| 5 καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἀντίγραφον τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ὧν ἔγραψεν Ιωναθαν τοῖς Σπαρτιάταις 6 Ιωναθαν ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ ἡ γερουσία τοῦ ἔθνους καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς δῆμος τῶν Ιουδαίων Σπαρτιάταις τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς χαίρειν 7 ἔτι πρότερον ἀπεστάλησαν ἐπιστολαὶ πρὸς Ονιαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα παρὰ Ἀρείου τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἐν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐστὲ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν ὡς τὸ ἀντίγραφον ὑπόκειται 8 καὶ ἐπεδέξατο ὁ Ονιας τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον ἐνδόξως καὶ ἔλαβεν τὰς ἐπιστολάς ἐν αἷς διεσαφεῖτο περὶ συμμαχίας καὶ φιλίας 9 ἡμεῖς οὖν ἀπροσδεεῖς τούτων ὄντες παράκλησιν ἔχοντες τὰ βιβλία τὰ ἅγια τὰ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἡμῶν 10 ἐπειράθημεν ἀποστεῖλαι τὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀδελφότητα καὶ φιλίαν ἀνανεώσασθαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐξαλλοτριωθῆναι ὑμῶν πολλοὶ γὰρ καιροὶ διῆλθον ἀ{F'} οὗ ἀπεστείλατε πρὸς ἡμᾶς 11 ἡμεῖς οὖν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἀδιαλείπτως ἔν τε ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς καθηκούσαις ἡμέραις μιμνῃσκόμεθα ὑμῶν ἐ{F'} ὧν προσφέρομεν θυσιῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ὡς δέον ἐστὶν καὶ πρέπον μνημονεύειν ἀδελφῶν 12 εὐφραινόμεθα δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ δόξῃ ὑμῶν 13 ἡμᾶς δὲ ἐκύκλωσαν πολλαὶ θλίψεις καὶ πόλεμοι πολλοί καὶ ἐπολέμησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ βασιλεῖς οἱ κύκλῳ ἡμῶν 14 οὐκ ἠβουλόμεθα οὖν παρενοχλῆσαι ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς συμμάχοις καὶ φίλοις ἡμῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις τούτοις 15 ἔχομεν γὰρ τὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ βοήθειαν βοηθοῦσαν ἡμῖν καὶ ἐρρύσθημεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἐταπεινώθησαν οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν 16 ἐπελέξαμεν οὖν Νουμήνιον Ἀντιόχου καὶ Ἀντίπατρον Ἰάσονος καὶ ἀπεστάλκαμεν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀνανεώσασθαι τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς φιλίαν καὶ συμμαχίαν τὴν πρότερον 17 ἐνετειλάμεθα οὖν αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς πορευθῆναι καὶ ἀσπάσασθαι ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ὑμῖν τὰς πα{R'} ἡμῶν ἐπιστολὰς περὶ τῆς ἀνανεώσεως καὶ τῆς ἀδελφότητος ἡμῶν 18 καὶ νῦν καλῶς ποιήσετε ἀντιφωνήσαντες ἡμῖν πρὸς ταῦτα |
5 The message Jonathan sent to the men of Sparta was in these terms following. 6 The high priest Jonathan, with the elders and priests and all the people of the Jews, to their brethren the Spartans, greeting. 7 Long since, your king Arius wrote to our own high priest, Onias, claiming kinship between us, as witness the copy here subjoined; 8 an honourable welcome Onias gave to this messenger of yours, and accepted the proposal of friendly alliance. 9 For ourselves, we have little need of such friendship; seek we comfort, it is in the sacred books committed to our charge. 10 Yet we thought it best to treat with you for the renewal of this brotherly compact, before any estrangement should arise between us; your embassy to us is of long ago. 11 Never feast-day passes, nor day apt for remembrance, but you are remembered, as brothers should be, in sacrifice and prayer we offer; 12 renown of yours is pride of ours still. 13 In wars and calamities much involved of late, powerful kings for our neighbours and our enemies, 14 we would not embroil you, nor other allies of ours, in these quarrels. 15 Now, by the grace of heaven, we are delivered; our enemies lie crushed; 16 delegates of ours, Numenius son of Antiochus and Antipater son of Jason, are on their way to Rome, friendship and alliance of former days to confirm afresh; 17 and should we send them with no errand to you, no greeting, no word from us of brotherhood revived? 18 Pray you, send us fair answer in your turn. |
5 Et hoc est exemplum epistolarum, quas scripsit Jonathas Spartiatis: 6 Jonathas summus sacerdos, et seniores gentis, et sacerdotes, et reliquus populus Judæorum, Spartiatis fratribus salutem. 7 Jampridem missæ erant epistolæ ad Oniam summum sacerdotem ab Ario, qui regnabat apud vos, quoniam estis fratres nostri, sicut rescriptum continet, quod subjectum est. 8 Et suscepit Onias virum, qui missus fuerat, cum honore: et accepit epistolas, in quibus significabatur de societate et amicitia. 9 Nos cum nullo horum indigeremus, habentes solatio sanctos libros, qui sunt in manibus nostris, 10 maluimus mittere ad vos renovare fraternitatem et amicitiam, ne forte alieni efficiamur a vobis: multa enim tempora transierunt, ex quo misistis ad nos. 11 Nos ergo in omni tempore sine intermissione in diebus solemnibus, et ceteris, quibus oportet, memores sumus vestri in sacrificiis quæ offerimus, et in observationibus, sicut fas est, et decet meminisse fratrum. 12 Lætamur itaque de gloria vestra. 13 Nos autem circumdederunt multæ tribulationes, et multa prælia, et impugnaverunt nos reges qui sunt in circuitu nostro. 14 Noluimus ergo vobis molesti esse, neque ceteris sociis et amicis nostris in his præliis: 15 habuimus enim de cælo auxilium, et liberati sumus nos, et humiliati sunt inimici nostri. 16 Elegimus itaque Numenium Antiochi filium, et Antipatrem Jasonis filium, et misimus ad Romanos renovare cum eis amicitiam et societatem pristinam. 17 Mandavimus itaque eis ut veniant etiam ad vos, et salutent vos, et reddant vobis epistolas nostras de innovatione fraternitatis nostræ. 18 Et nunc benefacietis respondentes nobis ad hæc. |