The Second Book of Maccabees

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- Kapitel 7 -

The glorious martyrdom of the seven brethren and their mother.

And it happened also that seven brothers, united with their mother, were apprehended and compelled by the king to eat the flesh of swine against divine law, being tormented with scourges and whips.

But one of them, who was first, spoke in this way: “What would you ask, or what would you want to learn from us? We are ready to die, rather than to betray the laws that our fathers received from God.”

And so the king, being angry, ordered frying pans and bronze caldrons to be heated. When these were presently heated,(a)

he ordered the tongue of him who had spoken first to be cut off, and, once the skin of his head had been pulled off, likewise his hands and feet to be cut off at the top, while the rest of his brothers and his mother were watching.(b)

And when now he had been made helpless in all parts, he commanded him to be moved to the fire, and, while still breathing, to be fried in the frying pan. As he was suffering long torments therein, the rest, united with the mother, exhorted one another to die with fortitude,

saying: “The Lord God will perceive the truth, and he will be consoled in us, in the way that Moses declared in the profession of the canticle: ‘And in his servants, he will be consoled.’ ”(c)

And so, when the first had died in this way, they led in the next one, so as to ridicule him. And when the skin of his head was pulled off with the hair, they asked him if he would eat, instead of being punished throughout the whole body in every limb.

But responding in the language of his fathers, he said, “I will not do it.” Because of this, he also, in the next place, received the torments of the first.(d)

And when he had reached his last breath, he spoke in this way: “You, indeed, O most wicked man, are destroying us in this present life. But the King of the world will raise us up, in eternal life at the resurrection, for we die on behalf of his laws.”

After this one, the third was ridiculed, and when he was asked, he quickly offered up his tongue, and he resolutely extended his hands.

And he said with confidence, “I possess these from heaven, but, because of the laws of God, I now despise them, for I hope to receive them again from him.”

So then, the king and those who were with him, wondered at the soul of this youth, because he considered the torments as if they were nothing.

And after he had died in this way, they afflicted the fourth with similar tortures.

And when he was about to die, he spoke in this way: “It is preferable, being put to death by men, to wait for hope from God, so as to be revived again by him. But the resurrection to life will not be for you.

And when they had brought the fifth, they afflicted him. But he, gazing at him,

said: “Having power among men, though you are corruptible, you do what you want, but do not think that our nation has been abandoned by God.

And so, wait patiently for a while, and you will see his great power, by the manner in which he will torture you and your offspring.”

After this one, they brought the sixth, and he, being about to die, spoke in this way: “Do not go astray in vain. For we suffer because of ourselves, having sinned against our God, yet things worthy of admiration have been accomplished in us.

But do not consider that you will be without punishment, for you have attempted to fight against God.”

Now the mother was wonderful beyond measure, and a worthy memorial of the good, for she watched her seven sons perish within the time of one day, and she bore it with a good soul, because of the hope that she had in God.

And, with fortitude, she exhorted every one of them, in the language of the fathers, being filled with wisdom. And, joining masculine courage with feminine thinking,

she said to them: “I do not know how you were formed in my womb. For I did not give you spirit, nor soul, nor life; neither did I construct each of your limbs.

Nevertheless, the Creator of the world, who formed the nativity of man, and who founded the origins of all, will restore both spirit and life to you again, with his mercy, just as you now despise yourselves for the sake of his laws.”

But Antiochus, thinking himself despised, and at the same time also despising the voice of the reproacher, when only the youngest was still left, not only exhorted him with words, but also assured him with an oath, that he would make him wealthy and happy, and, if he would convert from the laws of his fathers, he would have him as a friend, and he would provide him with necessary things.

But, when the youth was not swayed by these things, the king called the mother and persuaded her to act toward the youth to save him.

And so, when he had exhorted her with many words, she promised that she would counsel her son.

Then, leaning towards him and mocking the cruel tyrant, she said in the language of the fathers: “My son, take pity on me, for I carried you for nine months in my womb, and I gave you milk for three years, and I nourished you and led you through to this stage of life.(e)

I ask you, child, gaze upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them, and understand that God made them, and the family of man, out of nothing.

So shall it be that you will not fear this executioner, but, participating worthily with your brothers, you shall accept death, so that, by this mercy, I shall receive you again with your brothers.”

While she was still saying these things, the youth said: “What are you waiting for? I will not obey the precepts of the king, but the precepts of the law, which was given to us through Moses.

In truth, you, who have been the inventor of all malice against the Hebrews, will not escape the hand of God.

For we suffer these things because of our sins.

And if, for the sake of our chastisement and correction, the Lord our God is angry with us for a little while, yet still he will be reconciled again to his servants.

But as for you, O wicked and most disgraceful of all men, do be not be extolled over nothing, with vain hopes, while you are inflamed against his servants.

For you have not yet escaped the judgment of Almighty God, who examines all things.

Therefore, my brothers, having now sustained brief sorrow, have been brought under the covenant of eternal life. But, in truth, you, by the judgment of God, will be released into just punishment for your arrogance.

But I, like my brothers, deliver up my soul and my body for the sake of the laws of the fathers, calling upon God so as to bring forgiveness upon our nation sooner, and so that you, with torments and lashings, may confess that he alone is God.(f)

Truly, in me and in my brothers, the wrath of the Almighty, which has been led over all our people justly, shall cease.”

Then the king, burning with anger, raged against this one with cruelty beyond all the rest, bearing it indignantly that he himself was derided.

And so this one also died in purity, trusting in the Lord through all things.

Then, last of all, after the sons, the mother also was consumed.

Therefore, about the sacrifices and about the exceedingly great cruelties, enough has been said.

Fußnoten

(a)7:3 The word ‘statim’ does not always mean ‘immediately,’ it can also refer to an action that is ‘now’ or ‘presently’ completed, but which may have taken some time to occur.(Conte)

(b)7:4 His hands and feet were cut off at the top, meaning at the wrist and ankles.(Conte)

(d)7:8 The language of his fathers was Hebrew. This language choice is specified because, at that time, the spoken language of the Jews was Aramaic. Yet they would speak in Hebrew when it was an important question of religion.(Conte)

(e)7:27 The Jews in ancient times counted any partial calendar year as a year. So, three years of breast-feeding is not 36 months; rather it is part of one calendar year, all of the next calendar year, and part of the subsequent calendar year, amounting to as little as 14 months.(Conte)

(f)7:37 The word ‘maturius’ refers to an earlier maturity.(Conte)

The glorious martyrdom of the seven brethren and their mother.

It came to pass that seven brothers and their mother were at the king’s command taken and shamefully handled with scourges and cords, to compel them to taste of the abominable swine’s flesh.

One of them made himself the spokesman and said, “What would you ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.”

The king fell into a rage, and commanded that pans and caldrons be heated.

When these were immediately heated, he gave orders to cut out the tongue of him who had been their spokesman, and to scalp him, and to cut off his extremities, with the rest of his brothers and his mother looking on.

And when he was utterly(a) maimed, the king gave orders to bring him to the fire, being yet alive, and to fry him in the pan. And as the smoke from the pan spread far, they and their mother also exhorted one another to die nobly, saying this:

“The Lord God sees, and in truth is(b) entreated for us, as Moses declared in (c)his song, which witnesses against the people to their faces, saying, ‘And he will have compassion on his servants.’”

And when the first had died like this, they brought the second to the mocking; and they pulled off the skin of his head with the hair and asked him, “Will you eat, before your body is punished in every limb?”

But he answered in the language of his ancestors and said to them, “No.” Therefore he also underwent the next torture in succession, as the first had done.

When he was at the last gasp, he said, “You, miscreant, release us out of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us who have died for his laws up to an everlasting renewal of life.”

After him, the third was made a victim of their mocking. When he was required, he quickly put out his tongue, and stretched out his hands courageously,

and nobly said, “I got these from heaven. For his laws’ sake I treat these with contempt. From him, I hope to receive these back again.”

As a result, the king himself and those who were with him were astonished at the young man’s soul, for he regarded the pains as nothing.

When he too was dead, they shamefully handled and tortured the fourth in the same way.

Being near to death he said this: “It is good to die at the hands of men and look for the hope which is given by God, that we will be raised up again by him. For as for you, you will have no resurrection to life.”

Next after him, they brought the fifth and shamefully handled him.

But he looked toward (d)the king and said, “Because you have authority among men, though you are corruptible, you do what you please. But don’t think that our race has been forsaken by God.

But hold on to your ways, and see how his sovereign majesty will torture you and your descendants!”

After him they brought the sixth. When he was about to die, he said, “Don’t be vainly deceived, for we suffer these things for our own doings, as sinning against our own God. Astounding things have come to pass;

but don’t think you that you will be unpunished, having tried to fight against God!”

But above all, the mother was marvelous and worthy of honorable memory; for when she watched seven sons perishing within the space of one day, she bore the sight with a good courage because of her hope in the Lord.

She exhorted each one of them in the language of their fathers, filled with a noble spirit and stirring up her woman’s thoughts with manly courage, saying to them,

“I don’t know how you came into my womb. It wasn’t I who gave you your (e)spirit and your life. It wasn’t I who brought into order the first elements of each one of you.

Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the first origin of man and devised the first origin of all things, in mercy gives back to you again both your (f)spirit and your life, as you now treat yourselves with contempt for his laws’ sake.”

But Antiochus, thinking himself to be despised, and suspecting the reproachful voice, while the youngest was yet alive didn’t only make his appeal to him by words, but also at the same time promised with oaths that he would enrich him and(g) raise him to high honor if he would turn from the ways of his ancestors, and that he would take him for his (h)friend and entrust him with public affairs.

But when the young man would in no way listen, the king called to him his mother, and urged her to advise the youth to save himself.

When he had urged her with many words, she undertook to persuade her son.

But bending toward him, laughing the cruel tyrant to scorn, she spoke this in the language of her fathers: “My son, have pity upon me who carried you nine months in my womb, and nursed you three years, and nourished and brought you up to this age, and sustained you.

I beg you, my child, to lift your eyes to the sky and the earth, and to see all things that are in it, and thus to recognize that God made them not of things that were, and that the race of men in this way comes into being.

Don’t be afraid of this butcher, but, proving yourself worthy of your brothers, accept your death, that in God’s mercy I may receive you again with your brothers.”

But before she had finished speaking, the young man said, “What are you all waiting for? I don’t obey the commandment of the king, but I listen to the commandment of the law that was given to our fathers through Moses.

But you, who have devised all kinds of evil against the Hebrews, will in no way escape God’s hands.

For we are suffering because of our own sins.

If for rebuke and chastening, our living Lord has been angered a little while, yet he will again be reconciled with his own servants.

But you, O unholy man and of all most vile, don’t be vainly lifted up in your wild pride with uncertain hopes, raising your hand against the heavenly children.

For you have not yet escaped the judgment of the Almighty God who sees all things.

For these our brothers, having endured a (i) short pain that brings everlasting life, have now (j) died under God’s covenant. But you, through God’s judgment, will receive in just measure the penalties of your arrogance.

But I, as my brothers, give up both body and soul for the laws of our fathers, calling upon God that he may speedily become (k)gracious to the nation, and that you, amidst trials and plagues, may confess that he alone is God,

and that in me and my brothers (l) you may bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty which has been justly brought upon our whole race.”

But the king, falling into a rage, handled him worse than all the rest, being exasperated at his mocking.

So he also died pure, putting his whole trust in the Lord.

Last of all, after her sons, the mother died.

Let it then suffice to have said thus much concerning the sacrificial feasts and the extreme tortures.

Fußnoten

(a)7:5 Gr. useless.

(b)7:6 Or, comforted in

(d)7:16 Gr. him.

(e)7:22 Or, breath

(f)7:23 Or, breath

(g)7:24 Gr. make him one that is counted happy.

(h)7:24 See 2 Maccabees 8:9 .

(i)7:36 Gr. short pain of ever-flowing life.

(j)7:36 Gr. fallen.By the omission of one Greek letter the words would signify having endured a short pain, have now drunk of ever-flowing life under God’s covenant.

(k)7:37 Gr. propitious.

(l)7:38 Some authorities read may be stayed.