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and through the miracles that happen from time to time demonstrating the divine power. And this the third book of the Maccabees taught us. For Ptolemy, having conquered Antiochus the Great against all hope, arrived in Jerusalem, and offered to God costly sacrifices; but when he tried to enter the holy of holies of the temple, and the priests with supplication were trying to prevent him, being unwilling to yield, he was scourged with invisible scourges; and having threatened the Jews, he seizes Alexandria, and attempts to do those things which the history teaches. This the prophecy also foretells. "He will come," it says, "to the power, and he will enter into the supports of the king of the North, and will act among them, and will prevail." He calls "supports" the cities that provided him tribute; for in a way the offered taxes, by which the military power is fed, support and undergird the kingdom. 8. "And he shall also carry their gods with their molten images, every desirable vessel of theirs, of silver and of gold, with the captivity into Egypt, and he himself will stand over the king of the North." For in the first and second engagement the Ptolemies were victorious, as the histories teach. And Josephus also says thus: "For the Jews, when Antiochus the Great was reigning over Asia, happened to suffer many hardships, as their land was being ravaged, as well as those inhabiting Coele-Syria. For as he was warring against Ptolemy Philopator, and against his son Pto 81.1509 lemy, surnamed Epiphanes, it happened that they suffered ill, and whether he was victorious or defeated, they suffered the same things." And a little after: "However, having conquered Ptolemy, he says, Antiochus wins over Judea. But when Philopator died, his son sent out a great force, and Scopas as general against those in Coele-Syria; who took many of their cities, and our nation; for being warred against, it attached itself to him. But not long after, Antiochus defeats Scopas, joining battle with him at the sources of the Jordan, and destroyed a great part of his army; and afterwards, when Antiochus had subdued the cities in Coele-Syria, which Scopas had occupied, and Samaria, the Jews willingly attached themselves to him, and having received him into the city, they provided all abundance for his army and his elephants, and they eagerly fought alongside him as he besieged the guards left behind by Scopas in the citadel of Jerusalem." And so that I do not, by saying the other things as well, lengthen the treatise beyond measure, I refer the one who wishes to those things. 9, 10. "And he shall enter," it says, "into the kingdom of the king of the South, and shall return to his own land. And his sons shall gather a multitude of many forces." He calls "his sons" those entrusted with the army, just as men are called "sons of men," and prophets "sons of the prophets"; for it is an idiom of the Hebrew dialect. "And he shall enter, coming and overflowing." That is, being carried with a rush, and destroying all things like a flood. "And he shall pass through, and he shall encamp, and shall join battle, even to his fortress." That is, using all his might he will rush against Egypt, and will hastily encamp, and will move the war into that country. To these things he adds: 11, 12. "And the king of the South shall be enraged, and shall go forth, and shall fight with the king of the North, and he shall raise a great multitude, and the multitude shall be delivered into his hand. And he shall take the great multitude, and his heart shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down myriads, and he shall not prevail." For when the king of the South draws up in battle against him with a great multitude, Antiochus, he says, will prevail, and will take the multitude under his power, and as one who has conquered he will be filled with pride, and will strike down many myriads. But nevertheless he will not overcome Egypt, nor will he get control of the kingdom of Ptolemy; on account of which being vexed again, he says: 13. "The king of the North shall return, and shall bring a multitude greater than the

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καὶ διὰ τῶν κατὰ καιρὸν γινομένων θαυμάτων τὴν θείαν ὑποδεικνύουσαν δύναμιν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἡμᾶς ἡ τρίτη τῶν Μακκαβαίων ἐδίδαξε βί βλος. Νενικηκὼς γὰρ παρ' ἐλπίδα πᾶσαν Ἀντίοχον τὸν Μέγαν ὁ Πτολεμαῖος, ἀφίκετο μὲν εἰς τὰ Ἱε ροσόλυμα, προσενήνοχε δὲ τῷ Θεῷ θυσίας πολυτε λεῖς· πειραθεὶς δὲ τῶν ἀδύτων ἐπιβῆναι τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι μεθ' ἱκετείας ἀπείργουσιν, εἶξαι μὴ βουληθεὶς, μαστιγοῦται μὲν μάστιξιν ἀορά τοις· ἀπειλήσας δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις καταλαμβάνει τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκεῖνα ἐπιχειρεῖ, ἃ ἡ ἱστο ρία διδάσκει. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡ προφητεία προλέγει. "Ἥξει, φησὶ, πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ ὑποστηρίγματα τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ποιήσει ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ κατισχύσει." Ὑποστηρί γματα δὲ καλεῖ τὰς τὸν φόρον αὐτῷ παρεχούσας πό λεις· οἷον γάρ πως στηρίζει καὶ ὑπερείδει τὴν βασι λείαν τὰ προσφερόμενα τέλη, δι' ὧν ἡ στρατιωτικὴ τρέφεται δύναμις. ηʹ. "Καί γε τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν μετὰ τῶν χωνευτῶν αὐτῶν, πᾶν σκεῦος ἐπιθυμητὸν αὐτῶν, ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου, μετ' αἰχμαλωσίας εἰσοίσει εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ αὐτὸς στήσεται ὑπὲρ βασιλέα τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ." Ἐν γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ καὶ δευτέρᾳ συμπλοκῇ οἱ Πτολεμαῖοι νενικήκασιν, ὡς αἱ ἱστορίαι διδάσκουσιν. Λέγει δὲ καὶ Ἰώσηππος οὕτως· "Τοὺς γὰρ Ἰουδαίους ἐπ' Ἀντιόχου τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλεύοντος τῆς Ἀσίας, ἔτυχεν αὐτούς τε πολλὰ ταλαιπωρῆσαι, τῆς γῆς αὐ τῶν κακουχουμένης, καὶ τοὺς τὴν Κοίλην Συρίαν νεμομένους. Πολεμοῦντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν Φιλο πάτορα Πτολεμαῖον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Πτο 81.1509 λεμαῖον, ἐπικληθέντα δὲ Ἐπιφανῆ, κακοπαθεῖν συνέβαινεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ νικῶντος αὐτοῦ καὶ πταίον τος τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχειν." Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα· "Νική σας μέντοι, φησὶ, τὸν Πτολεμαῖον ὁ Ἀντίοχος, τὴν Ἰουδαίαν προσάγεται. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Φιλοπάτορος ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ μεγάλην ἐξέπεμψε δύνα μιν, καὶ στρατηγὸν τὸν Σκοπᾶν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ Κοίλῃ Συρίᾳ· ὃς πολλάς τε αὐτῶν πόλεις ἔλαβε, καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον ἔθνος· πολεμούμενον γὰρ αὐτῷ προσ έθετο. Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ τὸν Σκοπᾶν ὁ Ἀντίοχος νικᾷ συμβαλὼν αὐτῷ πρὸς ταῖς πηγαῖς τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ πολλὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν στρατείαν διέφθειρεν· ὕστε ρον δὲ, Ἀντιόχου χειρωσαμένου τὰς ἐν τῇ Κοίλῃ Συρίᾳ πόλεις, ἃς ὁ Σκοπᾶς κατεσχήκει, καὶ τὴν Σα μάρειαν, ἑκουσίως αὐτῷ προσέθεντο Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τῇ πόλει δεξάμενοι, πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τῇ τε στρα τείᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐλέφασιν ἀφθονίαν παρέσχον, καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σκοπᾶ καταλειφθέντας ἐν τῇ ἄκρᾳ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων φρουροὺς πολιορκοῦντι προθύμως συνεμάχησαν." Καὶ ἵνα μὴ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα λέγων πέρα τοῦ μέτρου μηκύνω τὸ σύγγραμμα, εἰς ἐκεῖνα τὸν βουλόμενον παραπέμπω. θʹ, ιʹ. "Καὶ εἰσελεύσεται, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Νότου, καὶ ἀναστρέψει εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ συνάξουσιν ὄχλον δυ νάμεων πολλῶν." Υἱοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ καλεῖ τὴν στρα τείαν πεπιστευμένους, ὡς υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ υἱοὺς τῶν προφητῶν τοὺς προ φήτας· ἰδίωμα γάρ ἐστι τῆς Ἑβραίων διαλέκτου. "Καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ἐρχόμενος, καὶ κατακλύζων." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ῥύμῃ φερόμενος, καὶ κατακλυσμοῦ δίκην ἅπαντα διαφθείρων. "Καὶ παρελεύσεται, καὶ καθιεῖ ται, καὶ συμπλακήσεται ἕως τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, παντὶ σθένει χρώμενος ὁρμήσει μὲν κατὰ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, σπουδῇ δὲ στρατοπεδεύσει, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ χώρᾳ μεταθήσει τὸν πόλεμον. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· ιαʹ, ιβʹ. "Καὶ ἀγριανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Νότου, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ πολεμήσει μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ στήσει ὄχλον πολὺν, καὶ παραδοθήσεται ὄχλος ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ λήψεται ὄχλον πολὺν, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταβαλεῖ μυριάδας, καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύσει." Τοῦ γὰρ βασιλέως τοῦ Νότου ἀντιπαραταττομένου μετὰ πλή θους πολλοῦ, περιγενήσεται, φησὶν, ὁ Ἀντίοχος, καὶ λήψεται τὸν ὄχλον ὑποχείριον, καὶ ὡς νενικηκὼς ὑπερηφανίᾳ χρήσεται, καὶ πολλὰς κατακοντίσει μυριάδας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ περιγενήσεται τῆς Αἰγύ πτου, οὐδὲ κρατήσει τῆς τοῦ Πτολεμαίου βασιλείας· οὗ χάριν δυσχεραίνων πάλιν, φησίν· ιγʹ. "Ἐπιστρέψει βασιλεὺς τοῦ Βοῤῥᾶ, καὶ ἄξει ὄχλον πολὺν ὑπὲρ τὸν