The tyrant of Syria, whom some called Epiphanes, The Madman. Roman history of the first centuries records two such tyrants – the other, Caligula, the Second Brilliant Madman.
At a time when our fathers enjoyed great peace through the due observance
of the Law, and were in happy case, so that Seleucus Nicanor, the king of Asia,
sanctioned the tax for the Temple-service and Apollonius, the governor of
Syria, being loyal to the king when to rob the treasuries of Jerusalem, and
made his way into the temple to violate all that was in it. Upon Seleucus
death, his son Antiochus Epiphanes became his successor and he made his
brother, Jason, the new high-priest with the purpose of collection 3660.00
talents a year from him. He plundered the city and also made a decree
denouncing the penalty of death upon any who should be seen to live after the
Law of their fathers. This shows the details of the successive tortures
(suggesting the instruments of the Spanish Inquisition centuries later) and with
this narrator conjures Courage. Have we learned from the past or advanced in
its tactics?
Males what were circumcised and their mothers were flung, together with
their offspring, headlong from the rocks. Circumcision was a covenant to be ye
separate unto G-d.
Jason personally tried to force by tortures each man separately to eat
unclean meats and thus abjure the Jewish religion. His guards were ordered to
drag every singles man of the Hebrews and compel them to eat swine’s flesh and
things offered to idols; but if any should refuse to defile themselves with the
unclean things, they were to be tortured and put to death.
One man first from the mass of people was a Hebrew whose name was Eleazar,
a priest by birth, trained in knowledge of the Law, a man advanced in years and
well known to many of the tyrant’s court for his philosophy ‘having accepted
the Divine Law and the obedience to the Law, not even so would it be right for
Believers to destroy their reputation for faithfulness. Think it not a small sin
for us to transgression of the Law, be it in small things or great, is equally
terrible; for in either case equal the Law is unloved by many. If we were
living in a manner contrary to reason, not so, for the Law teaches us
self-control, so that we are masters of all our pleasures and desires and are
thoroughly trained in manliness so as to endure all pain and readiness; and it
teaches justice, so that with all our various dispositions we ace fairly, and
it teaches righteousness, so that with due reverence we worship only the G-d
who is. Believing in the Law, to be given by G-d, we know also that the Creator
of the world, as a Lawgiver, fells for us according to our nature. He has
commanded all of us to eat the things that will be convenient for our souls, and
He has forbidden us to eat that which would be the contrary. ”
Eleazar told his tormentors, “I am not so unmanned by old age but that when
righteousness is at stake the strength of youth returns to my Reason. So twist
hard your racks and blow your furnace hotter. I do not so pity mine old age as
to break the Law of my fathers in mine own person. Clean shall my fathers
receive me, unafraid of thy torments even to the death.”
The gently spirited old man, shows such fortitude it seems like an
inextinguishable fire!
They first unclothed the old man, who was adorned with the beauty of
holiness. Then binding his arms on either side they scourged him. But the
great-souled and noble man, an Eleazar
in very truth, was no more moved in his mind than if he were being tormented in
a dream; the old man keeping his eyes steadfastly raised to heaven suffered his
flesh to be torn by the scourges till he was bathed in blood and his sides
became a mass of wounds; and even when he fell to the ground because his body
could no longer support the pain he still kept his Reason erect and inflexible.
With his foot then one of the cruel guards as he fell kicked him savagely
in the side to make him get up. But he endured the anguish, and despised the
compulsion, and bore up under the torments, and like a brave athlete taking
punishment, the old man outwore his tormentors. The sweat stood on his brow,
and he drew his breath in hard gasps, till his nobility of soul extorted the
admiration of his tormentors themselves, and stopped. To this Eleazar said: “O
minions of the tyrant, why pause ye in your work? Contrary to Reason, were it
for us, after living unto the truth till old age, and guarding in lawful guise
the repute of so living, now to change and become in our own persona a pattern
to the young so impiety, to the end that we should encourage them to disobey
the Law, shame be if we should live on a little longer, curing that little
being mocked of all men for cowardice, and while despised by the tyrant as
unmanly should fail to defend the Divine Law unto the death.” They seeing him
thus triumphant over the tortures and unmoved even by the pity of his
executioners, dragged him to the fire, where they cast him on it, burning him
with cruelly cunning devices, and they poured broth of evil odor into his Nostrils,
but when the fire already reached to his bones and he was about to give up the
ghost, he lifted up his eyes to G-d and said: Thou, O G-d, be merciful unto Thy
people, and let our punishment be a satisfaction in their behalf. Make my blood
their purification, and take my soul to ransom their souls.” And with these
words the holy man nobly yielded up his spirit under the torture, and for the
sake of the Law held out by his Reason even against the torments unto death.
His Reason having conquered his passions, we properly attribute to it the power
of commanding them for it conquers pains that come from outside ourselves,
neither does it surrender to them.
Eleazar though buffeted by the threats of the tyrant and swept by the
swelling waves of the tortures, never shifted for one moment the helm of
sanctity until he sailed into the haven of victory over death. O priest worthy
of thy priesthood, thou didst not defile thyself! Such should those be whose
office is to serve the Law and defend it with their own blood and honourable
sweat in the face of sufferings to the death.
So the son of Aaron, Eleazar, being consumed by the melting heat of the
fire, remained unshaken in his Reason. O blessed age, O reverent grey head, O
life faithful to the Law and perfected by the seal of death! Not all men are
masters of the passions because not all men have their Reason enlightened. But
as many as with tier whole heart make righteousness their first thought, these
alone are able to master the weakness of the flesh, and live unto G-d.
Therefore, there is nothing contradictory in certain persons appearing to
be slaves to passion in consequence of the weakness of their Reason, having put
his trust in
G-d, and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all hardness for the
sake of virtue, would not conquer his passions for the sake of righteousness?
How the Law was loved! To Believers it seems to hard to follow and
understand, famous saying is ‘we are not under the Law but under grace.’
What is grace with out instructions to live righteously?
Do we believe in anything enough to lay down our lives for it?
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