May 17 4 Maccabees 1-4

1The subject that I am about to discuss is most philosophical, that is, whether devout reason is sovereign over the emotions. So it is right for me to advise you to pay earnest attention to philosophy. 2For the subject is essential to everyone who is seeking knowledge, and in addition it includes the praise of the highest virtue—I mean, of course, rational judgement. 3If, then, it is evident that reason rules over those emotions that hinder self-control, namely gluttony and lust, 4it is also clear that it masters the emotions that hinder one from justice, such as malice, and those that stand in the way of courage, namely anger, fear, and pain. 5Some might perhaps ask, ‘If reason rules the emotions, why is it not sovereign over forgetfulness and ignorance?’ Their attempt at argument is ridiculous!* 6For reason does not rule its own emotions, but those that are opposed to justice, courage, and self-control;* and it is not for the purpose of destroying them, but so that one may not give way to them.
7 I could prove to you from many and various examples that reason* is dominant over the emotions, 8but I can demonstrate it best from the noble bravery of those who died for the sake of virtue, Eleazar and the seven brothers and their mother. 9All of these, by despising sufferings that bring death, demonstrated that reason controls the emotions. 10On this anniversary* it is fitting for me to praise for their virtues those who, with their mother, died for the sake of nobility and goodness, but I would also call them blessed for the honour in which they are held. 11All people, even their torturers, marvelled at their courage and endurance, and they became the cause of the downfall of tyranny over their nation. By their endurance they conquered the tyrant, and thus their native land was purified through them. 12I shall shortly have an opportunity to speak of this; but, as my custom is, I shall begin by stating my main principle, and then I shall turn to their story, giving glory to the all-wise God.
The Supremacy of Reason13 Our inquiry, accordingly, is whether reason is sovereign over the emotions. 14We shall decide just what reason is and what emotion is, how many kinds of emotions there are, and whether reason rules over all of these. 15Now reason is the mind that with sound logic prefers the life of wisdom. 16Wisdom, next, is the knowledge of divine and human matters and the causes of these. 17This, in turn, is education in the law, by which we learn divine matters reverently and human affairs to our advantage. 18Now the kinds of wisdom are rational judgement, justice, courage, and self-control. 19Rational judgement is supreme over all of these, since by means of it reason rules over the emotions. 20The two most comprehensive types* of the emotions are pleasure and pain; and each of these is by nature concerned with both body and soul. 21The emotions of both pleasure and pain have many consequences. 22Thus desire precedes pleasure and delight follows it. 23Fear precedes pain and sorrow comes after. 24Anger, as a person will see by reflecting on this experience, is an emotion embracing pleasure and pain. 25In pleasure there exists even a malevolent tendency, which is the most complex of all the emotions. 26In the soul it is boastfulness, covetousness, thirst for honour, rivalry, and malice; 27in the body, indiscriminate eating, gluttony, and solitary gormandizing.
28 Just as pleasure and pain are two plants growing from the body and the soul, so there are many offshoots of these plants,* 29each of which the master cultivator, reason, weeds and prunes and ties up and waters and thoroughly irrigates, and so tames the jungle of habits and emotions. 30For reason is the guide of the virtues, but over the emotions it is sovereign.
Observe now, first of all, that rational judgement is sovereign over the emotions by virtue of the restraining power of self-control. 31Self-control, then, is dominance over the desires. 32Some desires are mental, others are physical, and reason obviously rules over both. 33Otherwise how is it that when we are attracted to forbidden foods we abstain from the pleasure to be had from them? Is it not because reason is able to rule over appetites? I for one think so. 34Therefore when we crave seafood and fowl and animals and all sorts of foods that are forbidden to us by the law, we abstain because of domination by reason. 35For the emotions of the appetites are restrained, checked by the temperate mind, and all the impulses of the body are bridled by reason.
Compatibility of the Law with Reason2And why is it amazing that the desires of the mind for the enjoyment of beauty are rendered powerless? 2It is for this reason, certainly, that the temperate Joseph is praised, because by mental effort* he overcame sexual desire. 3For when he was young and in his prime for intercourse, by his reason he nullified the frenzy* of the passions. 4Not only is reason proved to rule over the frenzied urge of sexual desire, but also over every desire.* 5Thus the law says, ‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife or anything that is your neighbour’s.’ 6In fact, since the law has told us not to covet, I could prove to you all the more that reason is able to control desires.
Just so it is with the emotions that hinder one from justice. 7Otherwise how could it be that someone who is habitually a solitary gormandizer, a glutton, or even a drunkard can learn a better way, unless reason is clearly lord of the emotions? 8Thus, as soon as one adopts a way of life in accordance with the law, even though a lover of money, one is forced to act contrary to natural ways and to lend without interest to the needy and to cancel the debt when the seventh year arrives. 9If one is greedy, one is ruled by the law through reason so that one neither gleans the harvest nor gathers the last grapes from the vineyard.
In all other matters we can recognize that reason rules the emotions. 10For the law prevails even over affection for parents, so that virtue is not abandoned for their sakes. 11It is superior to love for one’s wife, so that one rebukes her when she breaks the law. 12It takes precedence over love for children, so that one punishes them for misdeeds. 13It is sovereign over the relationship of friends, so that one rebukes friends when they act wickedly. 14Do not consider it paradoxical when reason, through the law, can prevail even over enmity. The fruit trees of the enemy are not cut down, but one preserves the property of enemies from marauders and helps raise up what has fallen.*
15 It is evident that reason rules even* the more violent emotions: lust for power, vainglory, boasting, arrogance, and malice. 16For the temperate mind repels all these malicious emotions, just as it repels anger—for it is sovereign over even this. 17When Moses was angry with Dathan and Abiram, he did nothing against them in anger, but controlled his anger by reason. 18For, as I have said, the temperate mind is able to get the better of the emotions, to correct some, and to render others powerless. 19Why else did Jacob, our most wise father, censure the households of Simeon and Levi for their irrational slaughter of the entire tribe of the Shechemites, saying, ‘Cursed be their anger’? 20For if reason could not control anger, he would not have spoken thus. 21Now when God fashioned human beings, he planted in them emotions and inclinations, 22but at the same time he enthroned the mind among the senses as a sacred governor over them all. 23To the mind he gave the law; and one who lives subject to this will rule a kingdom that is temperate, just, good, and courageous.
24 How is it then, one might say, that if reason is master of the emotions, it does not control forgetfulness and ignorance? 31But this argument is entirely ridiculous; for it is evident that reason rules not over its own emotions, but over those of the body. 2No one of us* can eradicate that kind of desire, but reason can provide a way for us not to be enslaved by desire. 3No one of us can eradicate anger from the mind, but reason can help to deal with anger. 4No one of us can eradicate malice, but reason can fight at our side so that we are not overcome by malice. 5For reason does not uproot the emotions but is their antagonist.
King David’s Thirst6 Now this can be explained more clearly by the story of King David’s thirst. 7David had been attacking the Philistines all day long, and together with the soldiers of his nation had killed many of them. 8Then when evening fell, he* came, sweating and quite exhausted, to the royal tent, around which the whole army of our ancestors had encamped. 9Now all the rest were at supper, 10but the king was extremely thirsty, and though springs were plentiful there, he could not satisfy his thirst from them. 11But a certain irrational desire for the water in the enemy’s territory tormented and inflamed him, undid and consumed him. 12When his guards complained bitterly because of the king’s craving, two staunch young soldiers, respecting* the king’s desire, armed themselves fully, and taking a pitcher climbed over the enemy’s ramparts. 13Eluding the sentinels at the gates, they went searching throughout the enemy camp 14and found the spring, and from it boldly brought the king a drink. 15But David,* though he was burning with thirst, considered it an altogether fearful danger to his soul to drink what was regarded as equivalent to blood. 16Therefore, opposing reason to desire, he poured out the drink as an offering to God. 17For the temperate mind can conquer the drives of the emotions and quench the flames of frenzied desires; 18it can overthrow bodily agonies even when they are extreme, and by nobility of reason spurn all domination by the emotions.
An Attempt on the Temple Treasury19 The present occasion now invites us to a narrative demonstration of temperate reason.
20 At a time when our ancestors were enjoying profound peace because of their observance of the law and were prospering, so that even Seleucus Nicanor, king of Asia, had both appropriated money to them for the temple service and recognized their commonwealth— 21just at that time certain persons attempted a revolution against the public harmony and caused many and various disasters.
4Now there was a certain Simon, a political opponent of the noble and good man, Onias, who then held the high-priesthood for life. When despite all manner of slander he was unable to injure Onias in the eyes of the nation, he fled the country with the purpose of betraying it. 2So he came to Apollonius, governor of Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia, and said, 3‘I have come here because I am loyal to the king’s government, to report that in the Jerusalem treasuries there are deposited tens of thousands in private funds, which are not the property of the temple but belong to King Seleucus.’ 4When Apollonius learned the details of these things, he praised Simon for his service to the king and went up to Seleucus to inform him of the rich treasure. 5On receiving authority to deal with this matter, he proceeded quickly to our country accompanied by the accursed Simon and a very strong military force. 6He said that he had come with the king’s authority to seize the private funds in the treasury. 7The people indignantly protested against his words, considering it outrageous that those who had committed deposits to the sacred treasury should be deprived of them, and did all that they could to prevent it. 8But, uttering threats, Apollonius went on to the temple. 9While the priests together with women and children were imploring God in the temple to shield the holy place that was being treated so contemptuously, 10and while Apollonius was going up with his armed forces to seize the money, angels mounted on horses with lightning flashing from their weapons appeared from heaven, instilling in them great fear and trembling. 11Then Apollonius fell down half dead in the temple area that was open to all, stretched out his hands towards heaven, and with tears begged the Hebrews to pray for him and propitiate the wrath of the heavenly army. 12For he said that he had committed a sin deserving of death, and that if he were spared he would praise the blessedness of the holy place before all people. 13Moved by these words, the high priest Onias, although otherwise he had scruples about doing so, prayed for him so that King Seleucus would not suppose that Apollonius had been overcome by human treachery and not by divine justice. 14So Apollonius,* having been saved beyond all expectations, went away to report to the king what had happened to him.
Antiochus’ Persecution of the Jews15 When King Seleucus died, his son Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded to the throne, an arrogant and terrible man, 16who removed Onias from the priesthood and appointed Onias’s* brother Jason as high priest. 17Jason* agreed that if the office were conferred on him he would pay the king three thousand six hundred and sixty talents annually. 18So the king appointed him high priest and ruler of the nation. 19Jason* changed the nation’s way of life and altered its form of government in complete violation of the law, 20so that not only was a gymnasium constructed at the very citadel* of our native land, but also the temple service was abolished. 21The divine justice was angered by these acts and caused Antiochus himself to make war on them. 22For when he was warring against Ptolemy in Egypt, he heard that a rumour of his death had spread and that the people of Jerusalem had rejoiced greatly. He speedily marched against them, 23and after he had plundered them he issued a decree that if any of them were found observing the ancestral law they should die. 24When, by means of his decrees, he had not been able in any way to put an end to the people’s observance of the law, but saw that all his threats and punishments were being disregarded— 25even to the extent that women, because they had circumcised their sons, were thrown headlong from heights along with their infants, though they had known beforehand that they would suffer this— 26when, I say, his decrees were despised by the people, he himself tried through torture to compel everyone in the nation to eat defiling foods and to renounce Judaism.