a new english translation of the septuagint. 23 4...

EDITION OF THE GREEK TEXTThe NETS rendering of 4 Makkabees follows the Greek text of Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta. Id est Vetus Tes-tamentum graece iuxta LXX interpretes, 2 vols. (Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt,1935). Of the threemanuscripts on which that edition is largely based (Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus), only the lat-ter two include 4 Makkabees. Rahlfs does, however, cite other evidence as well, particularly that of theeighth or ninth century Codex Venetus (V), which, regrettably, lacks 5.11–12.1. A full-scale critical edi-tion has yet to be prepared. Discussion of variant readings can be found in the footnotes to the Germantranslation by Hans-Josef Klauck. Only rarely does the following translation depart from Rahlfs’ text;these instances are pointed out in the footnotes.

THE NETS TRANSLATION OF 4 MAKKABEESSince 4 Makkabees is an original composition in Greek, there is no need here to indicate the relationshipbetween the Greek text and a Semitic parent text by maintaining a similar relationship between the NETSversion and the NRSV. I have therefore departed from the latter translation freely in attempting to cap-ture something of the flavor of the Greek original. That, however, is a task with significant challenges.

Our author writes not only very fluently in Greek but also, in striking contrast with the Jewish conser-vatism that marks the book’s message (the law of Moyses, in all its particularity, is to be faithfully observedin spite of pressures to assimilate to the surrounding Hellenistic environment), in a highly rhetorical andaffected Greek style. To be noted is the extensive and often inventive vocabulary employed, a vocabularythat includes a number of rare and poetic terms and a seemingly endless stock of words pertaining to theinstruments and inflicting of torture; a particular love of compound words, many apparently of our au-thor’s own composition, and a number featuring verbs with a plurality of prefixed prepositions; a bent forfinding a variety of ways in which to say the same thing (in the opening verses, for example, the translatoris severely taxed to match in English the author’s diverse formulations of reason’s supremacy over the pas-sions); a partiality for extended similes and metaphors; a penchant to apostrophize the characters of hisnarrative, their virtues, and sundry other abstractions; a predilection for conveying a point by inventing forhis characters direct speeches, some explicitly imaginary, others purportedly delivered in the midst of suchtorments and at such proximity to a ghastly death as to make their deliberate and measured tone as-tounding; and a tendency in general to appeal to readers’ sense of pity and to arouse their horror. Readersdisaffected by these characteristics of our text should bear in mind that our author was clearly reflectingthe tastes of many of his contemporaries, nor, indeed, have the intervening centuries lacked periods inwhich the floridity of our author’s style was found both pleasing and impressive.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTESeveral English translations are available. Older renditions include those of R. B. Townsend in the secondvolume of Charles; C. W. Emmet (London: SPCK, 1918); and (together with a reproduction of Rahlfs’Greek text) M. Hadas (New York: Dropsie College [Harper], 1953). In addition to the translation in theNRSV, the recent rendering by H. Anderson in the second volume of The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha ed-ited by J. H. Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985) should be noted. Nor should the Frenchversion of A. Dupont-Sommer (Paris: H. Champion, 1939) and the German version by H.-J. Klauck(Guetersloh: C. Mohn, 1989), both with extensive introductions and notes, be forgotten. Much can belearned from D. A. deSilva’s 4 Maccabees (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), with bibliographiesof other studies.

STEPHEN WESTERHOLM

4 MAKKABEESTO THE READER

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4 makkabees 1–2 531

1 Since I am about to discuss an eminentlyphilosophical subject—whether pious reason

is absolute master of the passions—I would dulyadvise you to attend diligently to the philosophyhere set forth. 2For the subject is essential to thepath to knowledge for everyone and, furthermore,embraces praise of the greatest virtue: I speak, ofcourse, of prudence. 3If, then, it is apparent thatreason prevails over the passions hindering self-control, namely, gluttony and lust, 4then it is alsoplainly apparent that it holds sway over the pas-sions impeding justice, such as malice, and overthe passions impeding courage, namely, anger, fearand pain. 5Some might perhaps ask, “How then, ifreason overcomes the passions, does it not masterforgetfulness and ignorance?” Their attempt at ar-gument is ridiculous. 6For reason does not over-come its own passions but those opposed to jus-tice, courage and self-control, and it overcomesthese not so that it destroys them but so that onedoes not give way to them.

7 On the basis of many and diverse considera-tions I could show you that reason is absolute rulerof the passions, 8but I can demonstrate it muchbetter from the bravery of those who died for thesake of virtue: Eleazaros, the seven brothers andtheir mother. 9All of these, in despising sufferingsto the point of death, showed that reason has fullcontrol over the passions. 10It is fitting for me topraise for their virtues these men who, togetherwith their mother, died for the sake of nobility ofcharacter in this season of the year, but I wouldalso call them blessed for the honors accordedthem. 11Having won, by their courage and en-durance, the admiration not merely of all peoplebut even of their abusers, they became the meansby which the tyranny exercised against our nationwas overthrown. They conquered the tyrant bytheir endurance so that through them our home-land was purified. 12But of this it will be possiblefor me to speak in a moment after I have begun, asI am accustomed to do, by stating my thesis, andthen I shall turn to the story about them, givingglory to the all-wise God.

13 We inquire, then, whether reason is the ab-solute ruler of the passions. 14We must determinejust what reason is and what passion is, how manykinds of passions there are, and whether reasonprevails over all of these. 15Reason, then, is themind preferring, with sound judgment, the life ofwisdom. 16Wisdom, in turn, is the knowledge ofthings divine and human and of the causes ofthese. 17It amounts, moreover, to training in thelaw, training by which we learn divine matters rev-erently and human matters advantageously.18Now the kinds of wisdom are prudence, justice,courage and self-control. 19Supreme over all ofthese is prudence by which in fact reason prevailsover the passions. 20Of the passions, the two mostcomprehensive types are pleasure and pain, andeach of these pertains by nature both to the bodyand to the soul. 21There are many sequences of

passions connected with pleasure and pain.22Thus before pleasure comes desire, and afterpleasure, delight. 23Before pain comes fear, andafter pain, sorrow. 24Anger is a passion embracingpleasure and pain, if people reflect on how it af-fects them. 25In pleasure there exists as well amalevolent disposition, which, of all the passions,assumes the most varied forms. 26In terms of thesoul, it is expressed in boastfulness, love of money,love of honor, love of strife and envy. 27With re-gard to the body, it is expressed in indiscriminateeating, gluttony and private gormandizing.

28 Just as pleasure and pain are two plantsgrowing from the body and the soul, so there aremany offshoots of these plants. 29By weeding,pruning, tying up, watering and in every way irri-gating each of these, reason, the master cultivator,tames the jungles of habits and passions. 30For rea-son is the guide of the virtues but the absoluteruler of the passions.

Observe now, first of all, that reason is absolutemaster of the passions aby virtue of the restrainingpowers of self-controla. 31Self-control, then, isdominance over the desires. 32Of the desires, somepertain to the soul, others to the body, and it is ap-parent that reason prevails over both of these.33Otherwise, how is it that when we are attractedto forbidden foods we turn ourselves away fromthe pleasures to be had from them? Is it not be-cause reason is able to prevail over the appetites? Ifor one think so. 34Therefore when we craveseafood, fowl, quadrupeds and all sorts of foodsthat are forbidden to us by the law, we abstain be-cause of the dominance of reason. 35For the pas-sions of the appetites are restrained, checked bythe temperate mind, and all the emotions of thebody are bridled by reason.

2 And why should it be deemed amazing if thedesires of the soul for the enjoyment of beau-

ty are rendered powerless? 2It is on this account,certainly, that the temperate Ioseph is praised,namely, that by his faculty of thinking he gainedcontrol over the urge for gratification. 3For whenhe was young and in his prime for intercourse, byhis reason he rendered powerless the frenzied de-sire of his passions. 4It is apparent that reason pre-vails not only over the frenzied urge for gratifica-tion but also over every desire. 5For the law says,“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or any-thing that is your neighbor’s.” 6In fact, since thelaw has told us not to covet, I could persuade youall the more that reason is able to overcome thedesires.

Just so it is with the passions that hinder justice.7Otherwise how is it that someone who is habitu-ally a private gormandizer, a glutton, or even adrunkard is trained differently, unless reason isclearly master of the passions? 8As soon, indeed, asone adopts a way of life in accordance with thelaw, even though a lover of money, one overpow-ers one’s own bent, lending without interest to the

aOr in the case of acts that hinder self-control


532 4 makkabees 2–4

needy and canceling the debt when the seventhyear arrives. 9Even if one is stingy, one is overcomeby the law through reason, neither gleaning theharvest nor gathering the last of the vineyards’grapes.

And in all other matters it is possible to recog-nize this principle, that reason overcomes the pas-sions. 10For the law overcomes even affection forparents, not betraying virtue on their account. 11Itprevails over love for one’s wife, rebuking her forher transgression. 12It holds sway over love forone’s children, punishing them for wickedness.13It masters one’s relationship with friends, rebuk-ing them for evil. 14And do not consider it para-doxical when reason, through the law, can prevaileven over enmity, not cutting down the cultivatedtrees of foes but preserving the property of enemiesfrom marauders and helping to raise up what hasfallen.

15 It is apparent that reason overcomes eventhe more aggressive passions: love of power, vain-glory, boasting, arrogance and envy. 16For the tem-perate mind repels all these malicious passions,just as it repels anger—for it masters even this.17When Moyses was angry with Dathan and Abi-ron, he did nothing against them in anger but con-trolled his anger by reason. 18For, as I have said,the temperate mind is able to get the better of thepassions, to alter some, and to render others pow-erless. 19Otherwise why did Iakob, our all wise fa-ther, censure the households of Symeon and Leuifor slaughtering, contrary to reason, the She-chemites as an entire people, saying, “Cursed betheir anger”? 20For if reason could not overcomeanger, he would not have spoken thus. 21Nowwhen God fashioned human beings, he planted inthem their passions and habits, 22but at the sametime he enthroned the mind among the senses asa sacred governor over them all, 23and to this mindhe gave the law. The one who adopts a way of lifein accordance with it will rule a kingdom that istemperate, just, good and courageous.

24 How is it, then, someone may ask, if reasonis master of the passions, that it does not overcomeforgetfulness and ignorance?

3 But this argument is entirely ridiculous, for itis apparent that reason prevails not over its

own passions but over those of the body. 2No oneof us can eradicate such desire, but reason can pro-vide a way for us not to be enslaved by desire. 3Noone of you can eradicate anger from the soul, butreason can help to deal with anger. 4No one of uscan eradicate malice, but reason can fight at ourside so that we are not overcome by malice. 5Forreason is not an uprooter of the passions but theirantagonist.

6 Now this can be explained more clearly bymeans of the thirst of King Dauid. 7For whenDauid had been attacking the allophyles all daylong, he, together with the soldiers of our nation,killed many of them. 8Then when evening fell, hecame, sweating and extremely tired, to the royaltent, around which the whole army of our ances-

tors had encamped. 9Now all the rest were at sup-per. 10But the king was as thirsty as could be, andalthough he had abundant springs at hand, hecould not satisfy his thirst from them. 11But a cer-tain irrational desire for the water in the enemy’sterritory tormented and inflamed him, undid andconsumed him. 12Therefore, when his armor-bear-ers complained bitterly over the desire of the king,two staunch young soldiers, respecting the desireof the king, put on their full armor and, taking a pitcher, climbed over the enemy’s ramparts.13Eluding the guards at the gates, they went search-ing through the entire enemy camp, 14found thespring and boldly brought a drink from it to theking. 15But although Dauid was burning withthirst, he reasoned that a drink regarded as tanta-mount to blood was a dreadful danger to his soul.16Therefore, opposing reason to desire, he pouredout the drink as an offering to God. 17For the tem-perate mind can conquer the compulsions of thepassions and quench the flames of frenzied de-sires. 18It can overpower bodily agonies even whenthey are extreme and by the nobility of reasonspurn all domination by the passions.

19 The present occasion now invites us to anarrative demonstration of temperate reason.

20 At a time when our fathers were enjoyingprofound peace because of their loyalty to the lawand were prospering so that even Seleucus Nica-nor, king of Asia, had both set aside money forthem for the temple service and recognized theirpolity, 21then certain persons attempted a revolu-tion against the public harmony and sufferedmany and various disasters.

4 For a certain Simon was a political opponentof the noble and good man, Onias, who then

held the high priesthood for life. When, thoughslandering him concerning the nation in everyway, he was not able to injure him, he departed asa fugitive, intending to betray our homeland. 2Sohe came to Apollonius, governor of Syria, Phoeni-cia and Cilicia, and said, 3“Since I am loyal to theinterests of the king, I have come to disclose thatmany tens of thousands of private funds are storedup in the treasuries of Hierosolyma that are not theproperty of the temple; these belong to King Se-leucus.” 4When Apollonius had learned the detailsof these matters, he praised Simon for his solici-tude for the king, went up to Seleucus and in-formed him of the treasure of funds. 5Receivingauthority to deal with these matters, he proceededquickly to our homeland with the accursed Simonand a very strong military force. 6He said that hehad come by the king’s commands in order toseize the private funds in the treasury. 7At this an-nouncement the people complained bitterly andprotested, considering that it would be outrageousif those who had entrusted deposits to the sacredtreasury should be deprived of them. They tried asbest they could to prevent him. 8But with threatsApollonius left for the temple. 9While the priests,with women and children, were imploring God inthe temple to shield the holy place that was



being treated with contempt 10and while Apollo-nius was going up with his armed forces to seizethe funds, angels on horseback appeared fromheaven with lightning flashing from theirweapons, instilling in them great fear and trem-bling. 11And Apollonius, falling down half-dead inthe court of the temple that was open to all races,stretched out his hands toward heaven and withtears began to beg the Hebrews that they wouldpray for him and propitiate the heavenly army.12For he said that he had sinned in such a way thathe deserved to die and that, if he were delivered, hewould praise the blessedness of the holy place be-fore all people. 13Moved by these words, the highpriest Onias, although otherwise he had scruplesabout doing so, prayed for him so that King Seleu-cus would not suppose that Apollonius had beenovercome by human treachery and not by divinejustice. 14When Apollonius, beyond all expecta-tions, had been delivered, he went away to informthe king what had happened to him.

15 When King Seleucus died, his son Anti-ochus Epiphanes, an arrogant and terrible man,succeeded to the office. 16He deposed Onias fromthe high priesthood and appointed Onias’s broth-er Jason as high priest, 17Jason agreeing to paythree thousand six hundred and sixty talents an-nually if the king would turn the office over tohim. 18So the king turned over to him both thehigh priesthood and the leadership of the nation.19Jason changed the nation’s way of life and al-tered its form of government in complete trans-gression of the law 20so that he not only con-structed a gymnasium on the very citadel of ourhomeland but also abolished the temple service.21The divine justice, provoked by these acts, causedAntiochus himself to war against thema. 22Forwhile he was waging war against Ptolemy in Egypt,he heard that a rumor had spread about his deathand that the Hierosolymites had celebrated withall possible joy. He marched against them speedi-ly, 23and when he had plundered them, he issueda decree that, if any of them were found living ac-cording to the ancestral law, they should die.24When, by means of his decrees, he had not beenable to subvert the people’s loyalty to the law inany way but saw that all his threats and punish-ments were being disregarded 25so that evenwomen, because they circumcised their sons, werethrown down headlong together with their infants,though they had known beforehand that theywould suffer this; 26when, then, his decrees weredespised by the people, he himself tried throughtortures to compel everyone in the nation to re-nounce Judaism by tasting defiling foods.

5 The tyrant Antiochus, sitting in state with hiscounselors on a certain high place and with

his armed soldiers standing around him, 2orderedhis bodyguards to drag in each and every Hebrewand to compel them to taste pork and food sacri-ficed to idols; 3if any were not willing to eat defil-

ing food, they were to be broken on the wheel andkilled. 4When many persons had been roundedup, one man, a Hebrewb, Eleazaros by name, wasbrought as first of the company before him. Hewas a priest by birth, a lawyer by profession, ad-vanced in age and known to many in the tyrant’scourt on account of his age.

5 When Antiochus saw him he said, 6“Before Ibegin the tortures against you, old man, I wouldgive you these words of advice, namely, that yousave yourself by tasting pork, 7for I respect your ageand your gray hairs. Although you have had yourgray hairs for such a long time, you do not seem tome to be a philosopher, since you observe the reli-gion of the Judeans. 8Why should you abhor eat-ing the very excellent meat of this animal when na-ture has provided it? 9For it is senseless not toenjoy delicious things that are not shameful andnot right to decline the gifts of nature. 10But youseem to me to do what is even more senseless if,because you cherish a vain opinion concerning thetruth, you continue to despise me at the cost ofyour own punishment. 11Will you not awakenfrom your silly philosophy, dispel the nonsense ofyour reasonings, and, adopting a mind worthy ofyour age, pursue a true philosophy of what is ben-eficial? 12Will you not have compassion on yourold age by bowing to my humane advice? 13Forbear in mind that, if indeed there is some poweroverseeing this religion of yours, it will excuse youfor any transgression committed under duress.”

14 When the tyrant urged him in this fashionto eat meat unlawfully, Eleazaros asked to have aword. 15When he had received permission tospeak, he began to address the people as follows:16“O Antiochus, we who have been persuaded toadopt a way of life in accordance with divine lawdo not consider any compulsion more powerfulthan our ready obedience to the law. 17Thereforewe do not deem it right to transgress the law in anyway. 18Even if, as you suppose, our law were intruth not divine and we wrongly considered it tobe divine, not even so would it be possible for usto invalidate our reputation for piety. 19Thereforedo not suppose that it would be a petty sin if wewere to eat defiling food. 20To transgress the law inmatters small or great is of equal seriousness, 21forin either case the law is equally despised. 22Youscoff at our philosophy as though our living by itwere not sensible. 23But it teaches us self-controlso that we overcome all pleasures and desires, andit also exercises us in courage so that we endure allpain willingly; 24it trains us in justice so that cin allour dealings we act impartiallyc, and it teaches uspiety so that we worship the only living God in away that befits his greatness.

25 “Therefore we do not eat defiling food, for,believing that the law is divine, we know that theCreator of the world shows us sympathy by im-posing a law that is in accordance with nature.26He has permitted us to eat what will prove suit-able for our souls, but he has forbidden us to eat

aI.e. the people bOm = Ra cOr we hold in balance all our inclinations



the flesh of what will prove contrary to us. 27Itwould be tyrannical to compel us not only totransgress the law but also to eat in such a way thatyou may deride us for this eating of defiling foodsthat is most hateful to us. 28But you shall notlaugh this laugh at me, 29nor will I disregard thesacred oaths of my ancestors concerning the keep-ing of the law, 30not even if you gouge out my eyesand melt down my entrails. 31I am not so old or solittle of a man that I am not youthful in reason indefense of piety. 32So then, get your torture wheelsready and fan the fire more vehemently. 33I do notso pity my old age as to subvert the ancestral lawby my own act. 34I will not play false to you, O lawthat trained me, nor will I renounce you, belovedself-control. 35I will not put you to shame, philo-sophical reason, nor will I deny you, honoredpriesthood and knowledge of our law code. 36aOkinga, you shall not defile the honorable mouth ofmy old age nor the maturity of a law-observant life.37My fathers will receive me as pure, as one whodoes not fear your tortures even unto death. 38Youwill tyrannize the impious, but neither by wordsnor through deeds will you master my reasoningswhen piety is at stake.”

6 When Eleazaros in this manner had eloquentlycountered the exhortations of the tyrant, the

bodyguards who were standing by dragged him vi-olently to the instruments of torture. 2First theystripped the old man, though he remainedadorned with the gracefulness that encompassespiety. 3Thereupon they tied his hands behind himon each side and scourged him with whips, 4whilea herald opposite him cried out, “Obey the king’scommands!” 5But the lofty-minded and nobleman, like a true Eleazaros, as though being tor-tured in a dream, was in no way swayed. 6Yet whilehe raised his eyes aloft toward heaven, the old manwas being torn in his flesh by whips; he was drip-ping with blood and lacerated in his sides. 7Al-though he fell to the ground because his bodycould not bear the agonies, he kept his reason up-right and unswerving. 8One of the cruel body-guards leaped on him and kicked him in the sidewith his foot so that he would get up again after hefell. 9But he endured the pains, scorned the tortureand persevered through the abuses. 10Like a nobleathlete, the old man, while being beaten, con-quered his torturers; 11in fact, as his face was sweat-ing and he was gasping heavily for breath, he wasadmired by his torturers themselves for his coura-geous spirit.

12 Thereupon, partly because they pitied hisold age, 13partly because they were in sympathywith him from their acquaintance with him andpartly because they were in admiration of his per-severance, some of the king’s retinue approachedhim and said, 14“Eleazar, why are you irrationallydestroying yourself through these evil devices?15We will set before you some cooked meat; saveyourself by pretending to taste pork.”

16 But Eleazaros, as though more bitterlyabused by this counsel, cried out: 17“Never maywe, the children of Abraam, think so basely that weplay the coward and feign a role unbecoming tous! 18For it would be irrational if, after we havelived life until old age in accordance with truth,and maintained, by observing the law, the reputa-tion of such a life, we should now change ourcourse 19and ourselves become a model of impietyfor the young so that we should set a precedent foreating defiled food. 20It would be shameful if weshould survive but a little while and during thattime be a laughingstock to all for our cowardice;21shameful if we were despised by the tyrant as un-manly and did not champion our divine law evenunto death. 22So then, O children of Abraam, dienobly for the sake of piety! 23And you, bodyguardsof the tyrant, why do you delay?”

24 When they saw that he displayed such lofti-ness of mind in the face of the tortures and that heremained unmoved by their pity, they brought himto the fire. 25There they burned him with mali-ciously contrived instruments, threw him downand poured stinking liquids into his nostrils.26When he was now burned to his very bones andabout to lose consciousness, he lifted up his eyesto God and said, 27“You know, O God, that thoughit is within my power to save myself, I die in fierytortures for the sake of the law. 28Be merciful toyour people, and be satisfied with our punishmenton their behalf. 29Make my blood their purifica-tion, and take my life in exchange for theirs.”30After he said this, the holy man died nobly in histortures; he stood firm even in tortures unto death,by virtue of reason, in defense of the law.

31 By common acknowledgement, then, piousreason is master of the passions. 32For if the pas-sions had overcome reason, Ib would have bornetestimony for them of their dominance. 33But nowthat reason has conquered the passions, we prop-erly ascribe to it the power to govern. 34It is rightfor us to acknowledge the strength of reason whenit prevails even over external agonies; cotherwise itwould be absurdc. 35I have shown not only thatreason has overcome agonies but also that it over-comes pleasures and in no respect yields to them.

7 For like a most skillful pilot, the reason of ourfather Eleazaros steered the ship of piety on

the sea of the passions, 2and though buffeted bythe stormings of the tyrant and overwhelmed bythe mighty waves of the tortures, 3in no way did itturn the rudders of piety until it sailed into thehaven of immortal victory. 4No city besieged bymany and diverse war machines has ever held outas did that all-holy man. In his sacred soul he wasset ablaze by abuses and torments, yet he con-quered his besiegers through dall-shielding reasonthat is rooted ind piety. 5For in setting his mindfirm like a jutting cliff, our father Eleazar broke themadly raging waves of the passions. 6O priest, wor-thy of the priesthood, you neither defiled your sa-

aLacking in Gk bwe = Ra cGk uncertain dOr reason that shielded his

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cred teeth nor profaned your stomach, which hadroom only for godliness and purity, by eating de-filing foods. 7O man in harmony with the law,philosopher of divine life! 8Such should be thosewhose office is to serve the law, shielding it withtheir own blood and noble sweat in sufferingseven unto death. 9You, father, confirmed our loy-alty to the law through the endurance that broughtyou glory; the sacred service that you solemnlyavowed you did not subvert, and by your deedsyou corroborated your words of divine philoso-phy. 10O aged man, more powerful than tortures,O elder, fiercer than fire, O supreme king over pas-sions, Eleazar! 11For just as our father Aaron,armed with the censer, ran through the throng ofhis people and conquered the fiery angel, 12so thedescendant of Aaron, Eleazar, though being con-sumed by the fire, remained unswayed in his rea-son. 13Indeed, what was most amazing was that,though he was an old man, the sinews of his bodyalready loosed, his muscles relaxed, his nervesexhausted, he became young again 14in spiritthrough reason, and by reason like that of Isaak herendered the many-headed rack ineffective. 15Oman of blessed age, venerable gray hair and law-observant life, whom the faithful seal of death hasperfected!

16 If, therefore, through piety an aged man de-spised tortures even unto death, by common ac-knowledgement pious reason is governor of thepassions. 17Perhaps some may say, “Not all havefull control of their passions, because not all haveprudent reason.” 18But as many as attend to pietywith a whole heart, these alone are able to over-come the passions of the flesh, 19since they believethat they do not die to God, even as our patriarchsAbraam, Isaak and Iakob did not die to God, butlive to God. 20That some appear to be ruled by pas-sion because of the weakness of their reason doesnot contradict this in any way. 21What person, wholives as a philosopher by the whole rule of philos-ophy and trusts in God 22and knows that it isblessed to endure every pain for the sake of virtue,would not gain full control of the passions withthe help of godliness? 23For only the wise andcourageous are masters of their passions.

8 This is why even the very young, by followinga philosophy of reason rooted in piety, have

prevailed over even harsher instruments of torture.2For when the tyrant was patently defeated in hisfirst attempt, being unable to compel an aged manto eat defiling foods, then in exceedingly violentpassion he gave orders to bring others from thecaptives of the Hebrews, and if they ate defilingfood, to set them free when they had eaten, but ifthey refused, to torture them still more cruelly.

3 When the tyrant had given these orders, sevenbrothers—handsome, modest, noble and accom-plished in every way—were brought and stood be-fore him along with their aged mother. 4When thetyrant saw them surrounding their mother in the

middle as though they were a chorus, he waspleased with them. Struck by their fine appearanceand nobility, he smiled at them, summoned themnearer and said, 5“Young men, with friendly feel-ings I admire each and every one of you. Greatlyprizing the handsomeness and the goodly numberof you brothers, so many as you are, I not only ad-vise you not to display the same madness as that ofthe old man who has just been tortured but alsoencourage you to yield to me and take advantageof my friendship. 6Just as I am able to punishthose who disobey my orders, so I can be a bene-factor to those who obey me. 7Trust me, then, and,if you disown the ancestral law of your polity, youwill receive leading positions in the affairs of mystate. 8Enjoy your youth by embracing a Greek wayof life and changing your mode of living. 9For oth-erwise, if you move me to anger by your disobedi-ence, you will compel me to destroy each andevery one of you with terrible punishmentsthrough tortures. 10Therefore have compassion onyourselves, you whom even I, your enemy, pity foryour youth and becoming appearance. 11Will younot consider this, that, if you disobey, nothingawaits you but to die with torments?”

12 When he had said these things, he gave or-ders to set the instruments of torture before themso that he might persuade them to eat the defilingfood out of fear. 13But when the bodyguards hadplaced before them wheels, joint-dislocators, racks,hooksa, catapultsb, cauldrons, frying-pans, thumb-screws, iron claws, wedges and bellows, the tyrantresumed speaking: 14“Be fearful, young fellows;the justice which you revere will be merciful to youif you transgress the law under duress.”

15 But when they had heard the inducementsand saw the terrible devices, not only were they notfearful, but they also countered the tyrant withtheir own philosophy and by their good senseoverthrew his tyranny. 16Yet let us consider if someamong them had been fainthearted and unmanly,what sorts of arguments they might have used.Would they not have been these? 17“How haplesswe are and too, too foolish! When the king invitesus and encourages us to accept kind treatment ifwe obey him, 18why do we cheer ourselves withvain resolves and venture upon a fatal disobedi-ence? 19Men and brothers, shall we not fear the in-struments of torture, take account of the threats oftortures and flee from this vanity and calamitousconceit? 20Let us have compassion on our youthand pity the old age of our mother. 21And let uskeep in mind that if we disobey, we shall die. 22Di-vine justice will make allowance for us if we fearthe king under duress. 23Why do we remove our-selves from this most pleasant life and deprive our-selves of this delightful world? 24Let us not test ourstrength against necessity nor cherish vain opin-ions at the cost of our own torment on the rack.25Not even the law itself would readily condemnus to death for fearing the instruments of torture.26How can it be that such contentiousness has

aGk uncertain bAn instrument of torture



taken hold of us and a fatal obduracy pleases us,when it is within our power to live undisturbed byobeying the king?”

27 But the young men, though about to be tor-tured, neither said nor considered any of thesethings, 28for they were disdainful of the passionsand absolute rulers over agonies. 29As a result, assoon as the tyrant ceased advising them to eat de-filing food, they all with one voice together, asthough with the same soul, said,

9 ” Why do you delay, O tyrant? We are ready todie rather than transgress our ancestral com-

mandments. 2For we would cause our forebears tobe ashamed with good reason, if we did not showready obedience to the law and to Moyses ourcounselor. 3Counselor and tyrant of transgression,in your hatred for us do not pity us more than wepity ourselves. 4For we consider harsher than deathitself the mercy you offer, which ensures our safetyat the price of our transgression of the law. 5Youare trying to intimidate us, threatening us withdeath by tortures, as though you did not learnfrom Eleazaros a short time ago. 6But if the oldmen of the Hebrews acted piously for the sake ofpiety even while enduring tortures, still more just-ly should we young men die, despising the torturesof your imposition, which the old man our teacherconquered. 7Therefore, tyrant, put us to the test,and if you take our lives because of piety, do notthink that, by torturing, you hurt us. 8For we,through this suffering and endurance, shall gainthe prizes accorded virtue and shall be with God,for whose sake we suffer, 9but you, because of yourbloodthirstiness toward us, will endure ample andeverlasting torture by fire imposed by divine jus-tice.”

10 When they had said these things, the tyrantwas not only indignant, as at the disobedient, butalso infuriated, as at the ungrateful. 11Thereuponhis armor-bearers, on receiving their orders,brought forward the oldest of them, tore off histunic and bound his hands and arms with thongson either side. 12When they had exhausted them-selves by beating him with scourges, yet accom-plished nothing, they hoisted him on the wheel.13When the noble youth was stretched out aroundthis, his limbs were dislocated. 14Broken in everylimb, he began his denunciation: 15“Most abom-inable tyrant, enemy of heavenly justice, savage-minded, you maltreat me in this way not because Ihave murdered or acted impiously but because Ihave championed the divine law.” 16And when thebodyguards said, “Agree to eat so that you may bereleased from the tortures,” 17he said, “Your wheelis not so strong, O abominable henchmen, as tostrangle my reason. Maim my limbs, burn myflesh, twist my joints; 18through all these tortures Iwill persuade you that children of the Hebrewsalone are invincible in virtue’s defense.” 19Whenhe said these things, they spread fire under him,and, awhile fanning the flamesa, tightened the

wheel further. 20The wheel was stained on all sideswith blood, the heap of coals was being quenchedby the drippings of body fluids, and pieces of fleshwhirled around the axles of the machine. 21Al-though he had already had his skeleton severed,the lofty-minded youth, a true son of Abraam, didnot groan, 22but as though transformed in the fireinto immortality, he nobly endured the torments.23“Imitate me, brothers,” he said. “Do not desertyour post in my struggle nor renounce the broth-erhood of good courage you share with me.24Fight the sacred and noble fight for piety; for itssake the just Providence of our ancestors may be-come merciful to our nation and take vengeanceon the accursed tyrant.” 25When he had said thesewords, the saintly young man broke off his life.

26 All marveled at his strength of spirit. Thenthe bodyguards brought the brother second in ageto him, and, after equipping themselves with ironhands with sharp claws, they bound him to thetorture machine and catapult. 27They inquired, be-fore he was tortured, whether he was willing to eat,and they heard his noble decision. 28These leop-ard-like beasts tore at his sinews with their ironhands, ripped all his flesh off up to his chin andthe skin off his head. But he steadfastly enduredthis agony and said, 29“How sweet is every form ofdeath for the sake of the piety that we have inher-ited from our ancestors!” To the tyrant he said,30“Do you not think, tyrant most savage of all, thatyou are being tortured more than I, as you see thearrogant reasoning of your tyranny defeated by ourendurance for the sake of piety? 31I relieve my painwith the joys that come from virtue, 32but you suf-fer torture from the threats that hang over impiety.You will not escape, most abominable tyrant, thejudgments of divine wrath.”

10 When he too had endured a glorious death,the third was led in and was much urged by

many to save himself by tasting the meat. 2But hecried out, “Do you not know that the same fatherbegot me as well as those who died; the samemother bore me, and I was brought up on thesame tenets? 3I do not renounce the noble ties ofbrotherhood.” 5But they, taking the man’s bold-ness bitterly, dislocated his hands and feet withtheir instruments of torture and dismembered himby prying his limbs from their sockets. 6They brokehis fingers, arms, legs and elbows. 7Since they werenot able in any way to suppress him, bthey tore offhis skinb and scalped him with their fingertips inthe Scythian fashion. 8Then they immediatelybrought him to the wheel. On it he was disjointedat his backbone. He saw his own flesh torn allaround and drops of blood flowing from his en-trails. 9When he was about to die, he said, 10“We,most abominable tyrant, are suffering these thingsbecause of training and divine virtue. 11But you,because of your impiety and bloodthirstiness, willendure unceasing tortures.”

12 When he, too, had died in a manner worthy

aGk uncertain bloosened their instruments of torture = Ra



of his brothers, they dragged in the fourth, saying,13“Do not display, you too, the same madness asyour brothers, but obey the king and save your-self.” 14But he said to them, “You do not have a firefor me so very hot that I should play the coward.15By the blessed death of my brothers, the ever-lasting destruction of the tyrant and the everlastinglife of the pious, I will not disown our noble broth-erhood. 16Contrive tortures, tyrant, so that youmay learn from them that I am a brother to thosewho have just now been tortured.” 17When heheard these words, the bloodthirsty, murderousand utterly abominable Antiochus gave orders tocut off his tongue. 18But hea said, “Even if you re-move my organ of speech, God hears the silent aswell. 19See, my tongue hangs loose already. Cut itoff, for you will not cut off, beyond this, thetongue of our reason. 20Gladly, for the sake ofGod, we let the limbs of our bodies be cut off.21God will pursue you swiftly, for you are cuttingoff a tongue that has been melodious with divinehymns.”

11 When he too died, maltreated by the tor-tures, the fifth leaped up, saying, 2“Tyrant, I

am not about to beg to be excused from torture forthe sake of virtue. 3I have come of my own accordso that, by killing me too, you may incur punish-ment from the heavenly justice for more crimes.4Hater of virtue, hater of humankind, what havewe done that you destroy us in this way? 5Is it thatwe show devotion to the Creator of all and live byhis virtuous law? 6But these deeds deserve honors,not tortures.” 9While he was saying such things,the bodyguards bound him and dragged him tothe catapult. 10They tied him to it on his knees,and when they had fitted iron clamps on these,they bent his lower back round the circular wedge.When he was completely curled back round thewheel in the manner of a scorpion, he was dis-membered. 11In this condition, gasping for breathand suffocating in body, 12he said, “Tyrant, yougrant us splendid favors against your will, accord-ing us the opportunity to show our enduring loy-alty to the law through yet more noble sufferings.”

13 When he too had died, the sixth, a mereboy, was led in. When the tyrant inquired whetherhe was willing to eat and be released, he said, 14“Inage I am younger than my brothers, but in mind Iam their peer. 15Since we were born and broughtup for the same purposes, we ought likewise alsoto die for the same causes. 16So if you are resolvedto torture me for not eating defiling foods, tor-ture!” 17When he had said these words, they ledhim to the wheel. 18He was stretched tight upon itwith great diligence; his back was broken, and hewas roasted from beneath. 19They heated sharpspits in the fire and applied them to his back,pierced his sides and burned his entrails. 20Whilehe was being tortured, he said, “O contest befittingsanctity in which, for the sake of piety, so many ofmy brothers have been summoned to a school in

sufferings, a contest in which we have not been de-feated! 21For devout knowledge, O tyrant, is invin-cible. 22Armed with nobility of character, I too willdie with my brothers, 23and I too will procure foryou a great avenger, you inventor of tortures andfoe of the truly pious. 24We six lads have over-thrown your tyranny. 25For since you can neithersway our reason nor compel us to eat defilingfood, is this not your overthrow? 26Your fire isfrigid to us, the catapults painless, your violenceunavailing. 27The bodyguards that govern us arenot those of the tyrant but those of the divine law.That is why we hold our reason undefeated.”

12 When he too, thrown into a cauldron, haddied in blessedness, the seventh and

youngest of all came forward. 2The tyrant, thoughhe had been vehemently denounced by his broth-ers, pitied him when he saw the fetters already onhim. He summoned him nearer and tried to advisehim: 3“You see the result of your brothers’ stupid-ity; they were tortured on the rack and died fortheir disobedience. 4You too, if you do not obey,will die, a tortured wretch, before your time. 5Butif you obey, you will be my friend and will lead inthe affairs of my kingdom.” 6When he had exhort-ed him with these words, he summoned the boy’smother, that he might show mercy to her after shehad been deprived of so many sons and that hemight urge on the remaining son to a ready obedi-ence that would be his deliverance. 7But when hismother had spurred him on in the Hebrew lan-guage, as we shall relate a little later, 8he said,“Loose me, and let me speak to the king and to allhis Friends who are with him.” 9Extremely pleasedby the boy’s announcement, they quickly loosedhim. 10Running to the nearest of the frying pans,11he said, “Irreverent tyrant, most impious of allthe wicked, were you not ashamed, when you havereceived good things and your kingdom from God,to kill his attendants and torture on the rack thosetrained in piety? 12For these deeds, justice willstore up for you a fire more fierce and everlastingand tortures, which for all time will not releaseyou. 13Though you are a man, most bestial one,you were not ashamed to cut out the tongues ofthose with feelings just like yours, who are made ofthe same elements, or to maltreat and torture themin this way. 14Whereas they, by dying nobly, ful-filled their duty of piety toward God, you willgrievously lament that you killed without causethose champions of virtue.” 15Thereupon, whenhe too was about to die, he said, 16“I will not aban-don the valor of my brothers. 17I call on the Godof my ancestors that he may have mercy on our na-tion. 18But on you he will take vengeance both inthis present life and when you are dead.” 19Afterhe had uttered these imprecations, he flung him-self into the frying pans and so gave upb.

13 If, then, the seven brothers disdained suffer-ings even unto death, it must be acknowl-

aI.e. the youth bI.e. his life



edged on all sides that pious reason is absolute mas-ter of the passions. 2For if they had been enslaved bythe passions and had eaten defiling food, we wouldhave said that they were defeated by them. 3Now,however, that is not the case, but through reason,which is commendable in God’s eyes, they over-powered the passions. 4It is impossible to overlookthe mind’s supremacy over the passions, for theya

prevailed over both passion and pains. 5How, then,is it possible not to acknowledge the control of pas-sion by good sense shown by those who gave noheed to the agonies caused by fire? 6For just as tow-ers jutting out over harbors hold back the threats ofwaves and provide calm to those who sail into thehaven, 7so the seven-towered good sense of theyoung men, by fortifying the harbor of piety, con-quered the unruliness of the passions. 8For theyconstituted a holy chorus of piety and encouragedone another, saying, 9“Brothers, let us die like broth-ers for the sake of the law; let us imitate the threeyoung men in Assyria who despised the same civicrights accorded us—in a furnace! 10Let us not becowardly in our demonstration of piety.” 11Whileone said, “Courage, brother,” another said, “Bear upnobly,” 12and another reminded them, “Rememberwhence you come and who the father was by whosehand Isaak submitted to be slaughtered for the sakeof piety.” 13Each of them and all of them togetherlooked at one another, beaming and exceedinglybold, and said, “With our whole heart let us conse-crate ourselves to the God who gave us our soulsb,and let us use our bodies as a bulwark for the law.14Let us not fear him who thinks he is killing us,15for great is the contest of the soul and the peril of everlasting torture awaiting those who transgressthe commandment of God. 16Let us arm ourselves,then, with control of passion rooted in divine rea-son. 17For if we so die, Abraam, Isaak and Iakob willreceive us, and all our fathers praise us.” 18To eachof the brothers who were being dragged away, thosewho remained said, “Do not shame us, brother, norplay false to our brothers who died before us!”

19 You are not ignorant of the bonds of broth-erhood, which the divine and all-wise Providencehas allotted through fathers to their descendants,implanting them through their mother’s womb.20In that womb brothers dwell an equal length oftime and are shaped for the same time. They growfrom the same blood, and from the same life-spring they are brought to mature birth. 21Bornafter an equal time of gestation, they drink milkfrom the same fountains by whose embracesminds filled with brotherly love are nourished to-gether. 22They grow more robust through commonnurture, daily companionship, other educationand our discipline in divine law.

23 So strong, indeed, is the sympathy of broth-erly love. Yet the seven brothers felt still greatersympathy toward each other. 24For since they weretrained in the same law, diligently practiced thesame virtues and were brought up together in rightliving, they loved each other still more. 25Their

common zeal for nobility of character intensifiedtheir goodwill toward one another and their one-ness of mind, 26for with their piety they madebrotherly love still dearer to themselves. 27But al-though nature, companionship and virtuoushabits had combined to augment the bonds ofbrotherhood in their eyes, through their pietythose who were left held firm while they saw theirbrothers maltreated and tortured even unto death.

14 Moreover, they even spurred them on toface the abuse so that they not only dis-

dained the agonies but also overcame the passionsof brotherly love.

2 O powers of reason, more royal than kingsand freer than the free! 3O sacred and harmoniousunanimity of the seven brothers in defense ofpiety! 4None of the seven youths played the cow-ard or shrank back from death, 5but all hastenedto meet death through the tortures as though run-ning on the path to immortality. 6Just as the handsand feet are moved in harmony at the promptingsof the soul, so those holy youths, as though movedby an immortal soul of piety, advanced in harmo-ny to death for the sake of such piety. 7All-sacredband of seven, band of brothers in harmony! Justas the seven days of creation form a circle roundpiety, 8so the youths in chorus formed a circleround the seven-fold band, negating their fear ofthe tortures. 9Now, as we hear of those youngmen’s affliction, we shudder. For their part, notonly did they see and not only did they hear theword of immediate threat, but they also sufferedand endured, and that in pangs of fire. 10Whatcould be more painful than that? For the power offire is sharp and intense, and swiftly it destroyedtheir bodies.

11 Do not think it remarkable if reason had fullcontrol of those men in the midst of the tortures,when even the mind of a woman disdained ago-nies still more diverse. 12For the mother of theseven young men endured the torments of eachone of her boys.

13 Consider how complex is the affection of a mother’s love for her children, channeling all her feeling into a sympathy rooted deep within.14Even unreasoning animals show sympathy andaffection for their offspring like that of human be-ings. 15For among birds, the tame ones that roamthe mountains protect their young on housetops,16and others, building their nests on mountainpeaks, in clefts of ravines, in holes of trees or ontheir tops, give birth to their young and fend offthe intruder. 17And if they are unable to fend it off,they help their children to the extent that they areable, flying in circles around them and calling tothem with their own voice, grieving all the whileout of love. 18And why is it necessary to offer proofof sympathy for offspring on the part of unreason-ing animals 19when even bees at the time for mak-ing honeycombs defend themselves against intrud-ers? They sting, as with an iron dart, those who

aI.e. the brothers bOr lives



approach their hive, and they defend it to the pointof death. 20Yet sympathy for her children did notmove the young men’s mother, one in soul as shewas with Abraam.

15 O reason of the children, tyrant over thepassions! O piety, dearer to the mother

than her children! 2When two alternatives lay be-fore her—that of piety and that of the temporarypreservation of her seven sons on the terms of thetyrant’s promise—3the mother showed her greaterlove for piety that, according to divine promise,preserves to everlasting life. 4How can I character-ize the passions involved in the love of parents fortheir children? We impress upon the tender natureof a child a remarkable likeness both of soul andof form; especially is this true of mothers, becausethey are more sympathetic in their feelings towardtheir offspring than fathers. 5For to the extent thatmothers are of tender spirit and bear more chil-dren, so much the more attached are they to theirchildren. 6But more than all other mothers, themother of the seven boys was attached to her chil-dren. Through seven pregnancies she had implant-ed in herself tender love toward them, 7andthough, because of the many birth pangs she suf-fered with each of them, she was bound to feelsympathy for them, 8because of the fear of Godshe despised the temporary deliverance of her chil-dren. 9Not only so, but because of her sons’ nobil-ity of character and their ready obedience to thelaw, she felt a tender love toward them that wasstill greater. 10For they were just, self-controlled,courageous, lofty-spirited, full of brotherly loveand of such love for their mother that they obeyedher and kept the ordinances even unto death.

11 Nevertheless, though so many factors relatedto maternal love drew the mother to sympathy, inthe case of none of them were the various torturesstrong enough to sway her reason; 12rather themother urged each boy individually and all to-gether on to death for the sake of piety. 13O sacrednature, parental affection, tender love toward off-spring, nursing and indomitable maternal pas-sions! 14Yet, though seeing each one tortured onthe rack and burned, the mother, for the sake ofpiety, did not change her course. 15She watchedthe flesh of her children melt about the fire, theirtoes and fingers quiver on the ground, the flesh oftheir heads as far down as their chins exposed likemasks.

16 O mother, tried now by pains more bitterthan even the birth pangs you suffered for them!17O woman, who alone gave birth to such perfectpiety! 18Your firstborn breathing his last did notalter your resolution or your second born lookingat you piteously in his tortures or your third expir-ing. 19Nor did you weep when you looked at theeyes of each one as they gazed boldly in their tor-tures at the same abusive treatment or saw in theirnostrils the signs of their approaching death.20When you saw the burning flesh of childrenlying upon the flesh of children, severed handsupon hands, scalped heads upon heads, corpses

fallen upon corpses, and when you saw the placefull of people on account of the tortures of yourchildren, you did not shed tears. 21Neither thesongs of sirens nor the voices of swans so drawtheir hearers to fond listening as the voices of chil-dren calling to their mother in their tortures.22How great and how many were the tortures withwhich the mother was then tortured as her sonswere themselves being tortured on the wheel andwith hot irons! 23But in the midst of these verypassions, pious reason endued her heart withmanly courage and strengthened her to disregardthe immediate claims of parental love.

24 Although she witnessed the massacre of herseven children and the convoluted diversity oftheir torments, the noble mother undid the impactof all these things through her divine faith. 25Itwas as though, in the council chamber of hermind, the mother saw powerful counselors—na-ture, birth, parental love, the torments of her chil-dren—26and held two ballots concerning her chil-dren, one bringing death and one deliverance.27She gave no heed to the deliverance that wouldpreserve her seven sons for a short time, 28but, ashis daughter, called to mind the perseverance ofGod-fearing Abraam.

29 O mother of the nation, vindicator of thelaw, champion of piety, prizewinner in the contestthat took place in your heart, 30more noble thanmales in perseverance, more manly than men inendurance! 31As the ark of Noe stoutly withstoodthe waves, sustaining the world through the floodthat filled the world, 32so you, O guardian of thelaw, though overwhelmed on all sides by the floodof your passions and distressed by the strongwinds of the tortures of your sons, nobly enduredthe storms that befell you for your piety.

16 If, then, a woman, aged and the mother ofseven boys, endured seeing the tortures of

her children unto death, by common acknowl-edgement pious reason is absolute ruler of the pas-sions. 2Thus I have demonstrated that not onlymen overcame their passions, but also a womandisdained the greatest tortures. 3The lions sur-rounding Daniel were not so savage, nor was thefurnace of Misael so ablaze with fiercest fire as thenature of her maternal love inflamed her when shesaw her seven sons tortured in such diverse ways.4But by the reason that is rooted in piety, themother quenched passions so many and so great.

5 Consider this also: if the woman, although amother, had been fainthearted, she would havemourned over them and perhaps spoken as fol-lows: 6“O how wretched I am, thrice unhappy timeand again; though I bore seven boys, I have be-come a mother of none. 7In vain, my seven preg-nancies, useless, my seven periods of gestation, un-fruitful my nursings, wretched the nourishings atmy breast. 8In vain, my boys, did I endure manybirth pangs for you and the still more trying anxi-eties of your upbringing. 9Alas for my boys, someunmarried, others married to no purpose. I shallnot see your children or have the happiness of



being called grandmother. 10I, a woman with manyand fair children, am a widow, alone, with muchto lament. 11Nor when I die will I have any of mysons to bury me.”

12 Yet the holy, God-fearing mother bewailednone of them with this lament and neither at-tempted to dissuade any of them from dying, nor,as they died, did she grieve. 13But as though shehad a mind of adamanta and was giving the fullcomplement of her sons a new birth to life im-mortal, she rather implored and urged them on todeath for the sake of piety. 14O mother, divine sol-dier in defense of piety, elder, woman! By perse-verance you have conquered even a tyrant andproved stronger in deeds and words than a man.15For when you had been arrested together withyour sons, you stood and watched Eleazaros beingtortured and said to your sons in the Hebrew lan-guage, 16“O boys, noble is the contest to whichyou have been summoned for the testimony youcan bear for our nation. Fight zealously in defenseof our ancestral law! 17For it would be shameful if,when this old man endures these agonies for thesake of piety, you young men were to be terrifiedby the tortures. 18Remember that it is thanks toGod that you have shared in the world and en-joyed life. 19Therefore you ought to endure all suf-fering for the sake of God, 20for whose sake our fa-ther Abraam made haste to sacrifice his son Isaak,a father of our nation; nor did Isaak flinch whenhe saw his father’s hand bearing a sword and de-scending upon him. 21Daniel the righteous wasthrown to the lions. Hananias, Azarias and Misaelwere hurled into a furnace of fire and, for the sakeof God, endured. 22Since, then, you have the samefaith in God, do not be distressed. 23For it wouldbe unreasonable for those who know piety not towithstand sufferings.”

24 By means of these words the mother of theseven encouraged and persuaded each of her sonsto die rather than transgress the commandment ofGod. 25And this they knew as well: that those whodie for the sake of God, for God now live, as doAbraam, Isaak, Iakob and all the patriarchs.

17 Some of the bodyguards said that whenshe was about to be carried off to death,

she threw herself into the fire so that no one mighttouch her body.

2 O mother, who with your seven boys subvert-ed the strength of the tyrant, frustrated his evil de-signs and showed the nobility of your faith! 3Likea roof nobly set upon the pillars of your boys, youendured, unmoved, the earthquake of the tortures.4Take courage, then, holy-minded mother, as youkeep firm your enduring hope in God. 5The moonin heaven with the stars is not so awesome as you.After lighting the path to piety for your seven star-like boys, you stand honored before God, firmlyset in heaven with them. 6For your childbearingwas from Abraam our father.

7 If it were possible for us to paint the story ofyour piety as on some surfaceb, would not onlook-ers shudder when they saw the mother of the sevenchildren enduring, for the sake of piety, diverse tor-tures even unto death? 8Indeed, it would be ap-propriate to inscribe the following words on theirtomb itself as a creminder to the people of our na-tionc:

9 “Here lie buried an aged priest, an agedwoman and seven boys, victims of the violence ofa tyrant who wished to destroy the polity of theHebrews. 10They vindicated their nation, lookingto God and enduring tortures even unto death.”

11 Truly the contest carried on by them was di-vine, 12for then virtue, testing them for their perse-verance, offered rewards. Victory meant incorrupt-ibility in long-lasting life. 13Eleazar contendedfirst; the mother of seven boys entered the fray, andthe brothers contended. 14The tyrant was the an-tagonist; the world and human society looked on.15Godliness won the victory and crowned its ownathletes. 16Who did not marvel at the athletes con-tending for the divine law code? Who were not as-tonished?

17 The tyrant himself and all his council mar-veled at their endurance, 18for which they nowstand before the divine throne and live the life ofthe blessed age. 19For Moyses says, “All the sancti-fied ones are under your hands.” 20And these whohave been divinely sanctified are honored not onlywith this honor, but also in that, thanks to them,our enemies did not prevail over our nation; 21thetyrant was punished, and the homeland was puri-fied, since they became, as it were, a ransom for thesin of the nation. 22And through the blood ofthose pious people and the dpropitiatory of theirdeathd, divine Providence preserved Israel, thoughbefore it had been afflicted.

23 When the tyrant Antiochus saw the courageof their virtue and their endurance under the tor-tures, he proclaimed to his soldiers that they werean example for their own endurance. 24He madetheme noble and courageous for fighting on footand for siege and pillaged and conquered all hisfoes.

18 O Israelite children, offspring of the seedof Abraam, obey this law, and act piously

in every way, 2knowing that pious reason is masterof the passions and of pains, not only of thosefrom within but also of those from without.

3 Wherefore those who, for the sake of piety,gave over their bodies to sufferings were not onlyadmired by human beings but also deemed worthyof a divine inheritance. 4Thanks to them the na-tion gained peace; by reviving loyalty to the law inthe homeland, they pillaged their enemies. 5Thetyrant Antiochus was punished on earth, and nowthat he has died, he continues to undergo chastise-ment. For when he was in no way whatever able tocompel the Hierosolymites to become allophyles

aI.e. steel bLacking in Gk cOr memorial to these heroes of our nation dI.e. atonement wrought by their deatheI.e. his soldiers


4 makkabees 18 541

and change their way of life from their ancestralcustoms, he left Hierosolyma and marched againstthe Persians.

6 The mother of the seven boys spoke theserighteous sayings to her children: 7“I was a purevirgin and did not step outside my father’s house,but I kept watch over athe built riba. 8No seduceror corrupter on a desert plain corrupted me, nordid the seducer, the snake of deceit, defile the pu-rity of my virginity. 9At the time of my maturity Iremained with my husband; when these sonscame of age, their father died. Blessed was he, forhe lived a life marked by the blessing of childrenand did not suffer the grief of the time of child-lessness. 10While he was still with you, he taughtyou the law and the prophets. 11He read to you ofHabel, who was murdered by Kain, of Isaak, whowas offered as a whole burnt offering, of Ioseph inprison. 12He told you of the zealot Phinees; hetaught you about Hananias, Azarias and Misael inthe fire. 13He praised Daniel in the den of the lionsand blessed him. 14He reminded you of the scrip-ture of Esaias, which says, ‘Even if you should go

through fire, the flame shall not consume you.’15He sang for you with words of the psalmistDauid when he says, ‘Many are the afflictions ofthe righteous.’ 16For you he cited the proverb of Sa-lomon when he says, ‘He is a tree of life to thosewho do his will.’ 17He affirmed the words ofIezekiel when he says, ‘Shall these dry bones live?’18For he did not forget to teach the song that Moy-ses taught which says, 19‘I will kill, and I will makealive; this is your life and the length of your days.’ ”

20 O bitter was that day—and yet not bitter—when the bitter tyrant of the Greeks quenched firewith fire in his cruel cauldron and with seethingrage brought the seven boys of the daughter ofAbraam to the catapult and again to his tortures,21pierced the pupils of their eyes, cut off theirtongues and killed them with various tortures.22For these deeds divine justice has pursued andwill pursue the accursed tyrant. 23But the childrenof Abraam with their prizewinning mother aregathered together into the chorus of the fathersand have received pure and immortal souls fromGod, 24to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

aI.e. woman


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