SECTION II.

ANTIOCHUS EUPATER SUCCEEDS то THE KINGDOM OF SYRIA JUDAS MACCABEUS'S CELEBRATED VICTORIES,

'We have long lost sight of the history of the kings of Syria, and that of the kings of Egypt, which have generally no small connection with each other. I am now going to resume the thread of them, which will not be interrupted any more.

› Antiochus, sirnamed Eupater, aged only nineteen, succeeded his father Antiochus Epihanes, in the kingdom of Syria. The latter, at his death, sent for Philip his favourite, who had been brought up with him. He gave him the regency of the kingdom during his son's minority, and put his crown, signet, and all the other marks of the royal dignity, into his hands; recommending to him, above all things, to employ his whole care in educating his son in such a manner as was most proper to instruct him in the art of reigning.

Philip, on his arrival at Antioch, found that another had usurped the employment which the late king had confided to him. Lysias, upon the first advice of the death of Epiphanes, had placed his son Antiochus upon the throne, whose governor he was, and had taken upon himself, with the guardianship, the reins of the government, without any regard to the king's regulation at his death. Philip knew well that he was not at that time in a condition to dispute it with him, and

It is treated last towards the end of Book xviii. Article ii. Sect. ii. and iii.

b A. M. 3840. Ant. J. C. 164. 17. 2 Maccab. ix. 29. et x. 10-13.

Appian. in Syr. p. 117. Maccab. iv.

Joseph. Antiq. 1. xii. c. 14.

retired into Egypt, in hopes of finding at that court the assistance he wanted, for the repossession of his right, and the expulsion of the usurper.

Much about the same time, Ptolemy Macron, governor of Celosyria and Palestine, from the enemy he had been till then to the Jews, became on a sudden their friend; moved, as the scripture says, with the crying injustice which had been committed in regard to them. He put a stop to the rigor of the persecution against them, and employed his whole eredit to obtain a peace for them. By this conduct he gave his enemies occasion to hurt him. They prejudiced the king against him, by representing him perpetually as a traitor; because he had in reality betrayed the interests of his first master, Ptolemy Philometer, king of Egypt, who had intrusted him with the government of the island of Cyprus, and had given up that island to Antiochus Epiphanes, upon entering into his service; for, how advantageous soever the treason might be, the traitor, as is usual, was hated. At length, they did so much by their clamours and cabals that he was deprived of his government, which was given to Lysias; no other post or pension being conferred on him to support his dignity. He had not force of mind enough to bear his downfal, and poisoned himself; an end he had well deserved for his treason, and share in the cruel persecution of the Jews.

с

* Judas Maccabeus at this time signalized his valor by several considerable victories over the enemies of the people of God, who continually made an impla

VOL. 7..

1 Maccab. v. 1-68. 2 Maccab. x. 14-38.

50

cable war against him. The little time that Antiochus Epiphanes survived the favourable inclinations he had expressed for the Jews, would not admit him to revoke in form his decree for obliging them to change their religion. The court of Syria, which always considered the Jews as rebels, desirous of throwing off its yoke, and had great interest in making so powerful a neighbouring people submit to it, had no regard to some transient demonstrations of the dying prince's favour to them. They always persisted in the same principles of policy, and continued to look upon that nation as an enemy, whose sole view was to shake off their chains, and to support themselves in liberty of conscience with regard to religion. Such were the dispositions of Syria in regard to the Jews.

a Demetrius, son of Seleucus Philopater, who, from the year his father died, had remained an hostage at Rome, was in his twenty third year, when he was informed of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the accession of his son Eupater to the crown, which he pretended to be his right as the son of Epiphanes' eldest brother. He proposed to the senate his reestablishment upon his father's throne; and to engage them in it, he represented, that having been bred up at Rome, he should always regard it as his native country, the senators as his fathers, and their sons as his brothers. The senate had more regard for the interest of the republic than the rights of Demetrius, and thought it more advantageous for the Romans that there should be a king in his minority upon the throne of Syria, than a prince like Demetrius, who might at length become

d A. M. 3841. Ant. J. C. 163. Polyb. Leg. cvii. Justin. 1. xxxiv. c. S. Appian in Syr. p. 117.

formidable to them. They therefore made a decree to confirm Eupater, and sent Cn. Octavius, Sp. Lucretius, and L. Aurelius, with the character of ambassadors, into Syria, to regulate all things conformably to the treaty made with Antiochus the Great. The same ambassadors had instructions to accommodate, if possible, the differences between the two kings of Egypt.

e

Lysias terrified by the victories of Judas Maccabeus, formed an army of eighty thousand foot, and took with him all the cavalry of the kingdom, with eighty elephants; at the head of all these forces he marched into Judea, with the resolution to settle strange inhabitants, that worshipped idols, in Jerusalem. He opened the campaign with the siege of Bethsura, a fortress between Idumea and Jerusalem. Judas Maccabeus, and the whole people, beseeched the Lord, with tears in their eyes, to send his angel for the preservation of Israel. Full of confidence in God, they took the field. When they marched all together, with assured courage, out of Jerusalem, there appeared a horseman marching before them. His habit was white, with arms of gold, and he held a lance in his hand. That sight filled them with new ardour. They threw themselves upon the enemy like lions, killed twelve thousand six hundred men, and obliged the rest to fly, most of them wounded and without arms.

* After this check, Lysias, weary of so unsuccessful a war, and, as the scripture says, "Believing the Jews

⚫ 2 Maccab. ix. 1-38. x. 1-7. xiii. 1-24. 1 Maccab. v. 65—68. iv. 19-63. Joseph. Antiq. c. xii.

God

It was an angel, perhaps St. Michael, protector of the people of

8 2 Maccab. xi, 15.

invincible, when supported by the aid of the Almighty God," made a treaty with Judas and the Jewish nation, which Antiochus ratified. One of the articles of this peace was, that the decree of Antiochus Epiphanes, which obliged the Jews to conform to the religion of the Greeks, should be revoked and cancelled, and that they should be at liberty to live in all places according to their own laws.

This peace was of no long duration. The neighbouring people were too much the enemies of the Jews to leave them long in repose. Timotheus, one of the king's generals, assembled all his forces, and raised an army of one hundred and twenty thousand foot, without including the horse, which amounted to twenty five thousand. Judas, full of confi dence in the God of armies, marched against him with troops very much inferior as to number. He attacked and defeated him. Timotheus lost thirty thousand men in this battle, and saved himself with great difficulty. This defeat was followed by many advantages on the side of Judas, which proved that God alone is the source of valor, intrepidity, and success in war. He showed this in the most sensible manner, by the evident and singular protection which he gave to a people, of whom he was in a peculiar manner the guide and director.

A new army was raised of one hundred thousand foot, with twenty thousand horse, thirty two elephants, and three hundred chariots of war. The king in person, and Lysias the regent of the kingdom, put themselves at the head of it, and entered Judea. Judas, relying upon the omnipotence of God, the Creator