Paper on IV Maccabees: Other Challenges to Politeia

What follows are quotations from Josephus, II Maccabees, and IV Maccabees that describe challenges to the Jewish politeia. I'd like to check out the context of the quotes in red, and I may do that tomorrow. The Josephus quotes are from the translation that BibleWorks uses, and the Maccabees quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version.

Antiquities of the Jews 4:191 and when once you have had the experience of what I now say, you will repent and remember the laws you have broken, when it is too late. Hence I would advise you, if you intend to preserve these laws, to leave none of your enemies alive when you have conquered them, but to look upon it as for your advantage to kill them all, lest, if you permit them to live, you taste of their manners, and thereby corrupt your own proper institutions.

Antiquities of the Jews 4:223 Aristocracy, and the way of living under it, is the best constitution; and may you never have any inclination to any other form of government; and may you always love that form, and have the laws for your governors, and govern all your actions according to them; for you need no supreme governor but God. But if you shall desire a king, let him be one of your own nation; let him be always careful of justice and other virtues perpetually;

Antiquities of the Jews 4:230 Nor is anything to be allowed, by imitation whereof any degree of subversion may creep into the constitution; nor do the laws neglect small matters, but provide that even those may be managed after an unblamable manner.''

Antiquities of the Jews 4:310 that in case anyone of their own blood, or any city, should attempt to confound or dissolve their constitution of government, they should take vengeance upon them, both all in general, and each person in particular; and when they had conquered them, should overturn their city to the very foundations, and, if possible, should not leave the least footsteps of such madness: but that if they were not able to take such vengeance, they should still demonstrate that what was done was contrary to their wills. So the multitude bound themselves by oath so to do.

Antiquities of the Jews 6:36 so they begged of him, and entreated him, to appoint some person to be king over them, who might rule over the nation, and avenge them of the Philistines, who ought to be punished for their former oppressions. These words greatly afflicted Samuel, on account of his innate love of justice, and his hatred to kingly government, for he was very fond of an aristocracy, as what made the men that used it of a divine and happy disposition;

Antiquities of the Jews 6:83 And when Samuel had told them that he ought to confirm the kingdom to Saul by a second ordination of him, they all came together to the city of Gilgal, for there did he command them to come. So the prophet anointed Saul with the holy oil in the sight of the multitude, and declared him to be king the second time; and so the government of the Hebrews was changed into a regal government;

Antiquities of the Jews 6:85 after which they returned to their former government, they then permitting themselves to be judged by him who appeared to be the best warrior and most courageous, hence it was that they called this interval of their government the Judges.

Antiquities of the Jews 10:275 and that from among them there should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years' time.

Antiquities of the Jews 11:140 But some time afterward there came some persons to him, and brought an accusation against certain of the multitude, and of the priests and Levites, who had transgressed their constitution, and broken the laws of their country, by marrying strange wives, and had brought the family of the priests into confusion.

Antiquities of the Jews 12:240 but the greater number of the people assisted Jason; and by that means Menelaus and the sons of Tobias were distressed, and retired to Antiochus, and informed him that they were desirous to leave the laws of their country, and the Jewish way of living according to them, and to follow the king's laws, and the Greek way of living.

Antiquities of the Jews 12:280 but to be mindful of the desires of him who begat you, and brought you up, and to preserve the customs of your country, and to recover your ancient form of government, which is in danger of being overturned, and not to be carried away with those who, either by their own inclination, or out of necessity, betray it,

Antiquities of the Jews 13:2 but after he was dead, all the wicked, and those who transgressed the laws of their forefathers, sprang up again in Judea, and grew upon them, and distressed them on every side.

Antiquities of the Jews 15:254 but after Hyrcanus had made a change in their political government, and made them receive the Jewish customs and law, Herod made Costobarus governor of Idumea and Gaza, and gave him his sister Salome to wife; and this was upon the slaughter of [his uncle] Joseph, who had that government before, as we have related already.

Antiquities of the Jews 15:281 but still some of them continued in their displeasure against him, for his introduction of new customs, and esteemed the violation of the laws of their country as likely to be the origin of very great mischiefs to them, so that they deemed it an instance of piety rather to hazard themselves [to be put to death], than to seem as if they took no notice of Herod, who, upon the change he had made in their government, introduced such customs, and that in a violent manner, which they had never been used to before, as indeed in pretence a king, but in reality one that showed himself an enemy to their whole nation;

Antiquities of the Jews 18:9 Such were the consequences of this, that the customs of our fathers were altered, and such a change was made, as added a mighty weight toward bringing all to destruction, which these men occasioned by their thus conspiring together; for Judas and Sadduc, {c} who started a fourth philosophic sect among us, and had a great many followers therein, filled our civil government with tumults at present, and laid the foundations of our future miseries, by this system of philosophy, which we were before unacquainted with,

Antiquities of the Jews 19:173 For since Julius Caesar took it into his head to dissolve our democracy, and, by overbearing the regular system of our laws, to bring disorders into our administration, and to get above right and justice, and to be a slave to his own inclinations, there is no kind of misery but what has tended to the subversion of this city;

Antiquities of the Jews 20:229 for at the first they held the high priesthood till the end of their life, although afterward they had successors while they were alive. Now these thirteen, who were the descendants of two of the sons of Aaron, received this dignity by succession, one after another; for their form of government was an aristocracy, and after that a monarchy, and in the third place the government was regal.

Wars of the Jews 1:169 After this, Gabinius brought Hyrcanus to Jerusalem, and committed the care of the temple to him; but ordained the other political government to be by an aristocracy.

Against Apion 1:190 Moreover, Hecateus declares again, "what regard we have for our laws, and that we resolve to endure anything rather than transgress them, because we think it right for us to do so.''

Against Apion 2:273 and, indeed, what reason can there be why we should desire to imitate the laws of other nations, while we see they are not observed by their own legislators? And why do not the Lacedemonians think of abolishing that form of their government which suffers them not to associate with any others, as well as their contempt of matrimony? And why do not the Eleans and Thebans abolish that unnatural and impudent lust, which makes them lie with males?

2 Maccabees 4:11 He set aside the existing royal concessions to the Jews, secured through John the father of Eupolemus, who went on the mission to establish friendship and alliance with the Romans; and he destroyed the lawful ways of living and introduced new customs contrary to the law.

2 Maccabees 8:17 keeping before their eyes the lawless outrage that the Gentiles had committed against the holy place, and the torture of the derided city, and besides, the overthrow of their ancestral way of life.

4 Maccabees 17:9 "Here lie buried an aged priest and an aged woman and seven sons, because of the violence of the tyrant who wished to destroy the way of life of the Hebrews.

4 Maccabees 8:7 Trust me, then, and you will have positions of authority in my government if you will renounce the ancestral tradition of your national life.

Some thoughts:

1. Challenging the politeia can mean simply disobeying the Torah.

2. Antiochus Epiphanes tried to challenge the Jews' politeia, but Jason the high priest also did so before Antiochus' persecutions.

3. The politeia could be changed legitimately, probably because the Torah gave Israel the right to appoint a king.