they spoke lies to one another, while they pretended friendship. In the twenty-ninth and thirtieth verses, there is a prediction of the last visit of Antiochus to Egypt, after he had taken off the mask, for then "he returned again towards the south, that is, to Egypt; but he did not then prevail, as in the former and latter attempts," that is in the two former expeditions; because of the ships that came from Chittim; that is the Grecian ships that brought Poplius and the other Roman embassadors into Egypt, to Alexandria, whose arrival put an end to all his expectations of conquering that country; for they made him, "to his great grief, return out of Egypt." What is said in verses forty-third and forty-fourth of his stretching forth his hand upon the land of Egypt, "and his having power over the treasures of gold and silver, and all other precious things of that country," was fulfilled exactly, in the frequent expeditions to that country, from which he carried off great spoils.

366. The prophet in this chapter (xi.) also predicts, in strong language, the disappointment of Antiochus, upon his being prevented by the Romans from seizing on Egypt, which was just ready to fall into his hands: and, also, how he turned his vengeance against the holy city, and desecrated the sanctuary of God. "For the ships of Chittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant; so shall he do; and he shall have intelligence with them that forsake the covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”

367. These prophecies respecting Antiochus Epiphanes, so exactly correspond with the events related of him by all the historians, that Porphyry, who wrote largely against the Scriptures, acknowledged the exact coincidence, but pretended that these predictions were never penned by Daniel, but by some writer who lived after the time of Antiochus. And to make this the more probable, he compared what is contained in this xi. c. of Daniel, with the accounts of all the historians extant in his time, most of which are now lost, and proved that the agreement was most exact; from which he drew the inference, that this chapter must have been written after the events took place. This work of Porphyry is now lost, and also several answers to it by learned christians. All we now have of it is found in Jerome's Commentary on Daniel.

HISTORY OF JUDAS CONTINUED-DISTRESSING CONDITION OF THE JEWS -DEATH OF ELEAZAR BROTHER OF JUDAS-DEATH OF ANTIOCHUSMISERABLE END OF MENELAUS-CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE TWO BROTHERS IN EGYPTINTERPOSITION OF THE ROMANS DEMETRIUS ANTIOCHUSALCIMUS APPOINTED HIGIH PRIEST-THE QUARREL OF THE TWO BROTHERS PTOLEMY PHILOMETOR AND PTOLEMY PHYSCON BROUGHT BEFORE THE ROMAN SENATE,

SUCCEEDS

AND DECIDED.

368. JUDAS MACCABEUS was not permitted to be idle; for although the Syrians were driven from Judea, the neighboring nations seemed to have entered into a general conspiracy against the Jews. Judas, therefore, turned his arms against the Edomites, who had been foremost in forming this confederation. Of them he slew twenty thousand men. He next passed over Jordan to the land of the Ammonites, where he fought many battles, and having vanquished the enemies of the Jews in that quarter, and taken Jazar, returned to Judea.

369. The heathen about Gilead, hearing of the discomfiture of so many of their friends, rose against the Jews, and having slain a thousand of them in the land of Tob, forced the rest to take refuge in a

castle. The people of Phenicia also rose against the Jews of Galilee; and Judas, receiving urgent calls for help from both these places, was at a loss, which way he should march. He, therefore, consulted the Sanhedrim, who advised him to divide his forces. Accordingly, he and Jonathan passed over Jordan, and arrived just in time to relieve the Jews who were besieged in Dathema.

370. Simon, took another division of the army, and marched to Galilee, where also he met with great success; for in many conflicts with the enemy, he came off uniformly victorious. But finding that the Jews in those parts could not be protected from the heathen round about, he took measures to have them transplanted into Judea.

371. While these two divisions of the army had been completely successful, a third which had been left at Jerusalem, under Joseph and Azarias, having undertaken an expedition against Jamnia, on the sea coast, where Gorgias commanded, were by him repulsed with great loss.

372. Lysias, who, after the death of Antiochus, had seized upon the chief authority, as he had the young king in his power, now resolved to march with a great army against Judas. He collected sixty thousand in-fantry, as many cavalry as he could find, and eighty elephants, and with this force marched towards Judea

373. This great army commenced the war by laying siege to Bethsura; but Judas, coming upon them, slew eleven thousand of his infantry, and sixteen hundred of his cavalry, and put the rest to flight.

374. Lysias, growing weary of this unsuccessful war, now made peace with Judas and his people. Quintillus Memmius, and Torquatus Manlius, who were then

ambassadors from the Romans, in Syria, were very helpful to the Jews on this occasion. The edict of Antiochus, requiring the people to conform to the heathen worship was entirely rescinded; and liberty was given them, to live according to their own laws.

375. But this law was not of long continuance. The nations by whom the Jews were surrounded, began to raise disturbances as soon as Lysias was gone. Judas was soon called to inflict punishment on Joppa, where two hundred Jews had been drowned. He burnt their shipping, and then turning to Jamnia treated them in the same manner, and for a similar offence.

376. He was next called into Gilead, where Timotheus continued to raise disturbances. He had now collected a more numerous army, which was entirely overthrown by Judas, and thirty thousand of his men slain. Timotheus himself was in his flight taken prisoner, but on the promise that he would release many Jews whom he had in his power, he was premitted to go free. Judas, finding that the Jews beyond Jordan would be perpetually molested, treated them as Simon had the Galileans, and transplanted them into the land of Judea.

377. As the garrison, however, in the fortress at Jerusalem, was a perpetual thorn in the sides of the Jews, Judas collected a great force, and prepared all sorts of engines of war used in sieges, and pressed with all his might to take it; but the apostate Jews, who were in the garrison, knowing, that they should receive no mercy if the castle were taken, several of them made their escape, and going to the king at Antioch, urged their suit so earnestly, that he was persuaded to collect a great army of a hundred thousand foot, twenty thousand horse, and thirty-two elephants, at

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