Righteous Revolt: 1 Maccabees 11–12
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Layers of Meaning
Think of the song “Big Yellow Taxi.” You know the lyric: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” If you’re around our age, chances are high you think it’s a Counting Crows song. But if you’re of an earlier generation, you’ll know that Joni Mitchell sang it first. Believe it or not, that says a lot about the way history works—interpretation too. And the best way to get into this subject, as it happens, is an actual parking lot in paradise.
In 2007 an archeologist with the Israeli Antiquities Authority named Doron Ben-Ami began excavating a parking lot in Jerusalem in the area known as the City of David.
Historical sites like this are built up of layers. People in succeeding centuries make new uses of old land. They don’t wipe away the memory of the people that came before; they just build on top of them. You find out about those prior people and their goings on by digging down through the layers.
Ben-Ami did exactly that. Here’s how National Geographic described it:
His team dug through successive layers, from an early Islamic market, through a Byzantine orchard and a hoard of 264 coins from the seventh century, under an elaborate Roman villa, and then beyond a first-century place for ritual Jewish bathing. Under buildings that pottery and coins demonstrated to be from the early centuries B.C., the archaeologists found layers of what looked like random rubble.
But it wasn’t random rubble. Notice that the diggers have taken us all the way down to the early centuries before Christ; that’s the time of the Maccabees. Now go back to 1 Maccabees 1.33: “Then they fortified the city of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel.” Ben-Ami found the Akra, the citadel! This structure and its pesky inhabitants became, as the narrator says, “an evil adversary of Israel at all times.” That is, until the Jews finally destroyed it.
So the site has meant very different things to different people. Historically speaking it’s the earliest part of Jerusalem ever settled. During the Seleucid period it was an enemy fort. For later Jews it was a place for ritual bathing. For the Romans it was a villa. For the Byzantines, an orchard. For later Muslims, a market. Finally, a parking lot.
New layer, the Crows.
Dig below and you find Joni’s layer.
Which of these is the true meaning of the site? We might as well ask: Who really owns “Big Yellow Taxi”? The answer depends on who you ask and what their reference point is, which raises another question: Do we really have to choose? No, of course. Each successive use of the site had inherent value and meaning for the people of its time.
With that in mind, let’s make a leap and apply this to interpretation. Looking at books like 1 Maccabees, or any other book of scripture, we can sometimes discern many possible meanings in the texts. In our recent interview with Theron Mathis, for instance, he talked about the application of 1 Maccabees in Christian life and devotion.
1 Maccabees is an account of persecution, heroism, and realpolitik. Finding a moral or spiritual application requires a different interpretive lens than the merely historical.
Traditional interpretive practices permit such moral or spiritual readings and always have. “Big Yellow Taxi” is a Joni Mitchell song. It’s also a Counting Crows song. Texts have layers of meaning, one stacked atop the another. Going back to the archeological comparison, finding a spiritual application for 1 Maccabees is like reusing the site of the Akra as a villa, garden, or market. All three subsequent uses are valid.
Ptolemy Changes the Game
Along with historical and interpretive layers, 1 Maccabees also has layers on top of layers when it comes to politics—and those layers are shifting. Alexander the Great’s heirs can’t play nice; every time you turn around they’re fighting for control. In 1 Maccabees 10, Jonathan wins the favor of Alexander Epiphanes, securing the governorship of Judea and the office of high priest. But things are going on overhead that will unsettle things.
Ptolemy VI of Egypt is up to something. The narrator says he’s trying to annex “Alexander’s kingdom by trickery,” which could really make holiday dinners a little awkward given that Alexander is his son-in-law.
He starts toward Antioch, Syria, visiting towns along the way—traveling up the Mediterranean coast. Alexander is aware but totally unsuspecting. He tells his people to welcome Ptolemy. But Ptolemy leaves soldiers in every town he visits, establishing a permanent presence.
When Ptolemy comes to Azotus, the place is a mess. Bodies are still laying around from when Jonathan razed it. People close to Ptolemy try turning Ptolemy against Jonathan. But the king seems to recognize it’s better to have Jonathan on his side than not. He doesn’t respond to the critics. Which was good, because who should show up but Jonathan himself.
As Ptolemy continues his progress along the coast. Jonthan meets Ptolemy at the town of Joppa. They travel together for a ways, north of Lebanon. All the while Ptolemy is sneakily gaining control of the coastal region. Hence his befriending of Jonathan—he’s trying to hold onto a powerful ally as he begins turning the region against Alexander.
And there’s another ally Ptolemy has in mind: Demetrius II. He sends messengers to him, renouncing allegiance with Alexander, claiming Alexander wants him dead, and even revoking his marriage to his daughter, Cleopatra.
While this gamesmanship is underway, Alexander is up in Turkey squashing a rebellion. When he hears what his father in law is up to, he heads south with an army. But Ptolemy beats him on the field and Alexander flees. Unfortunately, he’s captured and his head, liberated from his neck, is sent to Ptolemy. But Ptolemy is just as unlucky. He dies three days later. And all those troops he left in cities along the way are killed by the townspeople. The last man standing is Demetrius—though not for long.
Trypho’s Ploy
The scene then shifts from these Seleucid shenanigans back to Judea. Jonathan’s in Jerusalem, but the citadel still stands. While Jonathan lays siege to the citadel, renegade Jews rat him out to King Demetrius; these are Jews opposed to the Maccabean party—what will eventually be known as the Hasmonean cause.
But Demetrius isn’t flustered. Like Alexander and Ptolemy, Demetrius seems to have learned the lesson: Don’t pick a fight with the Maccabee brothers. Instead he backs Jonthan, confirming his high priesthood, governorship, and the rest. He doesn’t hand over the citadel. But he calls Jonthan a “friend of the king,” a term for a place of honor. What’s more, Demetrius gives him new territories and permanent tax immunity.
Alas, there’s a fly in the ointment.
Demetrius feels secure in his power and discharges most of his troops. He keeps the foreign soldiers he brought in from Crete but gives pink slips to the local army. That doesn’t go over well. “All the troops who had served under his predecessors hated him,” the narrator says. They served through all this turmoil, and now they’re getting cut loose.
One of Alexander’s old supporters, Trypho, takes advantage of the rift. He locates Alexander’s son, who’s name is—wait for it—Antiochus. Antiochus VI was just six years old, but Trypho’s got plans of toppling Demetrius and placing this young heir on the throne.
Meanwhile, Jonathan’s still chipping away at the citadel. The troops inside must have missed the memo that Jonathan was pals with the Seleucids now. “They kept fighting against Israel,” the narrator says. So Jonathan petitions the king in a letter to remove the troops.
Demetrius fires back a response: “No prob,” in so many words. But it was a quid pro quo. The locals in his army are now in open revolt and he wants help. Demetrius asks for soldiers from Jonathan’s army to come to Antioch. Jonthan sends three thousand men. And just in the nick of time, too.
By the time the soldiers arrive, Demetrius is surrounded by unhappy citizens in his own palace. The Jewish troops fan out through the city and start killing the dissidents—by the thousands. In fact the numbers are so big, it almost doesn’t pass the sniff test. Jonathan’s men were probably not the only troops Demetrius relied on to reverse the rebellion. Regardless, the Jewish soldiers help save the day, force the enemy to sue for peace, and recoup a ton of spoils.
But while they head back to Jerusalem, Demetrius has an inexplicable change of heart. It’s baffling. “He broke his word about all that he had promised,” says the narrator; “he became estranged from Jonathan and did not repay the favours that Jonathan had done him, but treated him very harshly.” As a result of this betrayal Jonathan swaps allegiance to Antiochus VI and Trypho.
The pieces on the game board change quickly at this point. Trypho elevates Antiochus the boy king, naturally ruling on his behalf. The disgruntled army turns on Demetrius, who flees. He survives, but he’s on the run and out of power. He retains some troops, and they’ll play a role later.
Meanwhile, says the narrator, “Trypho captured the elephants and gained control of Antioch.” Next, through Antiochus VI, Trypho reaffirms his loyalty to Jonathan and appoints another Maccabee brother, Simon, governor of the coastal strip from Egypt to the top of Palestine. According to the Navarre Bible,
This means that the Maccabees take over military control of the region from the Gentiles. Although Simon is the military governor (an appointment that may indicate that Trypho was trying to prevent power being concentrated in Jonathan’s hands), Jonathan is the one who takes the initiative and leads the bulk of the army into the areas furthest from Jerusalem, while Simon stays back at Beth-zur.
Sure enough, Jonthan goes on the move. Some cities surrender and pledge allegiance immediately. Others put up a fight.
One battle was particularly rough. Soldiers with Demetrius ambush him. Excluding a few stalwarts, “all the men with Jonathan fled,” says the narrator. “Jonathan tore his clothes, put dust on his head, and prayed.” Interestingly, this is the only time in the entire book it says Jonathan prayed. “Then he turned back to the battle against the enemy and routed them, and they fled.”
New Allies
If anything is emerging from these back-and-forth, up-and-down dramas with the Seleucids and all their infighting families and friends, it’s this: These guys are a hot mess express. Jonthan needs allies of a different caliber.
A couple episodes ago, we discussed the treaty with the Romans.
Back in Jerusalem, Jonathan thinks it’s time to remind the Romans that the Jews still mean business. The Romans respond in kind. The two kingdoms renew their friendship.
But Jonthan doesn’t stop with the Latins. If his Greek allies can’t get it together, maybe he can get some different Greeks on his side. Jonathan sends the following letter to Sparta. Pardon the length, and feel free to skim:
The high priest Jonathan, the senate of the nation, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people to their brothers the Spartans, greetings. Already in time past a letter was sent to the high priest Onias from Arius, who was king among you, stating that you are our brothers, as the appended copy shows. Onias welcomed the envoy with honor, and received the letter, which contained a clear declaration of alliance and friendship. Therefore, though we have no need of these things, since we have as encouragement the holy books that are in our hands, we have undertaken to send to renew our family ties and friendship with you, so that we may not become estranged from you, for considerable time has passed since you sent your letter to us. We therefore remember you constantly on every occasion, both at our festivals and on other appropriate days, at the sacrifices that we offer and in our prayers, as it is right and proper to remember brothers. And we rejoice in your glory. But as for ourselves, many trials and many wars have encircled us; the kings around us have waged war against us. We were unwilling to annoy you and our other allies and friends with these wars, for we have the help that comes from Heaven for our aid, and so we were delivered from our enemies, and our enemies were humbled. We therefore have chosen Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason, and have sent them to Rome to renew our former friendship and alliance with them. We have commanded them to go also to you and greet you and deliver to you this letter from us concerning the renewal of our family ties. And now please send us a reply to this.
Some quick thoughts on this letter. First, the reference to holy books. Remember the “Bible study” back in chapter 3 for determining God’s will and seeking is his blessing and protection.
Among some Christians, there’s an assumption these are silent years, that God is not communicating during this period. But the Maccabees clearly see things differently. They consult the Torah and Prophets the same as New Testament believers and Christians of every century since. Evidently, they believed God actively communicates through the sacred scriptures.
Next, consider the attached letter to the former high priest Onias. Some speculate this is fictional on the part of Jonathan or the narrator. But it seems believable. These were times of intense diplomatic activity; people traded messages and stored them for later use. We mentioned this in a prior episode but one of Judas’s points of fame from 2 Maccabees was his restoration of the temple library, originally established by Nehemiah. Letters like this would have been a part of that library.
It’s plausible to imagine that the letter itself perished during the ransacking of the Temple by Antiochus IV and its content or import was later reconstructed based on memory. It’s also possible the original letter, if it existed, survived the destruction. Regardless, Sparta is on board. They sign up as another ally of Judea.
For the sake of brevity, we’ll summarize some of what follows.
Trypho’s Betrayal
Jonthan and Simon keep up their battles with the remnants of Demetrius’ army. They never quite eradicate them, but they are able to push them out of the country. Following that, they shore up their defenses in critical cities like Joppa and, of course, Jerusalem. Unable to root out the citadel, they decide to wall it in so the troops can’t resupply. (It’s hard to oppress when you can’t get groceries.)
But that’s when the snake Trypho finally shows his hand. His plan all along, according to the narrator, was to seize the Seleucid empire for himself. The boy king Antiochus VI was just a ruse. He would have killed the young king except he feared Jonathan would avenge him.
There was no overt reason to suspect this, but neither could he risk it. He’d already seen what a few thousand Jewish troops could do in Antioch. Instead, Trypho plots to capture Jonathan first.
At one point, Trypho brings a small army with him to Beth-shan. The two are allies, but since this visit is unannounced Jonthan responds with a large army of his own. Trypho plays dumb and reminds Jonathan of their friendship. To allay his fears, he gives him gifts and tells his own troops to obey Jonathan like the would himself.
He tells Jonathan that he’s come to officially hand him over control of the city of Ptolemais. This is plausible since Antiochus VI and Trypho have already supported Jonathan’s expansion and control in the region. He tells him to keep a guard but send most of his men home, then they’ll finish the journey to Ptolemais and make the handoff.
Says the narrator:
Jonathan trusted him and did as he said; he sent away the troops, and they returned to the land of Judah. He kept with himself three thousand men, two thousand of whom he left in Galilee, while one thousand accompanied him. But when Jonathan entered Ptolemais, the people of Ptolemais closed the gates and seized him, and they killed with the sword all who had entered with him.
Betrayal. Ambush. Sabotage. And now Jonathan is prisoner.
The rest of his men make it back to Jerusalem. But the power dynamic has flipped yet again. The narrator says the surrounding nations were eager to take advantage of new situation: “They have no leader or helper. Now therefore let us make war on them and blot out the memory of them from humankind.”
What will the Jews do without their leader? Come back next week when the final Maccabee brother, Simon, takes command.