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[129]
Now it happened that in the reign of Antiochus the Great, who ruled
over all Asia, that the Jews, as well as the inhabitants of Celesyria,
suffered greatly, and their land was sorely harassed; for while he was
at war with Ptolemy Philopater, and with his son, who was called Epiphanes,
it fell out that these nations were equally sufferers, both when he was
beaten, and when he beat the others: so that they were very like to a ship
in a storm, which is tossed by the waves on both sides; and just thus were
they in their situation in the middle between Antiochus's prosperity and
its change to adversity. But at length, when Antiochus had beaten Ptolemy,
he seized upon Judea; and when Philopater was dead, his son sent out a
great army under Scopas, the general of his forces, against the inhabitants
of Celesyria, who took many of their cities, and in particular our nation;
which when he fell upon them, went over to him. Yet was it not long afterward
when Antiochus overcame Scopas, in a battle fought at the fountains of
Jordan, and destroyed a great part of his army. But afterward, when Antiochus
subdued those cities of Celesyria which Scopas had gotten into his possession,
and Samaria with them, the Jews, of their own accord, went over to him,
and received him into the city [Jerusalem], and gave plentiful provision
to all his army, and to his elephants, and readily assisted him when he
besieged the garrison which was in the citadel of Jerusalem. Wherefore
Antiochus thought it but just to requite the Jews' diligence and zeal in
his service. So he wrote to the generals of his armies, and to his friends,
and gave testimony to the good behavior of the Jews towards him, and informed
them what rewards he had resolved to bestow on them for that their behavior.
I will set down presently the epistles themselves which he wrote to the
generals concerning them, but will first produce the testimony of Polybius
of Megalopolis; for thus does he speak, in the sixteenth book of his history:
"Now Scopas, the general of Ptolemy's army, went in haste to the superior
parts of the country, and in the winter time overthrew the nation of the
Jews?" He also saith, in the same book, that "when Seopas was conquered
by Antiochus, Antiochus received Batanea, and Samaria, and Abila, and Gadara;
and that, a while afterwards, there came in to him those Jews that inhabited
near that temple which was called Jerusalem; concerning which, although
I have more to say, and particularly concerning the presence of God about
that temple, yet do I put off that history till another opportunity."
This it is which Polybius relates. But we will return to the series of
the history, when we have first produced the epistles of king Antiochus.
“KING ANTIOCHUS TO PTOLEMY, SENDETH GREETING.
"Since the Jews, upon our first entrance on their country, demonstrated
their friendship towards us, and when we came to their city [Jerusalem],
received us in a splendid manner, and came to meet us with their senate,
and gave abundance of provisions to our soldiers, and to the elephants,
and joined with us in ejecting the garrison of the Egyptians that were
in the citadel, we have thought fit to reward them, and to retrieve the
condition of their city, which hath been greatly depopulated by such accidents
as have befallen its inhabitants, and to bring those that have been scattered
abroad back to the city. And, in the first place, we have determined, on
account of their piety towards God, to bestow on them, as a pension, for
their sacrifices of animals that are fit for sacrifice, for wine, and oil,
and frankincense, the value of twenty thousand pieces of silver, and [six]
sacred artabrae of fine flour, with one thousand four hundred and sixty
medimni of wheat, and three hundred and seventy-five medimni of salt. And
these payments I would have fully paid them, as I have sent orders to you.
I would also have the work about the temple finished, and the cloisters,
and if there be any thing else that ought to be rebuilt. And for the materials
of wood, let it be brought them out of Judea itself and out of the other
countries, and out of Libanus tax free; and the same I would have observed
as to those other materials which will be necessary, in order to render
the temple more glorious; and let all of that nation live according to
the laws of their own country; and let the senate, and the priests, and
the scribes of the temple, and the sacred singers, be discharged from poll-money
and the crown tax and other taxes also. And that the city may the sooner
recover its inhabitants, I grant a discharge from taxes for three years
to its present inhabitants, and to such as shall come to it, until the
month Hyperheretus. We also discharge them for the future from a third
part of their taxes, that the losses they have sustained may be repaired.
And all those citizens that have been carried away, and are become slaves,
we grant them and their children their freedom, and give order that their
substance be restored to them."”
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