1 The tyrant Antiochus, therefore, sitting in public state with his assessors upon a certain lofty place, with his armed troops standing in a circle around him, (WEB) 2 commanded his spearbearers to seize every one of the Hebrews, and to compel them to taste swine’s flesh and things offered to idols. (WEB) 3 Should any of them be unwilling to eat the accursed food, they were to be tortured on the wheel and so killed. (WEB) 4 When many had been seized, a foremost man of the assembly, a Hebrew, by name Eleazar, a priest by family, by profession a lawyer, and advanced in years, and for this reason known to many of the king’s followers, was brought near to him. (WEB) 5 Antiochus, seeing him, said, (WEB) 6 “I would counsel you, old man, before your tortures begin, to taste the swine’s flesh, and save your life; for I feel respect for your age and hoary head, which since you have had so long, you appear to me to be no philosopher in retaining the superstition of the Jews. (WEB) 7 For therefore, since nature has conferred upon you the most excellent flesh of this animal, do you loathe it? (WEB) 8 It seems senseless not to enjoy what is pleasant, yet not disgraceful; and from notions of sinfulness, to reject the gifts of nature. (WEB) 9 You will be acting, I think, still more senselessly, if you follow vain conceits about the truth. (WEB) 10 You will, moreover, be despising me to your own punishment. (WEB) 11 Won’t you awake from your trifling philosophy, give up the folly of your notions, and regaining understanding worthy of your age, search into the truth of an expedient course? (WEB) 12 Won’t you respect my kindly admonition and have pity on your own years? (WEB) 13 For bear in mind that if there is any power which watches over this religion of yours, it will pardon you for all transgressions of the law which you commit through compulsion.” (WEB) 14 While the tyrant incited him in this manner to the unlawful eating of meat, Eleazar begged permission to speak. (WEB) 15 Having received permission to speak, he began to address the people as follows: (WEB) 16 “We, O Antiochus, who are persuaded that we live under a divine law, consider no compulsion to be so forcible as obedience to that law. (WEB) 17 Therefore we consider that we ought not to transgress the law in any way. (WEB) 18 Indeed, were our law (as you suppose) not truly divine, and if we wrongly think it divine, we would have no right even in that case to destroy our sense of religion. (WEB) 19 Don’t think that eating unclean meat is a trifling offense. (WEB) 20 For transgression of the law, whether in small or great matters, is of equal importance; (WEB) 21 for in either case the law is equally slighted. (WEB) 22 But you deride our philosophy, as though we lived in it irrationally. (WEB) 23 Yet it instructs us… (WEB)
4 Maccabees 5:1–38
Semantically similar passages
4 Maccabees 6:20–22
20 It would be disgraceful if we would live on some short time, and that scorned by all men for cowardice, (WEB) 21 and be condemned by the tyrant for cowardice by not contending to the death for our divine law. (WEB) 22 Therefore you, O children of Abraham, die nobly for your reli… (WEB)
4 Maccabees 11:15–17
15 I was born and reared to the same end. We are bound to die also on behalf of the same cause. (WEB) 16 So if you think it is proper to torment us for not eating the unclean, then torment!” (WEB) 17 As he said this, they brought him to the wheel. (WEB)
2 Maccabees 7:18–20
18 After him they brought the sixth. When he was about to die, he said, “Don’t be vainly deceived, for we suffer these things for our own doings, as sinning against our own God. Astounding things have come to pass; (WEB) 19 but don’t think that you will be unpunished, hav… (WEB)
Job 15:12–14
12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, 13 as you turn your spirit against God and pour such words from your mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
4 Maccabees 11:24–26
24 We six youths have destroyed your tyranny. (WEB) 25 For isn’t your inability to overrule our reasoning, and to compel us to eat the unclean, your destruction? (WEB) 26 Your fire is cold to us. Your racks are painless, and your violence harmless. (WEB)
4 Maccabees 9:31–32
31 For I lighten my suffering by the pleasures which are connected with virtue. (WEB) 32 But you are tortured with threatenings for impiety. You won’t escape, most corrupt tyrant, the vengeance of Divine wrath.” (WEB)
Testament of Joseph 1:54–56
54 Now therefore know that the God of my father hath revealed unto me by His angel thy wickedness, and I have kept it to convict thee, if haply thou mayst see and repent. (T12) 55 But that thou mayst learn that the wickedness of the ungodly hath no power over them that wo… (T12)
2 Esdras 8:28–30
28 Don’t think about those who have lived wickedly before you, but remember those who have willingly known your fear. (WEB) 29 Let it not be your will to destroy those who have lived like cattle, but look at those who have clearly taught your law. (WEB) 30 Don’t be indignant at tho… (WEB)
Search the collection All books and codes Translations and sources