• “Decline And Fall Of Judah From The Time Of Josiah.
• Overthrow Of Jerusalem And The Babylonian Exile.
• The Return Under Ezra --
• Reorganization Of The Jewish State.
• Persian Kings Rebuild The Temple.
• Ezra's War On Mixed Marriages.” Sadler
  
  

¹⁷Then began the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine; ¹⁸And he said thus, O ye men, how exceeding strong is wine! it causeth all men to err that drink it: ¹⁹It maketh the mind of the king and of the fatherless child to be all one; of the bondman and of the freeman, of the poor man and of the rich: ²⁰It turneth also every thought into jollity and mirth, so that a man remembereth neither sorrow nor debt: ²¹And it maketh every heart rich, so that a man remembereth neither king nor governor; and it maketh to speak all things by talents: ²²And when they are in their cups, they forget their love both to friends and brethren, and a little after draw out swords: ²³But when they are from the wine, they remember not what they have done. ²⁴O ye men, is not wine the strongest, that enforceth to do thus? And when he had so spoken, he held his peace.

²O Ye men, do not men excel in strength that bear rule over sea and land and all things in them? ³But yet the king is more mighty: for he is lord of all these things, and hath dominion over them; and whatsoever he commandeth them they do. ⁴If he bid them make war the one against the other, they do it: if he send them out against the enemies, they go, and break down mountains walls and towers. ⁵They slay and are slain, and transgress not the king’s commandment: if they get the victory, they bring all to the king, as well the spoil, as all things else. ⁶Likewise for those that are no soldiers, and have not to do with wars, but use husbandry, when they have reaped again that which they had sown, they bring it to the king, and compel one another to pay tribute unto the king. ⁷And yet he is but one man: if he command to kill, they kill; if he command to spare, they spare; ⁸If he command to smite, they smite; if he command to make desolate, desolate, they make desolate; if he command to build, they build; ⁹If he command to cut down, they cut down; if he command to plant, they plant. ¹⁰So all his people and his armies obey him: furthermore he lieth down, he eateth and drinketh, and taketh his rest: ¹¹And these keep watch round about him, neither may any one depart, and do his own business, neither disobey they him in any thing.”

Women - When A Man ♪ Loves a Woman ♪...(Ask Percy Sledge, This Man Knows!) [12]

Esther, Additions

Esther, the Last Book in the Canonical Door [22]

Esther is not the last book in regards to chronology; it is the last book in the door canonically in regards to credibility. The fact that neither God, nor Moses, nor any Jewish customs are even mentioned, had always made the Hebrew version of Esther somewhat suspect to the Jews.

Additions to Esther - A Through F [23]

“Has to do with Esther at the court of Artaxerxes and Mardocheus' dream. Discussion of Mordecai's dream. The king's edict in favor of the Jews.” Sadler

Addition A - Mordecai's Dream (Esther, Additions)

Addition B - Haman's Letter (Esther, Additions)

Addition C - Prayers of Mordecai and Esther (Esther, Additions)

Addition D - Esther Before the King (Esther, Additions)

Addition E - The King's 2nd Decree (Esther, Additions)

Addition F - Return to Mordecai's Dream (Esther, Additions)

Wisdom of Solomon

The Wisdom of Solomon [39]

1. “Contrasts the righteous and the ungodly.
2. The rewards of pleasure and salvation.
3. The attainments of wisdom--the gift of God.
4. Heroes of wisdom from Adam to Moses--contrasted with the wicked.
5. Israelites contrasted with Egyptians.” Sadler

Wisdom of Solomon In Romans 1 [40]

“One example is in Paul’s discussion of a humanity without excuse in Romans 1:18–32. This passage is, as many commentators have recognized, very similar to Wisdom of Solomon 13:1–19 and 14:22–31.” Law, When, Loc 1,690

Wisdom of Solomon and the Prologue of John [41]

“It has long been pointed out that the famous Prologue of the Gospel of John (John 1:1–18), in the discourse about the divine Logos, shares many similarities with if not outright dependence on the Wisdom of Solomon.” Law, When, Loc 1,673

God the Father of the Righteous [42]

"He [the righteous man] even boasts that God is his Father. ¹⁷ Let’s see if his words are true. Let’s put him to the extreme test and see what happens. ¹⁸ If this man who does the right thing is indeed God’s son, then God will assist him. God will rescue him from the hand of those who oppress him." Wisdom 2:16-18 (CEB)

The Devil Introducing Death Into the World [43]

Wisdom 2:23-24 (CEB) "²³ God created humans to live forever. He made them as a perfect representation of his own unique identity. ²⁴ Death entered the universe only through the devil’s envy. Those who belong to the devil’s party experience death."

The Unrighteous Leave No Trace … [44]

Wisdom 5:10-13 (CEB) “¹⁰ They’re gone like a ship passing through a storm-tossed sea: once it has passed, it leaves no trace of its passing; its keel leaves no lasting mark on the waves. ¹¹ That’s all disappeared in the way a bird flies through the air and leaves no hint of its path: it beats its wings against the thin air, dives with a rush, uses its wings to circle round—yet afterward there’s no sign in the air that the bird was ever there. ¹² It’s all vanished like an arrow that’s shot at its target: the air opens up as the arrow flies through it but immediately closes up behind the arrow, and no one can detect any trace of the arrow’s path. ¹³ That’s us! We came into being, and almost immediately afterward, we died. We leave behind no evidence of virtue. We squandered what we had in bad living.”

But the Righteous Inherit Eternal Life [45]

Wisdom 5:15-16(CEB) “¹⁵ In contrast, those who do the right thing live forever. Their reward comes from the Lord. The Most High takes care of them. ¹⁶ For this reason, they will receive a lovely palace and a beautiful royal crown from the Lord himself. With his right hand he shelters them and with his right arm he protects them."

What Happened to the Giants? [46]

Wisdom 14:6 (CEB) "⁶ Near the beginning, at a time when proud giants were being destroyed, the hope of the world escaped on just such a raft. This was how the genetic character of a new generation survived for the world to come. They were steered the whole way by your hand.”

The Process of Idolatry [47]

Wisdom 14:15-16 (CEB)"¹⁵ Imagine a father overcome with grief at the untimely death of his child. In his grief, he makes an image of the child. The person who was once a corpse he now honors as a god. He passes it on to those under his authority, along with certain mysteries and special ceremonies. ¹⁶ As time goes by, his godless custom becomes tradition. Eventually, his custom becomes law, and rulers order the people to worship these carved images."

Wisdom Of Sirach

“Ecclesiasticus / Wisdom of Sirach [48]

One of the best of the Old Testament Apocrypha--compares with Proverbs and Ecclesiastics.

• Resignation and humility.
• How to get wisdom.
• Kindness and self-control.
• The wise and the foolish.
• Sins of the rich.
• Training children.
• Dreams and travel.
• Higher education.
• Despite misery, poverty is best.
• Fathers worry about daughters.
• Olden fathers from Adam to Nehemiah.
• Denunciation of the gentiles.
• Giving thanks to the Lord.
• Good and bad wives.
• Table manners.
• Mourning.
• Doxology.” Sadler

Potpourri of Proverbs [49]

• Sirach 4:27 “Make not thyself an underling to a foolish man; neither accept the person of the mighty.”
• Sirach 5:4 “Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go.”
• Sirach 6:35 “Be willing to hear every godly discourse; and let not the parables of understanding escape thee.”
• Sirach 8:7 "Do not gloat over anyone's death; remember that we all have to die.”
• Sirach 10:1“Pride was not created for human beings, nor furious rage for those born of woman.”
• Sirach 12:13-14 “¹³Who feels sorry for a snake-charmer bitten by a snake, or for those who take risks with savage animals? -¹⁴ just so for one who consorts with a sinner, and becomes an accomplice in his sins.“
• Sirach 16:3 “Do not count on their having long life [your children], do not put too much faith in their number; for better have one than a thousand, better die childless than have children who are godless.”
• Sirach 19:10-11 “¹⁰ Have you heard gossip? Let it die with you. Courage! It will not burst you! ¹¹ A fool will suffer birthpangs over a piece of gossip, like a woman labouring with child.”
• Sirach 20:4  “Like a eunuch trying to take a girl's virginity is someone who tries to impose justice by force.”
• Sirach 23:18-19 "¹⁸ and the man who sins against the marriage bed and says to himself, 'Who can “see me? There is darkness all round me, the walls hide me, no one can see me, why should I worry? The Most High will not remember my sins.' ¹⁹ What he fears are human eyes, he does not realize that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, observing every aspect of human behavior, seeing into the most secret corners.”
• Sirach 20:4 “Like the climbing of a sandhill for an old man, such is a quarrelsome wife for a quiet husband.”
• Sirach 26:10-12 “¹⁰ Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control, or, feeling free, she will take advantage of it. ¹¹ Keep a strict watch on her shameless eye, do not be surprised if she disgraces you. ¹² Like a thirsty traveler she will open her mouth and drink any water she comes across; she will sit down in front of every tent-peg and open her quiver to any arrow.”
  

Baruch

BARUCH - Secretary to Jeremiah [50]

1. “Repentance of Jews after destruction of Jerusalem.
2. Praise of wisdom.
3. Promise of return from Babylonian exile.” Sadler

Judgment, Repentance, Restoration [51]

• Baruch 2:7 “For all these plagues are come upon us, which the Lord hath pronounced against us.”
• Baruch 2:14 “Hear our prayers, O Lord, and our petitions, and deliver us for thine own sake, and give us favor in the sight of them which have led us away.”
• Baruch 4:36 “O Jerusalem, look about thee toward the east, and behold the joy that cometh unto thee from God.”

 

Echoed In New Testament [52]

Baruch 2:23  ”I will cause to cease out of the cites of Judah, and from without Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: and the whole land shall be desolate of inhabitants.”

The Giants Again [53]

Baruch 3:26-28 “²⁶ There were the giants famous from the beginning, that were of so great stature, and so expert in war.  ²⁷ Those did not the Lord choose, neither gave he the way of knowledge unto them:  ²⁸ But they were destroyed, because they had no wisdom, and perished through their own foolishness.”

 

Sacrificing to Devils [54]

Baruch 4:6 “Ye were sold to the nations, not for destruction: but because ye moved God to wrath, ye were delivered unto the enemies. 7For ye provoked him that made you by sacrificing unto devils, and not to God….  35For fire shall come upon her [Babylon] from the Everlasting, long to endure; and she shall be inhabited of devils for a great time.”

“No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!” I Cor 10:20

Epistle Of Jeremiah

The Epistle of Jeremy.Jeremiah [55]

“A sarcastic denunciation of the folly of idolatry.” Sadler (Only one chapter long, another goody.)

Priests Steal Gold from their Idols to Spend On Hookers [56]

Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:10-11 “¹⁰Sometimes also the priests convey from their gods gold and silver, and bestow it upon themselves. ¹¹ Yea, they will give thereof to the common harlots”

The Helplessness of Heathen Idols - They Have to Have Routine Maintenance [57]

• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:12 “Yet cannot these gods save themselves from rust and moth, though they be covered with purple raiment.”
• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:13 "They [the priests] wipe their faces because of the dust of the temple, when there is much upon them.”

The Helplessness of Heathen Idols - Hold Symbols of Power But Are Powerless [58]

• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:14 “And he that cannot put to death one that offendeth him holdeth a scepter, as though he were a judge of the country.”
• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:15 “He hath also in his right hand a dagger and an axe: but cannot deliver himself from war and thieves.”

The Helplessness of Heathen Idols - Cannot Protect Themselves From Thieves or See Candles Lit for Them [59]

• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:18 “[T]he priests make fast their temples with doors, with locks, and bars, lest their gods be spoiled with robbers.”
• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:19 “They light them [the idols] candles, yea, more than for themselves, whereof they cannot see one.”

The Helplessness of Heathen Idols - Scarecrows That Are Homes to Birds, Bats, and Cats [60]

• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:22 “Upon their bodies and heads sit bats, swallows, and birds, and the cats also. 23 By this ye may know that they are no gods: therefore fear them not.”
• Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:70 ”For as a scarecrow in a garden of cucumbers keepeth nothing: so are their gods of wood, and laid over with silver and gold.”

TThe Uselessness of Heathen Idols [61]

Epistle Of Jeremiah 1:59 “Therefore it is better to be a king that sheweth his power, or else a profitable vessel in an house, which the owner shall have use of, than such false gods; or to be a door in an house, to keep such things therein, than such false gods. or a pillar of wood in a palace, than such false gods.”

Survey of the Deuterocanon

Nov 21, 2024 02:53

Daniel, Additions

Additions To Daniel [62]

1. Susanna
2. Bel and the Dragon
3. The Song of the Three Holy Children / Prayer of Azariah

Susanna Summarized (Addition to Daniel)

Susanna [63]

• “Susanna, wife of wealthy Jewish exile, repulses advances of two Jewish elders.
• They accuse her of adultery and she is condemned to death.
• Daniel convicted the elders of false testimony--she was vindicated and they were executed.” Sadler
  
  

The Two Elders Separately Give In to Lust for Susanna [64]

Daniel 1:6-9 "⁶These kept much at Joacim's house: and all that had any suits in law came unto them.  ⁷Now when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband's garden to walk.  ⁸And the two elders saw her going in every day, and walking; so that their lust was inflamed toward her.  ⁹And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments." 

They Discover They Share the Same Lust for Susanna [65]

Daniel 1:14-15 "¹⁴ [T]hey parted the one from the other, and turning back again they came to the same place; and after that they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust: then appointed they a time both together, when they might find her alone.  ¹⁵ And it fell out, as they watched a fit time, she went in as before with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the garden: for it was hot." 

Their Extortion Scheme [66]

Daniel 1:19-21 "¹⁹ Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders rose up, and ran unto her, saying, ²⁰ Behold, the garden doors are shut, that no man can see us, and we are in love with thee; therefore consent unto us, and lie with us.  ²¹ If thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee: and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee." 

Susana’s Response, I Will Not Sin Against the Lord [67]

Daniel 1:23 "²³ It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord."

Susanna Is Condemned and Cries Out to God [68]

Daniel 1:41-43 "⁴¹Then the assembly believed them as those that were the elders and judges of the people: so they condemned her to death.  ⁴²Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be:  ⁴³ Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, and, behold, I must die; whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me."

God Sends a Youth Named Daniel as Her Defense Attorney in Answer to Her Prayer [69]

Daniel 1:51-56 "⁵¹Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them…⁵²So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them …⁵⁴ Now then, if thou hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest thou them companying together? Who answered, Under a mastick tree. …⁵⁶So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, …Under what tree didst thou take them companying together? Who answered, Under an holm tree."

And Everybody Except the Beheaded Guys Lived Happily Ever After [70]

Daniel 1:62 " And according to the law of Moses they did unto them in such sort as they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour: and they put them to death. Thus the innocent blood was saved the same day."

The Prayer of Azariah & Song of the Three Holy Children

Song of the Three Holy Children (The Prayer of Azariah) [71]

These are additions to the story of the 3 Hebrew youth thrown into the furnace for refusing to bow to the golden idol. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants who use the Deuterocannon add it to their Old Testaments in 3 different ways. I have used the OSB scheme.

Azariah Prays - Daniel 3:26-45 [72]

Daniel 3: 42-43 (small excerpt) "⁴² Do not put us to shame, but deal with us according to Your kindness and according to the abundance of Your mercy. ⁴³ Deliver us by Your wondrous works and give glory to Your Name, O Lord."

The Furnace Is Stoked Further, But the Angel of the Lord Cools It Down [73]

Daniel 3:46-50 "⁴⁶And the king's servants, that put them in, ceased not to make the oven hot with rosin, pitch, tow, and small wood;  ⁴⁷So that the flame streamed forth above the furnace forty and nine cubits… ⁴⁹But the angel of the Lord came down into the oven together with Azarias and his fellows, and smote the flame of the fire out of the oven;  ⁵⁰ And made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling wind, so that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them."

An Excerpt from the Song of the Three Holy Children [74]

"34 O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever, 
35 O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
36 O ye angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
37 O all ye waters that be above the heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
38 O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
39 O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
40 O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
41 O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
42 O all ye winds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever, 
43 O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
44 O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
45 O ye dews and storms of snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
46 O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord: bless and exalt him above all for ever. 
47 O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
48 O ye ice and cold, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
49 O ye frost and snow, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
50 O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
51 O let the earth bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
52 O ye mountains and little hills, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
53 O all ye things that grow in the earth, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
54 O ye mountains, bless ye the Lord: Praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
55 O ye seas and rivers, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
56 O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
57 O all ye fowls of the air, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
58 O all ye beasts and cattle, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
59 O ye children of men, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever. 
60 O Israel, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever."

Bel (Baal) and The Dragon (Addition to Daniel)

Bel (Baal) and The Dragon [75]

• "Daniel traps the priests of Bel by ashes on temple floor--showing they ate the food, not Bel.
• Daniel poisons the Dragon and is cast into the lion's den.
• Habakkuk was flown from Judea by angels to bring him his dinner.
• Eventually Daniel was delivered.”

Sadler

Daniel Tells Cyrus that Bel (Baal) is a Lifeless Idol [76]

Daniel 12: 4 "⁴ And the king [Cyrus] said unto him [Daniel], Why dost not thou worship Bel?  ⁵ Who answered and said, Because I may not worship idols made with hands, but the living God, who hath created the heaven and the earth, and hath sovereignty over all flesh.  ⁶ Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day?  ⁷ Then Daniel smiled, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, and did never eat or drink any thing."

Bel’s Priests Assure the King Bel Eats the Food on the Altar [77]

Daniel 12:11- 13 "¹¹So Bel's priests said, Lo, we go out: but thou, O king, set on the meat, and make ready the wine, and shut the door fast and seal it with thine own signet;  ¹² And to morrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that Bel hath eaten up all, we will suffer death: or else Daniel, that speaketh falsely against us.  ¹³ And they little regarded it: for under the table they had made a privy entrance, whereby they entered in continually, and consumed those things."

Daniel Spreads Ashes on the Floor After the Priests Leave [78]

Daniel 12:14 "¹⁴ So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the temple in the presence of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king's signet, and so departed."

Priests of Bel Exposed the Next Morning– Another Group Bites the Dust [79]

Daniel 12:19- 22 "¹⁹ Behold now the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps are these.  ²⁰ And the king said, I see the footsteps of men, women, and children. And then the king was angry, ²¹ And took the priests with their wives and children, who shewed him the privy doors, where they came in, and consumed such things as were upon the table.  ²²Therefore the king slew them, and delivered Bel into Daniel's power, who destroyed him and his temple."

Daniel Poisons the Dragon [80]

Daniel 1:23-27 "²³ And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped. ²⁴And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he eateth and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.  ²⁵Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.  ²⁶But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.  ²⁷Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder: and Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship."

God Delivers Dinner to Daniel in the Lion’s Den [81]

Daniel 12:24-39 "³⁴But the angel of the Lord said unto Habbacuc, Go, carry the dinner that thou hast into Babylon unto Daniel, who is in the lions' den. … ³⁶Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head, and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den. ³⁷And Habbacuc cried, saying, O Daniel, Daniel, take the dinner which God hath sent thee. ³⁸And Daniel said, Thou hast remembered me, O God: neither hast thou forsaken them that seek thee and love thee. ³⁹So Daniel arose, and did eat: and the angel of the Lord set Habbacuc in his own place again immediately."

Daniel Saved, His Persecutors Destroyed [82]

Daniel 12:40-42 "⁴⁰Upon the seventh day the king went to bewail Daniel: and when he came to the den, he looked in, and behold, Daniel was sitting.  ⁴¹Then cried the king with a loud voice, saying, Great art Lord God of Daniel, and there is none other beside thee. ⁴²And he drew him out, and cast those that were the cause of his destruction into the den: and they were devoured in a moment before his face."

The Prayer of Manasseh

The Prayer of Manasseh [83]

“A penitential psalm composed to go along with 2 Chron. 33:11-13.” Sadler

The OSB appends it to the end of II Chronicles.

Confession [84]

II Chronicles 37:8-9 "You have appointed repentance for me, a sinner, because I have sinned more than the number of the sands on the seashore. My lawlessness, O Lord, is multiplied.."

Confidence in God's Mercy [85]

II Chronicles 37: 13- 14 "I ask and beg you: forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and do not destroy me because of my lawlessness; neither reserve evils for me, nor be wrathful forever; nor condemn me to the lowest parts of the earth; for You are the Lord God of those who repent. And in me, though I am unworthy, You will show Your goodness, and will save me according to Your great mercy."

I Maccabees

I Maccabees [86]

“First and Second Maccabees present reliable history. The Maccabees are in reality the Hasmonaean family. They won independence for the Jews from 166 to 63 BC. The Feast of Tabernacles.” Sadler

Chapter 1 (I Maccabees)

1. 325 BC Alexander conquers the world.
2. Renegade Jews encourage mingling with Grecian conquerors; a gymnasium is even built in Jerusalem.
3. 175 BC Antiochus Epiphanes plunders the temple.
4. The pagans turn Jerusalem into a mighty Grecian fortress.
5. 167 BC From his capital, Antiochus decrees his subject should adopt Grecian customs and abandon their own.
6. Abomination of desolation is set up, altars to idols erected throughout city
7. Jews who hold to the Law of Moses are killed

Chapter 2 (I Maccabees)

1. Matthias kills both a Jew sacrificing to an idol and the king’s officer in charge of that sacrifice.
2. Jewish rebels who have fled to the wilderness are slaughtered because they refuse to fight on the Sabbath.
3. Matthias vows that won’t happen again.
4. Matthias’s army roams the land, tearing down altars and circumcising children.
5. 166 BC Matthias dies and his son Judas Maccabeus (the Hammer) takes control of the rebel Jewish force
   

Chapter 3 (I Maccabees)

1. Judas defeats Apollonius’s army, kills him, and takes and uses Apollonius’s sword for the rest of his life.
2. Judas then defeats Seron, the Syrian prince.
3. Lysias, Antiochus’s viceroy, sends 40,000 infantry, and 7,000 cavalry, with elephants, into Israel.
4. Israel gathers, fasts, prays, humbles itself with sackcloth and ashes, and prepares to do battle. (They are faithful in prayer like this at every challenge.)

Chapter 4 (I Maccabees)

1. Judas defeats Gorgias’s army of 5,000. A second pagan army sees the burning tents of Gorgias’ encampment and flees in terror
2. Lysias brings 60,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry to Israel, but this army is also routed and sent fleeing.
3. 164 BC Judas chooses godly priests to restore the defiled sanctuary. They dismantle the profaned altar till a prophet can tell them what to do about it. They set up a new altar.
4. There is joyous celebration in Jerusalem which becomes memorialized as Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights. “Then the Festival of Dedication [Hanukkah] took place in Jerusalem, and it was winter. Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon's Colonnade.” John 10:22-23

Chapter 5 (I Maccabees)

1. Judas defeats a series of enemies.
2. Heathen rise up against Israelites in Galadd. The Israelites take refuge in Dathema and send to Judas for help.
3. Judas fights many battles on the way to and on the way back from rescuing the Israelites in Dathema.
4. Several other Israelite leaders seek glory in battle but end up being killed because they lacked the Lord’s blessing.

Chapter 6 (I Maccabees)

1. The Jews had become rich from plundering the weapons and wealth of their enemies. They have also torn down the abomination of desolation.
2. Sickened at heart by the news of Israel’s triumph, Antiochus dies.
3. Antiochus’s son attacks Israel with 100,00 infantry, 20,000 cavalry, and 32 battle elephants.
4. Eleazar attacks and kills the elephant he thinks Antiochus is riding.
5. Antiochus makes a peace treaty but then destroys the walls of Jerusalem.
6. Antiochus rushes home to prevent a coup.

Chapter 7 (I Maccabees)

1. After time, Decimus becomes the Greek king.
2. Alcimus becomes high priest by currying Decimus’s favor.
3. Judas realizes the new high priest is a traitor to Israel and raises up his army again.
4. Decimus sends Nicanor to crush Judas.
5. Nicanor is the first one killed in battle. His troops flee. Judas hangs his head and proud right hand on Jerusalem’s wall.

Chapter 8 (I Maccabees)

1. Liking what he hears about the Romans—that they are fierce warriors who also dislike the Greeks--Judas sends a delegation to the Roman senate and a treaty is signed.
2. Ooops...Can I get a do-over?

Chapter 9 (I Maccabees)

1. The Jews face impossible odds.
2. “⁸Let us arise and go up against our enemies…⁹But they tried to turn him back [Judas], saying, We shall never be able: let us now rather save our lives, and hereafter we will return with our brethren, and fight against them: for we are but few. ¹⁰Then Judas said, God forbid that I should do this thing, and flee away from them: if our time be come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and let us not stain our honour.”
3. 160 BC Judas, The Hammer, is killed in this battle.
4. His brother Jonathan becomes the new leader.
5. Another brother, John, is sent on a military mission and is killed by the Jambriites.
6. In revenge, Jonathan massacres a Jambriite royal wedding party.
7. Jonathan eventually wins a peace.

Chapter 10 (I Maccabees)

1. Demetrius and Alexander are at at war. Each seeks Jonathan and Israel’s help.
2. Jonathan does not trust Demetrius and lends his support to Alexander.
3. Alexander defeats Demetrius.
4. Demetrius sends Apollonius, governor of Celosyria, against Jonathan, but he is also defeated.

Chapter 11 (I Maccabees)

1. Ptolemy of Egypt allies with Demetrius against Alexander.
2. Demetrius flees into the desert and Arabian allies of Ptolemy behead him.
3. Ptolemy himself dies shortly afterwards.
4. Jonathan makes peace with Demetrius.
5. Battles and betrayals finish out the chapter.

Chapter 12 (I Maccabees)

1. Jonathan renews the treaty with the Romans.
2. Jonathan is betrayed and held hostage by Tryphon.
3. Things look very dark for Israel: “⁵³Then all the heathen that were round about then sought to destroy them: for said they, They have no captain, nor any to help them: now therefore let us make war upon them, and take away their memorial from among men.”

Chapter 13 (I Maccabees)

1. Simon, the last brother, steps up to the plate.
2. Simon pays the ransom for Jonathan, knowing full well Tryphon will keep the money and kill Jonathan.
3. 142 BC Tryphon takes the money, kills Jonathan anyway, and then withdraws to seize the throne of Asia.
4. Simon builds a monument to his parents and brothers.
5. Simon makes peace with Demetrius.
6. Simon purifies the land of idolatry.

Chapter 14 (I Maccabees)

1. Simon becomes high priest "⁴As for the land of Judea, that was quiet all the days of Simon; for he sought the good of his nation in such wise, as that evermore his authority and honour pleased them well. ⁵And as he was honourable in all his acts, so in this, that he took Joppa for an haven, and made an entrance to the isles of the sea, ⁶And enlarged the bounds of his nation, and recovered the country, ...⁸Then did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit."

Chapter 15 (I Maccabees)

1. Antiochus, son of Demetrius, woos Simon for help in overthrowing Tryphon.
2. Simon allies with Antiochus, who for some unknown reason turns against Simon and Israel.
3. Antiochus defeats Tryphon, then sends Athenobius to extort money. Simon agrees to some but not all of Antiochus’s demands.
4. Antiochus sends Cendebeus against Simon and Israel.

Chapter 16 (I Maccabees, Final Chapter)

1. Simon’s sons, John and Judas, are given control over the army of Israel.
2. 134 BC Simon and two of his sons are betrayed and killed by a political rival.
3. 134 BC John kills at least part of those responsible for the death of his father and brothers.

Historical Events that Occur After the Close of I Maccabees

1. The Pharisees and Saduccees, two groups that emerged as responses to the Hellenization of the Holy Land, fight for control over the next several decades.
2. In their struggles, they reach out for allies. The Pharisees invite Rome to get involved.
3. 63 BC "Rome "gets involved."

II Maccabees

II Maccabees [87]

Not a sequel to I Maccabees, nor a continuous narrative like Kings and Chronicles. It retells some of the events but from a very different perspective. This book contains multiple stories of Jewish martyrdom, and became the model for Christian martyrdom for the Early Church.

I have not used Chapter divisions here as in some previous books because this is a chronological narrative only in parts.

This Book Is a Summary of A Much Larger Work (II Maccabees) [88]

2:23 “All these things, I say, being declared by Jason of Cyrene in five books, we will assay to abridge in one volume.”

Antiochus Slain, Chapter 1 (II Maccabees) [89]

1:15-17 “¹⁵…they shut the temple as soon as Antiochus was come in: ¹⁶And opening a privy door of the roof, they threw stones like thunderbolts, and struck down the captain, hewed them in pieces, smote off their heads and cast them to those that were without. ¹⁷Blessed be our God in all things, who hath delivered up the ungodly.”

Prophet Jeremiah Hides the Ark, Tabernacle, and Incense Altar (II Maccabees) [90]

2:5-7 “⁵ And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door. ⁶ And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it. ⁷ Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy."

The Story of Heliodorus (II Maccabees, 3) [91]

1. The godly priest Onias is undermined by the wicked Simon, who tells the Selucid king the Jews have immeasurable wealth.
2. Much of that wealth is for the support of the poor. The people are aghast at the King’s plan to take it. The man given the job is Heliodorus
3. But when Helidorus goes to confiscate the treasure, a terrible rider appears and punishes him … “there appeared unto them an horse with a terrible rider upon him, and adorned with a very fair covering, and he ran fiercely, and smote at Heliodorus with his forefeet, and it seemed that he that sat upon the horse had complete harness of gold. ²⁶Moreover two other young men appeared before him, notable in strength, excellent in beauty, and comely in apparel, who stood by him on either side; and scourged him continually, and gave him many sore stripes. ²⁷And Heliodorus fell suddenly unto the ground, and was compassed with great darkness: but they that were with him took him up, and put him into a litter.”
4. High Priest Onias agrees to pray for Heliodorus so the king doesn’t think some treachery was done to him.
5. 3:33-34 “Now as the high priest was making an atonement, the same young men in the same clothing appeared and stood beside Heliodorus, saying, Give Onias the high priest great thanks, insomuch as for his sake the Lord hath granted thee life: And seeing that thou hast been scourged from heaven, declare unto all men the mighty power of God. And when they had spoken these words, they appeared no more.”

Jason Turns Priests Into Buff Dudes (II Maccabees) [92]

1. 4:8 “Jason the brother of Onias laboured underhand to be high priest” He offers the king a big cut from the treasury and paves the way for a Greek gymnasium in Jerusalem.

   
   

2. 4:14-15 "¹⁴That the priests had no courage to serve any more at the altar, but despising the temple, and neglecting the sacrifices, hastened to be partakers of the unlawful allowance in the place of exercise, after the game of Discus called them forth; ¹⁵Not setting by the honours of their fathers, but liking the glory of the Grecians best of all."
3. Jason sends 300 drachmas from the temple treasury to athletic games being held in honor of Hercules.
4. Menelaus out-corrupts Jason by offering the king even more bribe money and replaces Jason.
5. Menelaus, after being reproved by god-fearing former high priest Onias, has Onias murdered.
6. Menelaus hangs on to power.
7. Jason once again tries to seize power, but is defeated and driven out of Israel, where he dies unmourned among the heathen

Antiochus Epiphanes Desecrates Jerusalem and the Temple (II Maccabees) [93]

1. 5:15-16 “¹⁵[Antiochus] presumed to go into the most holy temple of all the world; Menelaus, that traitor to the laws, and to his own country, being his guide:  ¹⁶And taking the holy vessels with polluted hands, and with profane hands pulling down the things that were dedicated by other kings to the augmentation and glory and honour of the place, he gave them away.”
2. Judas Maccabeus and 9 others hide in the mountains to plan revenge

Abominations (II Maccabees, Chapter 6) [94]

1. The Temple renamed after Zeus
2. Temple prostitutes used by the Gentiles
3. Unholy sacrifices on the altar
4. People forced to eat foods sacrificed to idols
5. People forced to carry ivy in a procession for Bacchus
6. Jews secretly celebrating the Sabbath in a cave were found out and burned to death
7. Jews were not allowed to identify themselves as Jews in any way
8. 6:10 ”For there were two women brought, who had circumcised their children; whom when they had openly led round about the city, the babes hanging at their breasts, they cast them down headlong from the wall.”
9. 6:18-19 “¹⁸Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged man, and of a well favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine's flesh.  ¹⁹But he, choosing rather to die gloriously, than to live stained with such an abomination, spit it forth, and came of his own accord to the torment” Influential friends offer to secretly substitute clean flesh for swine flesh so Eleazar doesn’t have to die, but he refuses to participate in the ruse and set a bad example for youth."

Abominations (II Maccabees, Chapter 7 ) [95]

1. "¹It came to pass also, that seven brethren with their mother were taken, and compelled by the king against the law to taste swine's flesh, and were tormented with scourges and whips.  ²But one of them that spake first said thus, What wouldest thou ask or learn of us? we are ready to die, rather than to transgress the laws of our fathers.  ³Then the king, being in a rage, commanded pans and caldrons to be made hot:  ⁴Which forthwith being heated, he commanded to cut out the tongue of him that spake first, and to cut off the utmost parts of his body, the rest of his brethren and his mother looking on. ⁵Now when he was thus maimed in all his members, he commanded him being yet alive to be brought to the fire, and to be fried in the pan: and as the vapour of the pan was for a good space dispersed, they exhorted one another with the mother to die manfully,“
2. “⁷So when the first was dead after this number, they brought the second to make him a mocking stock: and when they had pulled off the skin of his head with the hair, they asked him, Wilt thou eat, before thou be punished throughout every member of thy body?  ⁸But he answered in his own language, and said, No. Wherefore he also received the next torment in order, as the former did.  ⁹And when he was at the last gasp, he said,  'Thou like a fury takest us out of this present life, but the King of the world shall raise us up, who have died for his laws, unto everlasting life.'
3. After watching her 7 sons tortured and killed, their mother testifies… “²²I cannot tell how ye came into my womb: for I neither gave you breath nor life, neither was it I that formed the members of every one of you; ²³But doubtless the Creator of the world, who formed the generation of man, and found out the beginning of all things, will also of his own mercy give you breath and life again, as ye now regard not your own selves for his laws' sake."

Judas Raises an Army (II Maccabees, Chapter 8 ) [96]

1. Judas raises an army and defeats Nicanor’s army.
2. A thousand merchants who had counted on buying Jewish slaves after the battle were sent scattering.

Antiochus Is Struck With a Loathsome Disease (II Maccabees, Chapter 9 ) [97]

9:9-10 “⁹So that the worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to all his army. ¹⁰And the man, that thought a little afore he could reach to the stars of heaven, no man could endure to carry for his intolerable stink.”

Chapter 10 Antiochus Eupator and Timotheus (II Maccabees) [98]

1. The Maccabees cleanse the temple
2. 10:10 “Now will we declare the acts of Antiochus Eupator, who was the son of this wicked man [Epiphanes]”
3. 10:29 Timotheus’s army miraculously confounded “²⁹But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared unto the enemies from heaven five comely men upon horses, with bridles of gold, and two of them led the Jews, ³⁰And took Maccabeus betwixt them, and covered him on every side weapons, and kept him safe, but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that being confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed.”

Chapter 11 (II Maccabees) [99]

The Jew’s enemies make peace with them

Chapter 12 Wars Start Up Again (II Maccabees) [100]

1. 12:2 ”But of the governors of several places, Timotheus, and Apollonius the son of Genneus, also Hieronymus, and Demophon, and beside them Nicanor the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them [the Jews] to be quiet and live in peace.”
2. Men from Joppa (seaside town) drown 200 Jews.
3. Judas avenges the drowned Jews
4. 12:15 Judas defeats a walled city that had mistreated its Jews. “¹⁵ Wherefore Judas with his company, calling upon the great Lord of the world, who without rams or engines of war did cast down Jericho in the time of Joshua, gave a fierce assault against the walls, ¹⁶And took the city by the will of God”
5. Judas defeats armed force after armed force.
6. 12:40 Some Jews are killed in battle. When they go to bury them, they discover … ”Now under the coats of every one that was slain they found things consecrated to the idols of the Jamnites, which is forbidden the Jews by the law. Then every man saw that this was the cause wherefore they were slain.”

Chapter 13 Antiochus Eupator Invades Israel (II Maccabees) [101]

1. Antiochus invades Israel
2. Judas and a small band sneak into his camp and kill 4,000 men and the lead elephants.
3. A peace treaty is signed shortly afterwards.

Chapter 14 (II Maccabees) [102]

1. Demetrius kills Antioch
2. The wicked priest Alcimus bribes Demetrius for the high priest’s office
3. Demetrius invades.
4. The people humble themselves.
5. Nicanor, one of Demetrius’s officials, convinces him to make peace with the Jews, which he does.
6. Nicanor genuinely befriends Judas.
7. Alcimus turns Demetrius against Judas.
8. Nicanor does not want to betray Judas, but is ordered to do so
9. Judas senses something is up and flees with a small army.
10. Nicanor tries to arrest a beloved Jewish elder, who commits a prolonged, gruesome suicide rather than be taken by the enemy.

Chapter 15 (II Maccabees) [103]

Nicanor attacks 15:25-28 ”²⁵Then Nicanor and they that were with him came forward with trumpets and songs. ²⁶But Judas and his company encountered the enemies with invocation and prayer...²⁸Now when the battle was done, returning again with joy, they knew that Nicanor lay dead in his harness.”

Doctrinal Points in II Maccabbees

Prayer and Sacrificial Offerings for the Dead [104]

12:43-45 “⁴³And when he had made a gathering throughout the company to the sum of two thousand drachms of silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the resurrection:  ⁴⁴For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.  ⁴⁵And also in that he perceived that there was great favour laid up for those that died godly, it was an holy and good thought. Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.”

Intercession of the Saints (15:11–17) [105]

“¹²And this was his vision: That Onias, who had been high priest, a virtuous and a good man, reverend in conversation, gentle in condition, well spoken also, and exercised from a child in all points of virtue, holding up his hands prayed for the whole body of the Jews. ¹³This done, in like manner there appeared a man with gray hairs, and exceeding glorious, who was of a wonderful and excellent majesty. ¹⁴Then Onias answered, saying, This is a lover of the brethren, who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremias the prophet of God. ¹⁵Whereupon Jeremias holding forth his right hand gave to Judas a sword of gold, and in giving it spake thus, ¹⁶Take this holy sword, a gift from God, with the which thou shalt wound the adversaries.”

Specific Mention of Creation as Ex Nihilo [106]

7:28 “I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise.” One of the things the Greeks found ridiculous about Christianity and Judaism was the idea that God had created matter before forming the Creation. For them, matter had always existed; the idea that it had not was laughable to them.

The Lord Punishes Us Jews Before We Reach The Measure of Our Sins [107]

“With the other nations, the Lord waits patiently, staying their punishment until they reach the full measure of their sins. Quite otherwise is His decree for us, in order that He should not have to punish us after we have come to the complete measure of our sins.” 4 Maccabees

III Maccabees

About III Maccabees [108]

This book only appears in Eastern Orthodox Bibles. Neither Catholics nor Protestants consider it canonical or historically true. The story is supposed to take place sometime between 221-203 BC.

The name of this book is misleading. III Maccabees has absolutely nothing to do with the Maccabees. III Maccabees is not even thematically connected, I and II Maccabees involving a military resistance to the Greeks, and III Maccabees involving a prayer and faithfulness resistance to the Greek/Eygptian king Ptolemy IV Philopater.

It's not a stretch to view Ptolemy as a victim of severe, advanced alcoholism, way beyond just being a party animal. There are references to his drinking companions influencing him, plus he exhibits behaviors so extreme and erratic, that "alcohol-fueled" seems to be the only reasonable explanation.

Chapter 1 (III Maccabees) [109]

1. Ptolemey IV Philopater goes out against Antiochus.
2. Theodotus pulls a Black Ops Mission intended to assassinate Ptolemy in his sleep, but the apostate Jew Dosethius makes sure a Ptolemy double is killed instead.
3. In the big battle that follows, Antiochus is winning.
4. Arsino, Ptolemy's sister, gives the troops a pep talk and they end winning when the battle gets hand-to-hand.
5. The triumphant Ptolemy goes to visit Jerusalem on his way home.
6. He insists on touring the temple, including the Holy of Holies.
7. The Jews tell him it is not permitted
8. He insists on seeing the Holy of Holies.
9. They show him the Book of the Law to convince him they are not making this up.
10. He still insists on seeing the Holy of Holies.
11. The elders fall to their knees in prayer, shouting aloud for God's intervention.
12. Word of what is happening spreads and the entire city erupts.
13. The city's elders are barely able to restrain the young hotheads from attacking Ptolemy's troops.
14. Ignoring the din and chaos, Ptolemy STILL insists on entering the Holy of Holies.

Chapter 2 (III Maccabees) [110]

1. The High Priest Simon cries out to God
   1. He recalls that God destroyed the Giants
   2. He recalls that God destroyed the wicked men of Sodom
   3. He recalls that God destroyed Pharoh's pursuing army
   4. He badmouths Ptolemy: 2:14 "this bold and profane man seeks to dishonour this thine holy place, consecrated out of the earth to the name of thy Majesty."
   5. He asks God not to punish Israel for Ptolemy's blasphemy: "¹⁷Punish us not by means of the uncleanness of their men, nor chastise us by means of their profanity; lest the lawless ones should boast in their rage, and exult in exuberant pride of speech, and say, ¹⁸We have trampled upon the holy house, as idolatrous houses are trampled upon. "
2. God mightily answers Simon's prayer: 2:21-23 "At that time God, who seeth all things, who is beyond all Holy among the holy, heard that prayer, so suitable; and scourged the man greatly uplifted with scorn and insolence. ²²Shaking him to and fro as a reed is shaken with the wind, he cast him upon the pavement, powerless, with limbs paralyzed; by a righteous judgment deprived of the faculty of speech. ²³His friends and bodyguards, beholding the swift recompense which had suddenly overtaken him, struck with exceeding terror, and fearing that he would die, speedily removed him."
3. Ptolemy Returns to Eygpt
4. Egged on by his drinking buddies, he starts a Public Relations campaign against the Jews.
5. After the PR campaign, He initiates a persecution:
   1. Jew have to report for a census so they can pay higher taxes
   2. Registrants are reduced to servant status
   3. They must be branded with the ivy leaf symbol showing their devotion to Dionysisus
   4. Those who willingly renounced Judaism could keep full citizenship.
   5. Anyone who refused registration and branding would be executed.
6. There were three categories of Jewish responses:
   1. 😟 Here I am, brand me.
   2. 😉 Here's some money, gave me a certificate saying I've converted to Dionysius.
   3. 😠 Kiss my grits! I worship Yahweh!

Chapter 3 (III Maccabees) [111]

1. Resistance angers the king even more.
2. Many Greek inhabitants of the city secretly provide help and support to the Jews.
3. Ptolemy issues a new decree ... 3:24-27 "²⁴Having then, received certain proofs that these bear us every sort of ill-will, we must look forward to the possibility of some sudden tumult among ourselves, when these impious men may turn traitors and barbarous enemies. ²⁵As soon, therefore, as the contents of this letter become known to you, in that same hour we order those who dwell among you, with wives and children, to be sent to us, vilified and abused, in chains of iron, to undergo a death, cruel and ignominious, suitable to men disaffected. ²⁶For by the punishment of them in one body we perceive that we have found the only means of establishing our affairs for the future on a firm and satisfactory basis. ²⁷Whosoever shall shield a Jew, whether it be old man, child, or suckling, shall with his whole house be tortured to death. "

Chapter 4 (III Maccabees) [112]

1. A public feast for the Gentiles was held in every city where the decree arrived.

2. 

   Young and old Jews were rounded up and put on ships: 4:7-10 "⁷Bound, and exposed to public gaze, they were hurried violently on board ship. ⁸The husbands of these, in the prime of their youthful vigour, instead of crowns wore halters round their necks; instead of feasting and youthful jollity, spent the rest of their nuptial days in wailings, and saw only the grave at hand. ⁹They were dragged along by unyielding chains, like wild beasts: of these, some had their necks thrust into the benches of the rowers; while the feet of others were enclosed in hard fetters. ¹⁰The planks of the deck above them barred out the light, and shut out the day on every side, so that they might be treated like traitors during the whole voyage. "
   
3. The king is joyfully feasting as the Hippodrome at Schedia (a little peninsual about 3 miles from Alexandria) is filled up with prisoners.
4. The scribes tell Ptolemy the Jewish registration has to stop; they have run out of paper, ink, and pens to process them. They show the disbelieving king that what they are saying is true. (This was before the days of Amazon where you could have next day delivery of warehoused goods.)

Chapter 5 (III Maccabees) [113]

1. The frustrated and furious Ptolemy orders Hermon, keeper of the army's elephants, to get all 500 elephants drunk and send them into the Hippodrome to crush the Jews on the following morning.
2. That night, soldiers bind the Jew's hands.
3. The Jews cry out to God.

4. 
   

   The next morning, Hermon gets the elephants drunk and ready to rampage.
5. He reports to the king to tell him all is ready, but the king is asleep, and sleeps all day.
6. When Ptolemy finally awakens, it is the end of the day.
7. Ptolemy immediately starts drinking again.
8. Hermon tells him he didn't release the elephants because the king didn't give the final order to do so yet.
9. The enraged Ptolemy vows the Jews will die for sure tomorrow.
10. The Jews cry out to God again.
11. The next morning, Hermon tells the king the elephants are ready.
12. Ptolemy is befuddled. He doesn't even remember his own plan. He savagely threatens his drinking buddies and Hermon because they have such ill will against the poorinnocent Jews. Everyone is stunned.
13. The king starts drinking again. Before long, he calls on Hermon and wants to know why the Jews are still alive. Everyone is re-stunned.
14. The next morning, Hermon gets the elephants drunk again.
15. The Jews in the Hippodrome kiss their loved ones goodbye.
16. The Jews cry out to God yet again.

Chapter 6 (III Maccabees) [114]

1. Eleazar, a famous priest, prays.
   1. He recalls God's destruction of Pharoh's army.
   2. He recalls God's destruction of Sennacherib.
   3. He recalls the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace
   4. He recalls Daniel in the den of lions.
   5. He recalls Jonah rescued form the sea-monster's body.
   6. He calls on God to destroy the Jews if they have been faithless, but not by the hands of the godless Ptolemy: 6:10b-11 "¹⁰If our life has during our exile been stained with iniquity, deliver us from the hand of the enemy, and destroy us, O Lord, by the death which thou preferrest. ¹¹Let not the vain-minded congratulate vain idols at the destruction of thy beloved, saying, Neither did their god deliver them."
2. The king, his elephants, and his army arrive at the Hippodrome.
3. Two glorious angels appear in answer to Eleazar's prayer. The Jews do not see the angels, but the Gentiles and the elephants see the angels.
4. The elephants panic and stampede through the troops.
5. The angels paralyze the king while the stampede occurs below.
6. When he is freed from paralysis, Ptolemy is turned to compassion and tears over his earlier plot.
7. Instantly paranoiac, Ptolemy accuses his friends of having arranged the entire persecution: 6:24-26 "²⁴Ye have governed badly; and have exceeded tyrants in cruelty; and me your benefactor ye have laboured to deprive at once of my dominion and my life, by secretly devising measures injurious to the kingdom. ²⁵Who has gathered here, unreasonably removing each from his home, those who, in fidelity to us, had held the fortresses of the country? ²⁶Who has thus consigned to unmerited punishments those who in good will towards us from the beginning have in all things surpassed all nations, and who often have engaged in the most dangerous undertakings?"
8. Ptolemy finances a 7-day feast for the Jews.
9. The 43 day reign of terror ends. (40 days for the registration; 3 days in the Hippodrome)
10. The Jews return to their cities.
11. The possessions looted from their homes are returned to them.

Chapter 7 (III Maccabees) [115]

1. Ptolemy writes a letter of support for the Jews.
2. He blames the persecution on the bad crowd he fell in with. 7:3-5 "³Certain of our friends did of malice vehemently urge us to punish the Jews of our realm in a body, with the infliction of a monstrous punishment. ⁴They pretended that our affairs would never be in a good state till this took place. Such, they said, was the hatred borne by the Jews to all other people. ⁵They brought them fettered in grievous chains as slaves, nay, as traitors. Without enquiry or examination they endeavoured to annihilate them. They buckled themselves with a savage cruelty, worse than Scythian custom. "
3. Ptolemy gives glory to God for the Jews' deliverance. 7:6-7 "⁶For this cause we severely threatened them; yet, with the clemency which we are wont to extend to all men, we at length permitted them to live. Finding that the God of heaven cast a shield of protection over the Jews so as to preserve them, and that he fought for them as a father always fights for his sons; ⁷and taking into consideration their constancy and fidelity towards us and towards our ancestors, we have, as we ought, acquitted them of every sort of charge."
4. The Jews request permission to kill the apostates who received the ivy leaf brand of Dionysius.
5. He agrees, and the Jews kill 300 apostates.
6. Almost everybody lives happily ever after.

Psalm 151

Text of Psalm 151 RSV [116]

1 I was small among my brothers, and the youngest in my father’s house; I tended my father’s sheep.
2 My hands made a harp; my fingers fashioned a lyre.
3 And who will tell my Lord? The Lord himself; it is he who hears.
4 It was he who sent his messenger and took me from my father’s sheep, and anointed me with his anointing oil.
5 My brothers were handsome and tall, but the Lord was not pleased with them.
6 I went out to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me by his idols.
7 But I drew his own sword; I beheaded him, and took away disgrace from the people of Israel.

Sources