Readings:
1 Maccabees 12-14
Revelation 5

1 Maccabees 12-14

Jonathan writes a letter to Rome to renew and confirm their treaty of friendship, and while the emissaries are crossing the sea he sends them to Sparta to renew their previously unmentioned friendship.

The letter to the Spartans is very interesting because it mentions a letter they had sent when Onias was high priest. That was a couple hundred years prior and right around the time they returned from exile in Persia. The letter from Sparta claims that Spartans are also descendants of Abraham. This is new to me, so I did some research and found Josephus also talks about this, and I found an interesting website that was researching this same topic. I can’t vouch for his work, but he does cite his sources if anyone is interested to look deeper.

The Book, Sparta, by A.H.M. Jones, a Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge University, noted several things about Sparta. He states the Spartans worshipped a “great law-giver” who had given them their laws in the “dim past” (page 5 of his book). This law-giver may have been Moses. Professor Jones also noted the Spartans celebrated “the new moons” and the “seventh day” of the month” (page 13). Observing new moons was an Israelite calendar custom, and their observance of “a seventh day” could originate with the Sabbath celebration. Prof. Jones also notes, as do other authorities, that the Spartans were known for being “ruthless” in war and times of crisis. This sounds exactly like the Simeonite nature, which was given to impulsive cruelty, as the Bible confirms.

Steven Collins, from his website https://stevenmcollins.com/articles/the-missing-simeonites/

Lots of battles back and forth take place in this chapter, with it finally culminating in Jonathan being captured by Trypho who is planning on overthrowing the man he’d placed on the throne himself, but wants Jonathan out of the way first. He is eventually killed by Trypho and his brother Simon takes command of the army, the nation and the position of high priest.

Simon wins peace through battles and diplomacy, and finally after decades of bloodshed and suffering, the Maccabean War comes to an end with an independent kingdom of Judah. Technically, Simon is not a king but just the high priest and commander of the army. He wears purple and gold, and according to the decree from the people that he accepted, no one else may wear these regal colors. So he’s a king in everything but name, very similarly to the princeps of the Roman Empire who took on all the trappings and powers of a king, but because of Rome’s distaste for monarchs they never called themselves such.

Interestingly the summary of Simon’s reign in chapter 14 uses the somewhat messianic phrase that people “sat under their own vine and nobody made them afraid” like was prophesied in several places in the Old Testament.

Revelation 5

A scroll appears that is sealed like the one in Daniel and is written on both sides like the tablets of the law given to Moses on Sinai and the scroll of Ezekiel’s vision. It’s given to Jesus as the only one with divine authority to open the scroll.

The sealed book refers to Sacred Scripture, for it was opened by no one except Christ, whose death, Resurrection, and Ascension opened access to all the mysteries it contained. None but the Lord could reveal the hidden meanings of the sacred word.

Saint Gregory the Great

When Jesus appeared in this scene he is a lamb who looks slain, meaning a sacrificed lamb with visible wounds, but unlike your ordinary sacrificial animal, this one is standing and fully alive. Jesus took his wounds from the crucifixion to heaven with him and has them forever.

Horns represent power and eyes represent knowledge, so having seven horns and seven eyes would mean all powerful and all knowing. These are two attributes of God, and are being displayed on the Lamb because he is divine.

The elders are holding bowls filled with the prayers of the saints. This is a visible image of what happens when we pray through the intercession of the The Communion Of Saints. They all gather to sing a song of praise to the Lamb because he alone is able to open the scroll. Only Jesus can bring to completion the plans set in motion by God since the foundation of the world.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
1 Maccabees 15-16
Revelation 6