Battle of Emmaus

Battle of Emmaus
	Part of the Maccabean Revolt
	; Mina of Antiochus IV.
Date	September 165 BC
Location	Emmaus
Result	Judean rebel victory
Belligerents
Maccabees	Seleucid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Judas Maccabeus	Gorgias, Nicanor, and Ptolemy son of Dorymenes
Strength
3,000	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown (see #Analysis)

Last updated February 23, 2024

The Battle of Emmaus took place around September 165 BC during the Maccabean Revolt between Judean rebels, led by Judas Maccabeus (Judah Maccabee), and an expedition of Seleucid Empire forces under generals Gorgias, Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, and Nicanor near Emmaus. The battle was won by the Maccabee rebels, who marched by night and surprised the Seleucid camp while many soldiers were absent. The victorious Maccabees looted the Greek camp for valuables and likely weapons to help further their cause.

Primary sources

The Battle of Emmaus is recorded in the books of 1 Maccabees (1 Maccabees 3:38–4:25), 2 Maccabees (2 Maccabees 8:8–8:36), and Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews Book 12. In general, the account in 1 Maccabees gives a more detailed description of the battle and the rebel army, and the author was possibly even a personal eyewitness to the battle. The description in 2 Maccabees gives a more accurate depiction of the Seleucid forces and commanders, but its depiction of the battle is more focused on moral lessons and emphasizing the righteousness of Judas and the Maccabee cause.^[1]

Background

Toward the end of the summer of 165 BC, King Antiochus IV Epiphanes gathered forces from the Western part of his empire to leave for an expedition to the eastern satrapies in Babylonia and Persia. There, he intended to stay awhile, replace or do battle with rebellious governors, deter the growing Parthian Empire from invading, and restore a flow of taxes to the capital.^[2] He left Lysias in charge as regent in the Seleucid capital Antioch and to raise his young son, the future Antiochus V.

At the time, Jerusalem was still ruled by Seleucid-friendly Hellenist Jews and High Priest Menelaus. Perhaps at the request of Menelaus, Lysias dispatched a force, led by Ptolemy son of Dorymenes (strategos of Coele Syria and Phoenicia), in order to aid the ruling faction of Hellenist Jews and defeat the countryside rebels led by Judas. Ptolemy was accompanied by Gorgias and Nicanor as commanders. 2 Maccabees also suggests that Nicanor, one of the Seleucid generals, intended to raise money by using the army to enslave Jews, then sell them and pay off a 2,000 talent debt the Seleucids owed to the Roman Republic.^[3]

Battle

The Seleucids established their base camp at the town of Emmaus. Emmaus is at the eastern edge of the Ayalon Valley and along the western border of Judea; it is a spot with easy access to numerous routes into the Judean hills and good water, making it an excellent base to project power from. Emmaus itself was largely flat, allowing use of cavalry and denying any rebel advantages from hilly terrain. Judas Maccabeus's camp was located in the town of Mizpah, north of Jerusalem. Gorgias planned to attack Judas's concentration of troops after receiving word of them; Judas possibly intentionally ensured that word of his location would leak by performing obvious ceremonies and rituals. Judas's scouts and spies found out that Gorgias was leading troops on a march against his camp and was planning to surprise the Jewish rebels in a night-time attack. Judas also possibly intentionally trimmed his army during a morale-raising religious ceremony at Mizpah. Using criteria from the Book of Deuteronomy, he ordered some of his troops to decamp: if they were betrothed, for example. Some scholars believe this claim is ahistorical and added to buttress the righteousness of the cause; others think the passage is historical, and suspect Judas intentionally favored the speed of a small force, and used the Biblical criteria on who to exclude as a way to build morale.^[4] 2 Maccabees writes that the Jewish force numbered 6,000 total, and 1 Maccabees indicates 3,000 soldiers actually proceeded with the attack.^[1]

Judas abandoned the camp at Mizpah and led his forces to Emmaus, to attack the expedition base camp that remained there. The timing on such a maneuver would have been strict: the Maccabees would have required excellent, speedy intelligence such as signal fires or riders and to have left just at nightfall for such a tactic to work, and to have chosen a different road than Gorgias took. Gorgias found the camp at Mizpah empty and deserted, and believing the rebel army had fled, began a search for them in the surrounding area.^[5]

The rebel troops, which had in truth advanced forward, came upon the unprepared Seleucid camp at Emmaus at dawn. Judas's troops numbered about 3,000 who had gone with him on the night march, and consisted of light infantry armed with swords and shields, perhaps fighting similar to peltasts of the era. The Seleucids had fortified their camp, possibly with a palisade, and had mounted scouts to offer at least some warning of an attack. However, many soldiers were absent with Gorgias, and others still asleep or unready. Blowing trumpets for intimidation and morale, the Jewish rebels attacked and forced the surprised camp to retreat to the southwest, toward Idumea.^[6]

Gorgias returned to Emmaus, only to find his camp destroyed. The Maccabees lit fires, possibly to disguise their number and discourage Gorgias's force from joining the fight. Gorgias did not give battle after the destruction of his base, but left for the coastal plains. The Maccabees looted the camp, taking gold and silver. While not directly recorded in the primary sources, they also presumably took abandoned Seleucid weapons: the rebels would have wanted better equipment, and the rebels are reported as indeed having better equipment in later battles of the revolt.^[7]

The outcome of the battle was quite influential. The two earlier clashes recorded against Apollonius and Seron appear to have been against small detachments. With this victory, the Maccabees proved that they could challenge larger numbers of Seleucid troops, and could make complicated plans and tactical ploys. Many rebellions existed during this time period, but most were quickly put out; the staying power of the Maccabees helped set up the eventual independence of the Hasmonean kingdom.^[8]

Analysis

1 Maccabees is generally considered trustworthy in its depiction of the battle itself. Scholars have quibbled with other aspects of its portrayal of the battle, however. As in most battles of the Maccabean Revolt, the rebels and authors of 1 and 2 Maccabees are generally considered to have written exaggerated estimates of the size of the Seleucid forces. Defeating larger armies made for more impressive morale-raising stories. The book of 1 Maccabees claims that Gorgias's force that split from the camp consisted of 5,000 soldiers, 1,000 cavalrymen, and allied Hellenist Jews from the Acra as guides in his expedition to attack Judas, yet this would be unwieldy for a surprise attack that would travel through the narrow Beth Horon ascent, and the Seleucids had perhaps only 5,000 cavalry in the entire Western half of their empire. Some later manuscripts of 1 Maccabees adds that the rebel troops lacked "helmets and slings and stones and armor" as well in the battle; this is considered likely to be a gloss of an unknown scribe copying the material, and unlikely to be historical.^[5] Reported Seleucid casualty numbers are also considered implausibly high: 3,000 defeated according to 1 Maccabees, and 9,000 according to 2 Maccabees.^[9]

Judas's speeches and prayers in the book of 1 Maccabees are best seen as free compositions of the historian, not actual transcriptions, in the style of Hellenistic historians to essentially invent or rewrite such dialogue to be more literary.^[10] At the Battle of Emmaus, Judas's speech does not make sense in context: 1 Maccabees has him give the speech just before the rebels attack the base camp. Yet during a surprise attack, time is of the essence; every minute of delay after being spotted gives the defenders more time to rouse themselves, put on armor, and man the palisade. If Judas offered any speeches or special instructions, they would have happened during the ceremony held at Mizpah, a day earlier.^[6]

Related Research Articles

1 Maccabees, also known as the First Book of Maccabees, First Maccabees, and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which details the history of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire as well as the founding and earliest history of the independent Hasmonean kingdom. It describes the promulgation of decrees forbidding traditional Jewish practices by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the formation of a rebellion against him by Mattathias of the Hasmonean family and his five sons. Mattathias's son Judas Maccabeus takes over the revolt and the rebels as a group are called the Maccabees; the book chronicles in detail the successes and setbacks of the rebellion. While Judas is eventually killed in battle, the Maccabees eventually achieve autonomy and then independence for Judea under the leadership of the Hasmonean family. Judas's brother Simon Thassi is declared High Priest by will of the Jewish people. The time period described is from around 170 BC to 134 BC.

2 Maccabees, also known as the Second Book of Maccabees, Second Maccabees, and abbreviated as 2 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which recounts the persecution of Jews under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Maccabean Revolt against him. It concludes with the defeat of the Seleucid Empire general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the leader of the Maccabees.

Judah Maccabee was a Jewish priest (kohen) and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

The Battle of Beth Zechariah took place around May 162 BC during the Maccabean revolt fought between Jewish rebels under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus against an army of the Seleucid Empire, the Greek successor state (diadochi) to the Macedonian conquests that controlled Syria and Babylonia. The battle was fought at Beth Zechariah and was a Seleucid victory, with the rebels driven from the field in retreat. Judas's brother Eleazar Avaran died in combat with a war elephant. The defeat allowed the Seleucids to continue their campaign and besiege the Jewish holy city of Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Elasa</span> 160 BCE battle of the Maccabean Revolt

The Battle of Elasa was fought in April 160 BCE during the Maccabean Revolt between Judean rebels led by Judas Maccabeus and an army of the Seleucid Empire under the command of Bacchides. The battle resulted in the triumph of the Greek Syrian forces, the defeat of the Maccabees, and the death of Judas Maccabeus.

Jason of Cyrene was a Hellenistic Jew who lived around the middle of the second century BCE. He is the author of a five-volume history of the Maccabean Revolt and its preceding events, which subsequently became a lost work. His history was preserved indirectly in an abridgment by an unknown Egyptian Jew, the book of 2 Maccabees, which was eventually included in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Jewish scriptures. 2 Maccabees was eventually recognized as a deuterocanonical book included in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian biblical canon.

Alcimus, also called Jakeimos, Jacimus, or Joachim (Ἰάκειμος), was High Priest of Israel for three years from 162–159 BCE. He was a moderate Hellenizer who favored the ruling government of the Seleucid Empire and opposed the Maccabean Revolt which was in progress at the time.

Timothy was a military commander of the Seleucid Empire, active during the mid 2nd century BCE and probabaly a governor in the land of Ammon and Gilead. He fought during the Maccabee campaigns of 163 BC against the local Jews, and eventually the Maccabee rebel army themselves. He was eventually defeated by Judas Maccabeus at Dathema in Gilead.

Gorgias was a Syrian-Seleucid General of the 2nd century BC, in the service of Antiochus Epiphanes.

The Battle of Beth Horon or Battle with Seron was fought at some point between Spring 166 BC to Spring 165 BC during the Maccabean Revolt between Judean rebels led by Judas Maccabeus and an army of the Seleucid Empire under the command of Seron, a commander of the Syrian army. Beth-Horon, or Bethoron, was a strategic mountain pass leading from the coastal plain to the Judean hill country. Utilizing guerrilla warfare tactics, the Maccabee rebels ambushed the passing Seleucid force from the pass, pursuing the surprised and fleeing remnants into the plain.

The Battle of Adasa was fought during the Maccabean revolt on the 13th of the month Adar, 161 BC at Adasa, near Beth-horon. It was a battle between the rebel Maccabees of Judas Maccabeus and the Seleucid Empire, whose army was led by Nicanor. The Maccabees won the battle after killing Nicanor early in the fighting. The battle came after a period of political maneuvering over several months where the peace deal established a year earlier by Lysias was tested by the new High Priest Alcimus, the new military governor Nicanor, and the Maccabee leader Judas Maccabeus.

The Battle of Beth Zur was fought between the Maccabees led by Judas Maccabeus and a Seleucid Greek army led by Regent Lysias in October 164 BC at Beth Zur. According to the books of Maccabees, the rebels won the battle, although how significant this victory really was is disputed; it is possible the battle's result was inconclusive. Through a stroke of good fortune for the rebels, the days after the battle likely coincided with news of Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes's death reaching Judea; rather than continue the campaign, the Seleucid army and Lysias returned to the capital to handle the leadership transition. The Maccabees were able to capture Jerusalem soon after.

Bacchides was a Syrian-Greek general and governor (strategos) and friend and advisor (philoi) of King Demetrius I Soter of the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire was one of the Greek successor states (diadochi) founded after the conquests of Alexander the Great, and was centered in Syria and Babylonia in the Hellenistic era.

Adasa is a place referred to in the book 1 Maccabees, Chapter 7. The Aramaic language name used by the locals is not known, but was probably something like Ḥadaša. According to the passage, it was the site of the Battle of Adasa in year 151 of the Seleucid era, equivalent to 161 BCE. The battle was a victory for Judas Maccabeus's rebels in the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, and the Greek commander Nicanor died in battle.

Nicanor was a Syrian-Greek general (strategos) that served the Seleucid Empire during the reigns of kings Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Demetrius I Soter. He served during the Maccabean Revolt in Judea, then part of the Seleucid Empire, and served for a time as governor in Jerusalem. Relations between the government and the Jewish rebels eventually turned sufficiently hostile that he threatened the priests at the Second Temple and led an army to find and defeat Judas Maccabeus's followers, but he and his army were defeated at the Battle of Adasa. Nicanor was killed, his corpse was desecrated, his head and right hand hung for public display back in Jerusalem, and a new festival was declared to celebrate his defeat.

Lysias was a 2nd-century BC general and governor of Syria under the Seleucid Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah</span> Battle of the Maccabean Revolt

The Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah or Battle with Apollonius was the first battle fought between the Maccabees and the Seleucid Empire in 167 or 166 BCE. The Jewish forces were led by Judas Maccabeus and the Seleucid army force was under the command of Apollonius, described by Josephus as "the strategos (general) of the Samaritan forces".

The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167 to 160 BCE and ended with the Seleucids in control of Judea, but conflict between the Maccabees, Hellenized Jews, and the Seleucids continued until 134 BCE, with the Maccabees eventually attaining independence.

Ptolemy Macron was a Greek official in the Hellenistic era. He first served the Ptolemaic Kingdom as governor of the island Cyprus. During the Sixth Syrian War between the Seleucid Empire under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Ptolemaic Kingdom under King Ptolemy VI Philometor, he surrendered Cyprus to an invading Seleucid fleet, betraying the Ptolemies and joining the Seleucid Empire. Roman intervention to end the war would require that the Seleucids hand Cyprus back to the Ptolemies, meaning Ptolemy Macron thereafter served the Seleucids in their empire in Coele-Syria and Phoenicia as governor (strategos) there. However, with the death of King Antiochus IV and his replacement by Lysias as regent, he apparently fell out of favor with the Seleucid court. His death around 162 BCE was attributed to suicide.

During the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, there were a series of campaigns in 163 BC in regions outlying Judea - Ammon, Gilead, Galilee, Idumea, and Judea's coastal plain, a wider region usually referred to as either Palestine or Eretz Israel. The Maccabee rebels fought multiple enemies: Seleucid garrisons and hired mercenaries under a commander named Timothy of Ammon, non-Jewish inhabitants hostile to the Maccabees and their Jewish neighbors, and possibly the Tobiad Jews, a clan that generally favored the ruling Seleucid government. During 163 BC, the main Seleucid armies composed of Greeks were elsewhere, so the Maccabees were free to expand their influence against their neighbors.

References

1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.219–221
↑ Bar-Kochva 1989, p.230–233; p. 466–469
↑ Bar-Kochva 1989, p.240–246
↑ Bar-Kochva 1989, p.247–258
1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.258–262
1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.263–272
↑ Bar-Kochva 1989, p.273–274
↑ Weir, William (2004). 50 Battles That Changed the World: The Conflicts That Most Influenced the Course of History. Savage, Md: Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-6609-6.
↑ Bar-Kochva 1989, p. 271
↑ Harrington, Daniel J. (2009) [1988]. The Maccabean Revolt: Anatomy of a Biblical Revolution. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-60899-113-6.

Bibliography

Bar-Kochva, Bezalel (1989). Judas Maccabaeus: The Jewish Struggle Against the Seleucids. Cambridge University Press. p. 219–274. ISBN 0521323525.

External links

The full text of The Antiquities of the Jews/Book XII at Wikisource, Chapter 7

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[barkochva219-1] 1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.219–221

[2] Bar-Kochva 1989, p.230–233; p. 466–469

[3] Bar-Kochva 1989, p.240–246

[barkochva247-4] Bar-Kochva 1989, p.247–258

[bk258-5] 1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.258–262

[bk263-6] 1 2 Bar-Kochva 1989, p.263–272

[bk273-7] Bar-Kochva 1989, p.273–274

[8] Weir, William (2004). 50 Battles That Changed the World: The Conflicts That Most Influenced the Course of History. Savage, Md: Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-6609-6.

[9] Bar-Kochva 1989, p. 271

[10] Harrington, Daniel J. (2009) [1988]. The Maccabean Revolt: Anatomy of a Biblical Revolution. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-60899-113-6.

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