494 A SHORT VIEW OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. frame words in this manner. So Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, the son of Maimon, is called Rambam, Rabbi Solomon Jarchi is called Rasi. Nor is the use of the first letters of words for such kind of purposes unknown among heathens or christians. The letters S. P. Q, R. were written on the Roman stand- ard for Senatus Populus Que Romanus, that is, the Roman senate and people; Jesus Christ our Saviour bath been cal- led a fish, in Greek IXeTE, by the fathers, because these are the first letters of those Greek words, Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Saviour. Sgcr. VI. Of the Jewish Government under the Macca- cabees or Asmoneans ; and first of the three 'Brothers, Judas, Jonathan and Simon. I. Question. What valiant actions did Judas and hisbre- thren do in defence of the law, and against the persecutors ? Answer. He won many battles against king Antiochus and his generals, and encouraged himself and his soldiers in the name of God whensoever they began to faint. 2. Q. Where are these acts of Judas and his brethren re- corded ? A. The earliest account of them is found in the first and second books of Maccabees, Here note, That the first book of Maccabees is a very accu- rate and excellent history, and comes nearest to the style and manner of the sacred writings, and is supposed to be written a little after these persecutions and wars were ended'; but the se- cond book consists of severalpiecesof much less value ; it beging with two epistlesfrom the Jews of Jerusalem, but both are sup- posed to be fabulous stories, and in some parts impossible to be true. The followingparts of it pretend to be an abridgment of the history of one Jason, it relates some of the persecutions of Antiochus, and the, acts of Judas amplified with particular cir- cumstances, but it is not of equal esteem with the first book, for it seems to affect miracles and prodigious events beyond reason- able credibility. 3. Q. How did king Antiochus resent these attempts of Jùdas, and his successes against him ? A. When he went into Persia to gather the tribute of the countries there, he left Lysias with half his army, and with express orders to destroy and root the Jews out of their land. 4. Q. Did Lysias pursue the king's orders ? A. Yes, with great diligence he sought to execute these cruel orders ; his army of forty thousand foot, and seven thousand horse encamp- ed at Emmaus near Jerusalem, and another army of a thou- sand merchants flocked thither upon presumption of their vic- tory, with great quantities of silver and gold, to buy the captives fur slaves. 3, Q. How did their wicked counsel, to destroy Israel suc-
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