he at last was himself wounded and fell, and gave up the ghost; and died in a way like to his former famous actions. When Judas was dead, those that were with him had no one whom they could regard as their commander; but when they saw themselves deprived of such a general, they fled.* But Simon, and Jonathan, Judas's brethren, received his dead body by a treaty from the enemy; and carried it to the village Modin; where their father had been interred, and there buried him; while the multitude lamented him many days, and performed the usual solemnities of a funeral to him. And this was the end that Judas came to. He had been a man of valour, and a great warrior, and mindful of the commands of their father Mattathias; and had undergone all difficulties, both in doing and suffering, for the liberty of his countrymen. And when his character was so excellent, while he was alive, he left behind him a glorious reputation, and memorial; by gaining freedom for his nation; and delivering them from slavery under the Macedonians. And when he had retained the high-priesthood three years, he died. Macc. ix. 18. BOOK XIII. Containing an Interval of Eighty-two Years. FROM THE DEATH OF JUDAS MACCABEUS TO THE DEATH OF QUEEN ALEXANDRA. CHAP. I. OF THE SUCCESSION OF JONATHAN TO THE GOVERNMENT, AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS BROTHER JUDAS; AND OF THE WAR WHICH HE, TOGETHER WITH HIS BROTHER SIMON, WAged against BACCHIDES. BY what means the nation of the Jews recovered their freedom, when they had been brought into slavery by the Macedonians; and what struggles and conflicts Judas, the general of their army, underwent till he was slain, as he was fighting for them; bath been related in the preceding book. But after he was dead, all the wicked, and those that transgressed the laws of their forefathers sprang up again in Judea; and grew upon them, and distressed them on every side. A famine also asisted their wickedness, and afflicted the country; till not a few, who, by reason of their want of necessaries, and because they were not able to bear up against the miseries that both the famine, and their enemies brought upon them, deserted their country, and went to the Macedonians. And now Bacchides gathered those Jews together who had apostatized from their neighbours; and committed the care of the country to them. Accordingly they caught the friends of Judas, and those of his party, and delivered them up to Bacchides; who when he had, in the first place, tormented them at his pleasure, he by that means at length killed them. And when this calamity of the Jews was become so great, as they never had experience of the like since their return out of Babylon; those that remained of the companions of Judas, seeing that the nation was ready to be destroyed after a miserable manner, came to his brother Jonathan, and desired that he would imitate his brother, in that care which he took of his countrymen; for whose liberty in general he died also; and that he would not permit the nation to be without a governor, especially in those destructive circumstances wherein it now was. And when Jonathan said that he was ready to die for them, and was indeed esteemed no way inferior to his brother, he was appointed to be the general of the Jewish army. When Bacchides heard this, and was afraid that Jonathan might prove very troublesome to the king and the Macedonians,* as Judas had been before him, he sought how he might slay him by treachery. But this intention was known to Jonathan, and to his brother Simon; who took all their companions, and presently fled into that wilderness, which was nearest to the city. And when they were come to the lake called Asphar, they abode there. But when Bacchides was sensible that they were in a low state, and were in that place, he hastened to fall upon them with all his forces: and pitching his camp beyond Jordan he recruited his army. But when Jonathan knew that Bacchides was coming upon him, he sent his brother John, who was also called Gaddis, to the Nabatean Arabs, that he might deposit his baggage with them, until the battle with Bacchides should be over. For they were the Jews' friends, * Bacchides, as soon as he arrived in Judea, went after Jonathan ; but, upon his approach, Jonathan left Simon his brother with one part of the forces to defend the place, whilst himself, with the other part, took the field to harass the enemy abroad; in which capacities they both acted so well, Jonathan, by cutting off several of their parties, and now and then falling upon the outskirts of their army employed in the siege; and Simon, by making frequent sallies upon them, and burning the engines they had brought against the place; that Bacchides, 1 Macc. ix. 69-73. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12. c. 1 and 2. growing weary of this undertaking, and not a little enraged at those who were the occasion of his return and disgrace, put several of them to death. This opportunity Jonathan laid hold on, and therefore sent messengers to him, to desire an accommodation, which Bacchides readily came into, so that a peace was concluded. The prisoners whom he had in his custody were all restored, and himself took an oath never to molest the Jews any more; which accordingly he fulfilled; for as soon as the peace was ratified on both sides he went away, and never more returned into the country. B. But the sons of Ambri laid an ambush for John from the city Medaba, and seized upon him, and upon those that were with him, and plundered all that they had with them. They also slew John and all his companions. However they were sufficiently punished for what they now did by John's brethren, as we shall relate presently. When Bacchides knew that Jonathan had pitched his camp among the lakes of Jordan, he observed when their sabbath day came, and then assaulted him as supposing that he would not fight, because of the law for resting on that day. But he exhorted his companions to fight; and told them, that their lives were at stake, since they were encompassed by the river, and by their enemies, and had no way to escape: for that their enemies pressed upon them before, and the river was be hind them. So after he had prayed to God to give them the victory, he joined battle with the enemy, and overthrew many: and as he saw Bacchides coming up boldly to him, he stretched out his right hand to smite him: but the other foreseeing and avoiding his stroke, Jonathan, with his companions, leaped into the river and swam over it; and by that means escaped beyond Jordan: while the enemy did not pass over that river: but Bacchides returned presently to the citadel at Jerusalem; having lost about two thousand* of his army. He also fortified many cities of Judea, whose walls had been demolished, Jericho, Emmaus, Bethoron, Bethel, Timna, Pharatho, Tecoa, and Gazara; and built towers in every one of these cities, and encompassed them with strong walls, that were very large also: and put garrisons into them, that they might issue out of them and do mischief to the Jews. He also fortified the citadel of Jerusalem more than all the rest. Moreover he took the sons of the principal Jews as pledges; and shut them up in the citadel, and in that manner guarded it. About the same time one came to Jonathan, and to his brother Simon, and told them, that the sons of Ambri were celebrating a marriage, and bringing the bride, who was the daughter of one of the illustrious men among the Arabians, from the city Gabatha; and that the damsel was to be conducted with pomp, and splendour, and much riches. So Jonathan and Simon thinking this appeared to be the fittest time for them to avenge the death of their brother; and that they had forces sufficient for receiving satisfaction from them for his death, they made haste to Medaba; and lay in wait among the mountains for the coming of their enemies. And as soon as they saw them conducting the virgin, and her bridegroom, and such a great company of their friends with them, as was to be expected at this wedding, they sallied out of their ambush, and slew them all; and took their ornaments, and all the prey that then followed them; and so returned, and received this satisfaction for their brother John from the sons of Ambri. For as well those sons themselves, as their friends, and wives, and children that followed them, perished; being in number about four hundred. Simon and Jonathan then returned to the lakes of the river, and abode there. But Bacchides, when he had secured all Judea with his garrisons, returned to the king. And then it was But when that the affairs of Judea were quiet for two years. the deserters, and the wicked saw that Jonathan and those that were with him lived in the country very quietly, by reason of the peace, they sent to king Demetrius and excited him to send Bacchides to seize upon Jonathan: which they said, was to be done without any trouble, and in one night's time: and that if they fell upon them before they were aware, they might slay them all. So the king sent Bacchides: who when he was come into Judea, wrote to all his friends, both Jews and auxiliaries, that they should seize upon Jonathan, and bring him to him. But when, upon all their endeavours, they were not able to seize upon Jonathan, (for he was sensible of the snares they laid for him, and very carefully guarded against them,) Bacchides was angry at these deserters as having imposed upon him, and upon the king, and slew fifty of their leaders. ThereJonathan, with his brother, and those that were with him, upon retired to Bethagla, a village that lay in the wilderness, out of his fear of Bacchides. He also built towers in it, and encompassed it with walls, and took care that it should be safely guarded. Upon the hearing of which, Bacchides led his own army along with him, and besides took his Jewish auxiliaries, * An. 159, and 158, B. C. |