Nicanor

Bacchides returns to Judea.

When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alcimus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them, the right wing of the army.

They went by the road which leads to Gilgal and encamped against Mesaloth in Arbela, and they took it and killed many people.

In the first month of the 152nd year, they encamped against Jerusalem.

A reading from the first book of the Maccabees, beginning with the ninth chapter, the first verse.

When Demetrius heard that Nicanor and his army had fallen in battle, he sent Bacchides and Alchemus into the land of Judah a second time, and with them the right wing of the army.

They went by the road which leads to Gilgal, and encamped against Messaloth and Arbelah, and they took it and killed many people.

In the first month of the 152nd year, they encamped against Jerusalem.

When Alcimus saw that Judas and those with him had grown strong and realized that he could not withstand them, he returned to the king and brought wicked charges against them.

Nicanor in Judea.

Then the king sent Nicanor, one of his honored princes, who hated and detested Israel, and he commanded him to destroy the people.

So Nicanor came to Jerusalem with a large force and treacherously sent to Judas and his brothers this peaceable message: "Let there be no fighting between me and you; I shall come with a few men to see you face to face in peace." So he came to Judas, and they greeted one another peaceably.

But the enemy were ready to seize Judas.

It became known to Judas that Nicanor had come to him with treacherous intent, and he was afraid of him and would not meet him again.

When Nicanor learned that his plan had been disclosed, he went out to meet Judas in battle near Caphar-salama.

About five hundred men of the army of Nicanor fell, and the rest fled into the city of David.

Preparations for battle.

Lysias chose Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes and Nicanor and Gorgias, mighty men among the friends of the king, and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded.

So they departed with their entire force, and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus, in the plain.

When the traders of the region heard what was said of them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and shackles, and went to the camp to get the sons of Israel for slaves.

Often had he sought thus to bring to naught the word of God in the past, but had been divinely defeated on every occasion, and he, the great arch-enemy of God and men, was again to find that he was powerless against the fiat of the Eternal.

Lysias divided the army among three generals, Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Georgius, with forty thousand foot and seven thousand horsemen, sending his great host into Judea to preclude all possibility of defeat.

So certain were the Syrians of victory that Nicanor had it publicly proclaimed that upon his return ninety Jews would be sold for one talent, thus arousing the cupidity of the dealers in slaves, whose money it was supposed would soon be pouring into the coffers of Antiochus.

Against this mighty army Judas could only oppose a visible force of six thousand men, but can we doubt that the armies of heaven, visible only to faith, were encamping around the little Jewish band, as of old in the mountains surrounding Dothan? The Syrians pitched at Emmaus, and at Mizpah was the camp of the Jews.

With ashes on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies they fell down before God in prayer and confession.

Demetrius then ascended the throne, taking the title Soter, meaning Savior.

Alcimus, the newly appointed high priest, bought his favor with a present of a gold crown and other gifts, and thus his office was confirmed to him.

This hypocritical, self-seeking prelate lost no time in slandering Judas Maccabeus and his followers to the king, and command was given to Nicanor, the old enemy of the Jewish commonwealth, to advance against Judas, put him to death, and destroy his army.