THE SECOND BOOK
of MACCABEES
 

Franks and Saracens at the Battle of Roncesvalles, BNF FR 2813Grandes Chroniques de France, fol. 121.

JUDAS called upon the Lord to show himself their ally and leader in the battle. ³⁷ In the language of their fathers he raised the battle cry, with hymns; then he charged against Gorgias’ men when they were not expecting it, and put them to flight. ³⁸ Then Judas assembled his army and went to the city of Adullam. As the seventh day was coming on, they purified themselves according to the custom, and they kept the sabbath there. 

Ιουδας τὸν κύριον σύμμαχον φανῆναι καὶ προοδηγὸν τοῦ πολέμου· καταρξάμενος τῇ πατρίῳ φωνῇ τὴν μεθ' ὕμνων κραυγὴν ἐνσείσας ἀπροσδοκήτως τοῖς περὶ τὸν Γοργίαν, τροπὴν αὐτῶν ἐποιήσατο.  Ιουδας δὲ ἀναλαβὼν τὸ στράτευμα ἧκεν εἰς Οδολλαμ πόλιν· τῆς δὲ ἑβδομάδος ἐπιβαλλούσης κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν ἁγνισθέντες αὐτόθι τὸ σάββατον διήγαγον.

³⁹ On the next day, as by that time it had become necessary, Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with their kinsmen in the sepulchres of their fathers. ⁴⁰ Then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. 

³⁹ τῇ δὲ ἐχομένῃ ἦλθον οἱ περὶ τὸν Ιουδαν καθ' ὃν χρόνον τὸ τῆς χρείας ἐγεγόνει, τὰ σώματα τῶν προπεπτωκότων ἀνακομίσασθαι καὶ μετὰ τῶν συγγενῶν ἀποκαταστῆσαι εἰς τοὺς πατρῴους τάφους. ⁴⁰ εὗρον δὲ ἑκάστου τῶν τεθνηκότων ὑπὸ τοὺς χιτῶνας ἱερώματα τῶν ἀπὸ Ιαμνείας εἰδώλων, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ νόμος ἀπείργει τοὺς Ιουδαίους· τοῖς δὲ πᾶσι σαφὲς ἐγένετο διὰ τήνδε τὴν αἰτίαν τούσδε πεπτωκέναι.

⁴¹ So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden; ⁴² and they turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. 

 ⁴¹ πάντες οὖν εὐλογήσαντες τὰ τοῦ δικαιοκρίτου κυρίου τὰ κεκρυμμένα φανερὰ ποιοῦντος ⁴² εἰς ἱκετείαν ἐτράπησαν ἀξιώσαντες τὸ γεγονὸς ἁμάρτημα τελείως ἐξαλειφθῆναι. ὁ δὲ γενναῖος Ιουδας παρεκάλεσε τὸ πλῆθος συντηρεῖν αὑτοὺς ἀναμαρτήτους εἶναι ὑπ' ὄψιν ἑωρακότας τὰ γεγονότα διὰ τὴν τῶν προπεπτωκότων ἁμαρτίαν.

⁴³ He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. 

⁴³ ποιησάμενός τε κατ' ἀνδρολογίαν εἰς ἀργυρίου δραχμὰς δισχιλίας ἀπέστειλεν εἰς Ιεροσόλυμα προσαγαγεῖν περὶ ἁμαρτίας θυσίαν πάνυ καλῶς καὶ ἀστείως πράττων ὑπὲρ ἀναστάσεως διαλογιζόμενος·

⁴⁴ For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. ⁴⁵ But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

⁴⁴ εἰ μὴ γὰρ τοὺς προπεπτωκότας ἀναστῆναι προσεδόκα, περισσὸν καὶ ληρῶδες ὑπὲρ νεκρῶν εὔχεσθαι· ⁴⁵ εἶτε' ἐμβλέπων τοῖς μετ' εὐσεβείας κοιμωμένοις κάλλιστον ἀποκείμενον χαριστήριον, ὁσία καὶ εὐσεβὴς ἡ ἐπίνοια· ὅθεν περὶ τῶν τεθνηκότων τὸν ἐξιλασμὸν ἐποιήσατο τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπολυθῆναι.