and not of such as are hewn with iron tools.† So on the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, which the Macedonians called Apelleus, they lighted the lamps that were on the candlestick; and offered incense upon the altar of incense; and laid the loaves upon the table of shew-bread, and offered burnt-offerings upon the new altar of burnt-offering. Now it happened that these things were done on the very same day on which their divine worship had fallen off, and was reduced to a profane and common use, after three years' time. For so it was, that the temple was made desolate by Antiochus, and so continued for three years. For this desolation happened to the temple in the hundred and forty-fifth year; on the twentyfifth day of the month Apelleus; and on the first year of the hundred and fifty-third Olympiad. But it was dedicated anew, on the same day, the twenty-fifth of the month Apelleus, on the hundred and forty-eighth year; and on the fourth year of the hundred and fifty-fourth Olympiad. And this desolation came to pass according to the prophecy of Daniel, which was given

→ See 1 Macc. iv. 36-55.

+ Exodus xx. 25.

Therefore Daniel, in Josephus's copies, saw the vision in his 8th chapter, not on the 3d of Belshazzar, but on the first of Darius the Mede. Lit. Accompl. of Proph. Suppl. page 106, 107, 108. And we may also take notice, as we did before, on a like case, in the note on XI. 5. with what an unusual accuracy Josephus here determines the beginning and ending of these three years of Antiochus's pro

four hundred and eight years before. For be declared that the Macedonians would dissolve that worship, for some time.

*

Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices at the temple for eight days:† and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon: but he feasted the people upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and he honoured God, and delighted them, by hymns and psalms. Nay they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when, after a long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they should keep a festival on account of the restoration of their temple-worship, for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was, because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and thence was the name given to that festival. Judas also re

fanation of the temple; and adds to the exact numbers of the years of the Selu. cidæ, which he had out of the first book of the Maccabees, the Olympiads, under which both its beginning and ending fell: and this seems done on purpose by him, because of the exact fulfilling of Daniel's prophecy hereby; as he observes in this place.

* For 1096 days, or three years.

This festival is commemorated in the Gospel, John ii 23. and our blessed Saviour, we are told, came up to Jerusalem on purpose to bear a part in the solemnizing of it. Some indeed are of opinion, that it was another dedication feast, which Christ thus bonoured with his presence: but besides that the dedications both of Solomon's and Zerubabel's temples who (though they were very solemnly celebrated at the first erection of these temples,) had never any anniversary feast afterwards kept in commemoration of them, the very history of the Gospel (which tells us, that it was kept in winter,) confines us to this dedication of Judas only. That of Solomon was on the seventh month, which fell about the time of the autumnal equinox: and that of Zerubabel was on the twelfth month, which fell in the beginning of the spring; but that of Judas Maccabeus was on their twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which fell in the middle of winter. So that the feast of the dedication which Christ was present at in Jerusalem, was no other than that which was instituted by Judas, in commemoration of his dedication of the temple anew, after that it had been cleansed from idolatrous pollutions: and from hence Grotius, (in his Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, chap x. 22,) very justly observes, that festival days, in memory of public blessings, may be piously instituted by persons in authority, without a divine command. Prideaux's Connection, an. 166. B.

:

Sacrifices, as to their primary object, were designed to appease or honour the Deity and as the accomplishment of that object was of great importance to those who offered them, it appears a proper expression of their joy that they should feast at the same time. Hence it became universal to feast upon the sacrifices offered unto God. B.

built the walls round about the city; and reared towers of great height against the incursions of the enemies; and set guards therein. He also fortified the city Bethsura, that it might serve as a citadel against any distresses that might come from our enemies.

CHAP. VIII.

OF THE CONTINUED SUCCESSES OF THE MACCABEES.

WHEN these things were over, the nations round about the Jews were very uneasy at the revival of their power; and rose up together, and destroyed many of them: as gaining advantage over them by laying snares for them, and making secret conspiracies against them.* Judas made perpetual expeditions against these men: and endeavoured to restrain them from those incursions, and to prevent the mischefs they did to the Jews. So he fell upon the Idumeans, the posterity of Esau, at Acrabattene; and slew a great many of them; and took their spoils. He also shut up the sons of Bean, that laid wait for the Jews; and he sat down about them, and besieged them; and burnt their towers, and destroyed the men that were in them. After this he went thence in haste against the Ammonites; who had a great and a numerous army; of which Timotheus was the commander. And when he had subdued them, he seized on the city Jazer, and took their wives and their children captives, and burnt the city, and then returned into Judea. But when the neighbouring nations understood that he was returned, they assembled, in great numbers, in the land of Gilead; and came against those Jews that were at their borders: who then fled to the garrison of Dathema, and sent to Judas to inform him, that Timotheus was endeavouring to take the place whither they were fled. And as soon as these epistles were reading, there came other messengers out of Galilee, who informed him, that the inhabitants of Ptolemais, and of Tyre, and Sidon, and strangers of Galilee, were gotten together.

Accordingly Judas, upon considering what was proper to be done, with relation to the necessity both these cases required, gave order, that his brother Simon should take three thousand chosen men, and go to the assistance of the Jews in Galilee: while he and another of his brothers, Jonathan, made haste into the land of Gilead, with eight thousand soldiers. And he left Joseph, the son, of Zacharias, and Azarias, to be over the rest of the forces, and charged them to keep Judea very carefully, and to fight no battles with any person, until his return. Accordingly Simon went into Galilee, and fought the enemy and put them to flight, and pursued them to the very gates of Ptolemais, and slew about three thousand of them; and took the spoils of those that were slain, and those Jews whom they had made captives, with their baggage, and then returned home.

Now as for Judas Macabeus, and his brother Jonathan, they passed over the river Jordan:* and when they had gone three days' journey, they met with the Nabateans, who came to meet them peaceably, and told them how the affairs of those in the land of Gilead stood; and how many of them were in distress, and driven into garrisons, and into the cities of Galilee; and exhorted him to make haste to go against the foreigners, and to endeavour to save his own countrymen out of their hands. Accordingly Judas returned into the wilderness: and in the first place fell upon the inhabitants of Bosor; and took the city, and beat the inhabitants, and destroyed all the males, and all that were able to fight; and burnt the city. Nor did he stop even when night came on, but he journeyed in it to the garrison where the Jews happened to be shut up; and where Timotheus lay round the place with his army. And Judas came upon the city in the morning: and when he found that the enemy were making an assault upon the walls; and that some of them brought ladders, on which they might get upon those walls, and that others brought engines to batter them; he bade the trumpeter sound his trumpet, and encouraged his soldiers to undergo dangers cheerfully for the sake of his brethren and kindred: he also parted his army into three bodies, and fell upon the backs of their enemies. But when Timotheus's men

4 1 Macc. v. 24.