4. Makkabeler (Ek) 4

¹Şimon adında biri, yaşamı boyunca başkâhinliği elinde tutan soylu ve iyi bir adam olan Onias'a karşı muhalefet ediyordu; ulus aleyhine her türlü iftirayı atıp yine de ona zarar vermeyi başaramayınca, vatanına ihanet etmek amacıyla sürgüne kaçtı.

²Oradan Suriye, Fenike ve Kilikya askeri valisi Apollonios'un yanına giderek şöyle dedi: "Kralın işlerine sadık biri olarak buraya geldim;

³Yeruşalim'deki tapınak hazinelerinde, tapınağın ortak malı olmayan, şahıslara ait on binlerce gümüşün biriktirildiğini ve bunların Kral Selefkos'a devredilmesinin uygun düşeceğini bildirmek isterim."

⁴Apollonios bu durumun ayrıntılarını öğrenince, Şimon'u krala olan sadakatinden ötürü övdü; sonra Selefkos'un huzuruna çıkıp ona bu hazineyi ihbar etti.

⁵Bu konuda yetkiyi aldıktan sonra, lanetli Şimon ve çok güçlü bir orduyla birlikte hızla vatanımıza geldi.

⁶Tapınağa yaklaşınca, hazinedeki şahsi paraları almak üzere kralın buyrukları doğrultusunda geldiğini söyledi.

⁷Ulus bu sözler üzerine feryat edip karşı koydu; kutsal hazineye emanet bırakanların haklarından mahrum edilmesini büyük bir haksızlık sayarak ellerinden geldiğince buna engel olmaya çalıştılar.

⁸Ancak Apollonios tehditler savurarak tapınağa doğru ilerledi.

⁹Kâhinler ise kadınlar ve çocuklarla birlikte tapınakta Tanrı'ya yakararak, hor görülen bu kutsal yeri korumasını dilediler.

¹⁰Apollonios, hazineyi yağmalamak için silahlı ordusuyla yukarı çıkarken, göklerden silahları parıldayan atlı melekler göründü ve onların yüreğine büyük bir korku ve titreme saldı.

¹¹Apollonios yarı ölü bir halde tapınağın uluslara açık dış avlusuna yıkıldı, ellerini göğe doğru açtı ve gözyaşları içinde İbranilerden kendisi için dua etmelerini, göksel orduyu yatıştırmalarını diledi.

¹²Çünkü günah işlediğini, bu yüzden ölümü hak ettiğini, eğer kurtulursa bu kutsal yerin yüceliğini tüm insanlara övgüyle anlatacağını söylüyordu.

¹³Başkâhin Onias bu sözlerden etkilendi; ayrıca Kral Selefkos'un, Apollonios'un ilahi bir ceza ile değil de insani bir tuzakla öldürüldüğünü düşünmesinden çekindiği için onun adına dua etti.

¹⁴Böylece mucizevi bir şekilde kurtulan Apollonios, başına gelenleri krala bildirmek üzere oradan ayrıldı.

¹⁵Kral Selefkos'un ölümünden sonra tahta, kibirli ve korkunç bir adam olan oğlu Antiohos Epifanes geçti.

¹⁶Antiohos, Onias'ı başkâhinlikten azledip yerine kardeşi Yason'u başkâhin olarak atadı; çünkü Yason kendisine şu sözü vermişti:

¹⁷Eğer bu yetkiyi kendisine verirse, krala her yıl üç bin altı yüz altmış talant ödeyecekti.

¹⁸Kral da ona hem başkâhinliği hem de ulusun önderliğini teslim etti.

¹⁹Yason ise Yahudi ulusunun yaşam tarzını değiştirdi ve onları her türlü yasa dışılığa sürükleyerek yozlaştırdı.

²⁰Öyle ki, sadece vatanımızın kalesinde bir spor salonu kurmakla kalmadı, tapınağın gözetimini de tamamen ortadan kaldırdı.

²¹Bu duruma öfkelenen ilahi adalet, Antiohos'un kendisini onlara karşı düşman etti.

²²Çünkü Antiohos, Mısır'da Ptolemaios ile savaşırken, öldüğüne dair yayılan bir söylenti üzerine Yeruşalim halkının büyük bir sevince boğulduğunu duyunca, hemen onların üzerine yürüdü.

²³Onları bozguna uğrattıktan sonra, aralarından kim atalarından kalma yasaya göre yaşayacak olursa öldürülmesini emreden bir ferman çıkardı.

²⁴Fermanlarıyla ulusun yasaya olan bağlılığını hiçbir şekilde yok edemediğini, tüm tehdit ve cezalarının boşa çıktığını görünce,

²⁵—öyle ki, çocuklarını sünnet ettiren kadınlar, başlarına geleceği bile bile bebekleriyle birlikte uçurumdan aşağı atılıyorlardı—

²⁶fermanlarının halk tarafından hiçe sayıldığını görünce, bu kez işkence yoluyla ulusun her bir ferdini haram kılınan yiyecekleri tatmaya ve Yahudilikten dönmeye zorladı.

¹Σίμων γάρ τις πρὸς ᾿Ονίαν ἀντιπολιτευόμενος τόν ποτε τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἔχοντα διά βίου, καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἄνδρα, ἐπειδὴ πάντα τρόπον διαβάλλων ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους οὐκ ἴσχυσε κακῶσαι, φυγὰς ᾤχετο τὴν πατρίδα προδώσων.

²ὅθεν ἥκων πρὸς ᾿Απολλώνιον, τὸν Συρίας τε καὶ Φοινίκης καὶ Κιλικίας στρατηγόν, ἔλεγεν· εὔνους ὢν τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως πράγμασιν ἥκω

³μηνύσων πολλὰς ἰδιωτικῶν χρημάτων μυριάδας ἐν τοῖς ῾Ιεροσολύμων γαζοφυλακίοις τεθησαυρίσθαι τοῖς ἱεροῖς μὴ ἐπικοινωνούσας, καὶ προσήκειν ταῦτα Σελεύκῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ.

⁴τούτων δὲ ἕκαστα γνοὺς ὁ ᾿Απολλώνιος, τὸν μὲν Σίμωνα τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα κηδεμονίας ἐπαινεῖ, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Σέλευκον ἀναβὰς κατεμήνυσε τὸν τῶν χρημάτων θησαυρόν.

⁵καὶ λαβὼν τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐξουσίαν ταχὺ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἡμῶν μετὰ τοῦ καταράτου Σίμωνος καὶ βαρυτάτου στρατοῦ ἀνέβη

⁶καὶ προσελθὼν ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντολαῖς ἥκειν ἔλεγεν, ὅπως τὰ ἰδιωτικὰ τοῦ γαζοφυλακίου λάβοι χρήματα.

⁷καὶ τοῦ ἔθνους πρὸς τὸν λόγον σχετλιάζοντος ἀντιλέγοντός τε, πάνδεινον εἶναι νομίσαντες, εἰ οἱ τὰς παρακαταθήκας πιστεύσαντες τῷ ἱερῷ θησαυρῷ στερηθήσονται, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, ἐκώλυον.

⁸μετὰ ἀπειλῶν δὲ ὁ ᾿Απολλώνιος ἀπῄει εἰς τὸ ἱερόν.

⁹τῶν δέ ἱερέων μετά γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἱκετευσάντων τὸν Θεὸν ὑπερασπίσαι τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταφρονουμένου τόπου

¹⁰ἀνιόντος τε μετά καθωπλισμένης τῆς στρατιᾶς τοῦ ᾿Απολλωνίου πρὸς τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ἁρπαγήν, οὐρανόθεν ἔφιπποι προὐφάνησαν ἄγγελοι περιαστράπτοντες τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ πολὺν αὐτοῖς φόβον τε καὶ τρόμον ἐνιέντες.

¹¹καταπεσών γέ τοι ἡμιθανὴς ὁ ᾿Απολλώνιος ἐπὶ τὸν πάμφυλον τοῦ ἱεροῦ περίβολον τὰς χεῖρας ἐξέτεινεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ μετὰ δακρύων τοὺς ῾Εβραίους παρεκάλει, ὅπως περί αὐτοῦ εὐξάμενοι τὸν ἐπουράνιον ἐξευμενίσωνται στρατόν.

¹²ἔλεγε γὰρ ἡμαρτηκὼς ὥστε καὶ ἀποθανεῖν ἄξιος ὑπάρχειν πᾶσί τε ἀνθρώποις ὑμνήσειν σωθεὶς τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τόπου μακαριότητα.

¹³τούτοις ὑπαχθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις ᾿Ονίας ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, καίπερ ἄλλως εὐλαβηθείς, μήποτε νομίσειεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Σέλευκος ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐπιβουλῆς καὶ μὴ θείας δίκης ἀνῃρῆσθαι τὸν ᾿Απολλώνιον, ηὔξατο περὶ αὐτοῦ.

¹⁴καὶ ὁ μὲν παραδόξως διασωθεὶς ᾤχετο δηλώσων τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ συμβάντα αὐτῷ. -

¹⁵Τελευτήσαντος δὲ Σελεύκου τοῦ βασιλέως διαδέχεται τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ᾿Αντίοχος ᾿Επιφανής, ἀνὴρ ὑπερήφανος καὶ δεινός,

¹⁶ὃς καταλύσας τὸν ᾿Ονίαν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης, ᾿Ιάσονα τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ κατέστησεν ἀρχιερέα, συνθέμενον δώσειν,

¹⁷εἰ ἐπιτρέψειεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχήν, κατ’ ἐνιαυτὸν τρισχίλια ἑξακόσια ἑξήκοντα τάλαντα.

¹⁸ὁ δὲ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀρχιερᾶσθαι καὶ τοῦ ἔθνους ἀφηγεῖσθαι.

¹⁹ὃς καὶ ἐξεδιῄτησε τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων τὸ ἔθνος καὶ ἐξεπολίτευσεν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν παρανομίαν

²⁰ὥστε μὴ μόνον ἐπ’ αὐτῇ τῇ ἄκρᾳ τῆς πατρίδος ἡμῶν γυμνάσιον κατασκευάσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταλῦσαι τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ κηδεμονίαν.

²¹ἐφ’ οἷς ἀγανακτήσασα ἡ θεία δίκη αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς τὸν ᾿Αντίοχον ἐπολέμωσεν.

²²ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολεμῶν ἦν κατ’ Αἴγυπτον Πτολεμαίῳ, ἤκουσέ τε ὅτι φήμης διαδοθείσης περὶ τοῦ τεθνᾶναι αὐτόν, ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα χαίροιεν οἱ ῾Ιεροσολυμῖται, ταχέως ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἀνέζευξεν,

²³καὶ ὡς ἐπόρθησεν αὐτούς, δόγμα ἔθετο ὅπως, εἴ τινες αὐτῶν φάνοιεν τῷ πατρίῳ πολιτευόμενοι νόμῳ, θάνοιεν.

²⁴καὶ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ἴσχυε καταλῦσαι διὰ τῶν δογμάτων τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους εὔνοιαν,

²⁵ἀλλὰ πάσας τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπειλὰς καὶ τιμωρίας ἑώρα καταλυομένας, ὥστε καὶ γυναῖκας, ὅτι περιέτεμον τὰ παιδία, μετὰ τῶν βρεφῶν κατακρημνισθῆναι προειδυίας ὅτι τοῦτο πείσονται·

²⁶ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ δόγματα αὐτοῦ κατεφρονεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ, αὐτὸς διά βασάνων ἕνα ἕκαστον τοῦ ἔθνους ἠνάγκαζε μιαρῶν ἀπογευομένους τροφῶν ἐξόμνυσθαι τὸν ᾿Ιουδαϊσμόν.

¹For a certain man named Simon, who was in opposition to Onias, who once held the high priesthood for life, and was an honourable and good man, after that by slandering him in every way, he could not injure him with the people, went away as an exile, with the intention of betraying his country.

²Whence coming to Apollonius, the military governor of Syria, and Phoenicia, and Cilicia, he said,

³Having good will to the king’s affairs, I am come to inform thee that infinite private wealth is laid up in the treasuries of Jerusalem which do not belong to the temple, but pertain to king Seleucus.

⁴Apollonius, acquainting himself with the particulars of this, praised Simon for his care of the king’s interests, and going up to Seleucus informed him of the treasure;

⁵and getting authority about it, and quickly advancing into our country with the accursed Simon and a very heavy force,

⁶he said that he came with the commands of the king that he should take the private money of the treasure.

⁷And the nation, indignant at this proclamation, and replying to the effect that it was extremely unfair that those who had committed deposits to the sacred treasury should be deprived of them, resisted as well as they could.

⁸But Appolonius went away with threats into the temple.

⁹And the priests, with the women and children, having supplicated God to throw his shield over the holy, despised place,

¹⁰and Appolonius going up with his armed force to the seizure of the treasure,--there appeared from heaven angels riding on horseback, all radiant in armour, filling them with much fear and trembling.

¹¹And Apollonius fell half dead upon the court which is open to all nations, and extended his hands to heaven, and implored the Hebrews, with tears, to pray for him, and propitiate the heavenly host.

¹²For he said that he had sinned, so as to be consequently worthy of death; and that if he were saved, he would celebrate to all men the blessedness of the holy place.

¹³Onias the high priest, induced by these words, although for other reasons anxious that king Seleucus should not suppose that Apollonius was slain by human device and not by Divine punishment, prayed for him;

¹⁴and he being thus unexpectedly saved, departed to manifest to the king what had happened to him.

¹⁵But on the death of Seleucus the king, his son Antiochus Epiphanes succeeds to the kingdom: a man of haughty pride and terrible.

¹⁶Who having deposed Onias from the high priesthood, appointed his brother Jason to be high priest:

¹⁷who had made a covenant, if he would give him this authority, to pay yearly three thousand six hundred and sixty talents.

¹⁸And he committed to him the high priesthood and rulership over the nation.

¹⁹And he both changed the manner of living of the people, and perverted their civil customs into all lawlessness.

²⁰So that he not only erected a gymnasium on the very citadel of our country, [but neglected] the guardianship of the temple.

²¹At which Divine vengeance being grieved, instigated Antiochus himself against them.

²²For being at war with Ptolemy in Egypt, he heard that on a report of his death being spread abroad, the inhabitants of Jerusalem had exceedingly rejoiced, and he quickly marched against them.

²³And having subdued them, he established a decree that if any of them lived according to the laws of his country he should die.

²⁴And when he could by no means destroy by his decrees the obedience to the law of the nation, but saw all his threats and punishments without effect,

²⁵for even women, because they continued to circumcise their children, were flung down a precipice along with them, knowing beforehand of the punishment.

²⁶When, therefore, his decrees were disregarded by the people, he himself compelled by means of tortures every one of this race, by tasting forbidden meats, to abjure the Jewish religion.