4 Maccabees - A Comparative Translation

The Fourth Book OfThe Maccabees

orOn The Supremacy of Reason

A Comparative Translation

by Trent R. Wilde

~ To comfort the families of modern martyrs,and to strengthen the faith of the martyrs to be. ~

Copyright, 2015

www.bdsda.com

The Fourth Book of the Maccabees 1

Introduction This ancient work, known by some as 4 Maccabees, and by others as

On The Supremacy of Reason, is a writing unlike any other. Of the plethoraof texts which have survived to us from the period of Second TempleJudaism (515 BCE to 70 CE), this discourse is unique in its approachand singular in its aim. It predominantly tells of the experience of theMaccabean martyrs who died for their faith under the tortures ofAntiochus Epiphanes. Their story is not related as a mere datum ofthe past, but is vividly portrayed with all the solemnity and respect dueto such an awful scene. The events described are among the mostappalling to have ever taken place in the history of this earth, but fromamidst the terror shines bright beams of hope and glory.

Reason is upheld as the key to the martyrs' victory, and the ruler ofevery passion. In publishing this translation, it is our hope that theprinciples and faith for which these martyrs died, might become thoseby which you live.

This Translation Despite the availability of resources which include 4 Maccabees and

related material, the text critical studies of this work are still in theirelementary stages. Thus, in order to produce the best possibletranslation, we have taken a comparative approach in which we havecollated modern translations (with their textual notes), modern criticaltexts, and transcriptions and facsimiles of ancient manuscripts.1

We have attempted to make the translation both accurate andreadable. In some instances, we have rendered things word for word,and where it has been more suitable to translate per phrase, we havefollowed that method.

1 The modern translations which were taken into consideration are The New Revised Standard Version, The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament: English Translation (Brenton), The Lexham English Septuagint, The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint: H.B. Swete Edition, and the translation by H. Anderson contained in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol. 2. The modern critical texts consulted are Henry Barclay Swete's Old Testament in Greek According to the Septuagint (including three apparatuses for 4 Maccabees), Rahlfs' Septuagint, and The Fourth Book of Maccabees and Kindred Documents in Syriac by R.L. Bensly and W.E. Barnes. The ancient manuscripts of which we had transcriptions or facsimiles available to us are Codex Sinaiticus and the fragments of The Sahidic Coptic Version of 4 Maccabees published by Ivan Miroshnikov.

2 The Fourth Book of the Maccabees

On The Supremacy of Reason

Author Introduces His Purpose1 Being about to demonstrate

a word which is especiallyphilosophical2, that is, whetherdevout reason is sovereign overthe passions,3 I counsel you togive heed to the philosophy. 2 Forthis word is necessary for all whowould attain knowledge, and inaddition it includes the praise ofthe highest virtueI mean, ofcourse, sound reasoning. 3 If,then, it is evident that reasonrules over those passions whichhinder sound judgment namely,gluttony and lust, 4 it is also clearthat it rules over the passionsthat hinder one from righteous-ness, such as malice, and thosethat impede courage, namelyanger, fear, and pain. 5 Howthen, some might perhaps ask,if reason governs the passions,does it not rule over forget-fulness and ignorance? Theirattempt to speak this way isridiculous! 6 For reason does notrule its own passions, but thosethat are opposed to righteous-

2 The word philosophy is from Greek phileo () meaning love and sophia () meaning wisdom. The combination of these two words into philosophy literally translates loving wisdom.

3 Otherwise translated emotion or feeling.

ness, courage, and soundness ofmind; and it is not for thepurpose of destroying them, butso that one may not yield tothem.

7 I could prove to you frommany and various examples thatreason is dominant over theemotions, 8 but I can bestdemonstrate it from the noblebravery of those who died forthe sake of virtue, Eleazar andthe seven brothers and theirmother. 9 For each of these, bydisregarding sufferings thatbring death, demonstrated thatreason rules over the passions.10 On this anniversary4 i t i sftting for me to praise for theirvirtues those who, with theirmother, died for the sake ofnoble character and goodness,but I would also call themblessed for the honor in whichthey are held. 11 All people, eventheir torturers, admired theircourage and perseverance, andthey became the cause of thedownfall of tyranny over theirnation. By their endurance theyconquered the tyrant, and thustheir homeland was purifedthrough them. 12 I shall have anopportunity to speak of thisshortly; but, as my custom is, Iwill begin by stating my main

4 Evidently, Hanukkah


principle, and then I'll turn totheir story, giving glory to theall-wise God.

Reason's Sovereignty Over Passion13 Our inquiry, accordingly, is

whether reason is sovereign overthe passions. 14 Let us evaluate,then, just exactly what reason isand what passion is, how manykinds of passions there are, andwhether reason rules over allthese. 15 Now, reason is the wayof thinking that, with sound logic,prefers above all else the life andword of wisdom. 16 Now wisdomis the knowledge of divine andhuman matters and the causesof these. 17 This, in turn, iseducation in the law, by whichwe reverently learn of divinematters and of human affairs,both to our advantage. 18 Now,the various forms of wisdom aresound judgment, righteousness,courage and self-control.

19 Sound judgment is supremeover all of these, since by meansof it reason rules over thepassions. 20 The two most wide-ranging sources of passion arepleasure and pain; and each ofthese springs up from thepsyche.5 21 A large retinue ofpassions attend both pain and

5 Psyche here is a transliteration from the Greek. The word means inner thoughts or, perhaps, the inner manner of thoughts unique to self.

pleasure. 22 Thus desire precedespleasure and delight follows it.23 Fear precedes pain and sorrowcomes after. 24 Anger, as a personwill see by refecting on how thisexperience has touched him, is apassion which embraces bothpleasure and pain. 25 In pleasurethere exists even a maliciouspropensity, since of all thepassions, it is most multifaceted.26 In the psyche it is boastfulness,love of money, thirst for honor,love of contention, and spite.27 In the body, indiscriminateeating, gluttony, and eatinggreedily.

28 Therefore, just as pleasureand pain are, as it were, twobranches growing from the bodyand the psyche, likewise thereare many offshoots from thesepassions, 29 each of which themaster cultivator, reason, weedsand prunes and ties up andwaters and thoroughly irrigates,and so tames the forest ofinclinations and passions. 30 Forreason is the guide of the virtuesand the absolute master of thepassions.

Observe now, frst of all, thatrational judgment is sovereignover the emotions by virtue ofthe restraining power of soundreasoning. 31 Sound reasoning,then, is dominance over thedesires. 32 Some desires aremental, others are physical, and


reason shines out as ruling overboth. 33 Otherwise, how is it thatwhen we are attracted towardforbidden foods we abstain fromthe pleasure to be had fromthem? Is it not because reason isable to rule over appetites? Icertainly think so. 34 Thereforein desiring seafood and fowl andanimals and all sorts of foodsthat are forbidden to us by thelaw, we abstain because ofdomination by reason. 35 For thepassions of the appetites arerestrained, being bent back bythe sensible6 mind, and all theimpulses of the body are bridledby reason.

The Mind of Reason and Living theLaw

2 So then, who should beamazed if the desires of themind for cohabitation withbeauty are rendered powerless?2 It is for this reason, certainly,that the temperate Joseph ispraised, because in reason andby thinking he gained masteryover sensuality. 3 For eventhough he was young and in hissexual prime, by his reason hemade of none effect the drivingdesire of his passions. 4 Not only,therefore, is it clear that reasonrules over the frenzied urge ofsexual desire, but also over

6 Or temperate

every desire. 5 Therefore the lawsays, You shall not covet yourneighbors wife or anything thatis your neighbors. 6 Surelythen, since the law has told usnot to covet, I should be able topersuade you all the more thatreason is able to rule all desires.

Even so it is with the passionsthat hinder one from righteous-ness. 7 For how else could it bethat one who is habitually aselfsh eater, a glutton, or adrunkard could be educateddifferently, unless reason ismanifestly the master over thepassions? 8 Therefore, a person,for example, when living by thelaw, even though he be a loverof money, his way is constrainedto lend to the poor withoutinterest and to cancel his debtwhen the seventh year comes.9 And if one is greedy, he isbrought under the rule of thelaw through reason so that oneneither gleans the harvest norgathers the last grapes from thevineyard.

Likewise, in all other matterswe can perceive that reasonrules the passions. 10 For the lawprevails even over affection forparents, so that virtue is notabandoned for their sakes. 11 Itrules over the affection for oneswife, convicting her for breakingthe law. 12 It masters affection forchildren, so that one chastises


them for wickedness. 13 It is alsomaster over beloved friendship,so that one convicts his friendswhen they act wickedly. 14 Donot consider it surprising thatreason, through the law, canprevail even over enmity, so thatthe fruit trees of the enemy arenot cut down, but one preservesthe property of his enemies fromtheir destroyers and helps toraise up what has fallen.

15 It is evident that reason ruleseven the more violent passions:lust for power, vainglory,boasting, pride, and malice.16 All these malicious passionsthe sensible mind rejects, just asit does with angerfor over ittoo it has mastery. 17 WhenMoses was angry with Dathanand Abiram, he did nothingagainst them in anger, but byreason he controlled his anger.18 For, as I have said, the sensiblemind is able to get the better ofthe passions, to transform some- on the one hand, and to makeof none effect others - on theother hand. 19 Otherwise, forwhat reason did our most wisefather Jacob censure the house-holds of Simeon and Levi forcutting the throats of the nationof the Shechemites, saying,Cursed be their anger? 20 Forif reason could not controlanger, he would not havespoken in this way. 21 Now when

God fashioned human beings,he planted in them passions andinclinations, 22 but at the sametime he enthroned the mindamong the senses as the temple7governor over them all. 23 Andto the mind he gave the law;and the one who lives accordingto this law will rule a kingdomthat is sensible, righteous, good,and courageous.

24 How is it then, one mightsay, that if reason is master ofthe passions, it does not ruleforgetfulness and ignorance?

3 1 But this argument isentirely ridiculous; for reason isnot shown to rule over its ownpassions, but over those relatedto the body.8 2 For instance,none of us can eradicate desire,but reason is able to ensure thatyou do not become enslaved todesire. 3 No one of us caneradicate anger from the psyche,but reason is capable of dealingwith anger 4 No one of us caneradicate malice, but reason canfght at our side so that we arenot overcome by malice. 5 For

7 The nuance of this word has been lost in most translations which render it sacred. The word itself is the word for sanctuary or temple, though it appears here in its adjectival form.

8 Or, as some amend the text (see Hadas, Maccabees, p. 157): but those that are opposed to righteousness, courage, and soundness of mind.


reason does not uproot thepassions but is their antagonist.

King Davids Thirst6 This becomes even clearer, in

fact, when we consider the storyof King Davids thirst. 7 Davidhad been fghting the Philistinesall day long, and together withthe soldiers of his nation hadkilled many of them. 8 Then,when evening fell, he came quiteexhausted and sweating to theroyal tent, around which thewhole army of our ancestorshad encamped. 9 Now all therest were at supper, 10 but theking was extremely thirsty, andthough springs were plentifulthere, he could not satisfy histhirst from them. 11 But a certainirrational desire for the water inthe enemys territory tormentedand infamed him, undid andconsumed him. 12 When hisguards grumbled because of thekings craving, two staunchyoung soldiers, respecting thekings desire, armed themselvesfully, and taking a pitcher scaledthe enemys defenses. 13 Eludingthe sentinels at the gates, theywent searching throughout theenemy camp 14 and found thespring, and from it boldlybrought the king a drink. 15 ButDavid, though he was burningwith thirst, considered it an

altogether fearful danger to hispsyche to drink what he countedas equivalent to blood.

16 Therefore, he set reasonagainst desire and poured outthe drink as an offering to God.17 For the sensible mind is ableto conquer the compulsions ofthe passions and quench thefames of frenzied desires; 18 itcan over-come the pains of thebody, however extreme, andthrough the nobility of reasonutterly throw out all dominationby the passions.

Onias' Reason Testament to a King19 And now, at the present

season, we are called to reviewan account a demonstration ofsensible reason.

20 During a time when ourancestors were experiencingdeep peace because of theirobservance of the law and wereachieving prosperity so that evenSeleucus Nicanor,9 king of Asia,had both appropriated money to

9 A note occurring at this point in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha translation reads, Seleucus Nicanor is an egregious error, and V [Codex Venetus] reads, 'Seleucus, descendant of Nicanor.' The king intended here is Seleucus IV Philopator, who was the sixth successor of Seleucus Nicanor and son of Antiochus III the Great andolder brother of his own successor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. (Brackets added)


them for the temple service andrecognized their independence 21 just at that time certainpersons attempted a revolutionagainst the public harmony andinstigated many and variouscalamities.

4 Now there was a certain

Simon, a political opponent ofthe noble and good man, Onias,who at that time held the highpriesthood for life. But when, inspite of spreading all sorts ofslander, he was unable to harmOnias in the eyes of the nation,he fed the country with thepurpose of betraying it. 2 So hecame to Apollonius, governor ofSyria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia,and said, 3 I have come herebecause I am loyal to the kingsgovernment, to report that inthe treasuries of Jerusalem thereare deposited tens of thousandsin private funds, which are notthe property of the temple butbelong to King Seleucus.4 When Apollonius learned thedetails of these things, hepraised Simon for his service tothe king and went up toSeleucus to inform him of therich treasure. 5 On receivingauthority to deal with thismatter, he proceeded quickly toour country accompanied by theaccursed Simon and a verystrong military force. 6 He said

that he had come with the kingsauthority to seize the privatefunds in the treasury. 7 Thepeople indignantly protested hiswords, considering it outrageousthat those who had committeddeposits to the sacred treasuryshould be deprived of them, anddid all that they could to preventit . 8 But, Apollonius, utteringthreats, went on to the temple.9 Then the priests, together withwomen and children in thetemple, implored God to defendthe holy place that was being sodesecrated; 10 and then, whileApollonius was going up withhis armed forces to seize themoney, angels on horsebackwith lightning fashing fromtheir weapons appeared fromthe sky, instilling in them greatfear and trembling. 11 ThenApollonius fell down half deadin the courtyard of the temple,which was open to all peoples,and stretched out his handstoward heaven, and with tearsbegged the Hebrews to pray forhim and appease the heavenlyhost. 12 For he said that he hadcommitted a sin deserving ofdeath, and that if he werespared he would praise theblessedness of the holy placebefore all people. 13 Moved bythese words, the high priestOnias, although otherwise hewould have reluctance to do so,


prayed for him so that KingSeleucus would not suppose thatApollonius had been overcomeby human treachery - not bydivine justice. 14 So Apollonius,having been saved beyond allexpectations, went away toreport to the king what hadhappened to him.

Antiochus Persecution of the Jews15 When King Seleucus died,

his son Antiochus Epiphanessucceeded to the throne, anarrogant and terrible man,16 who removed Onias from thepriesthood and appointed Jason,Oniass brother, as high priest.17 Jason agreed that if the offcewere conferred on him he wouldpay the king three thousand sixhundred sixty talents each year.18 So the king appointed himhigh priest and ruler of thenation. 19 In total violation ofthe law, Jason changed thenations way of life and its formof government 20 so that notonly was a gymnasium placed atthe very citadel of our nativeland, but also the temple servicewas abolished. 21 The divinejustice was angered by these actsand caused Antiochus himself tomake war on them. 22 For whenhe was warring against Ptolemyin Egypt, he heard that a rumorof his death had spread and that

the people of Jerusalem hadrejoiced greatly. He speedilymarched against them, 23 andafter he had plundered them heissued a decree that if any ofthem were found observing theancestral law they should die.24 And when, by means of hisdecrees, he had not been able inany way to put an end to thepeoples respect for the law, butsaw that all his threats andpenalties were being disregarded25 even to the extent thatwomen, because they hadcircumcised their sons, werethrown headlong from heightsalong with their infants, thoughthey had known beforehand thatthey would suffer this 26 when,I say, his decrees were despisedby the people, he himself tried,by means of torture, to compeleveryone in the nation to eatdefled foods and to renounceJudaism.

The Vain Philosophy of Antiochusvs. The True Philosophy of Eleazar5 The tyrant Antiochus, sitting

with his counselors on a certainhigh place, and with his armedsoldiers standing around him,2 ordered the guards to seizeeach and every Hebrew and tocompel them to eat swine's feshand food sacrifced to idols. 3 Ifany were unwilling to eat


unclean food, they were to betortured and put to death.4 When many persons had beenrounded up, one man, Eleazarby name, a leader of the fock,was brought before the king. Hewas a man of priestly family,learned in the law, advanced inyears, and known to many in thetyrants court for his philosophy.

5 When Antiochus saw him hesaid, 6 Before I begin to tortureyou, old man, I would adviseyou to eat the swine's fesh andsave yourself. 7 I respect your ageand your gray hairs, although tohave had them for so long atime and still cling to thereligion of the Jews makes youanything but a philosopher inmy eyes. 8 Why should youabhor eating the very excellentmeat of this animal when naturehas so freely bestowed it on us?9 For surely, it is senseless not toenjoy harmless pleasures, and itis wrong to despise nature's goodgifts. 10 It seems to me that it willbe greater folly still if, by holdingto a useless view concerning thetruth, you continue to despiseme to your own hurt. 11 Will younot awaken from your foolishphilosophy, abandon your futilereasonings, adopt a frame ofmind to match your years, andphilosophize according to thetruth of what is benefcial?12 Bow to my benevolent advice

and have pity on your old age.13 For consider this: if there issome power watching over thisreligion of yours, it will excuseyou from any transgressioncommitted under compulsion.

14 When the tyrant had urgedhim on in this way to eatunlawful meat, Eleazar asked tohave a word. 15 When he hadreceived permission to speak, hebegan to address the people asfollows: 16 We, O Antiochus,who have been persuaded togovern our lives according to thedivine law, do not consider anycompulsion laid upon us mightyenough to overcome our ownwilling obedience to the law.17 Therefore, under no circum-stances whatever do we everdeem it right to transgress thelaw in any respect. 18 Even if, asyou suppose, our law were nottruly divine and we had wronglyheld it to be divine, not even sowould it be right for us toinvalidate our reputation forholiness. 19 Therefore, do notsuppose that it would be a pettysin for us to eat unclean food!20 To transgress the law inmatters either small or greatmatters is the same, 21 for ineither case the law is equallydespised. 22 You scoff at ourphilosophy as though living by itwere irrational, 23 but it teachesus sound reasoning, so that we


master all pleasures and desires,and it also trains us in courage,so that we willingly endure allsuffering; 24 it instructs us inrighteousness, so that we actimpartially in all our dealings,and it teaches us holiness, sothat with proper reverence wehonor only the living God.

25 Therefore, we do not eatunclean food. Trusting that thelaw was established by God, weknow that the Creator of theworld, in giving us the law,conforms it to our nature. 26 Hehas permitted us to eat what willbe most suitable for us, but hehas forbidden us to eat meatsthat would be contrary to us.27 It is tyrannical for you tocompel us not only to transgressthe law, but also to eat in such away that you may deride us foreating unclean foods, which aremost abhorrent to us. 28 But youshall have no such occasion tolaugh at my expense, 29 nor will Itransgress the sacred oaths ofmy ancestors concerning thekeeping of the law, 30 not even ifyou gouge out my eyes and burnmy entrails. 31 I am not so oldand cowardly that my reasonshould lose its youthful vigor inbehalf of holiness. 32 Thereforeget your torture wheels readyand stoke the fre all the morevehemently! 33 I do not so pitymy old age as to break the law

of my fathers on account ofmyself. 34 I will not play lies withyou, O law my teacher, nor willI renounce you, self-control, myfriend. 35 I will not put you toshame, philosophy of reason,nor will I disown you, honorablepriesthood and knowledge of thelaw. 36 You, O king, shall notdefle the honorable lips of myold age, nor my life of service tothe law. 37 My ancestors willreceive me10 as pure, as one whodoes not fear your violence evento death. 38 You may tyrannizethe ungodly, but you shall nevergain mastery over me with myholy reason, either by words orthrough deeds.

The Martyrdom of Eleazar6 When Eleazar had responded

in such an eloquent manner tothe exhortations of the tyrant,the guards who were standingby dragged him violently to theinstruments of torture. 2 First,they stripped off the old man'sclothes, though he remainedadorned with the gracefulness ofholiness. 3 Then, binding hisarms on either side, they

10 Being received by one's fathers, or being gathered to one's fathers are common Semitic idioms referring to death. See Gen. 15:15; 25:8; Nu. 20:24; 27:13; Acts 13:36. The idea is that when one dies he goes to the same place his predecessors went; namely, the dust (Gen. 3:19; Job 7:21; Ecc. 3:20; 12:7).


scourged him with whips, 4 whileright up against him a heraldshouted, Obey the commandsof the king! 5 But the noble andhigh minded man, like a trueEleazar,11 absolutely refused torecant as if the torture werenothing more than a dream;6 and, keeping his eyes raised toheaven, the old man let his feshbe torn by the scourges until hisblood fowed freely and his sideswere cut into pieces. 7 Althoughhe fell to the ground when hisbody could no longer endure thepain, yet he kept his reasonupright and unswerving. 8 Afterhe had fallen, one of themerciless guards rushed at him,kicking him savagely on his sideto make him get up, 9 but hebore the pains and scorned thepunishment and endured thetortures. 10 Under a hail of blows,the old man, like a true athlete,prevailed over his torturers; 11 infact, with his face bathed insweat, and gasping heavily forbreath, even his torturers wereamazed by his resilience.

12 At that point, partly out ofpity for his old age, 13 partly outof sympathy from acquaintancewith him, and partly out ofadmiration for his endurance,some of the kings servants wentup to him and said, 14 Eleazar,

11 The name Eleazar means seed of God.

why are you so thoughtlesslydestroying yourself in this foulway? 15 Let us set before yousome cooked food so you cansave yourself by pretending toeat swine's fesh.

16 But Eleazar, as if tormentedmore bitterly by their counsel,cried out: 17 Never may we, thechildren of Abraham, think sobasely that out of cowardice wefeign a role so unbecoming tous! 18 For it would most surely becontrary to reason if, havinglived in accordance with truthright up to old age and havingmaintained in accordance withlaw the reputation of such a life,we should now change ourcourse 19 and ourselves become amodel of ungodliness to theyoung by setting an example ofthe eating of unclean food. 20 Itwould be shameful if we shouldsurvive for a little while andduring that time be a laughing-stock to all for our cowardice,21 and be despised by the tyrantas unmanly by not contendingeven to death for our divine law.

22 Therefore, O children ofAbraham, die nobly for the sakeof holiness! 23 And you, guards ofthe tyrant, why do you delay?

24 When they saw that he wasso high minded in the face of theaffictions, and so adamantagainst their offer of mercy, theguards brought him to the fre.


25 There they burned him withmaliciously contrived instru-ments; they threw him down,and they poured a foul-smellingconcoction into his nostrils.26 When his fesh had beenburned away to the very bonesand he was at the point ofexpiring, he lifted up his eyes toGod and said, 27 You know, OGod, that though I might havesaved myself, I am dying inthese fery torments for the sakeof the law. 28 Be merciful to yourpeople, and let our punishmentsuffce for them. 29 Make myblood their purifcation, andtake my life in exchange fortheirs. 30 After he said this, theholy man died nobly in histortures; even in the tortures ofdeath he held his ground, byvirtue of reason, for the sake ofthe law.

31 Admittedly, then, devoutreason is ruler over the passions.32 If the passions had prevailedover reason, we would havetestifed to their domination.33 But now, since reason hasconquered the passions, weproperly recognize that it hasthe power to govern. 34 It is onlyright that we confess reason'sdominance when it masters evenexternal agonies. It would beridiculous to do otherwise.35 The arguments that I havegiven as evidence have demons-

trated not only that reason rulesover pain, but also that itmasters pleasures and neverdoes it give in to them.

Eulogy Concerning Eleazar7 For like a most skillful pilot,

the reason of our father Eleazarsteered the ship of holiness overthe sea of the passions, 2 andthough buffeted by the threats ofthe tyrant and swamped by themighty waves of tortures, 3 in noway did he swerve the rudder ofholiness, even until he sailed intothe haven of victory over death.4 No city besieged with manyingenious war machines has everheld out as did that most holyman. Although his sacred lifewas consumed by tortures andracks, he conquered the oneswho besieged him with theshield of holy reason. 5 For insetting his mind frm like ajutting cliff, our father Eleazarbroke the maddening waves ofthe passions. 6 O priest, worthyof the priesthood, you neitherdefled your sacred teeth norprofaned your stomach, whichhad room only for reverenceand purity, by eating uncleanfoods. 7 O man in harmony withthe law and philosopher ofdivine life! 8 Such should bethose who are administrators ofthe law, shielding it with their


own blood and noble sweat insufferings even to death. 9 You,father, frmly established ourobservance of the law throughyour endurance unto glory, andyou did not abandon theholiness that you praised, but byyour deeds you made yourwords of divine philosophycredible. 10 O aged man, mightierthan torture; O elder, morevigorous than fre; O supremeking over the passions, Eleazar!11 For just as our father Aaron,armed with the censer, ranthrough the multitude of thepeople and conquered the feryangel, 12 so the descendant ofAaron, Eleazar, though beingconsumed by the fre, did notturn from his reason. 13 Mostamazing, indeed, though he wasan old man, his body no longertense and frm, his muscles allrelaxed, his sinews feeble, hebecame young again 14 by theSpirit through reason; and byreason like that of Isaac heprevailed over the many-headedtorture. 15 O man of blessed ageand of holy gray hair and life oflawfulness, whom the faithfulseal of death has perfected!

16 If, therefore, an aged mandespised tortures even to deathon account of holiness, it cannotbe denied that holy reason isruler over the passions. 17 Someperhaps might say, Not all have

full command of their passions,because not all have insightfulreasoning. 18 But as many asturn to holiness with their wholeheart, these alone are able torule the passions of the fesh,19 since they believe that they,like our patriarchs Abrahamand Isaac and Jacob, do not dieto God, but live to God. 20 Nocontradiction therefore ariseswhen some persons appear to bedominated by their passions dueto the weakness of their reason.21 What person who lives as aphilosopher by the whole rule ofphilosophy, and trusts in God,22 and knows that it is blessed toendure any suffering for the sakeof virtue, would not be able toovercome the passions throughgodliness? 23 For only the wiseand courageous are masters oftheir passions.

Seven Brothers Defy the Tyrant8 Yes indeed, even the very

young, by following a philosophyin accordance with holy reason,have prevailed over the mostpainful instruments of torture.2 For when the tyrant had beenso conspicuously defeated in hisfrst attempt, being unable tocompel an aged man to eat un-clean foods, then commanded,in violent rage, that others of theHebrew captives be brought,


and that any who ate uncleanfood would be freed after eating,but if any were to refuse, theywould be tortured even morecruelly.

3 When the tyrant had giventhese orders, seven brothershandsome, modest, honorable,and gifted in every waywerebrought before him along withtheir aged mother. 4 When thetyrant saw them, grouped abouttheir mother as though a chorus,he was pleased with them. Andstruck by their appearance andnobility, he smiled at them, andsummoned them nearer andsaid, 5 Young men, I admireeach and every one of you andwant to show you favor, andsince I have great respect for thebeauty of such a large band ofbrothers, I not only advise younot to display the same madnessas that of the old man who hasjust been tortured, but I alsourge you to yield to me and takeadvantage of my friendship.6 Just as I am able to punishthose who disobey my orders, soI am able to beneft those whoobey me. 7 Believe me, therefore,when I tell you that if you onlyrenounce the ancestral law ofyour nation you will receive highpositions with authority in myaffairs. 8 Enjoy your youth byadopting the Greek way of lifeand by changing your mode of

living. 9 But if by disobedience,though, you rouse my anger, youwill compel me to use dreadfulpunishments to destroy eachand every one of you by torture.10 Therefore, take pity on your-selves. For even I, your enemy,feel compassion for your youthand handsomeness. 11 Will younot consider this, that if youdisobey, nothing remains foryou but to die with torments?

12 With these words, he orderedthe instruments of torture to bebrought forward in order topersuade them out of fear to eatthe unclean food. 13 When theguards had placed before themwheels and joint dis-locators,rack and hooks and catapultsand caldrons, braziers andthumbscrews and iron claws andwedges and bellows, the tyrantresumed speaking: 14 Be afraid,young fellows; whatever justiceyou worship12 will be merciful toyou when you transgress undercompulsion.

15 But when they had heard hisinducing words and saw thedreadful machines of torture,not only were they not afraid,but they also held up their viewsagainst the tyrant, which werecontrary to his, with their ownphilosophy, and by their right

12 This is a wordy way of saying your god which was common to ancient pagan philosophers.


reasoning nullifed his tyranny.16 Let us consider, however, whatarguments might have beenused if some of them had beenfainthearted or cowardly. Wouldthey not have gone on like this? -17 We are such stupid wretchesif we do not accept such kindtreatment and generosity whichthe king is offering us if we obeyhim! 18 Why do we take pleasurein vain decisions and ventureupon a disobedience that bringsdeath? 19 Men, brothers, shouldwe not fear the instruments oftorture and consider the threatsof torments, and give up thisvain opinion and this arrogancethat threatens to destroy us?20 Let us take pity on our youthand have compassion on ourmothers age; 21 and let's take itto heart that if we disobey weare dead! 22 Also, divine justicewill excuse us for fearing theking since, after all, we are undercompulsion. 23 Why should webanish ourselves from this life ofsatisfaction and deprive ourselvesof this sweet world? 24 Let us notstruggle against compulsion orhold to useless ideas in view ofthe torture rack before us. 25 Noteven the law itself would intent-ionally put us to death forfearing these instruments oftorture. 26 Why should we be soabsorbed in contentiousness orso attracted to fatal endurance,

when we can live in peace if weobey the king?

27 But the young men, thoughabout to be tortured, uttered nosuch words nor did they enter-tain such thoughts. 28 For theydespised the passions and ruledover pain, 29 so that as soon asthe tyrant had ceased counselingthem to eat unclean food, theyall with one voice together, asfrom one mind, said:

9 Why do you delay, tyrant?

For we are ready to die ratherthan to transgress our ancestralcommandments. 2 For we wouldtruly be bringing shame on ourancestors if we do not live inobedience to the law and takeMoses as our counselor. 3 Tyrantand counselor of lawlessness, inyour hatred for us do not pity usmore than we pity ourselves.4 For we consider this pity ofyours, which insures our safetythrough transgression of the law,to be more grievous than deathitself. 5 You seek to terrify us bythreatening us with death bytorture, as though a short timeago you learned nothing fromEleazar. 6 But if the aged men ofthe Hebrews, because of theirholiness lived righteously whileenduring torture, it would onlybe right that we young menshould die in disregard of yourcoercive tortures, which our


elderly instructor also overcame.7 Therefore, tyrant, put us to thetest; and if you take our livesbecause of our godliness, do notsuppose that you can injure uswith your torments. 8 For we,through this severe suffering andendurance, shall have the prizeof virtue and shall be with God,on whose account we suffer;9 but you, because of your thirstfor our blood, will undergo atime of fery torment by divinejustice.

The Torture of the First Brother10 Indignant at the young

men's disobedience, the tyrantwas even more enraged by theiringratitude. 11 Then, at the wordof his command, the guardsbrought forward the eldestbrother, and having torn off histunic, they bound his hands andarms on each side with leatherstraps. 12 When they had wornthemselves out beating him withscourges, without accomplishinganything, they placed him uponthe wheel. 13 When the nobleyouth was stretched out aroundthis, his limbs were dislocated,14 and as limb after limb wasdisjointed he denounced thetyrant, saying, 15 You mostabominable tyrant, enemy ofheavenly justice, and savagelyminded, you are mangling me in

this manner, not because I am amurderer, or as one who actsunrighteously, but because Ishield the divine law. 16 Andwhen the guards said, Agree toeat so that you may be releasedfrom the tortures, 17 he replied,You disgraceful minions! Yourwheel is not so powerful as tostrangle my reason. Cut mylimbs, burn my fesh, and twistmy joints; 18 through all thesetortures I will convince you thatthe children of the Hebrewsalone are unconquered wherevirtue is concerned. 19 When hesaid these things, they spreadfre under him, and while ragingit hotter, they tightened thewheel further. 20 The wheel wascompletely smeared with blood,and the heap of coals was beingquenched by the drippings ofgore, and pieces of fesh werefalling off the axles of themachine. 21 Although the joiningligaments of his bones werealready severed, the young man,high minded and worthy ofAbraham, did not groan. 22 As ifhe were being transformed intoincorruption by the fames, henobly endured the torments andsaid, 23 Imitate me, brothers; donot leave your post in my trial orrenounce our bold brotherhood.24 Fight the sacred and noblebattle for holiness. Thereby thejust providence that protected


our ancestors might becomemerciful to our nation and takevengeance upon the accursedtyrant. 25 When he had saidthis, the holy young man brokethe thread of life.

The Torture of the Second Brother26 While all were marveling at

his courageous spirit, the guardsbrought in the next eldest, andafter ftting themselves withsharp-clawed iron hands, theybound him to the torturingmachine and catapult. 27 Beforetorturing him, they inquired ifhe were willing to eat, and theylistened to his noble decision.28 They then tore at his tendonswith the iron hands and rippedoff his fesh even from hischeeks; these leopard-like beastseven scrapped the skin off hisscalp. But he endured this agonywith courage and said, 29 Howsweet is any kind of death forthe faith of our ancestors! 30 Tothe tyrant he said, Do you notthink, you most savage tyrant,that you are being torturedmore than I, as you see thearrogant reasoning of your owntyranny being defeated by ourendurance for the sake of ourfaith? 31 I am sustained in mypain by the joys that come fromvirtue, 32 but you suffer tortureby the threats that come from

ungodliness. You will notescape, you most abominabletyrant, the judgments of thedivine wrath.

The Torture of the Third Brother10 When he too had endured

a glorious death, the third wasled in, and many repeatedlyurged him to save himself bytasting the meat. 2 But heshouted, Do you not know thatthe same father begot me as wellas those who died, and the samemother bore me, and that onthe same teachings I was raised?3 I will not renounce the noblebond of brotherhood. 5 Beingenraged by the mans boldness,they disjointed his hands andfeet with their instruments, andwith levers they wrenched hislimbs from their sockets, 6 andthey twisted his fngers and armsand legs and elbows. 7 And notsucceeding in any way to over-whelm him, they discarded theirmachines and scalped him withtheir fngernails as the Scythiansdo. 8 Then they brought him atonce to the wheel, and while hisvertebrae were being dislocatedon it, he saw his own fesh tornall around and drops of bloodfowing from his entrails. 9 Whenon the brink of death, he said,10 We, most abominable tyrant,are suffering because of our


training in divine virtue, 11 butyou, due to your ungodlinessand thirst for blood, will undergoinextinguishable torments.

The Torture of the Fourth Brother12 When he too had died in a

manner worthy of his brothers,they dragged in the fourth,saying, 13 As for you, do not giveway to the same insanity as yourbrothers, but obey the king andsave yourself. 14 But he said tothem, You cannot heat the freso hot as to make a coward ofme. 15 Noby the blessed deathof my brothers, by the ever-lasting ruin of the tyrant, and bythe glorious life of the righteous,I will not renounce our noblebrotherhood. 16 Tyrant, contrivewhatever tortures you want thatyou may learn from them that Iam a brother to those who havebeen tortured already. 17 Whenhe heard this, the bloodthirsty,murderous, and utterly vileAntiochus gave orders to cut outhis tongue. 18 But he said, Evenif you remove my organ ofspeech, God understands alsothose who are mute. 19 See, mytongue is hanging out; cut it off,for in spite of this you will notsilence our reason. 20 For Godwe gladly allow the limbs of ourbody to be mutilated. 21 God willvisit you swiftly, for you are

cutting out a tongue that hasbeen melodious with divinepraises.

The Torture of the Fifth Brother11 When he too died, after

being cruelly tortured, the ffthleaped up, saying, 2 I am notabout to ask, tyrant, to beexcused from the torture whichis for virtue's sake. 3 I have comeof my own accord, so that bymurdering me you may becomedeserving of the humiliation thatheavenly justice will deal out toyou. 4 Hater of virtue, enemy ofhumankind, for what act of oursare you destroying us in thisway? 5 Is it because we reverethe Creator of all things and liveaccording to his virtuous law?6 But such conduct deserveshonor, not torment!13 9 Whilehe was saying these things, theguards bound him and draggedhim to the catapult; 10 theybound him to it by his knees,and ftting iron clamps on them,they twisted his back around thewedge on the wheel, so that hewas completely curled back likea scorpion, and all his limbswere disjointed. 11 In this state,breathing constricted and bodycompressed, 12 he said, Tyrant,

13 Verses 7 and 8 are missing from important manuscripts and are likely not original to the text; they have therefore been omitted.


you are bestowing gloriousfavors on us against your will,enabling us to demonstrate ourconstancy to the law throughthese honorable sufferings.

The Torture of the Sixth Brother13 When he too had died, the

sixth, a mere boy, was led in.When the tyrant inquiredwhether he was willing to eatand be released, he said, 14 It istrue that I am younger in agethan my brothers, but I am theirequal in mind. 15 Being born andraised in the same way and forthe same purpose, we oughtlikewise to die for the sameprinciples. 16 So if you intend totorture me for not eating defledfoods, then torture me! 17 Whenhe had said this, they led him tothe wheel. 18 He was carefullystretched tight upon it until hisback was broken, and they set afre going beneath him. 19 Theyheated up sharp cooking spikesand drove them into his back,piercing his ribs so that theyburned out his entrails. 20 Whilebeing tortured he said, Ocontest ft for holiness, in whichso many of us brothers havebeen called! Yet, in the sufferingsfor godliness we have not beendefeated. 21 For holy knowledge,O tyrant, is unconquerable. 22 Ialso, equipped with nobility, will

die with my brothers, 23 and Imyself will bring a great avengerupon you, you inventor oftortures and enemy of thosewho are truly devout. 24 Six ofus, though just young men, havedestroyed your tyranny. 25 Sinceyou have not been able topersuade us to change our mindor to force us to eat uncleanfoods, is not this your downfall?26 Your fre is cold to us, andyour catapults painless, andyour violence powerless. 27 For itis not the guards of the tyrantbut those of the divine law thathave been set over us; therefore,unconquered, we hold fast toreason.

The Torture of the Seventh Brother12 When he too had died a

blessed death, having been castinto the caldron, the seventh andyoungest of all came forward.2 Moved with pity toward him,in spite of the fact that he hadbeen vehemently reproached byhis brothers, the tyrant invitedhim to come closer and venturedto persuade him, saying, 3 Yousee the result of your brotherssenselessness, for because oftheir disobedience they died atorturous death. 4 You too, if youdo not obey, will be miserablytortured and meet a prematuredeath, 5 but if you obey you will


be my friend and will be givencharge over my affairs of state.6 When he had thus urged him,he sent for the boys mother sothat he might show pity to herover the loss of so many sonsand further to encourage thesole surviving son to submit tothe obedience that would savehim. 7 But when his mother hadexhorted him in the Hebrewtongue, as we shall relateshortly, 8 he said, Let me loose;let me speak to the king and toall his friends that are withhim. 9 Extremely pleased by theboys declaration, they freedhim at once. 10 Running to thenearest of the frying pans, 11 hesaid, You profane tyrant, mostungodly of all the wicked, sinceyou have received good thingsand also your kingdom fromGod, were you not ashamed tomurder his servants and tortureon the wheel those who practiceholiness? 12 In return for this,justice will hold in store for youa more ferce and abiding fre aswell as tortures, that, for thewhole time, will not let you go.13 As a man, were you notashamed to cut out the tonguesof men who have feelings likeyours and are made of the sameelements as you, and to maltreatand torture them in this way you savage beast? 14 Surely theyby dying nobly fulflled their

service to God, but you will wailbitterly for having killed withoutcause the champions of virtue.15 Then, he too, being about todie, said, 16 I will not desert thetestimony of my brothers; 17 butI call on the God of our ancestorsto be merciful to our nation.18 But you, you will be humiliatednow in life and also in death.19 After he had uttered thesethings, he fung himself into thefrying pans and thereby offeredhimself up.

Reasons Sovereignty in the Seven13 Now then, since the seven

brothers despised sufferings evenunto death, everyone mustconcede that devout reason issovereign over the passions. 2 Forif they had been slaves to theirpassions and had eaten uncleanfood, we would say that theyhad been conquered by thesepassions. 3 But, in fact, it was notso. Instead, by reason, which ispraised by God, they prevailedover their passions. 4 So then,one is not to ignore this chiefcommand of the mind, for itrules over both passions andsufferings. 5 How then can onefail to confess the rulership ofsound reason over the passionsin these men, seeing that theydid not shrink from the agoniesof fre? 6 For just as towers


jutting out over harbors holdback the threatening waves andmake it calm for those who sailinto the inner basin, 7 so theseven-towered right reason ofthe youths, by fortifying theharbor of holiness, conqueredthe tempest of the passions. 8 Forthey constituted a holy chorus ofgodliness as they encouragedone another, saying, 9 Brothers,let us die like brothers for thesake of the law; let us imitate thethree youths in Assyria whodespised the same ordeal of thefurnace. 10 Let us not be cowardlyin the demonstration of truefaith. 11 Courage, brother! saidone, and another said, Hold onnobly, 12 and another remindedthem, Remember whence youcame, and the father by whosehand Isaac would have willinglybeen sacrifced for the sake ofholiness. 13 Each one separatelyand all of them together lookingat one another with a cheerfuldemeanor, aglow with courage,said, Let us consecrate ourselvesto God with all our hearts. Hegave us our lives, and let us useour bodies as a bulwark for thelaw. 14 Let us not fear him whointends to kill us, 15 for great isthe struggle of the psyche andthe danger of a time of tormentwhich lies before all those whotransgress the commandment ofGod. 16 Therefore let us put on

the full armor of self-control,which is divine reason. 17 For ifwe so die, Abraham and Isaacand Jacob will receive us, and allof our ancestors will praise us.

18 And to each one of thebrothers as they were draggedaway, those who were left said,Do not shame us, brother, orbetray the brothers who havedied before us.

19 You are not ignorant of theaffection of family ties which thedivine and all-wise providencehas allotted through the fathersto their descendants and whichwas implanted in the mothersw o m b . 20 There each of thebrothers spent the same lengthof time and was shaped duringthe same period of time; andgrowing from the same bloodand through the same life, theywere brought to the light of day.21 When they were born after anequal time of gestation, theydrank milk from the samefountains. And brotherly-lovingsouls are nourished by beingembraced at the same breast:22 and they grow from strengthto strength by this commonnurture and daily companion-ship, as well as in the trainingimposed by our discipline in thelaw.

23 Therefore, when sympathyand brotherly affection had beenso established, the brothers were


the more sympathetic to oneanother. 24 Since they had beeneducated by the same law andtrained in the same virtues andbrought up in righteousness,they loved one another all themore. 25 A common zeal fornobility strengthened theirgoodwill toward one another,and their concord, 26 becausethey could make their brotherlylove more fervent with the aid oftheir faith. 27 But althoughnature and companionship andvirtuous habits had strengthenedthe bond of brotherhood, thosewho were left endured for thesake of holiness, while watchingtheir brothers being maltreatedand tortured to death.

14 Moreover, they encouraged

them to face the torture, so thatthey not only despised theiragonies, but also mastered theemotions of brotherly love.

2 O reason, more kingly thankings and freer than the free! 3 Osacred and harmonious concordof the seven brothers on behalfof faith! 4 Not one of the sevenyouths turned coward or shrankfrom death, 5 but all of them, asthough running on the highwayto immortality, hastened on todeath by torture. 6 Just as thehands and feet are moved inharmony with the promptings ofthe mind, so those holy youths,

as if impelled by the immortalSpirit of holiness, agreed to goto death for Her sake. 7 O, youseven most holy brothers; andharmonious! For just as theseven days of creation move inchoral dance around holiness,8 so these youths, forming achorus, encircled the sevenfoldfear of tortures and dissolved it.9 Even now, as we hear of thesufferings of these young men,we ourselves shudder. They,though, not only saw what washappening, not only heard thedirect word of threat, but alsobore the sufferings patiently, andin agonies of fre at that. 10 Whatcould be more excruciatinglypainful than this? For the powerof fre is intense and swift, and itconsumed their bodies quickly.

On the Mother of the Seven11 Do not consider it amazing

that reason had full commandover these men in their tortures,since the mind of womandespised even more diverseagonies, 12 for the mother of theseven young men enduredunder the torments of each oneof her children.

13 Observe how complex is amothers love for her children,which draws everything towardan emotion felt in her inmostparts. 14 For even unreasoning


animals have an affection andlove for their offspring as well ashumans. 15 For example, amongbirds, the ones that are tameprotect their young by buildingon the housetops, 16 and others,by building on mountain peaksand in clefts of rocks and in theholes or tops of trees, hatch theirnestlings and ward off theintruder. 17 If they are not ableto keep the intruder away, theydo what they can to help theiryoung by fying in circles aroundthem in the anguish of love,warning them with their owncalls. 18 And why is it necessaryto demonstrate sympathy forchildren by the example ofunreasoning animals, 19 sinceeven bees at the time for makinghoneycombs defend themselvesagainst intruders and, as thoughwith an iron dart, sting thosewho approach their hive anddefend it even to the death?20 But sympathy for her childrendid not sway the mother of theyoung men; she was of the samemind as Abraham.

15 O reason that was thetyrant over the passions for hersons! O holiness indeed, it wasmore desirable to the mothereven than her children! 2 Twocourses of possibility were opento this mother, that of holiness,and that of preserving her seven

sons for a time, as the tyrant hadpromised. 3 She loved holinessmore, the holiness that preservesthem for the age of life accordingto Gods word. 4 How can Ipossibly express the deep love ofparents for their children? Onthe tender nature of the child weimpress a wonderful likeness ofboth shape and psyche, and thisis especially so with motherswho are more affectionate intheir own feelings toward theirchildren than are fathers. 5 For,as much as mothers are theweaker vessel and give birth tomany, so much more do theylove their children. 6 The motherof the seven boys, more thanany other mother, loved herchildren. In seven pregnanciesshe had implanted in herselftender love toward them, 7 andbecause of the many pains shesuffered with each of them shehad sympathy for them; 8 yetbecause of the fear of God shedisdained the temporal safety ofher children. 9 Not only so, butalso because of the nobility ofher children and their eagerobedience to the law, she felt agreater tenderness toward them.10 For they were righteous andself-controlled and brave andvery generous, and loved theirbrothers and their mother, sothat they obeyed her even todeath in keeping the law.


11 Nevertheless, even though somany factors infuenced themother to suffer with them outof love for her children, in thecase of none of them were thevarious tortures strong enoughto pervert her reason. 12 Buteach child separately and all ofthem together the mother urgedon to death for holiness' sake.13 O sacred nature and affectionof parental love, yearning ofparents toward children, nurtureand indomitable suffering bymothers! 14 This mother, whosaw them tortured and burnedone by one, because of holinessdid not change her attitude.15 She watched the fesh of herchildren being melt away in thefre; she saw their fngers andtoes scattered on the ground,and the fesh of their heads rightdown to the cheeks laid outbefore her like masks.

16 O mother, tried now bymore bitter pains than even thebirth pangs you suffered forthem! 17 O woman, who alonegave birth to such completedevotion! 18 When the frstbornbreathed his last, it did not turnyou aside, nor when the secondin his torments looked at youpiteously nor when the thirdexpired; 19 nor did you weepwhen you looked at the eyes ofeach one in his tortures gazingboldly at the same agonies, and

saw in their nostrils the signs ofthe approach of death. 20 Whenyou saw the fesh of childrenburned upon the fesh of otherchildren, severed hands uponhands, scalped heads uponheads, and corpses fallen onother corpses, and when yousaw the place flled with manyspectators of the torturings, youdid not shed tears. 21 Neither themelodies of sirens14 nor thesongs of swans attract theattention of their hearers as didthe voices of the children intorture calling to their mother.22 How great and how manifoldwere the torments the motherthen suffered as her sons weretortured on the wheel and withthe hot irons! 23 But devoutreason, giving her heart a manscourage in the very midst of herpassions, strengthened her totranscend the affections of amother's love for a time.

24 Although she witnessed thedestruction and the endlesslyvaried torments of her sevenchildren, this mother of a noblecharacter disregarded all thesebecause of faith in God. 25 For

14 Sirens were 'mythical' women, sometimes daemons, who would lure sailers to wreck their ships on the rocksor to cast themselves into the sea by their inducing songs. See Oxford American Dictionary, art. Sirens; Encyclo-pedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 1445 Ulyseesand the Sirens (6522).


in the council chamber of herown heart, as it were, shewitnessed mighty advocatesnature, family, parental love, andthe torments of her children26 this mother held two ballots,one bearing death and the otherdeliverance for her children.27 She did not choose the deliver-ance that would preserve herseven sons for a short time,28 but as a true daughter ofAbraham, God-fearing, sheremembered his fortitude.

29 O mother of the nation, youare a vindicator of the law and achampion of holiness! Youcarried away the prize of thecontest in your heart! 30 You aremore noble than men in stead-fastness, and more courageousthan heroes in endurance! 31 Justas Noahs ark, carrying theworld in the universal food,stoutly endured the waves, 32 soyou, O guardian of the law,overwhelmed from every side bythe food of your emotions andthe violent winds, the torture ofyour sons, endured nobly andwithstood the wintry storms thatassail holiness.

16 If then, a woman, and an

elderly woman at that, enduredseeing her children tortured todeath, it must be admitted thatdevout reason is sovereign overthe passions. 2 Therefore, I have

demonstrated that not only menhave ruled over the passions, butalso that a woman has despisedthe fercest tortures. 3 The lionssurrounding Daniel were not sosavage, nor was the raging feryfurnace of Mishael so intenselyhot, as was the natural motherlylove that burned within her asshe saw her seven sons soindiscriminately tortured. 4 But,by holy reason, the motherquenched so many and suchgreat passions.

5 Consider this also: If thiswoman, being a mother, hadbeen fainthearted, she wouldhave mourned over them andperhaps spoken as follows: 6 Ohow wretched am I and manytimes unhappy! After bearingseven children, I am now themother of none! 7 How vainwere these seven pregnancies,how futile these seven timesbeing ten months15 with child,how fruitless the nurturing andwretched the nursing! 8 In vain,my sons, I endured these manybirth pangs for you, and themore grievous strains of rearingyou. 9 Alas for my children, some

15 A note occurring at this point in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha translation reads, 'Ten months' is a literal rendering of the Gk. dekamnoi, a common expression in antiquity for the period of gestation, although the correct number of months was known well enough.


unmarried, others married andwithout offspring. I shall not seeyour children or have the joy ofbeing called grandmother. 10 Woeis me, for I had many handsomesons, but am now bereft and allalone with my many sorrows!11 And when I die, I shall havenone of my sons to bury me.

12 But instead that holy andGod-fearing mother did not wailwith such a lament for any ofthem, nor did she dissuade anyof them from dying, nor did shegrieve as they were dying. 13 Onthe contrary, as though she hada mind like adamant and weregiving rebirth into immortalityto the whole number of hersons, she implored them andurged them on to death for thesake of holiness. 14 O mother,soldier of God in the cause ofholiness, elder and woman! Bysuch bold steadfastness you haveconquered even a tyrant, and inword and deed you have provenyourself stronger than a man.15 For when you were seized,along with your sons, you stood,and watching Eleazar beingtortured, and said to your sonsin the Hebrew language, 16 Mysons, noble is the contest towhich you are called in order tobear witness for our people. Fightzealously for our ancestral law.17 For it would be shameful if,while an aged man endures such

agonies for the sake of holiness,you young men were to beterrifed by tortures. 18 Rememberthat it is through God that youhave had a share in the worldand have enjoyed life, 19 andtherefore you ought to endureany suffering for the sake ofGo d . 20 For his sake also ourfather Abraham was zealous tosacrifce his son Isaac, theancestor of our nation; andwhen Isaac saw his fathers handwielding a knife and descendingupon him, he did not cower.21 Daniel also, the righteous, wasthrown to the lions; Hananiah,Azariah, and Mishael were castinto the fery furnace and allendured it for the sake of God.22 You too must have the samefaith in God and not be grieved.23 For it would be unreasonablefor you who have knowledge ofholiness not to withstand pain.

24 By these words the motherof the seven encouraged andpersuaded each of her sons todie rather than violate Godscommandment. 25 They knewalso that those who die for thesake of God will live to God, aswill Abraham and Isaac andJacob and all the patriarchs.


17 Some of the guards saidthat when she also was about tobe seized and put to death shethrew herself into the fames sothat no one might touch herbody.

2 O mother, who with yourseven sons nullifed the violenceof the tyrant, frustrated his evildesigns, and showed the courageof your faith! 3 Nobly set like aroof on the pillars of your sons,you held frm and unswervingagainst the earthquake of thetortures. 4 Be bold, therefore, Oholy-minded mother, frmlymaintaining an enduring hopein God. 5 The moon in heaven,with the stars, are established,but not so majestic as you, who,being as a light to your sevenstar-like sons, guided them toholiness and are frmly set andestablished with them beforeGod in heaven. 6 For yourchildren were true children ofAbraham, our father.

The Effect of the Martyrdoms7 If it were possible for us to

paint the history of our faith asan artist might, would not thosewho frst behold it shudder asthey see the mother of the sevenchildren enduring their variedtortures to death for the sake ofholiness? 8 Indeed it would be

proper to inscribe on their tombthese words as a reminder to thepeople of our nation:

9 Here lie buried an agedpriest and an aged woman and

seven sons, because of theviolence of the tyrant who

wished to destroy the way of lifeof the Hebrews.

10 They vindicated theirnation, looking to God and

enduring torture even todeath.

11 Truly the contest in whichthey were engaged was divine,12 for on that day virtue gave theawards and tested them for theirendurance. The prize for victorywas incorruption in endless life.13 Eleazar was the frst to enterthe contest, the mother of theseven sons entered the compe-tition as well, and the brothersalso contended. 14 The tyrantwas the antagonist, and theworld and the human race werethe spectators. 15 Godliness wasvictor and gave the crown to itsown champions. 16 Who did notadmire the champions of thedivine law? Who were notamazed?

17 The tyrant himself and hiswhole council were astonishedat their endurance, 18 on accountof which they will stand beforethe divine throne and live the


life of the age of blessing.16 19 ForMoses says, All the holy onesare under your hands. 20 These,then, having consecrated them-selves for the sake of God, arehonored, not only with thishonor, but also by the fact thatbecause of them our enemiesdid not triumph over our nation,21 the tyrant was punished, andthe homeland purifed since theybecame, as it were, a ransom forthe sin of our nation. 22 Andthrough the blood of theserighteous ones and through theatoning sacrifce of their death,divine providence preservedIsrael, which had been shame-fully treated.

23 For the tyrant Antiochus,when he saw the courage oftheir virtue and their enduranceunder the tortures, proclaimedtheir endurance to be a modelfor his soldiers, 24 and this madethem brave and courageous forinfantry battle and siege, and heravaged and conquered all hisenemies.

16 Other manuscripts read, now stand before the divine throne... That said, the manuscript traditions here followed are less subject to interpretations that set this verse at odds with the view of death and resurrection presented not only in the other books of the Maccabees, but alsowithin 4 Maccabees itself (see 18:17-19).

18 O offspring of the seed ofAbraham, children of Israel,obey this law and exerciseholiness in every way, 2 knowingthat devout reason is indeedmaster of all passions, not onlyof sufferings from within, butalso of those from without.

3 Therefore those who gaveover their bodies in suffering forthe sake of holiness were notonly admired by mortals, butalso were deemed worthy toshare in a divine inheritance.4 Because of them the nationgained peace, and by revivingobservance of the law in thehomeland they ravaged theenemy. 5 The tyrant Antiochuswas humiliated in the land andin death was prevented, forwhen he was unable to compelthe people of Jerusalem to adopta pagan way of life and toforsake their ancestral customs,he left Jerusalem and marchedaway against the Persians.

The Mothers Address to HerChildren

6 The mother of seven sonsalso spoke these righteous wordsto her children: 7 I was a purevirgin and did not go outside myfathers house; but I guarded therib from which woman wasmade. 8 No seducer corruptedme on a desert plain, nor did the


destroyer, the deceitful serpent,defle the purity of my virginity.9 In the time of my maturity Iremained with my husband, andwhen these sons had grown uptheir father died. A happy manwas he, who lived out his lifewith good children, and did nothave the grief of bereavement.10 While he was still with you, hetaught you the law and theprophets. 11 He read to youabout Abel slain by Cain, andIsaac who was offered as a burntoffering, and about Joseph inprison. 12 He told you of the zealof Phinehas, and he taught youabout Hananiah, Azariah, andMishael in the fre. 13 He sangthe praises of Daniel in the denof the lions and blessed him.14 He reminded you of thescripture of Isaiah, which says,Even though you go throughthe fre, the fame shall notconsume you. 15 He sang to youthe psalm of David which says,Many are the affictions of therighteous. 16 He told youSolomons proverb, She is a

tree of life for those who do Herwill. 17 He affrmed the query ofEzekiel, Shall these dry boneslive? 18 For he did not forget toteach you the song that Mosestaught, which says, 19 I kill and Imake alive: this is your life andthe blessed-ness of your days.

20 O bitter was that day, andyet not bitter, when that savagetyrant of the Greeks quenchedfre with fre in his cruel caldrons,and in his burning rage broughtthose seven sons of the daughterof Abraham to the catapult andback again to more tortures,21 pierced the pupils of their eyesand cut out their tongues, andput them to death with all kindsof tortures. 22 For these crimesthe divine justice has pursuedand will pursue the one whomerits vengeance. 23 But the sonsof Abraham, along with theirvictorious mother, are gatheredtogether unto the place of theirfathers, having obtained pureand victorious minds from God,24 to whom be glory throughoutall the ages. Amen.

4 Maccabees - A Comparative Translation

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Transcript of 4 Maccabees - A Comparative Translation