Context No. 2785 of 4322 · 2 Maccabees

2 Maccabees 2:19-32: in context

19Now the things concerning Judas Maccabaeus and his brothers, the purification of the greatest temple, the dedication of the altar, 20and further the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and Eupator his son, 21and the manifestations that came from heaven to those who fought with one another in brave deeds for the religion of the Jews; so that, being but a few, they seized the whole country, chased the barbarous multitudes, 22recovered again the temple renowned all the world over, freed the city, and restored the laws which were about to be overthrown, seeing the Lord became gracious to them with all kindness. 23These things which have been declared by Jason of Cyrene in five books, we will attempt to abridge in one book. 24For having in view the confused mass of the numbers, and the difficulty which awaits those who would enter into the narratives of the history, by reason of the abundance of the matter, 25we were careful that those who choose to read may be attracted, and that those who wish us well may find it easy to recall, and that all readers may benefit. 26Although to us, who have taken upon ourselves the painful labor of the abridgement, the task is not easy, but a matter of sweat and sleeplessness, 27even as it is no light thing to him who prepares a banquet, and seeks the benefit of others. Nevertheless, for the sake of the gratitude of the many we will gladly endure the painful labor, 28leaving to the historian the exact handling of every particular, and again having no strength to fill in the outlines of our abridgement. 29For as the masterbuilder of a new house must care for the whole structure, and again he who undertakes to decorate and paint it must seek out the things fit for its adorning; even so I think it is also with us. 30To occupy the ground, and to indulge in long discussions, and to be curious in particulars, is fitting for the first author of the history; 31but to strive after brevity of expression, and to avoid a labored fullness in the treatment, is to be granted to him who would bring a writing into a new form. 32Here then let’s begin the narration, only adding this much to that which has already been said; for it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue to the history, and to abridge the history itself.

Here the writer steps out from behind the story to explain what he is doing. He is condensing the five-volume history of Jason of Cyrene, all the deeds of Judas Maccabeus and the cleansing of the temple, into a single readable book. And he is candid about the cost. This work of abridging, he says, is no easy thing; it is a matter of sweat and sleepless nights, like the labor of preparing a banquet for others to enjoy.

There is a quiet lesson in his honesty. He is not the original historian; he is doing the humbler work of making someone else's history usable, and he neither pretends it is easy nor hides that it is second-hand. He compares himself to the one who paints and decorates a house another man built. Much faithful service looks exactly like this: unglamorous, derivative, done at real cost for the good of readers who will never know what it took.

Am I willing to do the hidden, thankless labor that lets others benefit, without needing the credit of the original work?

Sources

2 Maccabees 2:27: "Nevertheless, for the sake of the gratitude of the many we will gladly endure the painful labor."
Colossians 3:23: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men."
1 Corinthians 15:58: "Your labor is not in vain in the Lord."