historical perspectives: from the hasmoneans to bar kokhba in light ...

ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES IN JERUSALEM 55
One of the fondest relics of diasporan historiography is the thesis
that Jews never rebel against the powers that be: if the Jews are
ever persecuted by such powers it must be because the ruler in question
was crazy (e.g., Gaius Caligula), he was misled by nasty and
self-seeking advisors (e.g., Ahasuerus), or because there was some
misunderstanding. Accordingly, the diasporan author of 2 Maccabees
claimed that Antiochus attacked Jerusalem due to a misunderstanding:
he thought, mistakenly, that the Jews were rebelling. The nationalist
author of 1 Maccabees, in contrast, thought Antiochus attacked
Jerusalem because goyyim are wicked and naturally do wicked things;
there is no need to explain why Antiochus, who was introduced in
1 Macc. 1:10 as a "wicked sprout" from wicked roots, did something
so evil. One way or another, both claim that Antiochus attacked
his Jewish subjects for no good reason, a claim that works wonderfully
in diasporan historiography. But whatever the facts regarding
diasporan history and historiography, ancient and modern, the fact
is that the Jews of ancient Jerusalem frequently acted as if they were
not in the Diaspora, but, rather, entitled to dream of a sovereign
Jewish state — and, indeed, some of the relevant sources have long
been taken to indicate that that was the case in 168 BCE, too.
4Q248 now helps us cement that conviction. That it also helps us
to understand better the chronology of the early Hasmonean period,
to bolster the historical trustworthiness of 2 Maccabees, and, perhaps,
to clarify the meaning of are welcome additional bonuses.
Appendix: Some Translations of 1 Macc. 1:24 15
1 Macc. 1:24 reads: mi
. 16 The obvious
meaning is that Antiochus first returned from Jerusalem to Syria
and then perpetrated a massacre. A survey of commentaries and
translations indicates that no one accepts that conclusion, for it is
assumed, quite properly, a) that the author means to report a massacre
13 So as not to encumber this appendix with bibliographical details, suffice it to
note that all the editions, translations and commentaries mentioned here are listed
in A. Lehnardt, Bibliographie zu den judischen Schrifien aus hellenistisch-romischer Zeit
(Gutersloh: Gutersloher, 1999), 105-7.
16 So ed. Kappler. Rahlf's edition is basically identical, except that he ends a
sentence after and adds a final v to