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Mattathias and his sons (1 Mac. 2:1–5). Their lamentation and sorrow over the devastation of Judea and Jerusalem (1 Mac. 2:6–14). The reason for the appearance of the Maccabees (1 Mac. 2:15–26). Mattathias's call for the rebellion of all those faithful to the law - for their fatherly faith and departure into the wilderness (1 Mac. 2:27-38). The decree of Mattathias and his companions not to apply the commandment of Sabbath rest in cases of necessary defense against attack: the increase of his followers (1 Mac. 2:39–48). Testament of the dying Mattathias to his children, last orders, blessing and death (1 Mac. 2:49–70). 1Mac.2:1. In those days Mattathias the son of John the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib from Jerusalem, rose up; he lived in Modin. “Mattathias, son of John, son of Simeon...” - Josephus Flavius ​​more closely designates this Simeon through the addition του A σαμωναίου, i.e. son of Asmonaeus, (Ancient Jude XII, 6, 1). By the name of this ancestor, the children and grandchildren of Mattathias are generally called Asmonaeans in Jewish literature; hence the following expressions: ή A σαμωναίων γενεά, family of Asmoneans (Ancient Jude XIV, 16, 4); οί A σαμωναίου παίδες, children of Asmoneus (Ancient XX, 8, 11), etc. - “A priest from the sons of Joarib...”, that is, from the priestly class of Joarib, the first of 24 priestly classes, according to the number of priestly genealogies into which David divided them when distributing their service in the church (1 Chron. 24:7). According to Josephus (vita, 1), this class or genealogy enjoyed superior respect over others, and descent from it was considered the highest nobility in the spiritual hierarchy. Through ιερεύς Mattathias is designated as a simple priest, but later Jewish traditions place him among the high priests, and some interpreters find this possible, indicating for this the time when, after the death of Onias III (2 Mac. 4:34) and after the apostasy of his brother Jason to paganism ( 2 Mac. 4: 7), as well as due to the flight of Onias IV to Egypt, - the high priesthood after such a break should have passed to Mattathias. - “Modina” - Μωδείν - city - lay near Diospolis, i.e. Lydda, on the road from Jerusalem to Joppa (present-day Jaffa), on a mountain from which one could see the sea (1 Mac.13:29). 1Mac.2:2–5. He had five sons: John, called Gaddis, Simon, called Thassi, Judas, called Maccabeus, Eleazar, called Avaran, Jonathan, called Aphus. All 5 sons of Mattathias had, in addition to their names, nicknames that indicated either their characteristic features or their deeds. John (proper Ί ωαννάν) - nicknamed Gadis - probably a Hebrew. ... (Num. 13:11, in LXX - Γαδδί), from ... - happiness, traces. - happy; happy (perhaps an allusion to his painful death, 1 Mac.9:36). Simon was nicknamed Fassi, from the Chaldean ... - fervere effervescere, - and means - fervens, “boiling”, “hot”. Judas bore the nickname Maccabee (Μακκαβαίος), the same as the German “Martell”, i.e. “hammer” (see above, introduction). Eleazar was nicknamed Avaran (Αύαράν), from the verb ... - to prick, raise his hand, beat - a likely allusion to a selfless heroic duel with an elephant, and the death of the elephant cost him his life (1 Mac. 6:43-46). – Jonathan was nicknamed Apfus (Απφούς), “secretive”, “cunning”. 1Mac 2:6–10. Seeing the blasphemies taking place in Judea and Jerusalem, he said: Woe is me! Why was I born to see the ruin of my people and the destruction of the holy city and remain here when it was delivered into the hands of enemies and the sanctuary into the hands of strangers? His church became like an inglorious man, his precious vessels were carried away into captivity, his babies were beaten in the streets, his young men fell from the sword of the enemy. What people did not occupy his kingdom and take possession of his spoils? “What nation has not occupied his kingdom?” Mattathias could say this, meaning the diverse composition of the Syrian army, which included representatives from the Philistines, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, Samaritans, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks, Macedonians (2 Mac. 8:9) - long-time enemies of the Jewish people. All of them once again took part together in the desecration and devastation of St. cities, justifying the long-standing contempt of the Jews for them. 1Mac 2:11–17. All his decoration was taken away; from a free man he became a slave. And so our shrines, and our splendor, and our glory, were desolate, and the pagans desecrated them. Why else should we live? And Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and wept bitterly. And those who forced apostasy came from the king to the city of Modin in order to make sacrifices. And many of Israel came to them; but Mattathias and his sons stood firm. And those who came from the king answered and said to Mattathias: You are a leader, you are glorious and great in this city and you have support in your sons and brothers. “And those who came from the king answered...” Since they usually “answer” a question or an objection, and here neither one nor the other is given on the part of Mattathias, it seems natural that “those who came from the king” “answered” here simply to his still silent protest to their actions (“resisted” - Mattathias and his sons). 1Mac.2:18. So, come now first and fulfill the king’s command, as all the nations and men of Judah and those who remained in Jerusalem did, and you and your house will be among the king’s friends, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts. “Those who remained in Jerusalem,” as opposed to those who left it to save their faith and life. 1Mac 2:19–24. And Mattathias answered and said with a loud voice: If all the nations in the region of the king’s kingdom listen to him and each depart from the worship of their fathers, and agree to his commands, then I and my sons and my brothers will do according to the covenant of our fathers. God have mercy on us to leave the law and regulations behind! We will not listen to the words of the king, so that we may retreat from our worship to the right or to the left. When he had stopped speaking these words, a man of Judah came up in the sight of everyone to offer, at the king’s command, an idol sacrifice on the altar that was in Modin. Seeing this, Mattathias became jealous, and his insides trembled, and his rage according to the law was kindled, and he ran up and killed him at the altar. “His insides trembled,” own. “his kidneys,” which, according to the ideas of that time, were considered the seat or center of sensitive power. 1Mac.2:25–26. And at the same time he killed the king’s husband, who was forcing him to make a sacrifice, and destroyed the altar. And he became jealous according to the law, as Phinehas did with Zimri, the son of Salom. For more information about this event, see Numbers 25:7–8, etc. 1Mac.2:27–30. And Mattathias exclaimed in the city with a loud voice: “Whoever is zealous for the law and stands in the covenant, let him follow me!” And he and his sons fled to the mountains, leaving everything they had in the city. Then many, devoted to righteousness and law, went into the wilderness and remained there, themselves and their sons, and their wives, and their livestock, because their troubles multiplied. 1Mac.2:28-30: Mattathias with his sons and others, faithful to righteousness and law, went into the mountains into the wilderness. These are the mountains and desert of Judea - on the western side of the Dead Sea. Close to the sea, this area is completely devoid of any traces of life and vegetation, but where it is irrigated by springs, it is covered with luxurious vegetation, so that the fugitives could find here enough means of subsistence for themselves and for their livestock. – “Devoted to truth and law” – Greek: ζητούντες δικ. καί κρίμα, proper. “seeking judgment and truth,” as translated more accurately in Slavic. 1Mac.2:31. And it was announced to the king’s men and to the army that was in Jerusalem, the city of David, that some men, having violated the king’s commandment, had gone to secret places in the wilderness. “In Jerusalem, the city of David...”, that is, in Jerusalem, and precisely in that part that was called the “city of David” (see about this above, 1 Mac. 1:33), and was turned into a fortress of the Syrian army. - “Hidden places in the desert...”. The Judean Desert and its mountains abounded in many caves and abysses that could serve as convenient shelters for fugitives; Here David also escaped from his enemies (1 Samuel 24:4 and many others). 1Mac 2:32–33. And many chased after them and, having overtaken them, took up arms, and arrayed themselves to fight against them on the Sabbath day, and said to them: now it is still possible; Go out and do as the king says, and you will live. “Now it’s still possible...”, Greek: ' εως τον νύν, proper. “until now”, “while it is still possible...” 1Mac.2:34. But they answered: We will not go out and do according to the king’s word, we will not desecrate the Sabbath day. “We will not go out and do according to the king’s word, we will not desecrate the Sabbath day...” The last statement - about not desecrating the Sabbath day - refers specifically to the first action (going out to battle). As for the second (obedience to the will of the king), the refusal of the Jews is unconditional and clear by itself, regardless of any days of the week. 1Mac.2:35–36. Then they hastened to begin battle against them. But they did not answer them, they did not even throw a stone at them, nor blocked their secret hiding places, “They did not answer them...”, that is, they did not respond with any action to the enemies’ preparations for battle, as is explained further. 1Mac 2:37–39. and they said: We will all die in our innocence; heaven and earth are witnesses for us that you are unjustly destroying us. They attacked them on Saturdays, and they died, and their wives, and their children with their livestock, up to a thousand souls. When Mattathias and his friends learned about this, they wept bitterly for them; “Wept bitterly for them...” – Greek: έως σφόδρα, Slav.: “Wept bitterly for them.” 1Mac.2:40–41. and they said to each other: if we all do as these our brothers did, and do not fight with the pagans for our lives and our statutes, then they will soon destroy us from the earth. And they decided that day and said: Whoever goes to war against us on the Sabbath day, let us fight against him, lest we all die, as our brothers died in their secret hiding places. The decree - to protect yourself from enemy attacks on the Sabbath day - does not in the least contradict the spirit of the Mosaic legislation. According to the meaning of the law on the Sabbath, on this day only household and public affairs are prohibited, but not matters of necessity, such as the protection of life and property from enemy attacks. – To allow oneself to defenselessly accept death on the Sabbath day at the hands of enemies is characteristic only of holy simplicity and Pharisaic servility to the letter, contrary to the spirit of the law, which the Savior so much and strongly denounced in the scribes and Pharisees of His time. 1Mac.2:42–44. Then a multitude of Jews, strong in strength from Israel, all faithful to the law, gathered to them. And all those who fled from the disaster joined them and became reinforcements for them. So they formed an army and struck down the wicked in their anger and the wicked in their rage; the rest fled to the pagans for salvation. “They smote... the wicked... and wicked men...” These “wicked” and “lawless men,” Greek: αμαρτωλοί και ᾿ανδρες ανομοι, are not pagans, but Jews who have apostatized from the faith, since they are not considered in the same category as those who sought salvation for themselves in flight to the pagans - “the rest” (οί λοιποί). 1Mac 2:45–46. And Mattathias and his friends went round about, and tore down the altars, and without fear circumcised the uncircumcised children, as many as they found within the borders of Israel, “They circumcised the uncircumcised without fear...” – “without fear” – Greek. ' εν ᾿ισχυί, the Slavic translation is more accurate - “in force”, i.e. “powerfully”, and where necessary - with violence, not yielding to the parents’ false fear of the pagans, nor their indifference to the paternal law. 1Mac.2:47. and they pursued the sons of pride, and the matter prospered in their hands. “Sons of pride...”, ιυίοί τής ύπερηφανίας, i.e., apparently, Syrians. 1Mac.2:48. Thus they defended the law from the hand of the pagans and from the hand of kings and did not allow the sinner to triumph. “They did not allow the sinner to triumph...” - Greek: ούκ έδωκαν κέρας τώ αμαρτολω, more precisely, the Slavic translation: “not giving horns to the sinner,” i.e., they did not give the opportunity for the manifestation of the sinner’s power. The horn is a symbol of strength and courage, or rage, borrowed from the nature of horned animals. – “To the sinner,” i.e., to pagans and paganism in general, singular. number in the general, generic sense. 1Mac.2:49. The days of Mattathias' death drew near, and he said to his sons: now pride and trial have increased, now is the time of revolution and the wrath of rage. 1 Mac.2:49–70: Feeling the approach of death, Mattathias instructs his sons to zealously continue the fight for the faith of their fathers, and encourages and inspires them to this with examples of the zeal of the most famous God-lovers of ancient times. “The days of Mattathias’ death are approaching...”, Greek: καί ήγγισαν ... άποθανέιν - glory. more precisely: “and the days of Mattathias were approaching to die.” This formula is usually used in stories about the last days of the life of only the most famous men of antiquity; as for example: about Jacob (Genesis 47), about Moses (Deut. 31), Joshua (Joshua 22) and David (1 Kings 2). - “Pride has increased...”, i.e. pride, arrogance of godlessness (see 1 Mac. 1:21). - “And a test,” that is, a test for the faithful and pious by this reign of atheism. - “The time of a revolution...”, καιρός καταστροφής, the same as a revolution, only from top to bottom - the destruction of the foundations of life by the ruling power. – “Anger of rage”... – οργή θυμού – ardent anger, and here one can understand precisely the wrath of God. 1Mac.2:50–51. Therefore, children, be zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers. Remember the deeds of our fathers, which they did in their times, and you will gain great glory and an eternal name. “Remember the deeds of our fathers... and you will receive,” of course, being inspired by the same deeds, “great glory and an eternal name...” The motivations indicated by Mattathias to the children to accomplish their great deeds seem to be one-sided, because they do not concern future reward in the afterlife, but only mean the consequences of good deeds on the same earth - “great glory and an eternal name.” It is permissible to think, however, that here higher motives are by no means excluded in the heavenly afterlife reward for good, as before in all the indicated cases where the exploits of great people of antiquity and the fruits or rewards of these exploits are noted. The sacred writers only want to show by this that the reward of the righteous for their faith and good deeds begins already in this life. 1Mac.2:52. Was it not through temptation that Abraham was found faithful? and it was counted to him as righteousness. By “temptation” of Abraham here we mean a test of his faith by the demand from the Lord to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1; cp. Gen. 15:6). 1Mac.2:53. Joseph, in his distressed situation, kept the commandment and became the master of Egypt. By Joseph’s “straitened position,” some here mean the entire period of his servitude from his sale to his liberation and elevation to the “ruler” of the land of Egypt (Gen. 39:1–42:6). - “Keeped the commandment” in this case will mean his faith in the promises of God, which gave him strength and courage in this test. But it would seem closer to the truth to understand here the incident with the Egyptian woman, which allowed him, in such a truly hopeless situation, to show rare selflessness and “keep the commandment” of chastity and the inviolability of someone else’s home. 1Mac.2:54. Phinehas our father, because he was jealous with jealousy, received the covenant of the eternal priesthood. “Phineas our father...” – ό πατήρ ήμων, that is, our ancestor, according to the priesthood (Num. 25:11–13). 1Mak.2:55. For fulfilling the word, Jesus became a judge over Israel. The “word” of God, for the fulfillment of which Joshua became a judge over Israel, means the command given to him after the death of Moses to lead the people to the Promised Land (Joshua 1:2–10). 1Mac.2:56. Caleb received the land as an inheritance for his testimony before the congregation. “Caleb for his testimony before the congregation,” described in Numbers 14:6–8,24. - “He received the land as an inheritance” (Josh. 14:6-14), more precisely, “received” - γής κληρονομίαν - “land inheritance”, as translated in Slavic, - i.e. inheritance, inheritance in the promised land, - and precisely - the city of Hebron. 1Mac.2:57. David, for his mercy, inherited the throne of the kingdom forever. “David for his mercy...”, Greek: έν τω έλεω αυτου, slav.: more precisely - “in his mercy.” – “Mercy” in the sense of piety in general (“I want mercy, not sacrifice,” Hos. 6:6, “I will remember the mercy of your youth,” Jer. 2:2). – “Forever”, Greek: εις αιώνα αιώνος, slav. more precisely: “to the age of the century.” Taking “eternity” in the strict sense, one can find here an indication of the expected coming of the Messiah from the line of David, whose kingdom will truly have no end. 1Mac.2:58–61. Elijah was even taken to heaven according to the law for his great zeal. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael were saved from the flames by faith. Daniel, for his innocence, was delivered from the jaws of lions. Therefore, remember from generation to generation that all who trust in Him will not faint. “All who trust in Him...”, i.e. God, “will not faint” (cf. Ps. 24:2 - “having trusted in the Lord, I will not faint”). 1Mac.2:62. Do not be afraid of the words of a sinful man, for his glory will turn into dung and worms. “Do not be afraid of the words, i.e., commands or threats, of a sinful man...”, i.e., a sinner in general, in an indefinite meaning, whether he be a pagan or an apostate from the Jews. 1Mac.2:63–69. Today he is exalted, but tomorrow he will not be found, for he has turned to dust, and his plan is lost. But you, my children, be strong and stand courageously in the law, for through it you will be glorified. Here is Simon, your brother: I know that he is a man of counsel; obey him always; he will be your father instead. And let Judas Maccabee, strong in strength from his youth, be your commander of the army and wage war against the nations. So, gather to you all the doers of the law and avenge the wrongs of your people; give recompense to the pagans and be attentive to the commandments of the law. And he blessed them and kissed his fathers. “And he venerated himself to his fathers...” is a common formula, especially in the Pentateuch, about the outcome of the life of the forefathers, denoting their veneration as joining the fathers who had previously descended into Sheol - the place of their afterlife. 1Mac.2:70. He died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year; and his sons buried him in the tomb of their fathers in Modin, and all Israel mourned him with bitter weeping. Mattathias died in 146 CE. Seleucus. 3 years after the devastation of the church (1 Mac.1:20) and another year after the abomination of desolation was placed in its place (1 Mac.1:54), i.e., in 167-166 BC - Regarding the “tomb of his fathers” in Modin - see 1 Mac.13:27. The books of Maccabees are translated from Greek because they are not in the Hebrew text.