Excerpt from The History of Ancient Greece, Its Colonies, and Conquests, Vol. 4 of 4: Part the Second; The History of the Ancient World, From the Dominion of Alexander to That of Augustus; With a Survey of Preceding Periods, and a Continuation of the History of Arts and Letters

The small but, resolute band that followed Mattathias to the mountains, speedily received accessions from all parts of the persecuted coun try. It happened that a party of these fugitives had fallen victims to a too literal acceptation of the command, hallow the sabbath-day and it was now first resolved, that respect for this ordinance ought not to prevent the Jews on the sabbath from defending their laws and their lives. As the adherents to Mattathias gained numbers and strength, they ventured to descend from their mountains; others who had espoused the same cause emerged from caverns and de serts night 2 was the main season of their warfare; they made inroads suddenly into the habitable country, and as suddenly disappeared, after they had overturned the idolatrous altars, opened anew the Jewish synagogues, collected and multiplied copies of the sacred books, and distinguished by the sign of the covenant all male children born since the commencement of the persecution. In these desultory expedi tions, being commanded during the first year by Mattathias, upon his death, in very advanced age, they followed the standard of his son Judas.

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