Chapter 15
Antiochus VII Recognizes Simon’s Titles. 1 Antiochus,[a] the son of King Demetrius, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to the entire nation. 2 It read as follows:
“King Antiochus sends greetings to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the Jews, and to the Jewish nation. 3 Whereas certain scoundrels have seized control of the kingdom of my ancestors, I intend to assert my claim to it so that I may restore it to its former state. I have recruited a large force of mercenaries and have equipped warships. 4 My intention is to land in my country and take revenge on those who have ravaged my kingdom and laid waste many of its cities.
5 “Therefore, I now confirm all the tax exemptions that the kings who preceded me granted to you and any other privileges that they conferred upon you. 6 I authorize you to mint your own coinage as money for your country. 7 Jerusalem and its temple are to be free. All the weapons you have prepared and all the strongholds you have built and now occupy shall remain in your hands. 8 All debts you now owe to the royal treasury and any such future debts shall be canceled from this time forward forever. 9 When we again gain control of our kingdom, we shall bestow the highest possible honors on you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will be manifest to the entire world.”
10 Antiochus VII Besieges Trypho at Dor.[b]In the year one hundred and seventy-four, Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors, and all the troops rallied to him, leaving Trypho with only a few supporters. 11 With Antiochus in full pursuit, Trypho fled to Dor, which borders the sea, 12 for he now comprehended how desperate his situation was inasmuch as his troops had deserted him. 13 Antiochus encamped opposite Dor with one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry. 14 He surrounded the town while his ships intensified the blockade from the sea. He thus put pressure on the town from land and sea, and he permitted no one to leave or to enter it.
15 Rome Issues an Edict in Favor of the Jews. In the meantime, Numenius and his companions arrived from Rome with letters such as this addressed to the various kings and nations:
16 [c]“Lucius, the consul of the Romans, sends greetings to King Ptolemy. 17 Envoys from the Jews, our friends and allies, have come to us to renew our original treaty of friendship and alliance. They were sent by Simon the high priest and the Jewish people, 18 and they brought with them a gold shield weighing one thousand minas. 19 Therefore, we have decided to write to various kings and countries with the edict that they are not to seek to harm them or to wage war against them or their cities or their country, and that they are not to enter into an alliance with those who war against them. 20 We have decided to accept the shield from them. 21 Therefore, if any rebels have fled to you from their country, you are to hand them over to Simon the high priest so that he may punish them according to their law.”
22 The consul sent the same message to King Demetrius, to Attalus,[d] Ariarthes, and Arsaces, 23 and to the following countries: Sampsames, Sparta, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene. 24 A copy of the letter was also sent to Simon the high priest.
25 Antiochus Gives Simon an Ultimatum. King Antiochus besieged Dor for a second time, continuously assaulting it with his troops and the siege-machines he had constructed. He blockaded Trypho, preventing any movement either into or out of the town. 26 Simon sent to Antiochus two thousand picked men to support him together with silver and gold and a great amount of military equipment. 27 However, Antiochus refused to accept his aid. Instead, he broke all the agreements he had previously drawn up with Simon and became estranged from him.
28 Antiochus sent Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with Simon and say: “You are occupying Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem, cities that are part of my kingdom. 29 You have laid waste their territories, done immense damage to the country, and seized control of many places in my kingdom. 30 Therefore, either hand over the cities you have seized and relinquish the tribute money you have exacted from the places you have conquered beyond the frontier of Judea, 31 or else pay me five hundred talents of silver for the devastation you have caused and another five hundred talents to compensate for the tribute money of the cities. If you refuse to do this, we will come and make war on you.”
32 So Athenobius, the king’s Friend, came to Jerusalem and was astounded upon observing the magnificence of Simon’s court, the gold and silver vessels on his sideboard, and the rich display of his wealth. When he delivered the king’s message to him, 33 Simon said to him in reply:
“We have neither taken foreign land nor seized possession of the property of others. We have merely reclaimed our ancestral heritage that for a period of time had been unjustly seized by our enemies. 34 Now that we have the opportunity, we fully intend to maintain possession of the heritage of our ancestors. 35 As regards Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, these towns were causing great damage among our people and in our land. However, we are willing to pay you one hundred talents for these cities.”
36 Athenobius offered no response, but he returned to the king filled with wrath. When he reported to him what Simon had said and described the splendor of Simon and of everything he had seen, the king was enraged.
37 The Syrian Army Invades Judea.[e] Meanwhile Trypho boarded a ship and escaped to Orthosia. 38 Then the king appointed Cendebeus as commander-in-chief of the coastal region and gave him infantry and cavalry forces. 39 He ordered him to deploy his troops against Judea, to rebuild Kedron[f] and fortify its gates, and to make war on the Jewish people while the king himself continued his pursuit of Trypho. 40 When Cendebeus arrived in Jamnia, he began to harass the people and to invade Judea, taking prisoners and slaying them. 41 He rebuilt Kedron and stationed cavalry and infantry there so that they could go forth and patrol the roads of Judea, as the king had ordered.
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 15:1 Antiochus is Antiochus VII Sidetes (so-called because he was reared at Side in Pamphylia), son of Demetrius I, and younger brother of Demetrius II, currently a prisoner of the Parthians. At twenty years of age he left Rhodes to take his brother’s place and drive out Trypho the usurper. He reigned from 138–129 B.C. After his brother’s capture he married Cleopatra III (1 Mac 10:57f; 11:12).
- 1 Maccabees 15:10 We are in 138 B.C. Dor is a fortified port city on the Mediterranean in the vicinity of Mount Carmel. It lost its importance when Herod the Great built the city of Caesarea eight miles to its south.
- 1 Maccabees 15:16 This letter brings the reader back (1 Mac 14:24). The circular is concerned with all the countries where there is a large Jewish community. This indicates that at the middle of the second century B.C. there were many Jews residing outside Palestine. Lucius: perhaps Lucius Caecilius Metellus, consul in 142 B.C. or Lucius Calpurnius Piso, consul in 140–139 B.C. Ptolemy VII Physcon reigned 145–116 B.C.
- 1 Maccabees 15:22 Attalus: Attalus II of Pergamum, who reigned 159–138 B.C. Ariarthes: Ariarthes V of Cappadocia, who reigned 162–130 B.C. Arsaces: see note on 14:2. Delos and the other localities were free states in Greece, the Greek isles, and Asia Minor. Cyrene: capital of Libya.
- 1 Maccabees 15:37 Upon Trypho’s death, the king concerns himself with imposing his power. In 138 B.C., the war breaks out anew. Orthosia: a port between Tripoli and the Eleutherus River.
- 1 Maccabees 15:39 Kedron: a place southeast of Jamnia opposite the fortress of Gazara held by John Hyrcanus.