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he took the city, and killed many, and having plundered much money, he returned to Antioch. But after two years Antiochus went up again to Jerusalem, and having taken the city by deceit, he did not even spare those who had received him, but also plundered the temple and carried off the hidden treasures, and forbade the customary sacrifices, and pillaged the city, and killed some of the people, and led others away as captives, and burned the most beautiful parts of the city, and having sacrificed swine in the temple, finally he also tore down the walls, and having built the citadel in the lower city, he established a Macedonian garrison in it. And he compelled the multitude to worship the gods recognized by him and not to 1.317 circumcise their children, and he left behind men to force them to do these things. when also Eleazar the priest and his disciples, that is, the Maccabees, along with their own mother, contended for the keeping of the divine laws. So those who were overcome by force obeyed the commands, but as many as were noble in soul, not submitting to the lawless commands, died bitterly under torture or while still breathing a little were crucified; and the tyrant's servants strangled their wives and the children whom they had circumcised, hanging them from their necks. And if anywhere a book of the Hebrew scripture was found, they both destroyed it and miserably killed those who had it. For these reasons the Samaritans no longer confessed themselves to be kinsmen of the Jews, but called themselves Sidonians, and their temple on Mount Gerizim they named after Zeus Hellenios. And there was at that time a certain priest named Mattathias, son of John, the son of Simeon, of the line of Asamonaios, who had five sons: John, called Gaddis; Simon, called Thathes; Judas, called Maccabeus; Eleazar, called Auran; and Jonathan, called Apphus. When, therefore, the king's men came to their village and ordered Mattathias, as the chief among the others, to be the first to sacrifice according to the Greek custom, he refused. But when another sacrificed, Mattathias, filled with zeal, together with his sons, killed both the one who had sacrificed and the general Apelles, who was compelling them to sacrifice, and tearing down the altar, he rushed out with his sons into the wilderness. And many others, emulating them, fled with their wives and children into the wilderness and lived in caves. But the generals of 1.318 Antiochus, having gathered a force, came upon them, and they attack on a Sabbath, and burned many in the caves who did not even defend themselves because of the day of rest; but those who were saved joined themselves to Mattathias. And he advised them to fight even on Sabbaths, so that the enemy might not destroy them without a struggle by attacking on the Sabbaths. So Mattathias, having gathered a force, tore down the altars and killed the impious and ordered the uncircumcised children to be circumcised. And having ruled for a year and falling ill, he advised his children to imitate his zeal and to die for the laws, if necessary, and to be of one mind with each other. Having commanded these things to them, he died. And the leadership of affairs his son Judas, also called Maccabeus, took upon himself, and with the help of both his kinsmen and others, he drove the enemies out of the country and punished the transgressors among his countrymen. And Apollonius, the general of Samaria, having marched against Judas, both falls himself and most of those with him. When the general of Cilicia learned this, he came against Maccabeus, and joining battle, he is routed and dies, and those under him fled; and Judas, pursuing them, killed many of them. Therefore, Antiochus, being angered by these things, ordered Lysias, the administrator of his affairs, to subdue Judea, and to enslave the nation, and to raze Jerusalem. And he, having selected three generals, sent them with a heavy force. But Judas, seeing the multi1.319 tude of the enemy, advised those with him to place their 1.319 hopes in God. and having dined in the evening and fires

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πόλεως γέγονε, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτεινε, χρήματα δὲ πολλὰ συλήσας εἰς ̓Αντιόχειαν ἐπανέξευζε. Μετὰ δὲ δύο ετη αυθις εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ἀνέβη ̓Αντίοχος, καὶ ἀπάτῃ κρατήσας τῆς πόλεως οὐδὲ τῶν εἰσδεξαμένων αὐτὸν ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ναὸν συλήσας καὶ τοὺς ἀποκρύφους θησαυροὺς ἀφελόμενος, τάς τε νομίμους θυσίας κωλύσας, καὶ τὴν πόλιν διαρπάσας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν τοῦ λαοῦ κτείνας, τοὺς δ' αἰχμαλώτους ἀπαγαγών, καὶ ἐμπρήσας τὰ τῆς πόλεως κάλλιστα, καὶ σύας θύσας ἐν τῷ ναῷ, τέλος καὶ τὰ τείχη καθεῖλε, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ κάτω πόλει ακραν οἰκοδομήσας φρουρὰν Μακεδόνων ἐν ταύτῃ κατέστησεν. ἠνάγκαζε δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ νομιζομένους θεοὺς σέβεσθαι καὶ τὰ τέκνα μὴ 1.317 περιτέμνειν, καὶ τοὺς βιαζομένους ταῦτα πράττειν κατέλιπεν. οτε καὶ ̓Ελεάζαρ ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ οἱ τούτου φοιτηταὶ οἱ Μακκαβαῖοι δηλαδὴ σὺν τῇ σφετέρᾳ μητρὶ τῆς τῶν θείων νόμων φυλακῆς ὑπερήθλησαν. οἱ μὲν ουν τῇ βίᾳ νικώμενοι τοῖς ἐπιτεταγμένοις ἐπείθοντο, οσοι δὲ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐτύγχανον εὐγενεῖς, μὴ ὑπείκοντες ταῖς παρανόμοις ἐπιταγαῖς, πικρῶς ἐν βασάνοις ἀπέθνησκον η ετι μικρὸν ἐμπνέοντες ἀνεσταυροῦντο· τὰς δὲ γυναῖκας αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας, ους περιέτεμνον, ἐκ τῶν τραχήλων αὐτῶν ἐξαρτῶντες ἀπῆγχον οἱ τοῦ τυράννου ὑπηρέται. καὶ ει που βίβλος εὑρέθη τῆς ̔Εβραϊκῆς γραφῆς, αὐτήν τε ἠφάνιζον καὶ τοὺς εχοντας οἰκτρῶς ἀπώλλυον. διὰ ταῦτα οἱ Σαμαρεῖται οὐκέτι ἑαυτοὺς τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων συγγενεῖς ὡμολόγουν, ἀλλὰ Σιδωνίους ὠνόμαζον ἑαυτούς, καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Γαριζὶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἱερὸν ̔Ελληνίου ∆ιὸς προσηγόρευσαν. Ην δέ τις τότε ἱερεὺς ὀνόματι Ματταθίας, υἱὸς ̓Ιωάννου τοῦ Συμεὼν τοῦ ̓Ασαμωναίου, ῳ ησαν υἱοὶ πέντε, ̓Ιωάννης ὁ καλούμενος Γαδδής, Σίμων ὁ κληθεὶς Θαθής, ̓Ιούδας ὁ καλούμενος Μακκαβαῖος, ̓Ελεάζαρ ὁ λεγόμενος Αυραν, καὶ ̓Ιωνάθας ὁ κεκλημένος ̓Αφφούς. ἐλθόντων ουν εἰς τὴν κώμην αὐτῶν τῶν βασιλικῶν καὶ θύειν κελευόντων καθ' Ελληνας τὸν Ματταθίαν πρῶτον ὡς τῶν αλλων πρωτεύοντα, ἐκεῖνος ἀνένευεν. ὡς δ' ετερος εθυσεν, ζήλου πλησθεὶς ὁ Ματταθίας σὺν τοῖς υἱέσι τὸν θύσαντά τε ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν ̓Απελλῆν, ος θύειν ἠνάγκαζε, καὶ τὸν βωμὸν καθελὼν μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν ἐξώρμησεν εἰς τὴν ερημον. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ αλλοι τούτους ζηλώσαντες μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῶν τέκνων εφυγον εἰς τὴν ερημον καὶ ἐν σπηλαίοις διῆγον. οἱ 1.318 τοῦ ̓Αντιόχου δὲ στρατηγοὶ δύναμιν ἀθροίσαντες ἐπῆλθον αὐτοῖς, καὶ προσβάλλουσιν ἐν σαββάτῳ, καὶ πολλοὺς ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις κατέφλεξαν οὐδὲ ἀμυνομένους διὰ τὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἀργόν· οἱ δὲ διασωθέντες τῷ Ματταθίᾳ προσέθεντο. ὁ δὲ καὶ ἐν σαββάτοις αὐτοὺς παρῄνει μάχεσθαι, ινα μὴ ἀπόνως αὐτοὺς διαφθείρωσιν οἱ πολέμιοι ἐπιόντες κατὰ τὰ σάββατα. συναγαγὼν ουν δύναμιν ὁ Ματταθίας τούς τε βωμοὺς καθεῖλε καὶ τοὺς ἀσεβήσαντας εκτεινε καὶ τοὺς μὴ περιτμηθέντας τῶν παίδων ἐκέλευσε περιτέμνεσθαι. αρξας δὲ ἐπ' ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ νοσήσας τοῖς παισὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ ζῆλον μιμεῖσθαι παρῄνεσε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν νόμων, εἰ δεήσει, θανεῖν καὶ ἀλλήλοις ὁμονοεῖν. ταῦτα αὐτοῖς ἐντειλάμενος ἐτελεύτησε. Τὴν δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων προστασίαν ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ ̓Ιούδας ὁ καὶ Μακκαβαῖος περιεζώσατο, καὶ συναραμένων αὐτῷ τῶν τε συγγόνων καὶ αλλων τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἀπώσατο καὶ τοὺς παρανομήσαντας τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἐκόλασεν. ̓Απολλώνιος δὲ ὁ τῆς Σαμαρείας στρατηγὸς κατὰ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα στρατεύσας αὐτός τε πίπτει καὶ πλεῖστοι τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ. απερ ὁ τῆς Κιλικίας μαθὼν στρατηγὸς ἐπῆλθε κατὰ τοῦ Μακκαβαίου, καὶ συμβαλὼν τρέπεται καὶ θνήσκει, οἱ δ' ὑπ' αὐτὸν εφυγον· ἐπιδιώξας δὲ ὁ ̓Ιούδας πολλοὺς αὐτῶν εκτεινε. διὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν ὀργισθεὶς ὁ ̓Αντίοχος Λυσίᾳ τῷ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτοῦ ἐπιτρόπῳ καταστρέψασθαι τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ἐκέλευσε καὶ τὸ εθνος ἀνδραποδίσασθαι καὶ κατασκάψαι τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλήμ. ὁ δὲ τρεῖς ἐπιλεξάμενος στρατηγοὺς επεμψε μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως. ̓Ιούδας δὲ τὸ πλῆ1.319 θος τῶν ἐναντίων ἰδὼν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν τιθέναι τὰς 1.319 ἐλπίδας παρῄνει τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ δειπνήσας ἑσπέρας πυρά τε