Context No. 4156 of 4322 · 1 Maccabees

1 Maccabees 8:1-16: in context

1Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men, and have pleasure in all who join themselves to them, and make friends with all who come to them, 2and that they are valiant men. They told him of their wars and exploits which they do among the Gauls, and how they conquered them, and forced them to pay tribute; 3and what things they did in the land of Spain, that they might take control of the silver and gold mines which were there; 4and how by their policy and persistence they conquered all the place (and the place was exceedingly far from them), and the kings who came against them from the uttermost part of the earth, until they had defeated them, and struck them severely; and how the rest give them tribute year by year. 5Philip, and Perseus, king of Chittim, and those who lifted up themselves against them, they defeated in battle, and conquered them. 6Antiochus also, the great king of Asia, came against them to battle, having one hundred twenty elephants, with cavalry, chariots, and an exceedingly great army, and he was defeated by them. 7They took him alive, and decreed that both he and those who reigned after him should give them a great tribute, and should give hostages, and a parcel of land from the best of their provinces: 8the countries of India, Media, and Lydia. They took them from him, and gave them to King Eumenes. 9Judas heard how the Greeks planned to come and destroy them, 10but this became known to them, and they sent against them a general who fought against them, and many of them fell down wounded to death, and they made captive their wives and their children, and plundered them, and conquered their land, and pulled down their strongholds, and plundered them, and brought them into bondage to this day. 11The remaining kingdoms and islands, as many as rose up against them at any time, they destroyed and made them to be their servants; 12but with their friends and those who relied on them they stayed friends. They conquered the kingdoms that were near and those that were far off, and all that heard of their fame were afraid of them. 13Moreover, whoever they desired to help and to make kings, these they make kings; and whoever they desired, they depose. They are exalted exceedingly. 14For all this, none of them ever put on a crown, neither did they clothe themselves with purple, as a display of grandeur. 15Judas heard how they had made for themselves a senate house, and day by day, three hundred twenty men sat in council, consulting always for the people, to the end they might be well governed, 16and how they commit their government to one man year by year, that he should rule over them, and control all their country, and all are obedient to that one, and there is neither envy nor emulation among them.

Judas Maccabaeus, looking for allies, hears reports of the fame of the Romans, of their vast conquests, their subjugation of kings and nations, their military success across the known world, and their orderly government. He is impressed by their power and their reputation, and he seeks an alliance with them.

The passage reads almost like an admiring catalog of Rome's power: how they defeated great kings, conquered distant lands, and made all who heard of them afraid. There is a note of caution to be drawn here, though the text does not spell it out. It is natural to be impressed by worldly power, by the success and strength of great nations and institutions, and to want to align ourselves with the winning side. But history shows that the powers that seem invincible in one age fall in the next; Rome itself, so admired here, would rise and eventually fall like every empire before it. To place our confidence in the strength of worldly powers is to trust in what does not last.

Am I dazzled by worldly power and success, tempted to put my trust and hope in the strong of this age, or do I place my confidence in God, whose kingdom endures when every impressive empire has crumbled?

Sources

1 Maccabees 8:1: "Judas heard of the fame of the Romans, that they are valiant men, and have pleasure in all who join themselves to them."
1 Maccabees 8:12: "They conquered the kingdoms that were near and those that were far off, and all that heard of their fame were afraid of them."
Psalm 20:7: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."