I. Title and Position. — This book is improperly called the '• third of Maccabees," since it does not at all record the exploits of the Maccabajan heroes, but narrates events of an earlier date. It, however, derives its name from the fact that this appellation, which originally be- longed to Judas, was afterwards used in the sense of martyrs, and was extended to the Alexandrian Jews who suffered for their faith's sake either immediately before or after the Maecaba?an period. In the Synopsis of the Pseudo-Athanasius, it is apparently also called Ptolema'ica, from the name of the royal hero (compare MaKKafiaiKii [itjSXia c IlToXipaihd, p. 432, ed. Migne, for which Credner, Grimm, etc., suggest that the true reading is ^JaKKajiatKii Ka'i YlroXtpaiKd, and that this book is to be understood by HroXtju. — Gnmm, Comment. p. 220). Properly speaking, this book ought to precede the two former productions, and occupy the first posi- tion, since it is prior in time to both the first and second Maccabees. But tradition has assigned to it a third position, because it came into circidation later than the others, and was regarded as being of third-rate impor- tance. Cotton, in his edition of the Five Books of Mac- cabees, has placed it as " 1 Maccabees."
II. Design and Contents. — The design of this book is to comfort the Alexandrian Jews in their sufferings for their faith in the God of Abraham, and to encourage them to steadfastness and perseverance by recounting to them the experience of the past, which most unques- tionabU' shows that the theocracy cannot perish ; that, though tyrants might vent their rage on the chosen peo- ple, the Lord will not suffer the cnem^' to triumph over them, but will appear for their deliverance, and avenge himself on their persecutors, as well as put to confusion those of the Israelites who have apostatized from their ancestral religion. To illustrate this, the writer nar- rates the following incident from the dealings of Provi- dence with his covenant people : Ptolemy IV (Philopa- tor), on returning from his victory over Antiochus the Great (B.C. 217), was waited upon by envoys from Jeru- salem to congratulate him on his success, which made him visit the Holy City and offer sacrifices in the Tem- ple; but he was seized with a desire to penetrate into the Hoh- of Holies (i, 1-11), and as the entreaties of the people failed to make the king relinquish his outrageous desire, the high-priest Simon prayed to the King of kings, who immediately chastised this insolent heathen by throwing him down paralyzed on the ground (ii, 1- 23). Enraged at this, the king wreaked his vengeance, on his arrival in Egypt, on the Alexandrian Jews, ordering that they should be deprived of their citizenship and be branded with an ivy leaf unless they agreed to be in- itiated into the orgies of Bacchus (ver. 24-30). See Dionysus. A few complied, but the bulk of the chosen people refused to apostatize from their ancestral relig- ion (ver. 31, 32). Not content with this order, which was thus generally evaded or despised, he commanded all the Jews in the country to be arrested and sent to Alexandria (ch. ill). This was done as well as might be, though the greater part escaped (iv, 18\ and the gathered multitudes were confined in the Hippodrome outside the city (comp. Josephus, ^n^ xvii, 0, 5). The resident Jews, who showed sympathy for their country-
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men, were imprisoned -with them, and the king ordered the names of all to be taken down preparatory to their execution. Here the first marvel happened : the scribes to whom the task was assigned toiled for forty daj's from morning till evening, till at last reeds and paper failed them, and the king's plan was defeated (ch. iv). However, regardless of this, the king ordered the keeper of his elephants to drug the animals, five hundred in number, with wine and incense, that they might tram- jile the prisoners to death on the morroAv. The Jews had no help but in prayer, and here a second marvel happened : the king was overpowered by a deep sleep, and when he awoke the next day it was already time for the banquet which he had ordered to be prepared, so that the execution was deferred. The Jews still prayed for help; but when the dawn came, the multitudes were assembled to witness their destruction, and the ele- phants stood ready for their bloody work. Then was there another marvel: the king was visited by deep forgetfidness, and chided the keeper of the elephants for the preparations which he had made, and the Jews were again saved. But at the evening banquet the king recalled his purpose, and with terrible threats pre- pared for its immediate accomplishment at daybreak (^ch. v). Then Eleazar, an aged priest, earnestly pray- ed for his people (vi, 1-15), and, jnst as he finished pray- ing, the royal train and the elephants arrived at the Hippodrome, when suddenly two angels appeared in terrible form, visible to all but the Jews, making the af- frighted elephants go backwards and crush the soldiers (ver. 16-21). This changed the king's anger into pity, and, with tears in his eyes, he at once "set free the sons of the Almighty, heavenly, living God," and made a great feast for them (ver. 22-30). To commemorate this marvellous interposition of their heavenly Father, the Jews instituted an annual festival, to be celebrated '• through all the dwellings of their pilgrimage for after generations" (ver. 31-41). The faithful Jews had not only their mourning turned into joy, and the royal pro- tection for the future, but were permitted by the king to inflict condign punishment on those of their brethren who had forsaken the religion of their fathers in order to escape the temporary sufferings ; '• thus the most high (iod worked wonders throughout for their deliverance" (vii, 1-23).