Synopsis of the Chapter
The prosperous state of Jerusalem under the Pontiff Onias is recounted, which the ambition and treachery of the prefect Simon disturbed: for he himself betrayed the treasures of the temple to King Seleucus, who sent Heliodorus to plunder them; but he, severely scourged by Angels and restored by the prayers of Onias, began to celebrate everywhere the power of God and the sanctity of the temple.
Verse 1: The Holy City in Complete Peace ¶
1. WHEN THEREFORE THE HOLY CITY (Jerusalem, in which the holy worship of God flourished in the holy temple through holy Pontiffs, priests, and the faithful daily exercised) WAS INHABITED IN COMPLETE PEACE, etc., ON ACCOUNT OF THE PIETY OF ONIAS THE PONTIFF. — This Onias was the third of that name, surnamed the Holy, who held the Pontificate immediately before Mattathias the father of Judas Maccabeus; whose son, also called Onias, erected a temple at Heliopolis in Egypt with the permission of King Ptolemy Philometor, and appointed himself its Pontiff. Moreover this holy Onias was deprived of the Pontificate by his brother Jesus, or Jason the Apostate: for Jason bought it with money from Antiochus Epiphanes, and therefore was a pseudo-pontiff, as will be clear from chapter IV, verse 7; but by the just judgment of God, in exactly the same manner Jason was thrust out of the Pontificate by Menelaus, and Menelaus by Lysimachus; and he by Alcimus, after Mattathias the father of Judas Maccabeus, elected by the people, legitimately entered upon the Pontificate and Principate.
Verse 3: Seleucus Provided for the Sacrifices ¶
3. SO THAT SELEUCUS, KING OF ASIA, FROM HIS OWN REVENUES PROVIDED ALL THE EXPENSES PERTAINING TO THE MINISTRY OF THE SACRIFICES. — This Seleucus, surnamed Philopator, was the elder brother of Antiochus Epiphanes; for both were sons of Antiochus the Great who, defeated by Scipio Asiaticus, made peace with the Romans. Seleucus therefore at the beginning of his reign provided expenses for the temple, but afterwards hearing that there were immense treasures in it, overcome by avarice, he sent Heliodorus to plunder them; whence by the just judgment of God, killed by the same Heliodorus, he left the kingdom to his younger brother Antiochus Epiphanes. So Appian, Justin, Josephus, and others. In a similar manner, Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of the Persians, were well disposed and generous toward the temple of the Jews, as is clear from Ezra chapters I and VI, and Nehemiah II. Antiochus the Great did the same, according to Josephus, Book XII, chapter III.
Verse 4: Simon the Prefect Sought Wickedness ¶
4. BUT SIMON, OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN, APPOINTED PREFECT OF THE TEMPLE, CONTENDED, WITH THE PRINCE OF THE PRIESTS OPPOSING HIM (that is, Onias the holy Pontiff, as follows), TO BRING ABOUT SOMETHING WICKED IN THE CITY. — This Simon was not of the tribe of Levi, and therefore was not a priest; but only priests presided over sacred matters in the temple. Simon therefore, of the tribe of Benjamin, was appointed prefect of the temple in political matters, for example, to preside over the temple's estates, fields, revenues, or the soldiers deputed to guard the temple, I Maccabees chapter IV, last verse.
SOMETHING WICKED. — It seems that this Simon sought the Principate or the Pontificate of Jerusalem, just as his brother Menelaus later sought it — of whom I shall speak below.
Verse 5: He Went to Apollonius ¶
5. HE WENT TO APOLLONIUS, etc., WHO AT THAT TIME WAS GOVERNOR OF COELESYRIA AND PHOENICIA: — Governor, that is, the president and prefect appointed by Seleucus, king of Asia and Syria. Jason therefore, through Apollonius, reported and betrayed to King Seleucus the treasures of the temple, who promptly sent Heliodorus to take them away. This is the Apollonius who later, fighting against Jonathan, was defeated by him, I Maccabees X, verse 69 and following.
Verse 10: Deposits of Widows and Orphans ¶
10. Then the high priest (the holy Onias) showed that THESE WERE DEPOSITS. — For it was customary not only among the Jews and Christians, but also among the Pagans for precious things, and specifically the dowries of widows and orphans, to be deposited and kept in the temple, as in an inviolable asylum and therefore a certain and secure place, according to Josephus, XIV Antiquities VIII; Suetonius in the Life of Julius Caesar, where he speaks of his will; Cicero, Book II On the Laws, near the middle, whom hear: 'Let there be a penalty for the sacrilegious person, and not only for him who has taken away a sacred thing, but also for him who has taken away what was entrusted to a sacred place. This even now happens in many temples. Alexander is said to have deposited money in a temple of the sun in Cilicia, and the Athenian Clisthenes, an excellent citizen, when he feared for his possessions, entrusted his daughters' dowries to the Samian Juno.' The same is enacted in Canon law, chapter Gravis, under the title on deposits. Thus Saint Ambrose, Book II of Offices, chapter XXIX, writes that he advised the church of Pavia to preserve a widow's deposit against the Emperor's rescript, and threatens it with the flagellation of Heliodorus and divine vengeance.
Hence Pompey, having captured Jerusalem, found two thousand talents deposited in the temple; yet he took nothing, according to Josephus in the place cited. Marcus Crassus acted differently, who, as Josephus says in chapter XII, removed a golden beam from the temple.
Verse 11: Hyrcanus Son of Tobias ¶
11. AND THAT SOME BELONGED TO HYRCANUS SON OF TOBIAS, A MAN OF VERY GREAT EMINENCE — in dignity and authority; Saint Ambrose adds, and in holiness. For this Tobias had married the sister of Simon the Second (who was the father of Onias the Holy), the Pontiff, as Josephus says in Book XII, chapter IV; and he adds that the sons of this Tobias transferred themselves to Antiochus Epiphanes, who succeeded his brother Seleucus.
AND THAT THE WHOLE AMOUNTED TO FOUR HUNDRED TALENTS OF SILVER — which if they were Attic talents, amount to two hundred thousand gold pieces; but if Hebrew, 400,000 gold pieces. AND TWO HUNDRED OF GOLD — which if they were Attic, amount to one million and in addition two hundred thousand gold pieces; but if Hebrew, two millions and 400,000 gold pieces.
Verse 12: Impossible to Defraud the Depositors ¶
12. AND THAT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE THAT THOSE WHO HAD TRUSTED IN THE PLACE AND THE TEMPLE, WHICH IS HONORED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD, SHOULD BE DEFRAUDED (Greek: adekeisthai, that is, to suffer injustice, to be cheated, to be despoiled) FOR ITS VENERATION AND SANCTITY — that is to say: It is wholly unlawful, unworthy, and sacrilegious, and therefore morally impossible that we should deliver and betray to the king those things which widows, orphans, and others deposited in the temple, trusting that they would be safe and secure there because of the veneration and sanctity of the sacred place. For thus they would be deceived and cheated of their money against all right and against all laws divine and human: for by this robbery a grave injury would be done to the temple, and an injustice to the depositors, and a dishonor to me the pontiff and the priests, in that we did not keep faith given to the depositors, but violated the sanctity of the temple, the right of asylum, and betrayed the fortunes of widows and orphans to the plunderer. Therefore it is morally impossible that this be done.
Verse 19: The Virgins Ran to Onias ¶
19. AND THE VIRGINS WHO WERE KEPT IN SECLUSION RAN TO ONIAS. — Some virgins were enclosed in the temple, among whom the Blessed Virgin, presented in the temple, lived angelically until she married Joseph; others were kept secluded at home by their parents for modesty and chastity, as is still done in Rome and elsewhere by honorable men. I, with Serarius, understand both groups here: for both on account of such a sacrilegious and public profanation of the temple ran to Onias the Pontiff to seek counsel and aid from him, especially because many of them had their dowry, on which they lived, deposited in the temple, which if Heliodorus carried off with the rest, he was taking away their sustenance and their life.
Verse 25: A Horse with a Terrible Rider ¶
IN chronological ORDER, this chapter and the beginning of the next up to verse 7 should be placed in Book I of Maccabees, chapter I, before verse 12, as will be clear from verse 3.
25. FOR THERE APPEARED TO THEM A HORSE WITH A TERRIBLE (fierce and threatening in expression and gesture) RIDER. (This was an Angel who assumed the appearance of a horse and rider, to oppose Heliodorus the horseman and prostrate him as in a duel; and IT RUSHED WITH FURY AND STRUCK HELIODORUS WITH ITS FRONT HOOVES — that is, it struck, dashed them against him; for horses fight by kicking. Greek: Rushing upon him with fury it struck Heliodorus with its front hooves; for the front hooves of horses are in place of armed hands: these therefore the horse struck against Heliodorus; and so it prostrated, afflicted, and nearly killed him. Thus Angels appeared fighting to Zechariah, chapter I, in the form of horses and horsemen, and to Saint John, Revelation chapter VI, verse 2. See what was said there. In a similar manner Livy, Decade I, writes that Castor and Pollux fought for the Romans on white horses, about whom the Gentiles invented much.
Moreover this was not an imaginary vision appearing to Heliodorus alone, but a real action, prostration, and flagellation of Heliodorus before the whole people. For it says 'there appeared' (Greek: ophthē, that is, was seen) 'to them,' namely to all those present. Hence it follows:
Verse 26: Two Young Men Scourged Heliodorus ¶
26. THERE ALSO APPEARED TWO OTHER YOUNG MEN OF REMARKABLE STRENGTH (because they displayed the beauty of virtues and a heavenly bearing: for they were Angels) WHO STOOD AROUND HIM (Heliodorus) AND SCOURGED HIM FROM EITHER SIDE (having whips or scourges in their hands, says Gorionides) BEATING HIM WITHOUT CEASING WITH MANY BLOWS. — The first Angel on horseback was like a praetor; but these two Angels were like his attendants and executors of the sentence, who therefore most fiercely scourged the sacrilegious Heliodorus. From this it is clear that God does not always punish sins and sinners through demons, but sometimes also through good Angels.
Josephus the son of Gorionides, Book III, chapter I, adds and says: 'When Heliodorus entered with all his guards, walking about in the middle of the sanctuary and entering the Holy of Holies, the Lord made him and those he had with him hear voices of uproar and of a most violent commotion which even broke mountains and cut through rocks; so that all his guards began to flee and hid in whatever places they could, and Heliodorus was left alone; and when he lifted his eyes, he saw a man of very horrible appearance dressed in a golden robe, from which precious gems sparkled, advancing and blocking, leaping and running against Heliodorus, etc.'
If God so punished Heliodorus who was merely attempting to carry off deposits from the temple, how will He punish those who plunder the property of temples, monasteries, and pious places, and convert it to profane and lay uses? Let them consider how God punished Antiochus Epiphanes when he plundered the temple; let them read the horrifying death recounted in chapter IX. Let them also remember the vengeance inflicted by God on the sacrilegious Alcimus, Book I, chapter IX, verse 33. Finally, all histories are full of similar examples. Moreover this flagellation by Angels, as being most powerful and most fiercely avenging the injuries to their God and His temple, was far harsher and more severe than any flagellation by men; especially because they wished in the case of Heliodorus to establish an example of sharp divine vengeance against sacrilegious persons, by which others would be deterred from similar plundering of the temple; hence he himself, when asked by King Seleucus, said: 'If you have any enemy, send him there, and you will receive him back well scourged.'
Verse 32: A Saving Sacrifice for Heliodorus ¶
32. HE OFFERED FOR THE MAN'S HEALTH (Heliodorus's) A SAVING SACRIFICE — that is, a peace offering, which according to the law was offered for the peace and health of someone, according to the law of Leviticus III.
Verse 35: Heliodorus Gave Thanks to Onias ¶
35. And giving thanks to Onias — for the Angels themselves had commanded this, verse 33. Gorionides adds that Heliodorus, at the Angels' warning, fell at the feet of Onias, and so gave thanks as a suppliant. For his health, recovered through Onias, and the life granted to him, urged him to this: for Heliodorus owed his life to Onias.
Verse 36: Heliodorus Testified to the Works of God ¶
36. And he testified to all. — From this it seems that Heliodorus recognized the true God of Israel, and abandoning idols worshipped Him alone, and that not only he but also all his soldiers and followers did so, says Gorionides, who asserts they were Macedonians. Hence he also offered sacrifices to God, and made great promises and vows to God, as was said in verse 35.
Moreover this Heliodorus, afterwards seeking the kingdom, killed King Seleucus by treachery and made himself king. But Antiochus Epiphanes, the younger brother of Seleucus, aided by Attalus and Eumenes, neighboring kings, expelled him and claimed the kingdom for himself. So Appian, Justin, Josephus, and others: and hence he was called Epiphanes, that is, illustrious and noble, 'because when others were usurping the kingdom, he arose as the assertor of his ancestral dominion and shone upon his people,' says Appian in his Syriaca.