Texts in Conversation
1 Maccabees describes elderly men and boys in the city’s streets, echoing Zechariah’s vision of restored Jerusalem where old and young fill the plazas again. This presents Simon’s leadership as the fulfillment of this hope for peace and prosperity.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Zechariah 8:4
Hebrew Bible
2 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘I am very much concerned for Zion; indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her.’ 3 The Lord says, ‘I have returned to Zion and will live within Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem will be called “truthful city,” “mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” “holy mountain.”’ 4 Moreover, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘Old men and women will once more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each one leaning on a cane because of advanced age. 5 And the streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing. 6 And,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘though such a thing may seem to be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will it also appear difficult to me?’ asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Date: 500–401 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Maccabees 14:9
Deuterocanon
7 He gathered together a great number of captives, and took control of Gazara, Bethsura, and the citadel, and he removed its uncleannesses from it. There was no one who resisted him. 8 They tilled their land in peace, and the land gave her increase, and the trees of the plains gave their fruit. 9 The old men sat in the streets; they all conversed together about good things. The young men put on glorious and warlike apparel. 10 He provided food for the cities and furnished them with means of defense, until the glory of his name was known to the end of the earth. 11 He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy.
Date: 134–63 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The only other mention of “streets” occurs in the description of idyllic peace in the eulogy of Simon (πλατύς 1 Maccabees 14:9; compare 1:55; 2:9). The parallels reflect a contrast between life before, and life after, the Maccabees' rise to power. (Whereas 1 Maccabees 2:9 echoes Lamentations 2:11–12, 1 Maccabees 14:9 echoes Zechariah 8:4. The vocabulary in Mattathias’s outcry reflects the language of Lamentations more fully than any of the other four interludes ... In particular, note the resonances with Lamentations 2:7, 19–22. The personification of Jerusalem as a mother who grieves the loss of her children and the devastation of her temple resonates with Lamentations) ..."
Michael W. Duggan, “1 Maccabees: Emotions of Life and Death in Narrative and Lament,” in Ancient Jewish Prayers and Emotions: Emotions Associated with Jewish Prayer in and around the Second Temple Period, ed. Stefan C. Reif and Renate Egger-Wenzel (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2015), 95–116.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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