ANTIOCHUS EUPATER SUCCEEDS TO THE KINGDOM OF SYRIA. JUDAS MACCABLUS'S CELEBRATED

VICTORIES.

WE have long lost sight of the * history of the kings of Sy. ria, and that of the kings of Egypt, which have generally no small connection with each other. I am now going to resume the thread of them which will not be interrupted any more.

Antiochus, surnamed Eupater, aged only 19, succeeded his father Antiochus Epiphanes in the kingdom of Syria. The latter, at his death, sent for Philip his favourite, who had been brought up with him. He gave him the regency of the king dom during his son's minority, and put his crown, signet, and all the other marks of the royal dignity, into his hands; recom. mending to him, above all things, to employ his whole care in educating his son in such a manner as was most proper to instruct him in the art of reigning.

Philip, on his arrival at Antioch, found that another had usurped the employment which the late king had confided to him. Lysias, upon the first advice of the death of Epiphanes, had placed his son Antiochus upon the throne, whose governor he was, and had taken upon himself, with the guardianship, the reins of the government, without any regard to the king's regulation at his death. Philip knew well that he was not at that time in a condition to dispute it with him, and retired into Egypt, in hopes of finding at that court the assistance he want. ed, for the repossession of his right, and the expulsion of the usurper.

Much about the same time, Ptolemy Macron, governor of

* It is treated last towards the end of Book XVIII. Article II. Sect. II, and III.

†A. M. 3840. Ant. J. C. 164. Appian. in Syr. p. 187. 1 Maccab. vi. 17. 2 Maccab. ix. 29. et x. 10-13. Joseph. Antiq. 1. xi. c. 14

Cælosyria and Palestine, from the enemy he had been till then o the Jews, became on a sudden their friend; moved, as the cripture says, with the crying injustice which had been comnitted in regard to them. He put a stop to the rigour of the persecution against them, and employed his whole credit to obain a peace for them. By this conduct he gave his enemies ccasion to hurt him. They prejudiced the king against him, y representing him perpetually as a traitor; because he had n reality betrayed the interests of his first master, Ptolemy. 'hilometer, king of Egypt, who had intrusted him with the government of the island of Cyprus, and had given up that island o Antiochus Epiphanes, upon entering into his service; for, how advantageous soever the treason might be, the traitor, as s usual, was hated. At length, they did so much by their cla- . nours and cabals that he was deprived of his government, which was given to Lysias; no other post or pension being conerred on him to support his dignity. He had not force of mind enough to bear his downfal, and poisoned himself; an end he had well deserved for his treason, and share in the cruel per-. secution of the Jews.

Judas Maccabæus * at this time signalized his valour by seve ral considerable victories over the enemies of the people of God, who continually made an implacable war against him. The little time that Antiochus Epiphanes survived the favourable inclinations he had expressed for the Jews, would not admit him to revoke in form his decree for obliging them to change their religion. The court of Syria, which always considered the Jews as rebels, desirous of throwing off its yoke, had no regard to some transient demonstrations of the dying prince's favour to them. They always persisted in the same principles of policy, and continued to look upon that nation as an enemy, whose sole view was to shake off their chains, and to support themselves in liberty of conscience with regard to religion.. Such were the dispositions of Syria in regard to the Jews.

Demetriust, son of Seleucus Philopater, who, from the year his father died, had remained an hostage at Rome, was in his 23d year, when he was informed of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the accession of his son Eupater to the crown, which he pretended to be his right as the son of Epiphanes' eldest brother. He proposed to the senate his re establishment upon his father's throne; and to engage them in it he repre..

* 1 Maccab. v. 1—68. 2 Maccab. x. 14-38.

†A. M. 3841. Ant. J. C. 163. Polyb. Legat. cvii. Justin. I.... xxxiv. c. 3. Appian. in Syr. p. 117%

sented, that having been bred up at Rome, he should always regard it as his native country, the senators as his fathers, and their sons as his brothers. The senate had more regard for the interests of the republic than the rights of Demetrius, and thought it more advantageous for the Romans that there should be a king in his minority upon the throne of Syria, than a prince like Demetrius, who might at length become formida ble to them. They therefore made a decree to confirm Eupater, and sent Cn. Octavius, Sp. Lucretius, and L. Aurelius, with the character of ambassadors, into Syria, to regulate all things conformably to the treaty made with Antiochus the Great. The same ambassadors had instructions to accommodate, if possible, the differences between the two kings of Egypt.

Lysias*, terrified by the victories of Judas Maccabæus, formed an army of 80,000 foot, and took with him all the cavalry of the kingdom, with 80 elephants: at the head of all these forces he marched into Judea, with the resolution to settle strange in habitants, that worshipped idols, in Jerusalem. He opened the campaign with the siege of Bethsura, a fortress between Idumæa and Jerusalem. Judas Maccabæus, and the whole peo ple, beseeched the Lord, with tears in their eyes, to send his angel for the preservation of Israel. Full of confidence in God, they took the field. When they marched all together, with assured courage, out of Jerusalem, there † appeared a horseman marching before them. His habit was white, with arms of gold, and he held a lance in his hand. That sight filled them with new ardour. They threw themselves upon the enemy like lions, killed 12,600 men, and obliged the rest to fly, most of them wounded and without arms.

After this check, Lysiast, weary of so unsuccessful a war, and, as the scripture says, "believing the Jews invincible, "when supported by the aid of the Almighty God,” made a treaty with Judas and the Jewish nation, which Antiochus ra tified. One of the articles of this peace was that the decree of Antiochus Epiphanes, which obliged the Jews to conform to the religion of the Greeks, should be revoked and cancelled, and that they should be at liberty to live in all places according to their own laws.

This peace was of no long duration. The neighbouring peo ple were too much the enemies of the Jews to leave them long

* 2 Maccab. ix. 1-38. x. 1—7. xiii. 1-24. 1 Maccab. v. 65–68. vi. 19-63. Joseph. Antiq. c. xii.

It was an angel, perhaps St. Michael, protector of the people of God.

Ibid. xi. 13.

n repose. Timotheus, one of the king's generals, assembled. all his forces, and raised an army of 120,000 foot, without including the horse, which amounted to 25,000. Judas, full of confidence in the God of armies, marched against him with troops very much inferior as to number. He attacked and defeated him. Timotheus lost 30,000 men in this battle, and sav ed himself with great difficulty. This defeat was followed by many advantages on the side of Judas, which proved that God alone is the source of valour, intrepidity, and success in war. He showed this in the most sensible manner, by the evident and singular protection which he gave to a people, of whom he was in a peculiar mammer the guide and director.

A new army was raised of 100,000 foot, with 20,000 horse, 32 elephants, and 300 chariots of war. The king in person, and Lysias the regent of the kingdom, put themselves at the head of it, and entered Judea. Judas, relying upon the omnipotence of God, the Creator of the universe, and having exhorted his troops to fight to the last drop of their blood, marched and posted himself in the front of the king's camp. After having given his troops for the word of battle," the victory of "God," he chose the bravest men of his army, and with them in the night attacked the king's quarters. They killed 4000 men, and retired, after having filled his whole camp with confusion and dismay.

Though the king knew from thence the extraordinary valour of the Jews, he did not doubt but they would be overpow ered at length by the number of his troops and elephants. He resolved therefore to come to a general battle with them. Judas, without being intimidated by the terrible preparations for it, advanced with his army, and gave the king battle, in which the Jews killed a great number of the enemy. Eleazar, a Jew, seeing an elephant larger than the rest, covered with the king's arms, and believing the king was upon it, sacrificed himself to preserve the people, and to acquire immortal fame. He forced his way boldly to the elephant, through the line of battle, killing and overthrowing all that opposed him. Then placing himself under the beast's belly, he pierced it in such a manner, that it fell and crushed him to death underneath it.

Judas, however, and his troops, fought with extraordinary resolution. But at length, exhausted by the fatigue, and no longer able to support the weight of the enemy, they chose to retire. The king followed them, and besieged the fortress of Bethsura. That place, after a long and vigorous defence, was obliged, for want of provisions, to surrender by capitulation.

From thence Antiochus marched against Jerusalem, and besieged the temple. Those who defended it were reduced to the same extremities with the garrison of Bethsura, and would, like them, have been obliged to surrender, if providence had not relieved them by an unforeseen accident. I have observed, that Philip had retired into Egypt, in hopes of finding assistance there against Lysias. But the divisions which arose between the two brothers who reigned jointly, as had been said elsewhere, soon undeceived him. Finding that he had nothing to expect from that quarter, he returned into the east, assembled some troops of Medes and Persians, and taking advantage of the king's absence upon his expedition against Judæa, he seized the capital of the empire. Upon that news, Lysias thought it necessary to make peace with the Jews, in order to turn his arms against his rival in Syria. The peace was accordingly concluded upon very advantageous and honourable conditions. Antiochus swore to observe it, and was admitted to enter the fortifications of the temple, with the sight of which he was so much terrified, that contrary to his faith given, and the oath he had sworn in regard to the peace, he caused them to be demolished before he set out for Syria. The sudden return of Antiochus drove Philip out of Antioch, and put an end to his short regency, and soon after to his life.

The troubles*, occasioned by the divisions between the two Ptolemies, which we have just now mentioned, rose so high, that the Roman senate gave orders to the ambassadors they had sent into Syria, to proceed to Alexandria, and to use all their endeavours to reconcile them. Before they arrived there, Physcon, the youngest, surnamed Evergetes, had alrea-' dy expelled his brother Philometer. The latter embarked for Italy, and landed at Brundusium. From thence he went the rest of the way to Rome on foot, very ill dressed, and with few followers, and demanded of the senate the necessary aid for replacing him upon the throne.

As soon as Demetrius, son of Seleucus Philopater, king of Syria, who was still an hostage at Rome, was apprised of the unhappy condition to which that fugitive prince was reduced, he caused royal robes and an equipage to be got ready for him, that he might appear in Rome as a king, and went to meet him with all he had ordered to be prepared for his use. He found

* A. M 3842. Ant. J. C. 162. Porphyr. in Cr. Eus. Scalig p. 60. et 18. Diod in Excerpt Vales. p. 322. Valer. Max. 1. v. c. I. Polyb. Legat. 193. Epit. Liv. 1. 46.