BATH-ZACHARIAS, a place situated 1 Macc. vi. 32, 33.in the neighbourhood of Bethsura. Epiphanius in his book of the Lives of the Prophets says, that the Prophet Habbakuk was born within the territories of Bath-zacharias. S. Luke tells us, that the holy Luke i. 39, 40.Virgin went to salute Elizabeth, and entred the house of Zacharias, which may be understood of Bath-zacharias, or Bethzachar, this, signifying the house of Zacharias, which is in the mountains of Judah, and neighbourhood of Hebron. But it is more natural to say, that S. Luke did not set down the name of the City, where Zechary dwelt, but only that the Virgin entred into the place where he lodged.
Bath-zacharias is celebrated for the battle fought between Antiochus Eupator and Judas Maccabæus. Antiochus seeing himself braved by Judas, and understanding that he was retired to the narrow pass of Bath-zacharias, commanded his Army to march against him. It was composed of an hundred thousand foot, twenty thousand horse, and two and thirty elephants 1 Macc. vi. 30.prepared for battle. But because the ground was not large enough, he was obliged to give orders, that his numerous Army should march in three lines. Every elephant carried a tower full of archers, and was attended by five hundred horse and a thousand foot; the rest of the troops were directed to gain the two sides of the mountain. In this condition Antiochus’s Army advanced to the charge, the soldiers shouted so lowd, that the inhabitants of the neigbouring country were frightned, and the Sun shining on their gold and brass shields, they dazzled the eyes of all the world. But Judas Maccabæus, whose heart was incapable of fear, received them with great vigour, so that six hundred men at the first shock fell dead upon the spot. His Brother Eleazar firnamed Savaran, seeing an elephant more magnificently harnassed than the rest, thought the King was upon it; wherefore exposing his life for the deliverance of his people, he moved forward, and made his way through a crowd of enemies, killed many of them, and slipping under the elephant’s belly pierced him with his sword, and the animal falling immediately, Eleazar was crushed with his weight, and so ended his life gloriously. Judas hereupon, seeing it impossible for him to resist any longer so numerous and strong an Army, retreated to Jerusalem, with a resolution to sustain the siege of it.
I do not at all call in question the great actions performed by the Maccabees , in the several wars which they maintained against the most formidable powers of Asia. * Observations on the Combat between Judas Maccabæus, and the Army of Antiochus Eupator, in the narrow Pass of Bethzacharias.If the Scripture had said nothing of them, I should have believed Josephus in his History of the Jews, an Author who deserves credit; but that these wars should have escaped the observation of Polybius, a contemporary Author, and that no notice should be taken by him of the very names of these great men, who acquitted themselves with so much glory in them, is what must surprize every one beyond expression, since the Greek and Latin Historians, who wrote after him concerning the events which happened in Asia, have made no mention of them. These wars must certainly not have been so considerable as is pretended, so that the fame of them could not come to the knowledge of people who lived remote from Judæa. As much convinced as I am, of the great atchievements accomplished by these Heroes of the Jewish people, and of the victories obtained by them, I am persuaded, that there is a little aggravation used with respect to the number of their enemies against the nothing, as I may say, which made head against them; for so I call a body of troops consisting of between eight and ten thousand men, and very often fewer, against Armies of sixty thousand fighting men. Here we have one of an hundred thousand foot and twenty thousand horse against another in all probability of between eight and ten thousand men; for the Scripture says nothing particularly of Judas’s forces: I am confident that he had scarce a greater number, and am not at all surprized, that this great Captain should dare to attack the enemy’s Army, and should get a considerable advantage over it. I know sufficiently what bold and intrepid valour is capable of, when under good conduct, and how many small Armies have been victorious against the greatest, tho’ oftentimes made up of the bravest and most disciplined troops. Ancient and modern History abound with examples of this sort, and some there are beyond even those of the Maccabees. As to the surprizing of Armies, I refer the Reader to Polybius’s History for his conviction in this point.
As to the number of these prodigious Armies brought in opposition to the Maccabees, I know not what to say of them. If they had been such as the Author represents them, their defeat would have produced so much noise in the world, that there can be no doubt but Polybius, a contemporary Author, would have spoken of them. When we reflect on them, so great a disproportion cannot but surprize us. As to the elephants loaded with towers, machines of war, and thirty fighting men, I am of Bochart’s opinion, who looks upon this to be exaggerated; and believes that these Armies were not such as the Author represents them; but in comparison with the forces of these celebrated Jewish Captains, they were very great, and the elephants very large and powerful, without having so great a burthen upon them.
The Scripture explains very clearly to us the disposition of Antiochus’s Army, and the situation of the places, where the action passed. It says not a word of that under the command of Judas Maccabæus, whose conduct and courage appear to me very astonishing. He made his onsets doubtless in separate bodies drawn up very deep, which was an admirable and prudent way of engaging, and the method of the Jews: as they were always or almost continually inferior to their enemies, the necessity of defending themselves against the formidable power of their neighbours, who endeavoured to subdue them, animated as they were with zeal for the true God, whose cause they maintained; all this joined together inspired them with that vigorous way of combating, so proper for small Armies. These eminent Captains, weak as they were, considering the small number of their troops, had no other refuge but in the skilful use of military discipline, in surprize, most frequently under the cover of darkness, and in the advantages of places, where they waited for their enemy, without fear of being hemm’d in, and hereby obliged them to engage in a front equal to theirs; and oftentimes they attacked them in the plains, so proper was their way of drawing up for every thing, and so ready were their soldiers to do and to attempt every thing.
The action here in question was neither general nor decisive; it happened in the narrow part of a valley; Antiochus’s Army took up the entrance, and Judas drew up in the closest part of the Defile: Josephus says plainly, that the post of Bathzacharias was a very narrow Pass; but as almost all valleys, which open into a plain, grow wider and wider, as rivers towards their mouths, Antiochus first of all posted himself at the opening of the valley; and as it grew straighter in proportion as he advanced, he saw himself under a necessity of sending some troops to the top of the Mountains, perhaps with a design of inclosing the Jews, and cutting off their retreat, and to march with several Phalanxes doubled. This is a conjecture which I venture to make, and not so inconsiderately but that to me it seems very probable; it is the more so, in that I am persuaded the combat which begun at the first line with the cavalry intermixed among the elephants, brought the second into disorder. Nothing can be more exact and clear than the description of the order of battle on Antiochus’s side, and his march into the valley. The first line, where he had placed the elephants, was alone capable of infusing terror, it was disposed in admirable order, and in each Army there was another to support it, so that to me it seems to have been stronger than their prodigious Phalanx. The enemies1 Macc. vi. 35., says the Scripture, divided the beasts among the Armies, that is to say, by Brigades, and for every elephant they appointed a thousand men armed with coats of mail, and with helmets of brass on their heads; and besides this, for every beast were ordained five hundred horsemen of the best, that is to say on the side, as I suppose them to be placed. I imagine a second line to be formed of a thousand men, who supported the first: both thus disposed were of as much service as the Phalanx, or more properly speaking, the preservation of it depended on them; for if Judas had broke through that of the elephants, it had overset, or very much disordered the second rank; and if these had been routed, the Phalanx had not been able to resist: as that was composed of one mass alone without intervals, the run-aways must have put it into confusion, and borne it down without a possibility of procuring the least remedy. The ancient Greeks and Asiaticks drew up in Phalanx, and when the ground would not allow them to extend themselves with their whole front, they doubled it, that is to say, they disposed themselves into two Phalanx’s which was very dangerous; for by this absurd method a small body of troops engaging with an equal front, might beat an Army infinitely superiour, because it was sufficient to overthrow the first, it being certain, that the defeat of one would draw after it that of all the rest. This is what happened to Hannibal at the battle of Zama, where his glory and reputation lost ground miserably. He had drawn up his people in three lines like Phalanx’s, one behind the other, at a certain distance; and tho’ he had an Army of fifty thousand men used to action, he was nevertheless defeated by Scipio, whose whole forces consisted in twenty two thousand men ranged in columns: and thus this small Army broke through these three Phalanx’s. To beat the first was sufficient in order to be assured of routing the other two without Hannibal’s having it in his power to redress the evil; at least he did not think it possible to repair so great a blunder.
To return to the order of battle in Antiochus’s Army, I have said, that as to the two first lines I thought it excellent: as to the Phalanx I have spoke my sentiments of it; he drew it up according to the common custom, which was as ancient perhaps as War; but this usage of so long prescription, and which still continues, does not prove the goodness of it, as I have demonstrated in the sixth book of my Comment upon Polybius. As to the Cavalry, it was placed upon the wings to support the Infantry. Altho’ this Army of Antiochus was formidable, yet this perhaps had never put a stop to Judas after his first advantage: he knew very well by experience, that to beat the first line was sufficient for him to have had afterwards a good account of the rest, without the loss of many men: nevertheless he retreated. The reason whereof has been above mentioned; which was, he was afraid of being intercepted by the troops, which marched by the way of the high lands; and as there is no mountain without some back passage, he thought it proper to disengage himself out of this danger, that he might not be stop’d in his retreat. As to Eleazar’s devoting himself, who crept under an elephant’s belly which was adorned more magnificently than the rest, and stab’d him with his sword, believing the King to be upon him, and so was crushed to death with his fall, this was a very handsome action, and worthy of a truly brave man; but people’s devoting themselves in this manner is so common in History, that we are too much accustomed to it to look upon it as a prodigy of Valour.