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2 Maccabees 2

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1 εὑρίσκεται δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἀπογραφαῖς Ιερεμιας ὁ προφήτης ὅτι ἐκέλευσεν τοῦ πυρὸς λαβεῖν τοὺς μεταγενομένους ὡς σεσήμανται 2 καὶ ὡς ἐνετείλατο τοῖς μεταγενομένοις ὁ προφήτης δοὺς αὐτοῖς τὸν νόμον ἵνα μὴ ἐπιλάθωνται τῶν προσταγμάτων τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἀποπλανηθῶσιν ταῖς διανοίαις βλέποντες ἀγάλματα χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ τὸν περὶ αὐτὰ κόσμον 3 καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα λέγων παρεκάλει μὴ ἀποστῆναι τὸν νόμον ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν 4 ἦν δὲ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ὡς τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐκέλευσεν ὁ προφήτης χρηματισμοῦ γενηθέντος αὐτῷ συνακολουθεῖν ὡς δὲ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος οὗ ὁ Μωυσῆς ἀναβὰς ἐθεάσατο τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ κληρονομίαν 5 καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ Ιερεμιας εὗρεν οἶκον ἀντρώδη καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θυμιάματος εἰσήνεγκεν ἐκεῖ καὶ τὴν θύραν ἐνέφραξεν 6 καὶ προσελθόντες τινὲς τῶν συνακολουθούντων ὥστε ἐπισημάνασθαι τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐδυνήθησαν εὑρεῖν 7 ὡς δὲ ὁ Ιερεμιας ἔγνω μεμψάμενος αὐτοῖς εἶπεν ὅτι καὶ ἄγνωστος ὁ τόπος ἔσται ἕως ἂν συναγάγῃ ὁ θεὸς ἐπισυναγωγὴν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἵλεως γένηται 8 καὶ τότε ὁ κύριος ἀναδείξει ταῦτα καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ δόξα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ὡς ἐπὶ Μωυσῇ ἐδηλοῦτο ὡς καὶ ὁ Σαλωμων ἠξίωσεν ἵνα ὁ τόπος καθαγιασθῇ μεγάλως 9 διεσαφεῖτο δὲ καὶ ὡς σοφίαν ἔχων ἀνήνεγκεν θυσίαν ἐγκαινισμοῦ καὶ τῆς τελειώσεως τοῦ ἱεροῦ

1 You shall also find it set down in the dispositions made by the prophet Jeremias, that he bade the exiles rescue the sacred fire, in the manner aforesaid.[1] 2 Strict charge he gave them, the Lord’s commandments they should keep ever in mind, nor let false gods, all gold and silver and fine array, steal away their hearts; 3 with much else to confirm them in their regard for the law. 4 And here, in this same document, the story was told, how a divine oracle came to Jeremias, and he must needs go out, with tabernacle and ark to bear him company, to the very mountain Moses climbed long ago, when he had sight of God’s domain.[2] 5 A cave Jeremias found there, in which he set down tabernacle and ark and incense-altar, and stopped up the entrance behind him. 6 There were some that followed; no time they lost in coming up to mark the spot, but find it they could not. 7 He, when they told him of it, rebuked their eagerness; Nay, said he, the place must remain ever unknown, till the day when God brings his people together once more, and is reconciled; 8 then, divinely, the secret shall be made manifest. Then once again the Lord’s majesty shall be seen, and the cloud that enshrines it; the same vision that was granted to Moses, and to Solomon when he prayed that the great God would have his temple on earth; 9 Solomon, the master of wisdom, that in his wisdom offered sacrifice to hallow the temple he had made.

1 Invenitur autem in descriptionibus Jeremiæ prophetæ, quod jussit eos ignem accipere qui transmigrabant, ut significatum est, et ut mandavit transmigratis. 2 Et dedit illis legem, ne obliviscerentur præcepta Domini, et non exerrarent mentibus, videntes simulacra aurea et argentea, et ornamenta eorum. 3 Et alia hujusmodi dicens, hortabatur ne legem amoverent a corde suo. 4 Erat autem in ipsa scriptura, quomodo tabernaculum et arcam jussit propheta divino responso ad se facto comitari secum, usquequo exiit in montem in quo Moyses ascendit, et vidit Dei hæreditatem. 5 Et veniens ibi Jeremias, invenit locum speluncæ: et tabernaculum, et arcam, et altare incensi intulit illuc, et ostium obstruxit. 6 Et accesserunt quidam simul, qui sequebantur, ut notarent sibi locum: et non potuerunt invenire. 7 Ut autem cognovit Jeremias, culpans illos dixit: Quod ignotus erit locus donec congreget Deus congregationem populi, et propitius fiat: 8 et tunc Dominus ostendet hæc, et apparebit majestas Domini, et nubes erit, sicut et Moysi manifestabatur, et sicut cum Salomon petiit ut locus sanctificaretur magno Deo, manifestabat hæc. 9 Magnifice etenim sapientiam tractabat: et ut sapientiam habens, obtulit sacrificium dedicationis et consummationis templi.

10 καθὼς καὶ Μωυσῆς προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον καὶ κατέβη πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τὰ τῆς θυσίας ἐδαπάνησεν οὕτως καὶ Σαλωμων προσηύξατο καὶ καταβὰν τὸ πῦρ ἀνήλωσεν τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα

10 Prayed Moses, prayed Solomon, and fire came down from heaven to consume the burnt-sacrifice. …

10 Sicut et Moyses orabat ad Dominum, et descendit ignis de cælo et consumpsit holocaustum, sic et Salomon oravit, et descendit ignis de cælo et consumpsit holocaustum.

11 καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς διὰ τὸ μὴ βεβρῶσθαι τὸ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀνηλώθη

11 … Uneaten, Moses said, the victim for fault, and so the fire must consume it. …

11 Et dixit Moyses: Eo quod non sit comestum quod erat pro peccato, consumptum est.

12 ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ Σαλωμων τὰς ὀκτὼ ἡμέρας ἤγαγεν

12 … No other mind had king Solomon, that for eight days would continue his dedication feast.[3]

12 Similiter et Salomon octo diebus celebravit dedicationem.

13 ἐξηγοῦντο δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀναγραφαῖς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὑπομνηματισμοῖς τοῖς κατὰ τὸν Νεεμιαν τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὡς καταβαλλόμενος βιβλιοθήκην ἐπισυνήγαγεν τὰ περὶ τῶν βασιλέων βιβλία καὶ προφητῶν καὶ τὰ τοῦ Δαυιδ καὶ ἐπιστολὰς βασιλέων περὶ ἀναθεμάτων 14 ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Ιουδας τὰ διαπεπτωκότα διὰ τὸν γεγονότα πόλεμον ἡμῖν ἐπισυνήγαγεν πάντα καὶ ἔστιν πα{R'} ἡμῖν 15 ὧν οὖν ἐὰν χρείαν ἔχητε τοὺς ἀποκομιοῦντας ὑμῖν ἀποστέλλετε

13 With all this, dispositions Nehemias made, records Nehemias kept, are in full agreement. He it was founded a library, and there collected histories of king and prophet, and of David himself; dispatches, too, the kings had sent, and inventories of gifts made. 14 And now Judas in his turn has recovered all such records as were lost to us through the late wars, and they are here in our keeping; 15 would you be in possession of these, you have but to send and fetch them.

13 Inferebantur autem in descriptionibus et commentariis Nehemiæ hæc eadem: et ut construens bibliothecam congregavit de regionibus libros et prophetarum et David, et epistolas regum, et de donariis. 14 Similiter autem et Judas ea quæ deciderant per bellum quod nobis acciderat, congregavit omnia, et sunt apud nos. 15 Si ergo desideratis hæc, mittite qui perferant vobis.

16 μέλλοντες οὖν ἄγειν τὸν καθαρισμὸν ἐγράψαμεν ὑμῖν καλώς οὖν ποιήσετε ἄγοντες τὰς ἡμέρας 17 ὁ δὲ θεὸς ὁ σώσας τὸν πάντα λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποδοὺς τὴν κληρονομίαν πᾶσιν καὶ τὸ βασίλειον καὶ τὸ ἱεράτευμα καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν 18 καθὼς ἐπηγγείλατο διὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐλπίζομεν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ὅτι ταχέως ἡμᾶς ἐλεήσει καὶ ἐπισυνάξει ἐκ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰς τὸν ἅγιον τόπον 19 ἐξείλετο γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐκ μεγάλων κακῶν καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐκαθάρισεν

16 Meanwhile, we notify you by these presents of that cleansing ceremony we mean to perform; do us the courtesy to keep holiday on your part. 17 See what deliverance God has sent to his people, restoring to us our common domain, our sovereignty, our priesthood, our temple’s sanctity! 18 Think you not he will fulfil, ere long, the promise made in his law; take pity on us, that are scattered wide as heaven, and on this hallowed soil reunite us? 19 What meant they else, those great perils overcome, that sanctuary purified at last?…

16 Acturi itaque purificationem scripsimus vobis: bene ergo facietis, si egeritis hos dies. 17 Deus autem, qui liberavit populum suum, et reddidit hæreditatem omnibus, et regnum, et sacerdotium, et sanctificationem, 18 sicut promisit in lege, speramus quod cito nostri miserebitur, et congregavit de sub cælo in locum sanctum. 19 Eripuit enim nos de magnis periculis, et locum purgavit.

20 τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ιουδαν τὸν Μακκαβαῖον καὶ τοὺς τούτου ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὸν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τοῦ μεγίστου καθαρισμὸν καὶ τὸν τοῦ βωμοῦ ἐγκαινισμὸν 21 ἔτι τε τοὺς πρὸς Ἀντίοχον τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ καὶ τὸν τούτου υἱὸν Εὐπάτορα πολέμους 22 καὶ τὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γενομένας ἐπιφανείας τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ιουδαϊσμοῦ φιλοτίμως ἀνδραγαθήσασιν ὥστε τὴν ὅλην χώραν ὀλίγους ὄντας λεηλατεῖν καὶ τὰ βάρβαρα πλήθη διώκειν 23 καὶ τὸ περιβόητον κα{Q'} ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην ἱερὸν ἀνακομίσασθαι καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐλευθερῶσαι καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας καταλύεσθαι νόμους ἐπανορθῶσαι τοῦ κυρίου μετὰ πάσης ἐπιεικείας ἵλεω γενομένου αὐτοῖς 24 ὑπὸ Ἰάσωνος τοῦ Κυρηναίου δεδηλωμένα διὰ πέντε βιβλίων πειρασόμεθα δ{I'} ἑνὸς συντάγματος ἐπιτεμεῖν

20 Speak we of Judas Machabaeus and his brethren, and how the great temple was purified, and the altar hallowed anew;[4] 21 of the battles they fought against Antiochus, called the Illustrious, and Eupator, that was his son. 22 Speak we of heavenly manifestations, sent to encourage the champions of Jewry, till at last, though so few, they won back their country, and put the hordes of heathendom to flight. 23 Speak we of that temple, the most famous in all the world, by their means recovered, of a city set free, of forgotten laws re-established, and how the Lord, in his great complaisance, shewed them mercy. 24 All this, the argument of five books Jason of Cyrene wrote, we have been at pains to abridge within the compass of a single volume.

20 De Juda vero Machabæo, et fratribus ejus, et de templi magni purificatione, et de aræ dedicatione, 21 sed et de præliis quæ pertinent ad Antiochum Nobilem et filium ejus Eupatorem, 22 et de illuminationibus quæ de cælo factæ sunt ad eos qui pro Judæis fortiter fecerunt, ita ut universam regionem, cum pauci essent, vindicarent, et barbaram multitudinem fugarent, 23 et famosissimum in toto orbe templum recuperarent, et civitatem liberarent, et leges quæ abolitæ erant, restituerentur, Domino cum omni tranquillitate propitio facto illis. 24 Itemque ab Jasone Cyrenæo quinque libris comprehensa tentavimus nos uno volumine breviare.

25 συνορῶντες γὰρ τὸ χύμα τῶν ἀριθμῶν καὶ τὴν οὖσαν δυσχέρειαν τοῖς θέλουσιν εἰσκυκλεῖσθαι τοῖς τῆς ἱστορίας διηγήμασιν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ὕλης 26 ἐφροντίσαμεν τοῖς μὲν βουλομένοις ἀναγινώσκειν ψυχαγωγίαν τοῖς δὲ φιλοφρονοῦσιν εἰς τὸ διὰ μνήμης ἀναλαβεῖν εὐκοπίαν πᾶσιν δὲ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ὠφέλειαν 27 καὶ ἡμῖν μὲν τοῖς τὴν κακοπάθειαν ἐπιδεδεγμένοις τῆς ἐπιτομῆς οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἱδρῶτος δὲ καὶ ἀγρυπνίας τὸ πρᾶγμα 28 καθάπερ τῷ παρασκευάζοντι συμπόσιον καὶ ζητοῦντι τὴν ἑτέρων λυσιτέλειαν οὐκ εὐχερές ὅμως διὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν εὐχαριστίαν ἡδέως τὴν κακοπάθειαν ὑποίσομεν 29 τὸ μὲν διακριβοῦν περὶ ἑκάστων τῷ συγγραφεῖ παραχωρήσαντες τὸ δὲ ἐπιπορεύεσθαι τοῖς ὑπογραμμοῖς τῆς ἐπιτομῆς διαπονοῦντες 30 καθάπερ γὰρ τῆς καινῆς οἰκίας ἀρχιτέκτονι τῆς ὅλης καταβολῆς φροντιστέον τῷ δὲ ἐγκαίειν καὶ ζωγραφεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια πρὸς διακόσμησιν ἐξεταστέον οὕτως δοκῶ καὶ ἐπὶ ἡμῶν 31 τὸ μὲν ἐμβατεύειν καὶ περίπατον ποιεῖσθαι λόγων καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ μέρος τῷ τῆς ἱστορίας ἀρχηγέτῃ καθήκει 32 τὸ δὲ σύντομον τῆς λέξεως μεταδιώκειν καὶ τὸ ἐξεργαστικὸν τῆς πραγματείας παραιτεῖσθαι τῷ τὴν μετάφρασιν ποιουμένῳ συγχωρητέον 33 ἐντεῦθεν οὖν ἀρξώμεθα τῆς διηγήσεως τοῖς προειρημένοις τοσοῦτον ἐπιζεύξαντες εὔηθες γὰρ τὸ μὲν πρὸ τῆς ἱστορίας πλεονάζειν τὴν δὲ ἱστορίαν ἐπιτεμεῖν

25 What would you? There be books a many, and they are hard put to it that would trace the course of history, for the abundance of the matter therein comprised. 26 And my aim was, if a man would read, read he should and with relish; would a man study, without great ado he should be able to commit all to memory; and so I would serve every man’s turn. 27 But for me, that undertook the business of abridgement, think you it was light labour? Nay, here was a task all watching and sweat; 28 yet shoulder the burden I would; host that prepares a banquet must work for other men’s pleasure, and earn nothing but their thanks. 29 Full information would you have about this or that, I remit you to my author; for myself, I will be true to my own pattern of shortness. 30 When a house is first in building, the architect must needs bestow pains on every part of it; not such the painter’s care, he will pick out the surfaces that are most apt for adornment. And so, methinks, it is here; 31 to expatiate, to digress, to indulge curiosity on every point, is for the arch-historian; 32 your epitomist will ask leave to study brevity, and let long disquisitions be. 33 And now, to our matter! Here is preface enough; it were ill done to draw out the preamble, and leave our story cramped for room.

25 Considerantes enim multitudinem librorum, et difficultatem volentibus aggredi narrationes historiarum propter multitudinem rerum, 26 curavimus volentibus quidem legere, ut esset animi oblectatio: studiosis vero, ut facilius possint memoriæ commendare: omnibus autem legentibus utilitas conferatur. 27 Et nobis quidem ipsis, qui hoc opus breviandi causa suscepimus, non facilem laborem, immo vero negotium plenum vigiliarum et sudoris assumpsimus. 28 Sicut hi qui præparant convivium, et quærunt aliorum voluntati parere propter multorum gratiam, libenter laborem sustinemus. 29 Veritatem quidem de singulis auctoribus concedentes, ipsi autem secundum datam formam brevitati studentes. 30 Sicut enim novæ domus architecto de universa structura curandum est; ei vero qui pingere curat, quæ apta sunt ad ornatum exquirenda sunt: ita æstimandum est et in nobis. 31 Etenim intellectum colligere, et ordinare sermonem, et curiosius partes singulas quasque disquirere, historiæ congruit auctori: 32 brevitatem vero dictionis sectari, et executiones rerum vitare, brevianti concedendum est. 33 Hinc ergo narrationem incipiemus: de præfatione tantum dixisse sufficiat. Stultum etenim est ante historiam effluere, in ipsa autem historia succingi.

[1] vv. 1-19. These verses seem to be a continuation of the third fragment preserved in the foregoing chapter. Nothing in the prophecy of Jeremias, as we have it, relates the circumstances here mentioned, although verse 2 is possibly a reference to Bar. 6.

[2] Some of the actions described by the Hebrew prophets may have taken place only in a vision, not in actual life, cf. e.g. Jer. 13.1-7. The mountain is no doubt Phasga (Deut. 34).

[3] vv. 10-12. It is difficult to make any continuous sense out of these verses as they have come down to us, and it seems possible that a considerable portion of the letter has here been lost. The missing part might have explained what was the relevance of this long excursion into past history, which has no immediate bearing on Judas and the re-dedication of the temple.

[4] vv. 20-33. The book proper begins with this preamble, in which the author is concerned, not to shift the responsibility for his statements on to Jason of Cyrene, but to justify himself in selecting certain incidents for recital, and omitting the rest. The exact sense of the Latin is hard to determine; it is here interpreted in conformity with the Greek text.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd