*H But they that were behind, viz. Timotheus, and Apollonius, the son of Genneus, also Hieronymus, and Demophon, and besides them Nicanor, the governor of Cyprus, would not suffer them to live in peace, and to be quiet.
Ver. 2. Timotheus and Apolloinus. Others of the same name were slain before. C. x. 37. and 1 B. iii. 11. W. C.
*H But when he understood that the men of Jamnia also designed to do in like manner to the Jews that dwelt among them,
Ver. 8. Designed. The heart is the source of sin, and God thus punished the intentions of the Jamnites. H.
*H He came upon the Jamnites also by night, and set the haven on fire, with the ships, so that the light of the fire was seen at Jerusalem, two hundred and forty furlongs off.
Ver. 9. Off, or ten leagues. Jerusalem was on elevated ground. C. — A furlong is about the eighth part of a mile, (others say the fifth, or a thousand feet) so that the fire was seen at the distance of thirty or forty-eight miles. W.
*H And after a hard fight, in which, by the help of God, they got the victory, the rest of the Arabians being overcome, besought Judas for peace, promising to give him pastures, and to assist him in other things.
Ver. 11. Rest. Gr. "the Nomades," (H.) who dwelt in tents, and lived on plunder, (Strabo xvi.) like Ismael. Gen. xvi. 12.
*H He also laid siege to a certain strong city, encompassed with bridges and walls, and inhabited by multitudes of different nations, the name of which is Casphin.
Ver. 13. Casphin; Chasbon, or Hesebon. 1 B. v. 26. Num. xxi. 25. It was famous for its waters.
*H But they that were within it, trusting in the strength of the walls, and the provision of victuals, behaved in a more negligent manner, and provoked Judas with railing and blaspheming, and uttering such words as were not to be spoken.
Ver. 14. Spoken. The enemy generally reviled the Jews.
*H But Machabeus calling upon the great Lord of the world, who without any rams or engines of war threw down the walls of Jericho, in the time of Josue, fiercely assaulted the walls.
Ver. 15. World. Thus setting a pattern to virtuous generals.
* Footnote * Josue 6 : 20
So all the people making a shout, and the trumpets sounding, when the voice and the sound thundered in the ears of the multitude, the walls forthwith fell down: and every man went up by the place that was over against him: and they took the city,*H From thence they departed seven hundred and fifty furlongs, and came to Characa, to the Jews that are called Tubianites.
Ver. 17. Characa, or Carcar. Judg. viii. 10. and xi. 3. C. — Tubianites, "religiously good;" probably the Assideans, (1 B. ii. 42. W.) or inhabitants of Tob. H.
*H But as for Timotheus, they found him not in those places, for before he had dispatched any thing he went back, having left a very strong garrison in a certain hold:
Ver. 18. Things. The Jews had retired to Characa or Dathema, so that he ravaged the country and left garrisons, which were cut in pieces. Judas soon after with 6000 routed Timotheus, though he had 122,500 men. 1 B. v. 8. 37. 43.
*H Now when Timotheus had knowledge of the coming of Judas, he sent the women and children, and the other baggage, before him into a fortress, called Carnion: for it was impregnable, and hard to come at, by reason of the straitness of the places.
Ver. 21. Carnion, or Asteroth Carnaim.
*H And Timotheus himself fell into the hands of the band of Dositheus and Sosipater, and with many prayers he besought them to let him go with his life, because he had the parents and brethren of many of the Jews, who, by his death, might happen to be deceived.
Ver. 24. Deceived. Gr. "if they slew him, would not be regarded," (H.) but slain without mercy. C.
*H Then Judas went away to Carnion, where he slew five and twenty thousand persons.
Ver. 26. Carnion. Gr. adds, "and the temple of Astergata," (H.) the idol Astarte, or Derceto of the Philistines.
*H From thence they departed to Scythopolis, which lieth six hundred furlongs from Jerusalem.
Ver. 29. Scythopolis. Formerly called Bethsan, (Ch.) near the lake of Tiberias.
*H They gave them thanks, exhorting them to be still friendly to their nation, and so they came to Jerusalem, the feast of the weeks being at hand.
Ver. 31. Weeks of Pentecost, celebrated seven weeks after the Passover. Lev. xxiii. 15. C.
*H And after Pentecost they marched against Gorgias, the governor of Idumea.
Ver. 32. Gorgias, who had been twice defeated. C. x. 14. and 1 B. iv. 1. W. — Idumea. Grotius would read Jamnia. But he might govern the southern parts of Juda, (C.) then occupied by the Idumeans. H.
*H But Dositheus, a horseman, one of Bacenor's band, a valiant man, took hold of Gorgias: and when he would have taken him alive, a certain horseman of the Thracians came upon him, and cut off his shoulder: and so Gorgias escaped to Maresa.
Ver. 35. Maresa. Syr. "Samaria," as the Vulg. has. 1 B. v. 66.
*H So Judas having gathered together his army, came into the city Odollam: and when the seventh day came, they purified themselves according to the custom, and kept the sabbath in the same place.
Ver. 38. Place. Probably without the walls. Num. xix. 2. 17. and xxxi. 19.
*H And the day following Judas came with his company, to take away the bodies of them that were slain, and to bury them with their kinsmen, in the sepulchres of their fathers.
Ver. 39. Following, on Saturday evening, or on Sunday. — Fathers, with those of the same nation.
*H And they found under the coats of the slain, some of the donaries of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbiddeth to the Jews: so that all plainly saw, that for this cause they were slain.
Ver. 40. Of the donaries, &c. That is, of the votive offerings, which had been hung up in the temples of the idols, which they had taken away when they burnt the port of Jamnia, (v. 9.) contrary to the prohibition of the law. Deut. vii. 25. Ch. — All such things should have been destroyed, (Jos. vii. and 1 K. xv. W.) or melted down. Perhaps the soldiers intended to bring them to Judas. He excused them charitably, and hoped that their temporal chastisement might have served to expiate their fault.
* Footnote * Deuteronomy 7 : 25
Their graven things thou shalt burn with fire: thou shalt not covet the silver and gold of which they are made, neither shalt thou take to thee any thing thereof, lest thou offend, because it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.*H And so betaking themselves to prayers, they besought him, that the sin which had been committed might be forgotten. But the most valiant Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves from sin, forasmuch as they saw before their eyes what had happened, because of the sins of those that were slain.
Ver. 42. Forgotten. Syr. "imperfect." Gr. "effaced." C. — Some copies, "that they might not, on account of the sin committed, be entirely blotted out." Ald. Usher. — They were convinced that some sins might be forgiven in the other world, particularly when the living interceded. C. — The Jews began to pray for the dead after the captivity, (Grot.) when the prophets had more clearly explained what took place after death. C. — Yet the doctrine and practice might still be as ancient as the world. H. — If it had not prevailed before, Judas would never have entertained such sentiments. W. — The Jews admit a sort of purgatory for "the prevaricators of Israel," which differs from hell only in duration. They assert that the damned of their nation are exempt from suffering on the sabbath. Bartolocci. Leo v. 10. T. E. — Some Christians have supposed that the sin here specified was mortal, and the deceased in hell, yet prayer might be of service to them. Origen (Prin. iii. 6.) thought that even the devils would one day be liberated. S. Augustine (Ench. cx. 29.) says prayers "are of service, either that the remission may be entire, or surely that damnation itself may be more tolerable." Most understand this of purgatory: but several explain it of the damned. Rrot. Bened. — A mass was formerly composed for this purpose, tolerabilia fiant ipsa tormenta: and some monks prayed for certain robbers slain, "that their pains might be diminished by the severe judge." Aldrev. xxi. Excommunication might be taken off from the deceased. S. Greg. Dial. ii. 29. — Purgatory is for venial sins. Ib. iv. 39. This doctrine is proved beyond reply by various controvertists. C.
*H And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection.
Ver. 43. Twelve. Gr. "two." Syr. "three." S. Prosper. reads "12,000 talents." Sacrifices for the dead were not enjoined, but the practice was then established, and this author takes every opportunity of proving the resurrection against the Sadducees, who then began to appear. The Church of Christ has adopted the same practice. See Bellarm. Serar. &c. Our adversaries confess that such was the opinion of the Jews, and of the ancient doctors of the Church. But they declare it superstitious, and deny the authority of these books, which has been sufficiently established. Could such holy personages authorize superstition? Would Christ and his apostles have tolerated it? S. Paul prayed for Onesiphorus after his decease. 2 Tim. i. 16. See Mat. xii. 33. Lu. xvi. 9. and 1 Cor. iii. 13. and xv. 29. Eus. Vita Const. iv. S. Epip. hær. lxxv. S. Cyp. i. ep. 9. Tert. &c. C.
*H And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them.
Ver. 45. With godliness. Judas hoped that these men who died fighting for the cause of God and religion, might find mercy; either because they might be excused from mortal sin by ignorance, or might have repented of their sin at least at their death. Ch. — Charity requires us to judge thus, when there are no positive proofs to the contrary. C. — Pope John VIII. answered the bishops of France, that those who died fighting against infidels were saved. Mabil. T. iii. An. Ben. — Judas might entertain the like hopes, though they are not always well grounded. H.
*H It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.
Ver. 46. Holy. This text is so clear, that our adversaries judge it best to deny the book to be canonical. As that has been authentically proved, (Pref.) we shall only add that the Greek version, though differing in many points, is here as express as the Vulg. (W.) 45. "considering that the best grace is laid up for those who sleep in piety. Holy and pious is the thought. (H.) Wherefore he made reconciliation (or expiation) for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin," or punishment due to it. W. — Sin is often taken for the punishment; and this effect of mortal sin may be remitted in purgatory, when the person has sincerely repented in this life. H. — To pass over other proofs, we will only mention S. Aug. (hær. liii.) and S. Bernard, (Cant. lxvi.) who plainly account those "heretics," who deny purgatory. It is also worthy of notice that Judas, who acted thus charitably, was the high priest and defender of the true faith; and that the Jews still pray for the dead, as the book Mahzor, published by Genebrard, 1569, evinces. There they say, "Let him rest in peace," and "ye angels of peace come forth to meet him." But this is acknowledged by Munster and Fagius, (in Deut. xiv.) and by Whitaker. — Sins. Go to 1 B. vi. 18. W.