Today in the Bible

Tishrei 19, 5784; from sunset October 3, 2023, to sunset October 4, 2023

After the Hanukkah revolution (when Judah Maccabee and his brothers removed the pagan images put into place by Antiochus IV [Epiphanes] from the Holy Temple and restored the daily burnt offerings), Judah Maccabee continued to lead the Jews through their ensuing struggles until he was killed in battle.  His brother Jonathan, then, assumed leadership.

In the story below, Demetrius, the nephew of Antiochus Epiphanes, and Alexander Balas (Epiphanes), who claimed to be the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, were in a struggle to assume the throne.  In a surprising turn of events, both sides pursued the favor of Jonathan and courted his support.  As a result, Alexander permitted Jonathan the right to become high priest, a role which he assumed during the Feast of Tabernacles.

In the one hundred and sixtieth year Alexander Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus, landed and occupied Ptolemais.  They welcomed him, and there he began to reign.  When Demetrius the king heard of it, he assembled a very large army and marched out to meet him in battle.  And Demetrius sent Jonathan a letter in peaceable words to honor him; for he said, “Let us act first to make peace with him before he makes peace with Alexander against us, for he will remember all the wrongs which we did to him and to his brothers and his nation.”

So Demetrius gave him authority to recruit troops, to equip them with arms, and to become his ally; and he commanded that the hostages in the citadel should be released to him.  Then Jonathan came to Jerusalem and read the letter in the hearing of all the people and of the men in the citadel.  They were greatly alarmed when they heard that the king had given him authority to recruit troops.  But the men in the citadel released the hostages to Jonathan, and he returned them to their parents.

And Jonathan dwelt in Jerusalem and began to rebuild and restore the city.  He directed those who were doing the work to build the walls and encircle Mount Zion with squared stones, for better fortification; and they did so.

Then the foreigners who were in the strongholds that Bacchides had built fled; each left his place and departed to his own land.  Only in Bethzur did some remain who had forsaken the law and the commandments, for it served as a place of refuge.

Now Alexander the king heard of all the promises which Demetrius had sent to Jonathan, and men told him of the battles that Jonathan and his brothers had fought, of the brave deeds that they had done, and of the troubles that they had endured.  So he said, “Shall we find another such man?  Come now, we will make him our friend and ally.”

And he wrote a letter and sent it to him, in the following words:  “King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greeting.  We have heard about you, that you are a mighty warrior and worthy to be our friend.  And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king’s friend” (and he sent him a purple robe and a golden crown) “and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us.”

So Jonathan put on the holy garments in the seventh month of the one hundred and sixtieth year, at the feast of tabernacles, and he recruited troops and equipped them with arms in abundance.  When Demetrius heard of these things he was grieved and said, “What is this that we have done?  Alexander has gotten ahead of us in forming a friendship with the Jews to strengthen himself.  I also will write them words of encouragement and promise them honor and gifts, that I may have their help.”

So he sent a message to them in the following words: “King Demetrius to the nation of the Jews, greeting.  Since you have kept your agreement with us and have continued your friendship with us, and have not sided with our enemies, we have heard of it and rejoiced.  And now continue still to keep faith with us, and we will repay you with good for what you do for us.  We will grant you many immunities and give you gifts.

“And now I free you and exempt all the Jews from payment of tribute and salt tax and crown levies, and instead of collecting the third of the grain and the half of the fruit of the trees that I should receive, I release them from this day and henceforth.  I will not collect them from the land of Judah or from the three districts added to it from Samaria and Galilee, from this day and for all time.  And let Jerusalem and her environs, her tithes and her revenues, be holy and free from tax.

“I release also my control of the citadel in Jerusalem and give it to the high priest, that he may station in it men of his own choice to guard it.  And every one of the Jews taken as a captive from the land of Judah into any part of my kingdom, I set free without payment; and let all officials cancel also the taxes on their cattle.

“And all the feasts and sabbaths and new moons and appointed days, and the three days before a feast and the three after a feast — let them all be days of immunity and release for all the Jews who are in my kingdom.  No one shall have authority to exact anything from them or annoy any of them about any matter.

“Let Jews be enrolled in the king’s forces to the number of thirty thousand men, and let the maintenance be given them that is due to all the forces of the king.  Let some of them be stationed in the great strongholds of the king, and let some of them be put in positions of trust in the kingdom.  Let their officers and leaders be of their own number, and let them live by their own laws, just as the king has commanded in the land of Judah.

“As for the three districts that have been added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be so annexed to Judea that they are considered to be under one ruler and obey no other authority but the high priest.  Ptolemais and the land adjoining it I have given as a gift to the sanctuary in Jerusalem, to meet the necessary expenses of the sanctuary.  I also grant fifteen thousand shekels of silver yearly out of the king’s revenues from appropriate places.  And all the additional funds which the government officials have not paid as they did in the first years, they shall give from now on for the service of the temple.  Moreover, the five thousand shekels of silver which my officials have received every year from the income of the services of the temple, this too is canceled, because it belongs to the priests who minister there.  And whoever takes refuge at the temple in Jerusalem, or in any of its precincts, because he owes money to the king or has any debt, let him be released and receive back all his property in my kingdom.

“Let the cost of rebuilding and restoring the structures of the sanctuary be paid from the revenues of the king.  And let the cost of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and fortifying it round about, and the cost of rebuilding the walls in Judea, also be paid from the revenues of the king.”

When Jonathan and the people heard these words, they did not believe or accept them, because they remembered the great wrongs which Demetrius had done in Israel and how he had greatly oppressed them.  They favored Alexander, because he had been the first to speak peaceable words to them, and they remained his allies all his days. – 1 Maccabees 10:1-47 (RSV)