Глава IX

Renewal of the war with the Syrians and the death of Judah (Antt. XII, 11) (1 Mac. 9: 1–22). The plight of Israel and the election of Jonathan as leader and ruler of the people (1 Mac. 9:23–31). Jonathan's departure into the Tekoah desert; the loss of John, captured by the “sons of Jambre” with his entire caravan; Jonathan's revenge for him; battle with Bacchides at the river. Jordan (1 Mac 9:32–50). Strengthening Bacchides in the country (1 Mac. 9:50–53). Alcimus' evil enterprise and death (1 Mac. 9:54–57). The secondary war of Bacchides with Jonathan and the conclusion of peace (1 Mac.9:58–73). 1 Mac.9:1 When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his soldiers had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus the second time into the land of Judea and the right wing with them. Hearing about the defeat of Nicanor (VII: 43 etc.), Demetrius sends Bacchides and Alcimus for the second time to Judea “and the right wing with them...” - the expression is not entirely clear. It is more correct to understand here the southern part of the army, which was closer to Judea. The departure of this detachment followed, without a doubt, before Judas concluded an alliance with the Romans, and, in any case, before the departure or receipt of the message of the Roman Senate to King Demetrius mentioned in VIII: 31 et c. 1 Mac.9:2 And they went along the road to Gilgal and encamped at Mesaloth, which is in Arbil, and when they took possession of it, they killed many people. “We went... to Gilgal and encamped at Mesaloth, which is in Arvil...” These designations of the place cannot now be determined with accuracy. Γάλγαλα in the LXX (cf. Joshua IV: 19, 20 and 2 Kings II: 1, IV: 38, etc.) is the name of three towns in Palestine. Since it is impossible to think that this was the Gilgal who lay between Jericho and Jordan, it remains to look for it between the other two, which lay to the north and northwest of Jerusalem. It was, therefore, either Gilgal on the site of the present large village of Dschildschule - between Jifna and Nablus, 2 1/2 miles south of the latter (Deut. XI: 30), or - on the site of the present Dschildschule - east or south-east of Kefr Saba (Antipatrid) on the road from Damascus to Egypt - which can be assumed in Joshua XII: 23 . This latter can also be assumed in this place, which is suggested by both the expression: “set off along the road to Gilgal,” οδον τήν είς Γάλγαλα, where, obviously, a well-known high or military road is assumed - and the fact that the army, which wanted to go forward as quickly as possible, had to choose the nearest open caravan route of the valley, rather than a difficult path through the mountains from Shechem to Jerusalem. If this assumption about Gilgal is correct, then Μαισαλώθ ή έν ᾿Αρβήλοις must be sought between Dschildschule and Jerusalem, perhaps at the rise from the valley to the mountainous terrain. Neither Μαισαλώθ, nor ' Αρβηλα (except ..., Hos X: 14) are no longer mentioned in the Old Testament. And from “Messalof, in Arvila” one can only conclude that Arvila is a locality of the district, and not a town. 1 Mac.9:3-4 In the first month of the hundred and fifty-second year they encamped near Jerusalem, but they broke up and went to Berea with twenty thousand men and two thousand cavalry. “In the first month of the year 152...” (e. Seleucus), next, shortly after the defeat of Nicanor (IX: 3), - as soon as possible, in order to prevent Judas from gathering his forces, - “... they went to Berea...” to defeat Judah, who “encamped at Eleas...” (5 v.). The location of both of these points - Berea and Eleas - is unknown. One thing can be assumed with certainty: the place where the opponents clashed was west or southwest of Jerusalem. 1Mac 9:5-6 And Judah pitched camp with Elias, and three thousand chosen men with him. But when they saw the multitude of the army, how numerous it was, they were greatly afraid, and many of his camp fled, and no more than eight hundred men remained of them. “The war disturbed him...”, Greek: ό πάλεμος "έθλιβεν αύτόν, slav.: “the abuse offended him...”, that is, it brought him into grief with its inescapability. 1Mac 9:7-10 When Judas saw that his army was scattered, and the war was troubling him, he was troubled in heart, because he did not have time to gather them. He became sad and said to those who remained: let us rise and go against our opponents; maybe we will be able to fight them. But they rejected him and said: we are not able, but now we will save our lives, and then we will return with our brothers, and then we will fight against them, but now we are few. But Judas said: No, let this not happen to me, to flee from them; and if our hour has come, then we will die courageously for our brothers and will not leave any criticism of our glory. “No, let this not happen to me!...” - μή μοι γένιτο ποιήσαι, glor.: “Do not cause me to create this thing!...” - “Our hour has come...”, ό καρός the time predetermined for us, i.e., the time of death (glor.: “if the time draws near”) ours"). 1Mac 9:11 And the army moved out of the camp and stood against them; and the cavalry was divided into two parts, and ahead of the army were the slingers and archers and all the strong advanced warriors. “And the army moved…”, ή δύναμις, i.e. Syrian, the bringing of which into battle order is discussed in more detail below. 1Mac.9:12-15 But Bacchides was on the right wing, and troops from both sides were approaching and sounding trumpets. Those with Judah also blew trumpets, and the earth shook at the noise of the troops, and there was a stubborn battle from morning to evening. When Judas saw that Bacchides and the strongest part of his army were on the right side, all the brave in heart gathered to him, and they defeated the right wing, and they pursued them to Mount Azoth. “They pursued them to Mount Azoth...”, έως Αζώτου όρους ... This indication raises considerable doubt, which Josephus Flavius ​​tried to eliminate by reading in this place ' Αζατου ορούς. However, if we assume that the battle took place to the west of Jerusalem on the border of the mountains enclosing the Philistine valley, then Ashdod could have been only 3-4 miles from the battlefield, and pursuit of the enemy to the outskirts of this city or its mountain was easily possible. 1Mac 9:16 When those on the left wing saw that the right wing was broken, they turned after Judas and those with him from the rear. “They turned after Judas”, έηέστρεψαν κατά πόδας, more precisely slav.: “turning in the footsteps of Judas...” 1Mac 9:17 And the battle was fierce, and many fell slain on both sides, “The battle was tough κ oe...”, καί έβαρύνθη ό πόλεμος, more precisely, the famous one: “and the abuse is aggravated...” 1Mac 9:18-21 Judah also fell, and the rest fled. And Jonathan and Simon took their brother Judah and buried him in the tomb of his fathers in Modin. And all Israel mourned for him and mourned greatly for him, and they grieved for many days and said: How did the mighty one who saved Israel fall? “How did the mighty fall?...” – imitation of David’s lament over Saul and Jonathan – 2 Samuel I: 19: “...how did the mighty fall?...” 1Mac 9:22 But the rest of the works of Judas, and the battles, and the courageous deeds that he performed, and his greatness, are not written down, for they were very many. Conclusion of the story of Judah. “The rest of the deeds of Judah...” - τά περισσά τών λόγων Ιούδα - glory. more precisely: “the rest of the words and warfare of Judah...”, i.e. the rest of the stories about Judah or from his history, is the usual formula at the end of the story about the kings of Israel and Judah (1 Kings XI:41, XIV:29, etc.), with the only difference that it is usually indicated where their other exploits are described, while here, on the contrary, it is noted that they are “not described” (ού κατεγράφη), and it remains unclear whether the writer wanted to say here that they are not described in this book of his, or that they are not described in the book that he used to describe the history of Judas. An analogy with the indicated places in the book. Kings, and especially the comparison with XVI: 23, speak for the latter assumption. 1Mac 9:23 After the death of Judah, wicked men appeared throughout all the coasts of Israel, and all the workers of iniquity arose. After the death of Judas (160 BC), he was replaced by Jonathan, the story of which goes on continuously until XII: 53. The apostate party among the Jews, thanks to the energy with which Judas attacked it (VII: 24), was suppressed and weakened for a long time; after his death, however, she again raised her head and came out to help the Syrians to oppress the faithful. To complete the calamity of the latter, severe famine occurred, which was also connected with the rise of the spirit of the apostates, who greatly increased in number. An expression of this is the remark of Art. 24 that “the country stuck to them” - ηύτομόλησεν ή χώρα μετ᾿ αύτων, more precisely glorified: “and the country retreat with them...” This interpretation assumes that the apostates took advantage of hunger (making it difficult to obtain bread) in their goals - to multiply their party, and acted in this sense so successfully that one could truly say that it was as if the whole country was captivated by them. There is, however, another interpretation of this passage, perhaps more correct. It presupposes here a poetic expression of the thought that “and the country,” i.e. the earth, the soil (or, as they say now, nature itself), refusing to give harvests, seemed to deviate from its law - to feed its children, took the side of the enemies of the people (“depart with them”) and, together with them, opposed the faithful of God in Israel. 1 Mac 9:24-27 In those very days there was a very severe famine, and the country came upon them. And Bacchides chose wicked men and made them leaders of the country. They scouted and sought out the friends of Judas and brought them to Bacchides, and he took revenge on them and mocked them. And there was great sorrow in Israel, such as had not been seen since the day when the prophet was not seen among them. “From the day that there was no prophet visible among them...” The last prophet, as is known, was Malachi during the time of Nehemiah - about 440 BC. Here, a not superfluous question involuntarily arises: why does the writer, wanting to indicate the time since which the disaster he describes did not occur, refers to the last prophet, and does not directly recall any other similar national disaster that had previously occurred, for example, the destruction of the church by the Chaldeans, or (like Joseph) at least the Babylonian captivity? – This is explained by the importance of prophets as the best comforters in times of national disaster, according to the views of the people themselves. Shedding the rays of Divine revelations amid the dark night of national disasters, the prophets at the same time indicated the means or ways to eliminate the disaster. This consolation in distress has been lacking among the people since the days of Malachi. Having rallied around the courageous Maccabees and went out to battle and death with prayer on their lips, the believing Jews, together with Judas, lost their last hope for a victorious end to the war. In the person of the hero, “he who saved Israel” fell - σώζων τόν ᾿Ισραήλ (v. 21), who, in terms of his significance and influence on the people, could only be replaced by a prophet! This is what made us especially feel the severity of the coming disaster, such “as has not happened since the day when their prophet was no longer visible...” 1Mac 9:28-29 Then all the friends of Judah gathered together and said to Jonathan: Since the time that your brother Judas died, there has not been a man like him to go out against the enemies and Bacchides and against the haters of our people. “Against the haters of our people...”, και έν τοις εχθραίνουσι, slav.: “against... those who are hostile to our language...” Here we should understand the pagans and apostates who acted as enemies of the Jewish people. 1 Mac 9:30-33 So now we have chosen you to be our commander and leader in his stead, to fight our war. And Jonathan took the leadership at that time and took the place of his brother Judah. And Bacchides found out about this and sought to kill him. Jonathan and Simon his brother and all who were with him learned of this, and they fled into the wilderness of Tekoah and encamped by the waters of Lake Asphar. The Fekoe Desert begins about 2 hours southeast of Bethlehem and extends to the Dead Sea - it is a steppe very suitable for cattle breeding. – Λάκκος ᾿Ασφάρ – not Lake Asfar, but precisely Λάκκος – corresponds in the LXX to the Hebrew ... – cisterns, artificial reservoirs, like 2 Chronicles XXVI: 10. – The location and name of these tanks are more precisely unknown. 1Mac.9:34 When Bacchides learned about this on the Sabbath day, he and all his army crossed over the Jordan. The remark about Bacchides crossing the Jordan after receiving information about Jonathan’s departure to the Tekoe desert is dark and needs clarification; apparently, why did Bacchides cross the Jordan if he wanted to find Jonathan’s army, which was located in the Tekoe desert, i.e. on the western side of the Dead Sea? It is also unclear why it was necessary to say that Bacchides learned about the latter “on the Sabbath day” - which does not clarify anything for the matter and seems completely unnecessary? The ambiguity here is further complicated by the fact that the content of this verse (34th) precedes the subsequent episode from the history of John, verses 34–42, after which it is repeated again in its main features (verse 43) and is put in connection with what follows. Obviously, the historian wanted to talk directly about the clash between Bacchides and Jonathan at the Jordan (44 v. etc.), but suddenly realized that he had not yet reported how Jonathan and his flock came to the Jordan, and so he inserted this event into his story in the form of a separate episode. 1Mac 9:35 And Jonathan sent his brother, the leader of the people, and asked his friends the Nebatites to lay up his great store with them. “He sent his brother...” His name is called in the next verse 36: it was John. - “Leader of the people...” - “People” (' ο όχλος) here in the sense of “crowd”, which in this case was partly a detachment to accompany the “reserves”, partly a crowd of old people, women and children who were supposed to be given refuge by the Navateans (see V: 25). 1Mac 9:36 But the sons of Jamre came out of Midabah and seized John and all that he had and left. This caravan of John was captured entirely and taken away by the “sons of Jamre from Midabah,” and John himself died (cf. v. 42). Οί υίοί Αμβρί - i.e. “descendants of Omri” - are not mentioned anywhere else; Midabah - the place of their settlement - first an Amorite or Moabite city, then a border city of the tribe of Reuben (Joshua XIII: 9), later again in the possession of the Moabites, and then probably was inhabited by the Nebatites - to this day exists under this name in ruins. 1Mac.9:37 After these events they told Jonathan and Simon his brother that the sons of Jambre were solemnly celebrating a noble marriage and escorting from Nadabath with great pomp the bride, the daughter of one of the noble nobles of Canaan. Nadawaf, Ναδαβάθ is an unknown place with which the town of Nudeibe in Wady el-Butm is close. 1 Mac 9:38-42 Then they remembered their brother John, and they went out and hid under the roof of the mountain. Lifting up their eyes, they saw: behold, exclamations and a large dowry; The groom and his friends and his brothers came out to meet him with timbrels and music and with many weapons. Then those who were with Jonathan arose from ambush and beat them, and many fell slain, and the rest fled to the mountain; and they took all their spoil. And the wedding celebration turned into sadness, and the sound of their music into weeping. So they avenged the blood of their brother and returned to the marshy place near the Jordan. “They returned to the marshy place near the Jordan...” Before its flow into the Dead Sea, the Jordan sometimes overflows its banks. According to the testimony of one American traveler who explored this river, the Jordan flooded both banks in one place to a depth of 12 feet. Since in this place the eastern shore is more sloping, the spilled water formed a whole significant bay between the river and the mountains on the eastern shore of the sea. This bay, opposite Midawa, could represent τό ᾿έλος - a swampy place on the eastern side of the Jordan, where Jonathan settled. 1 Mac.9:43 And Bacchides heard about this, and on the Sabbath day he came to the banks of the Jordan with a large army. Here the narrator continues the speech interrupted by the story about Jonathan in verse 34. From a comparison of these two verses with 44 and following, it is discovered that Bacchides occupied with troops not only the fords of the Jordan on the western side, but also advanced further north up the Jordan in order to cut off all routes of retreat for Jonathan and better deal with him on the open and swampy lowlands of the Jordanian bank. 1Mac 9:44-50 Then Jonathan said to those who were with him, Let us arise now and fight for our lives, for today is not like yesterday or the day before. Behold, the enemy is both in front of us and behind us, the water of the Jordan on one side and the other, and swamp and forest, and there is no place to escape. So now cry to heaven that you may be delivered from the hand of your enemies. And the battle began. And Jonathan stretched out his hand to strike Bacchides, but he turned back from him. And Jonathan and those with him rushed to the Jordan and swam across to the other side, but they did not cross the Jordan after them. And Bacchides fell that day up to a thousand men. And he returned to Jerusalem and built strong cities in Judea: a fortress in Jericho, and Emmaum and Bethhoron, and Bethel and Timnapha in Pharathon, and Tephon with high walls, gates and bars, “He built strong cities in Judea...”, ώκοδόμησε - means not only “building again,” but also rebuilding and decorating fortresses and fortifications. - “The fortress in Jericho...”, t ό όχύρωμα t ό έν Ί εριχώ, - therefore, not Jericho itself (as Joseph represents). Strabo – XVI, b. 763 - mentions two fortresses located at Jericho - Taurus and Thrax, which were destroyed by Pompey. – “Emmaum” – see III:40. – “Vethoron...” – see III:16. – “Bethel...”, often found in Old. Head, 12 miles north of Jerusalem, present Beitin. – “Famnafa in Farafon...” – Θαμναθά Φαραθωνι – glor.: in “Femnafa and Farafon...” There are several basic discrepancies in this place. In some texts it reads Φαραθών, in Jos. Fl. - Φαραθώ, while both names are also separated by the union “and” (as is also retained in the Slavic text): Θαμνοθά και Φαραθώ. The Hebrew sounds in Θαμνοθά. ... or ... (Joshua XV:57, XIX:43 and others) and Φαραθών ... Judgment XII:5. - There are three cities with the name Thimna in the Bible: 1) in the mountains of Judea, Joshua XV:57 - its location has not yet been determined; 2) in the tribe of Dan, Joshua XV:10, XIX:3; Judgment XIV:1 et c. – present Tibneh, 4–5 hours of travel west of Ain-Shems; 3) in the tribe of Ephraim, with the addition of the name ..., Joshua XIX:50, XXIV:30; Judgment II:9 - present Tibneh, at 7 o'clock. way north of Jerusalem, and 2 hours west of Dschildschilia; this latter does not count here, since he hardly belonged to Judea. – Farafon corresponds to the village of Ferata – at 2 1/2 hours. west or southwest of Nablus, or the village of Faraun - at 6 o’clock. west of Nablus. Ferata is located 3 miles from Thimnath-Serah, and about 3 miles from Thimna. Danov in 4 1/4; Faraun is 4 1/4 from the first, 8 miles from the second (as the crow flies on the map). If Φαραθών is identical with one of these points, then this word obviously should not be an addition to Θαμναθά, to distinguish the latter from another of the same name, but should have its own independent meaning, connecting with the previous one, according to different interpretations, the conjunction “and”. The only thing that is not in favor of such a presentation of the matter is that this Φαραθών lay without a doubt in Samaria, and not in Judea. But if we distinguish Φαραθών from Ferata and Faraun, then it can also be an application to Θαμναθά. – Τεφών (Τεφώ – according to some codes), according to some – to the west of Hebron there is a place called Teffuh (ancient ..., Joshua XV: 53), where to this day large parts of the walls of the ancient fortress can be seen between the houses. But there are two other Tappuah that could need strengthening, one in Sephele (Joshua XV:34, XII:17), and the last (third) to the west of Nablus (Joshua XVI:8, XVII:7), which, however, probably already belonged to Samaria, and here, therefore, should hardly count. 1Mac 9:51-52 And he set guards among them to act with hostility against Israel. He also fortified the city of Bethsur and Ghazar and the fortress and left an army with food supplies in them, “A city in Bethsur...” A more correct interpretation of this place is τήν πόλιν τήν Βαιθσούραν (Sinai language; lat. - emiatem Bethsuram). For Bethsura see IV:29; about Ghazar - to IV:15. 1Mac 9:53-54 And he took hostage the sons of the leaders of the country and placed them under guard in the fortress of Jerusalem. In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month, Alkim ordered the wall of the church courtyard to be destroyed and the work of the prophets to be destroyed, and the destruction had already begun. “In the year 153 (E. Seleucus) in the second month...” - in April or May 159 BC, a year after the death of Judas. - “He ordered the wall of the inner courtyard of the church to be destroyed...” This “inner courtyard of the church” is the courtyard of the priests. It must be borne in mind that the Zerubbabel church, built on the model of Solomon, had only two courtyards, of which the priestly courtyard, with the altar of burnt offerings in the middle, is clearly called the inner courtyard (1 Kings VI: 36, cf. 2 Chronicles IV: 9). The wall of this courtyard, therefore, is not the so-called “Soreg”, that is, the low partition that separated the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans, but a real wall between the court of the priests and the court of the people, by the destruction of which Alcimus wanted to deprive the temple of its distinctive theocratic character. The writer calls this enterprise the destruction of “the work of the prophets,” considering the structure of the church and the entire arrangement and plan of the sanctuary as a matter of Divine inspiration, based on Exodus XXV: 9, 40; 1 Chronicles XXVIII:19, and bearing in mind how the prophets Haggai and Zechariah took care that the restoration of the church was carried out according to the pattern specified by God. 1 Mac.9:55-57 But at that very time Alcimus was struck with a blow, and his enterprises stopped; his lips closed, he became numb and could no longer utter a single word or make a testament about his home. And Alkim died at the same time in severe torment. When Bacchides learned that Alcimus had died, he returned to the king; and the land of Judah remained quiet for two years. With the news of Alcimus's death, Bacchides returns to the king. Since Alcimus, by seeking the high priesthood and inciting the king against the faithful Jews, caused Bacchides to be sent to Judea (VII: 5 etc.), the death of this ambitious man, who energetically contributed to the Hellenistic plans of the Syrians in Judea, could be a sufficient incentive for the return of Bacchides, who felt lonely and not strong enough for his cause. This does not exclude other motives for the return indicated by interpreters, such as, for example, the arrival of the Roman embassy demanding an end to the oppression of Judea (VIII: 31, etc.), etc. 1Mac 9:58 Then all the wicked took counsel, and said, Behold, Jonathan and them that are with him dwell safely in peace; Let us now bring Bacchides, and he will capture them all in one night. “Jonathan and those with him...”, that is, his trusted friends and leaders of the faithful people who lived under Jonathan. - “They live safely in peace...” - κατοικοουσι πεποιθότες, i.e. “without fear of anything evil.” 1Mac 9:59-62 They went and offered him this advice. He decided to go with a large army and secretly sent letters to all his allies who were in Judea so that they would capture Jonathan and those with him, but they could not, because their plan had become known to them. And they caught up to fifty people from among the men of the country who were responsible for this crime and killed them. After this Jonathan and Simon and those who were with them departed to Bethbashi, which is in the wilderness, and they repaired what had been destroyed there and fortified the city. “Bethbasi,” where Jonathan and his family retired, is completely unknown. 1Mac.9:63-65 When Bacchides learned of this, he gathered all his army, having informed those who were in Judea, and came and besieged Bethbasi, and fought against it for many days and built engines. Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city, and he went out into the country, and went out with a small number, “He came out with a small number...” - έν άριθμω, glory. more precisely: “from out in number,” that is, in such a quantity that could be easily counted—“with counting,” as they say to this day. 1Mac 9:66 And he smote Odoaarrin and his brethren and the sons of Phasiron in their tents, and began to smite and advance with might. About “Odoaarrin (Οδοαρρής; otherwise 'Οδομηρά, as slav.) and his brothers and the sons of Phasiron” we can only say that these were probably Bedouin families living in the vicinity of Bethwasi and not mentioned anywhere else. 1Mac 9:67 Then Simon and those with him went out of the city and burned the cars, The second half of the previous verse: “he began to strike and attack with force...” already refers to Jonathan’s actions against the besiegers of Bethbasi, and should be connected with the following, as a subordinate clause of the adverbial tense in relation to the main thing. The thought, therefore, here is this: “having strengthened himself with the victory of the Bedouin leaders and the addition of new associates from the faithful Jews, Jonathan was able to defeat and attack the besiegers with greater force.” It was then that Simon, coordinating his actions with his intentions, made a successful foray out of the city, destroying the enemy’s siege engines with fire. What follows (v. 68) is self-explanatory: “and they fought against Bacchides...” both brothers - Simon from inside the city with forays, Jonathan - by attacking from outside, and by these joint actions Bacchides “was defeated by them...” 1Mac 9:68-72 And they fought against Bacchides, and he was defeated by them; with this they greatly saddened him, because his plan and campaign remained in vain. He became very angry with the lawless men who advised him to go to this country, and he killed many of them, and decided to return to his land. Having learned about this, Jonathan sent elders to him to make peace with him and so that he would hand over the captives. He accepted this and did according to his words, and swore not to cause him any harm all the days of his life, and gave him the captives whom he had previously taken captive in the land of Judea, and returned to his land and came no more to their borders. Having returned all the captives, according to an agreement with Jonathan, Bacchides left for Syria so as never to disturb Judea again. However, even after this, the Syrian garrison remained in the Jerusalem fortress, and the Jewish hostages held there in custody were not returned (IX: 53; cf. X: 6). 1Mac 9:73 And the sword ceased in Israel, and Jonathan dwelt in Mahmash; and Jonathan began to judge the people and destroyed the wicked from among Israel. “And the sword ceased in Israel...”, χατεπαυσε έξ Ί σραηλ, - that is, it calmed down and remained far from Israel - ρομφαία - the sword of war, more precisely glorious: “and the sword ceased from Israel.” – This peace of the sword lasted until 160 AD. Sel., i.e. 152 BC. Χ ., i.e. (if we assume that the war that began after Art. 58 was decided in one year) - a full 4 years (cf. X: 1). – “Makhmas” – Μαχμας (Micmas) – the place of Jonathan’s settlement after the war – the currently devastated village of Mukhmas, 9 miles or 3 1/2 hours north of Jerusalem (1 Kings XIII:2). - “He began to judge the people...” This does not yet mean Jonathan’s completely independent rule over Judea, which is noticed only later, but only for now the unimpeded right of judgment in the field of civil affairs of the people, on the basis of Mosaic law and order. Syrian rule was still present, declaring itself with such irrefutable evidence as taxes to the Syrian king, Syrian garrisons in the outer fortresses of the country and in its very center - Jerusalem, hostages, etc. - Only in X: 6, 10, etc. these unpleasant aspects and signs of alien dominion are mentioned as weakening and being eliminated. The books of Maccabees are translated from Greek because they are not in the Hebrew text.