The Great Days of the Resistance[a]
Resistance Begins: Mattathias (167–166 B.C.)
Chapter 2
Mattathias and His Sons. 1 In those days Mattathias,[b] son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the family of Joarib, departed from Jerusalem and settled in Modein. 2 He had five sons: John, who was called Gaddi; 3 Simon, who was called Thassi; 4 Judas, who was called Maccabeus;[c] 5 Eleazar, who was called Avaran; and Jonathan, who was called Apphus. 6 When he observed the sacrilegious acts that were being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, 7 [d]he said: “Alas! Why was I born to witness the ruin of my people and the ruin of the holy city, and to sit by idly while she has been delivered over to her enemies, and the sanctuary given into the hands of foreigners?
8 “Her temple has become like a prison without honor,
9 her glorious vessels have been carried off as booty.
Her infants have been slaughtered in the streets,
her young men slain by the sword of the enemy.
10 What nation has not usurped a share of her sovereignty
and carried off her possessions as plunder?
11 All her adornment has been stripped from her;
she who enjoyed freedom has now become a slave.
12 We see our sanctuary, and our beauty,
and our glory now laid waste.
The Gentiles have defiled them.
13 What now do we have to live for?”
14 Then Mattathias and his sons tore their garments, put on sackcloth, and engaged in great mourning.
15 A Righteous Anger. The officers of the king who had been commissioned to enforce the apostasy came to the town of Modein to ensure that the sacrifices were being offered. 16 Many Israelites assembled around them, but Mattathias and his sons stood apart. 17 Then the officers of the king addressed Mattathias in these words: “You are a leader in this town, respected and influential, and you have the support of your sons and brothers. 18 Now be the first to come forward and obey the decree of the king, as all the Gentiles have done, as well as the citizens of Judah and the people who remain in Jerusalem. Then you and your sons will be counted among the Friends of the King,[e] and you and your sons will be honored with gold and silver and many other gifts.”
19 However, Mattathias responded in a loud voice: “Even if every nation in the king’s dominions obeys him, each one forsaking the religion of its fathers and agreeing to submit to the king’s commands, 20 I and my sons and my brothers will continue to observe the covenant of our fathers. 21 God forbid that we should ever forsake the law and its statutes. 22 We will not obey the king’s commands or deviate from our religion to the right hand or to the left.”
23 As he finished speaking, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, in accordance with the royal decree. 24 When Mattathias observed this, he became inflamed with zeal. His righteous anger aroused, he sprang forward and slaughtered him on the altar. 25 At the same time he also killed the officer of the king who was present to enforce the sacrifice, and he destroyed the altar. 26 In this way he demonstrated his zeal for the law, just as Phinehas had done with Zimri, the son of Salu.
27 Then Mattathias advanced through the town, shouting: “Let everyone who is zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant come with me!” 28 Then he and his sons fled to the hills, leaving behind in the town everything that they possessed. 29 Many of the people who desired to live in accordance with justice and the law went down to the desert[f] and settled there, 30 taking with them their sons, their wives, and their livestock, so oppressive were the sufferings that they had been forced to endure.
31 Shortly thereafter it was reported to the officers of the king and the forces stationed in Jerusalem, the City of David, that those who had refused to obey the king’s edict had retreated to hiding places in the desert. 32 A large force set out in pursuit and caught up with them; they encamped opposite them and prepared to attack them on the Sabbath. 33 “Enough of this defiance!” they said. “Come out and obey the king’s edict, and your lives will be spared.” 34 “We will not come out,” they replied, “nor will we do what the king commands and profane the Sabbath.”
35 Then the enemy immediately launched an attack on them, 36 but they did not retaliate, neither hurling rocks nor barricading their hiding places. 37 They only said, “Let us all die in a state of innocence. Heaven and earth are our witnesses that you are massacring us without the slightest justification.” 38 Therefore, the enemy attacked on the Sabbath and massacred them along with their wives, their children, and their livestock—one thousand persons in all.
39 Mattathias Organizes the Resistance.[g] When Mattathias and his friends were informed of this, they grieved deeply for them. 40 “If we all do as our kindred have done,” they said to one another, “and refuse to fight against the Gentiles in defense of our lives and our traditions, they will soon wipe us off the face of the earth.” 41 On that day they formulated this decision: “Let us fight against anyone who attacks us on the Sabbath, so that we will not all be killed, as happened to our kindred who died in their hiding places.”
42 Soon thereafter they were joined by a group of Hasideans, valiant warriors of Israel, each one a stout defender of the law. 43 In addition, all those who were refugees from the persecution joined up with them, adding to their strength. 44 After organizing an army, they struck down sinners in their anger and renegades in their fury. Those who escaped them fled to the Gentiles for safety. 45 Mattathias and his friends marched through the kingdom, destroying the pagan altars 46 and forcibly circumcising all the uncircumcised boys they found within the borders of Israel. 47 They hunted down their arrogant enemies, and their efforts prospered under their direction. 48 Thus they defended the law against the Gentiles and their kings, and they did not allow the wicked to emerge triumphant.
49 Last Words of Mattathias.[h] When the time drew near for Mattathias to die, he said to his sons: “Arrogance and scorn have now grown strong; this is an age of turmoil and violent fury. 50 Therefore, my sons, be zealous for the law and be willing to give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors.
51 “Remember the deeds that our ancestors performed in their generations,
and you shall win great honor and everlasting renown.
52 Was not Abraham found faithful when he was put to the test,
and it was reckoned to him as righteousness?
53 Joseph, in the time of his distress, kept God’s law,
and he became the lord of Egypt.
54 Phinehas, our ancestor,[i] because of his burning zeal,
received the covenant of everlasting priesthood.
55 Joshua, for carrying out his commission,
became a judge in Israel.
56 Caleb, for his testimony in the assembly,
received an inheritance in the land.
57 David, as a result of his mercy,
inherited the throne of an everlasting kingdom.
58 Elijah, because of his burning zeal for the law,
was taken up into heaven.
59 Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, for their faith,
were rescued from the flames.
60 Daniel, for his innocence,
was rescued from the lions’ jaws.
61 Therefore, remember that from generation to generation
no one who hopes in him will be lacking in strength.
62 Do not fear the words of sinful people,
for their glory will turn to dung and worms.
63 Today they are exalted, but tomorrow they are nowhere to be found
because they have returned to the dust,
and their grandiose schemes have come to naught.
64 My children, draw your courage and strength from the law,
for through it glory will be yours.
65 “Here is your brother Simon who I know is a man of sound judgment. Always listen to him, for he will act as your father. 66 Judas Maccabeus, a mighty warrior from his youth, will be the commander of your army and direct your battles against the peoples. 67 Enroll in your cause all who observe the law, and in this way you will avenge the wrongs perpetrated on your people. 68 Pay back the Gentiles in full, and obey the precepts of the law.”
69 Then he blessed them and was gathered to his ancestors. 70 He died in the year one hundred and forty-six and was buried in the tombs of his ancestors in Modein, and all Israel mourned him with great lamentation.[j]
Footnotes
- 1 Maccabees 2:1 Many Jews, above all the rich, collaborated with the established power. A family of priests (called the Hasmoneans after the name of their forefather) takes to the woods and soon gathers together a group of resisters.
- 1 Maccabees 2:1 Mattathias signifies “gift of Yahweh.” Joarib was the head of the first priestly division (see 1 Chr 24:7). Modein was seventeen miles west of Jerusalem.
- 1 Maccabees 2:4 Maccabeus is thought to derive from a Hebrew word meaning “hammer.”
- 1 Maccabees 2:7 Mattathias’s lament takes its inspiration from ancient texts (Lam 2:11-21).
- 1 Maccabees 2:18 Friends of the King: an official court title; others were “Chief Friends and King’s Kinsmen.”
- 1 Maccabees 2:29 The desert refers to the wilderness of Judea, southward from Jerusalem and west of the Dead Sea, where one could easily find hiding places in grottoes and caves.
- 1 Maccabees 2:39 Mattathias is joined by the Hasideans, the “pious,” a group of fervent Jews who would give rise to the Pharisees (and probably the Essenes). At first they had resisted passively (1 Mac 1:62f; 2:37), but now they turned to active resistance. They would later oppose the Maccabean movement as too political.
- 1 Maccabees 2:49 This literary and, in certain moments, poetical page takes its inspiration from ancient biblical accounts (Gen 49; Deut 33; 1 Ki 2:1-9) as well as recent ones such as the Book of Daniel.
- 1 Maccabees 2:54 Phinehas, our ancestor: by connecting Mattathias with the priest Phinehas, grandson of Aaron (Num 15:10-13), the author wishes to attest to the legitimacy of the priesthood of the Hasmoneans, which will later be contested.
- 1 Maccabees 2:70 Mattathias died in 166 B.C., a year after the beginning of the revolt.