Demetrius I, a Seleucid prince who had escaped captivity in Rome, seized the Syrian throne and immediately turned his attention to Judea. Jewish collaborators, led by the corrupt High Priest Alcimus, accused Judas Maccabeus and his brothers of killing loyalists and expelling anyone friendly to the Seleucid crown. Demetrius dispatched his general Bacchides with a massive army.
Josephus records that Bacchides tried deception first, offering peace terms to lure Judas into a trap. Judas refused. But some Jews, trusting Alcimus because he was one of their own countrymen, accepted the offer and crossed over. Bacchides promptly massacred sixty of them. After that, no one else defected.
With Bacchides gone, Alcimus consolidated power through flattery and violence, surrounding himself with an army of turncoats and criminals. Judas countered by hunting down Alcimus's supporters across the countryside. When Alcimus realized he could not match Judas in open combat, he begged Demetrius for help. The king sent Nicanor, one of his most distinguished commanders, with a large force.
Nicanor first attempted diplomacy. He arranged a meeting with Judas, but it was a trap. Judas discovered the plot and escaped. In the battle that followed, Nicanor fell. His severed head and right hand were displayed in Jerusalem, a grim trophy that Judas dedicated before God. The day of Nicanor's defeat became an annual celebration.
But the victories could not last forever. Demetrius sent Bacchides back to Judea, this time with 20,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry. When Judas's army saw the overwhelming force, most of them deserted. From thousands, Judas was left with just 800 men. His soldiers begged him to retreat and fight another day. Judas refused. "If our time has come, let us die bravely for our countrymen," he said, "and not leave behind a stain upon our glory."
The battle raged from morning until sunset. Judas saw that Bacchides commanded the strongest wing and charged directly at it, driving the enemy before him. But the Seleucid left wing encircled him from behind. Surrounded, with no way out, Judas Maccabeus fought until he was cut down. His brothers Simon and Jonathan recovered his body under truce and buried him at Modin, beside their father Mattathias. He had led the revolt for three years and died exactly as he had lived: facing the enemy head-on.