Antiochus Challenges Eleazar

1 The tyrant Antiochus took his seat with his advisers on a high place, with his armed troops standing around him, 2 and ordered his guards to seize every one of the Hebrews and force them to eat pork and food sacrificed to idols. 3 If any refused to eat the defiled food, they were to be tortured on the wheel and killed. 4 When many had been seized, one man was brought forward first from the group, named Eleazar. He was a priest by descent and an expert in the law, advanced in age and known to many in the tyrant’s court because of his years. 5 When Antiochus saw him, he said, 6 “Before I begin to torture you, old man, I would advise you to eat some pork and save yourself. 7 For I respect your age and your gray hair. But although you have had them so long, you do not seem to me to be a philosopher, since you practice the religion of the Jews. 8 Why do you loathe eating the excellent meat of this animal, when nature has given it to us as a gift? 9 It is foolish not to enjoy pleasant things that are not shameful, and wrong to reject the gifts of nature. 10 And I think you will be acting even more foolishly if you hold empty opinions about the truth and, on top of that, defy me to your own punishment. 11 Won’t you wake up from your nonsense philosophy, clear the foolishness out of your reasoning, and with a mind worthy of your age pursue the truth of what is to your advantage? 12 Won’t you respect my kindly advice and have pity on your old age? 13 Consider this: even if there is some power watching over this religion of yours, it would forgive you for any transgression of the law committed under compulsion.”

Eleazar Defends Obedience to the Torah

14 While the tyrant was urging him in this way to eat forbidden meat, Eleazar asked for permission to speak. 15 When he received permission to speak, he began to address the crowd as follows: 16 “Antiochus, we who have been persuaded to live by a divine law consider no compulsion more powerful than our obedience to the law. 17 So we consider it right not to break the law in any way. 18 Even if our law were not truly divine, as you suppose, and we only thought it divine, even then it would not be right for us to destroy our reputation for piety. 19 So don’t think that eating defiled food is a small sin.⁠a 20 For breaking the law in small matters is as serious as breaking it in great ones, 21 since in either case the law is treated with contempt in the same way. 22 You mock our philosophy, as if we lived by it without good reason. 23 But it teaches us self-control, so that we master all pleasures and desires, and it trains us in courage, so that we endure every hardship willingly. 24 It teaches us justice, so that in all our dealings we act fairly, and it teaches us piety, so that we worship the only God who exists with the reverence he deserves. 25 That is why we do not eat defiled food. For we believe that God established the law, and we know that the Creator of the world, in giving us the law, has compassion for us according to our nature. 26 He has allowed us to eat what is suited to our souls, and has forbidden us to eat meat that is harmful to them. 27 But like a tyrant, you not only force us to break the law, but also to eat, so that you can mock us for eating this defiled food, which we hate most of all. 28 But you will not have this laugh at my expense, 29 nor will I break the sacred oaths of my ancestors to keep the law, 30 not even if you gouge out my eyes and burn my insides. 31 I am not so old and cowardly that my reasoning is not young when it comes to piety. 32 So get your wheels ready and fan the fire hotter. 33 I do not pity my old age so much that I would break the law of my ancestors for my own sake. 34 I will not lie to you, law, my teacher, nor will I renounce you, beloved self-mastery. 35 I will not shame you, philosophical reason, nor will I deny you, honored priesthood and knowledge of the law. 36 You will not defile the dignified mouth of my old age, nor a lifetime spent keeping the law. 37 My ancestors will receive me pure, since I did not fear your compulsion even to death. 38 For you may rule as a tyrant over the ungodly, but you will not master my reasoning about piety, either by your words or by your actions.”