Brenton's Septuagint · Under the Greeks
3 Maccabees 7
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1King Philopator to the commanders throughout , and to all who are set over affairs, joy and strength. 2We, too, and our children are well; and has directed our affairs as we wish. 3Certain of our friends did of malice vehemently urge us to punish the of our realm in a body, with the infliction of a monstrous punishment. 4They pretended that our affairs would never be in a good state till this took place. Such, they said, was the hatred borne by the to all other people. 5They brought them fettered in grievous chains as , nay, as traitors. Without enquiry or examination they endeavoured to annihilate them. They buckled themselves with a savage , worse than Scythian custom. 6For this cause we severely threatened them; yet, with the clemency which we are wont to extend to all men, we at length permitted them to live. Finding that the of cast a shield of protection over the so as to preserve them, and that he fought for them as a always fights for his sons; 7and taking into consideration their constancy and fidelity towards us and towards our ancestors, we have, as we ought, acquitted them of every sort of charge. 8And we have dismissed them to their several homes; bidding all men everywhere to do them no wrong, or unrighteously revile them about the past. 9For know ye, that should we conceive any evil design against, or in any manner aggrieve them, we shall ever have as our opposite, not man, but the highest , the ruler of all might. From Him there will be no escape, as the of such deeds. Fare ye well. 10When they had received this letter, they were not forward to depart immediately. They petitioned the king to be allowed to inflict fitting punishment upon those of their race who had willingly transgressed the , and of . 11They alleged that men who had for their bellies' sake transgressed the ordinances of , would never be to the interests of the king. 12The king admitted the truth of this reasoning, and commended them. Full was given them, without warrant or special commission, to destroy those who had transgressed of boldly in every part of the king's dominions. 13Their priests, then, as it was meet, saluted him with good wishes, and all the people echoed with the . They then joyfully departed. 14Then they punished and destroyed with ignominy every polluted that fell in their way; 15slaying thus, in that day, above three hundred men, and esteeming this of a season of joy. 16They themselves having held their unto , and having enjoyed a full , departed from the city garlanded with sweet-flowered wreaths of every kind. Uttering exclamations of joy, with songs of , and melodious hymns they thanked the of their fathers, the of Israel. 17Having arrived at , called from the specialty of that district Rose-bearing, where the fleet, in accordance with the general wish, waited for them seven days, 18they partook of a banquet of , for the king generously granted them severally the means of securing a return home. 19They were accordingly brought back in peace, while they gave utterance to becoming thanks; and they determined to keep these days during their sojourn as days of joyfulness. 20These they registered as sacred upon a pillar, when they had dedicated the place of their festivity to be one of . They departed unharmed, free, abundant in joy, preserved by the king's command, by land, by sea, and by river, each to his own home. 21They had more weight than before among their ; and were honoured and feared, and no one in any way robbed them of their goods. 22Every man received back his own, according to inventory; those who had obtained their goods, giving them up with the greatest terror. For the greatest wrought with perfectness wonders for their . 23 be the Redeemer of Israel unto . .
Sir Lancelot Brenton's 1851 English translation of the Greek Old Testament, public domain. Used here for books received in Orthodox canons that the other editions do not carry. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under the Greeks, 332 BC to 63 BC ›
Alexander's conquest and the kingdoms of his successors. Greek language and custom press in everywhere, and the crisis under Antiochus IV provokes the Maccabean revolt.
- The successors
- Alexander dies at thirty-two and his generals carve up the empire. Judea sits on the border between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria, and is fought over by both for a century and a half, which is the ordinary condition of the corridor.
- Hellenism
- Not just conquest but a culture: the gymnasium, the theatre, Greek names, Greek dress, Greek as the language of anyone with ambitions. Some Jews embraced it, some resisted it, and the argument between them is the real subject of the Maccabean books. In Alexandria the Hebrew scriptures are translated into Greek, producing the Septuagint, which is the Bible most New Testament writers quote.
- The crisis
- Antiochus IV bans the practice of Judaism, plunders the temple, and sets up a pagan altar in it in 167 BC. The revolt under the Maccabees wins, the temple is rededicated in 164 BC, which is the origin of Hanukkah, and Judea has about eighty years of independence under the Hasmoneans before Rome arrives.
- Further afield
- Rome fights Carthage three times and ends up master of the Mediterranean. Euclid writes the Elements and Archimedes does his work at Syracuse. In China the Qin unify the country in 221 BC and the Han follow, opening what becomes the Silk Road.