Mattathias’s Uprising according to Josephus

Mattathias and His Sons

Now at this time there was one whose name was Mattathias, who was living in the village of Modiin, in Judaea, the son of John, the son of Simeon, the son of Asamoneus, a priest of the order of Joarib, and a native of Jerusalem. He had five sons: John, who was called Gaddis; Simon, who was called Matthis; and Judah, who was called Maccabee; and Eleazar, who was called Auran; and Jonathan, who was called Apphus. Now this Mattathias lamented to his children the sad state of affairs, the ravage of the city [Jerusalem], the plundering of the Temple, and the calamities the people faced. He told them that it was better for them to die for their ancestral laws than to live in such an ungodly manner.

The Rebellion Begins

But when those appointed by the king came to Modiin in order to compel the Jews to do as the king decreed—that is, to force those who were there to offer sacrifice—they desired that Mattathias, a person of the greatest character among them, for various reasons and particularly on account of his goodly sons, would begin the sacrifice, because his fellow citizens would follow his example, and so he would be honored by the king. But Mattathias said he would not do this and that even if all the other nations would obey the commands of Antiochus, either out of fear or to please him, neither he nor his sons would abandon their ancestral form of religious worship. But as soon as he had ended his speech, there came one of the Jews into the midst of them and sacrificed, as Antiochus had commanded. Filled with rage, Mattathias ran upon him violently, with his sons, who had swords with them, and slew both the man himself who sacrificed and Apelles, the king’s general, who compelled them to sacrifice, with a few of his soldiers. After he overthrew the pagan altar, Mattathias cried out, “Whoever is zealous for the laws of his country and for the worship of God, let him follow me.” And when he had said this, he left all his belongings in the village and immediately went to the desert with his sons. Many others also did the same, fleeing with their children and wives into the desert and dwelling in caves. But when the king’s generals heard this, they took all the forces they had in the citadel at Jerusalem and pursued the Jews into the desert. When they had overtaken them, at first they tried to persuade them to repent and to choose what was most advantageous to them and so not have to treat them as enemies of war. When, however, the Jews remained unpersuaded and showed hostility, they fought against them on the Sabbath and burned them just as they were, in the caves, without resistance, without so much as stopping up the entrances of the caves. And the Jews did not defend themselves on that day because they were unwilling to violate the honor of the Sabbath, even under such dire circumstances, for our law requires that we rest on that day. There were about a thousand, with their wives and children, who were smothered to death in these caves, but many of those who escaped joined Mattathias and appointed him to be their ruler. He taught them how to fight, even on the Sabbath, and told them that unless they fought on the Sabbath, they would become their own enemies, by observing the law [so strictly], because their adversaries would still assault them on the Sabbath. If they did not defend themselves, they would all perish. This speech persuaded them. And this rule continues among us to this day, that if there be a necessity, we may fight on Sabbath days. So Mattathias gathered a large army around him and overthrew their pagan altars, slew those who broke the laws, and killed as many [of those who broke the laws] as he could get his hands on. Many of them scattered among the neighboring nations out of fear of him. He also commanded that uncircumcised boys be circumcised now, and he drove away those who were appointed to prevent their circumcision.

Mattathias’ Illness and Last Words

After having commanded for one year, he became ill. He called for his sons, gathered them around him, and said, “O my sons, I am going the way of all the earth. I set before you my spirit and beseech you not to be negligent in keeping it but to be mindful of the desires of him who begot you and brought you up, to preserve the customs of your country, and to recover your ancient form of government, which is in danger of being overturned. Do not come to terms with those who, either by their own inclination, or out of necessity, betray it, but become such sons as are worthy of me, to be above all force and necessity, and so to dispose your souls, as to be ready, when it shall be necessary, to die for your laws. [ . . . ] If God sees that you are so disposed, He will not forsake you but will greatly admire your virtue and will restore to you again what you have lost and will return to you that freedom in which you shall live quietly and enjoy your own customs. While our bodies are mortal and perishable, they attain a place of immortality by the remembrance of our actions. And it is this immortality that I hope you love, so much so that for its sake you may pursue glory and that, when you have undergone the greatest difficulties, you may not shrink from giving up your lives for such things. I exhort you above all to be united with one another. In whatever ways any one of you excels, yield to him so far, and by that way, reap the advantage of every one’s own virtues. Since your brother Simon is a man of extraordinary prudence, look to him as your father, and be governed by him in what counsel he gives you. Take Maccabee for the general of your army because of his courage and strength, for he will avenge your nation and bring vengeance on your enemies. Admit among you the righteous and religious, and increase their power.”

Having addressed his sons in these words, he prayed to God to be their ally and to recover for the people their former way of life. He died a little afterward and was buried at Modiin, and all the people lamented him greatly. Whereupon his son Judah took upon him the administration of public affairs, in the one hundred and forty-sixth year [April 166–April 165 BCE according to the Jewish calendar]. With the ready assistance of his brothers and others, Judah cast their enemies out of the country, put to death their own countrymen who had transgressed their fathers’ laws, and purified the land of all pollutions.