Specifically, we're looking at Maccabees I, chapter 7. Now, remember the context. We're in the thick of the Maccabean Revolt, a fight for religious freedom and Jewish sovereignty against the Seleucid Empire. Things are already tense, to say the least.
The passage opens with a deceptive act. Someone – we know him as Bacchides, a Seleucid general – gains the trust of some Jews. But it’s a false trust. As the text says, "Whereupon they believed him: howbeit he took of them threescore men, and slew them in one day..." Sixty men! Murdered after placing their faith in him.
It's a brutal act, made even more chilling by the justification that follows. Bacchides, or perhaps the author of Maccabees, invokes scripture to justify the slaughter: "according to the words which he wrote, The flesh of thy saints have they cast out, and their blood have they shed round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them." This is a direct quote from Psalm 79:2-3, a lament over the suffering of the Jewish people.
Think about that for a moment. He's using a prayer of mourning, a cry for help, as a rationale for further bloodshed. It’s a twisted, perverse interpretation. He’s weaponizing faith itself. What could be more demoralizing?
And the effect is immediate. "Wherefore the fear and dread of them fell upon all the people, who said, There is neither truth nor righteousness in them; for they have broken the covenant and oath that they made." Fear spreads like wildfire. Trust is shattered. The people recognize the utter lack of integrity in Bacchides and his forces. They see that their word means nothing, that covenants are worthless to them.
The passage concludes with yet another act of cruelty. Bacchides moves on, setting up camp in Bezeth. There, he hunts down those who had deserted him – perhaps those who initially supported him but then had second thoughts – and "certain of the people also." He slaughters them and throws their bodies into a "great pit." A mass grave. An anonymous, undignified end.
This isn’t just a historical account; it’s a stark portrayal of the horrors of war, the dangers of unchecked power, and the devastating consequences of broken trust. It's a reminder that even in times of conflict, basic human decency – truth, righteousness, keeping your word – matters. Without them, we risk descending into the abyss. What does it take to prevent that descent? What does it take to maintain faith in humanity, even when confronted with such brutality? That’s the question this passage leaves us with.