Texts in Conversation
1 Maccabees says Antiochus IV died of grief and disappointment after hearing of his failed campaigns, contrasting with 2 Maccabees where God strikes him with a bodily affliction and his flesh is eaten by worms.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Maccabees 9:9
Deuterocanon
5 But the All-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him with a fatal and invisible stroke. As soon as he had finished speaking this word, an incurable pain of the bowels seized him, with bitter torments of the inner parts— 6 and that most justly, for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange sufferings. 7 But he in no way ceased from his rude insolence. No, he was filled with even more arrogance, breathing fire in his passion against the Jews, and giving orders to hasten the journey. But it came to pass moreover that he fell from his chariot as it rushed along, and having a grievous fall was tortured in all of the members of his body. 8 He who had just supposed himself to have the waves of the sea at his bidding because he was so superhumanly arrogant, and who thought to weigh the heights of the mountains in a balance, was now brought to the ground and carried in a litter, showing to all that the power was obviously God’s, 9 so that worms swarmed out of the impious man’s body, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh fell off, and by reason of the stench all the army turned with loathing from his decay. 10 The man who a little before supposed himself to touch the stars of heaven, no one could endure to carry because of his intolerable stench.
Date: 160–63 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
1 Maccabees 6:8
Deuterocanon
8 It came to pass, when the king heard these words, he was astonished and moved exceedingly. He laid himself down on his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not turned out for him as he had planned. 9 He was there many days, because great grief continually gripped him, and he realized that he would die. 10 He called for all his friends, and said to them, “Sleep departs from my eyes, and my heart fails because of worry. 11 I said in my heart, ‘To what suffering I have come! How great a flood it is that I’m in, now! For I was gracious and loved in my power.’ 12 But now I remember the evils which I did at Jerusalem, and that I took all the vessels of silver and gold that were in it, and sent out to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without a cause. 13 I perceive that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me. Behold, I am perishing through great grief in a strange land.”
Date: 134–63 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... 2 Maccabees' presentation of this episode differs greatly from 1 Maccabees', particularly in the characterization of Antiochus himself and in the emphasis on his painful death as an appropriate reward for his treatment of the Jews. In 1 Maccabees, Antiochus receives news of the successes of Judas, including the refortification of the temple area (1 Macc 6:5-7); in 2 Maccabees Antiochus hears of the defeat of Nicanor ..."
James D. G. Dunn and J. W. Rogerson, eds., Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 841.
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,