ELEASA, or Laisa, the name of a place near Beræa, or rather Berotho, a city in the Tribe of Benjamin, whereof we have no knowledge in the Scripture, but by the battle which was fought there between Judas Maccabæus on one side, and Bacchides and Alcimus, High Priest of the 1 Macc. ix. 1, &c.Jews, on the other. Demetrius Soter having intelligence of Nicanor’s death, and the defeat of his army, sent Bacchides again, and Alcimus into Judea, with the right wing of his army, that is to say, with the choice of his troops, to the number of two and twenty thousand foot and two thousand horse. They came at first to Jerusalem, thinking to meet Judas there, but upon intelligence that he was incamp’d at Eleasa with three thousand chosen men, they went thither and incamped at Beræa, a place not far from it. Judas’s troops seeing so great a multitude of enemies, were terrified to such a degree, that the generality of them deserted, so that eight hundred soldiers only remained with him.
Judas finding himself to be thus abandoned at a time when there was a necessity for his engaging, was very much concerned, and so much the more, for that there was no opportunity to gather new forces; notwithstanding, he omitted nothing to encourage those who remained with him, and animate them to the combat. They represented to him that as their number was so inconsiderable, it was more expedient to wait for some reinforcement; to which he replied, God forbid that we should do so, and fly before our enemies: if our hour is come, let us die courageously for our brethren, and not sully our glory by so base an action. The enemy leaving their camp, marched to meet them, having disposed the horse in both the wings; the Slingers and the Archers marched before the army, and the first rank was composed of the most valiant soldiers, Bacchides taking his post on the right wing. The trumpets on both sides began to sound, the mountains round about echoed with the noise, and Judas having observed, that the right wing, where Bacchides commanded, was the strongest, he attacked it, broke, and pursued it to the mountain of Azotus; but the left wing having hemmed in Judas and his people in the rear, the combat was a long time obstinate, and Judas, at last overwhelmed with the multitude of his enemies, fell down dead upon the spot, and his people fled.
Observations on the battle of Eleasa between Judas Maccabæus and Bacchides. 1 Macc. ix. 1, &c.This action of Judas Maccabæus, who resolved with eight hundred men to attack an army of twenty thousand foot, and two thousand horse; this action, I say, surprizes those very much, who do not know that History is full of extraordinary exploits of this kind: but they recover from their surprize, when they consider, that an able and enterprizing General, who is acquainted with the valour and resolute boldness of his troops, never despairs at a time of necessity, when death and a retreat being inseparable, there is nothing left but either to conquer or perish.
Judas, after the desertion of the greatest part of his troops, was under this melancholy necessity; he made use of the powerful battery of Religion, to raise the courage of those, who continued faithful to him. This was the most effectual expedient that Generals could devise in great dangers. In the time of the Maccabees miracles were rare; they were to be seen only at great distances of time, notwithstanding there always was an appearance of some, and God had not intirely forsaken his people; he still had compassion of their calamities, tho’ they had rendred themselves unworthy of his favours. The virtue, piety and admirable qualities of Judas Maccabæus, whom Dom. Calmet compares with Jesus Christ, Commentaire sur le liv. 1. c. ix. vi. 18. des Maccabées.long withheld the wrath of God from this ungrateful and perfidious people; but at last this great man perished in this action, and they who would not leave him, were rather overwhelmed, than conquered.
1 Macc. ix. 5. Ib. verse 6.Judas incamped at Eleasa with three thousand chosen men. I cannot tell for what reason the Sacred author adds the epithet chosen, which is generally interpreted brave, valiant, courageous; for tho’ they were in a condition to make head against, and even to defeat this formidable army of Bacchides, the greatest part of them were pusillanimous creatures, since above two thirds of them had not the courage to make a stand, but unworthily deserted so brave a General, and who ought to have been so dear to them. His people, says the Sacred Author, seeing the multitude of the other army to be so great, were sore afraid; whereupon many conveyed themselves out of the host, insomuch that there abode of them no more than eight hundred men. If all the cowards, as well officers as soldiers, were expelled out of an army, at the instant of a decisive action, there would be few remaining; but these few delivered from such a vile crew, would do infinitely more, than if the cowards had continued intermixed with them.
Judas was extremely concerned, and his spirits almost sunk, to see the baseness of those who abandoned him; nevertheless this great Hero, re-assuming his courage, directed himself to those who would have diverted him from fighting, and said, What would you Ib. verse 10.fly before your enemies? If our time is come, let us die courageously for our brethren, rather than stain our honour by so ignominious an action. He found himself probably so far ingaged, and so near the enemy, that there was more danger in retreating than in fighting; because by fighting, his honour was at least secured; besides, he had often experienced, that victory was in the hands of God, who gave it to whom he pleased, without having a regard to number.
Ib. verses 11, 12.With that the host of Bacchides removed out of their tents, and stood over against them ; the cavalry was divided into two bodies posted on the wings, the slingers and the archers marched before the army, and the first rank was formed out of the strongest and most valiant men. Bacchides was in the right wing, and the battalions on both sides marched, and sounded their trumpets. Dom. Calmet translates the following passage, proximavit legio ex duabus partibus, by these words, the battalions marched on both sides. This to me seems not to be exact, for the word legio in the singular number, should not be interpreted many battalions, since the method of putting themselves into order of battle among the Asiatick people, was different from that of the Romans, and they fought in phalanxes, and drawn up in one line only, not by battalions or cohorts. Wherefore in my opinion it should be translated, the Phalanx of both sides, or of both the wings, made its approach. We may easily comprehend, that the two wings of Bacchides advanced, in order to hem in Judas’s troops; we cannot think otherwise For how could it be said that the battalions marched on both sides, since Judas had but an handful of men? and by translating it thus, one would believe that he was at the head of many battalions.
They also of Judas side sounded their trumpets, and the earth shook with the noise of the armies. If the author had only Judas’s people in view, this hyperbole would be a little extravagant: and the battle continued from morning till night. I can scarce comprehend, that eight hundred men could so long resist an army so very much superior to them, and which incompassed them on every side. I can easily conceive that soldiers so resolute and brave, with such a General at their head as Judas Maccabæus, might break and put to flight the enemy’s right wing ; but I cannot conceive that so great a Captain could pursue the run-aways as far as the mountain Azotus, while he left all the rest of Bacchides’s army behind him, in a condition to repair this misfortune by following him, and falling on his rear, as indeed they did, which was the cause of his ill success: once more I say, I cannot attribute such an instance of imprudence, and so gross a fault to so great a soldier as Judas, for in the course of all his atchievements, we see that he is perhaps the only eminent Captain that has not laid himself open to exceptions in the execution of his designs. His people must have been transported with ardour upon their victory, and he, whether he would or no, must have been under the unhappy necessity of following them; for otherwise, if after the defeat of this wing he had turned upon the flanks of the enemy, while they were in consternation at the routing of their right wing, this would have been acting within rules, and victory had been certain.
1 Macc. ix. 16.But they who were on the left wing, says the Sacred Writer, seeing the right wing defeated, followed Judas and his people in their rear, who observing themselves to be followed by the main body of Bacchides’s army, were obliged to let the run-aways escape, and face about to sustain another combat. It is something difficult to clear well certain circumstances related by the author; there are movements which extremely perplex us, nor is there any way of accounting for them but by conjectures. Wherefore I presume that the enemies put themselves at first in order of battle; but the right of their horse, which before the action was otherwise disposed, having been broken and put to flight, and unhappily for Judas pursued too far, the army of Bacchides turned to follow the conqueror, and stop him in his retreat: this conjecture to me seems very probable. The Sacred Author gives us the disposition and distribution of Bacchides’s troops, and says nothing of the Jews as to this particular; but I suppose them ranged in two Bodies, of a great depth, according to their usual method of fighting.
The battle was a long time obstinately maintained, and many on both sides were killed and wounded, Judas himself was killed, and all the rest fled. The rest of Bacchides’s army having followed Judas, who fought like a lion, and overthrew all that came in his way, attacked him behind, so that he was between two armies, in which situation he performed prodigies of valour; but at last being over-born by numbers, he was wounded and fell upon an heap of dead bodies, whereof he had made a circle about him: thus died this Great Hero. The reader may see the magnificent encomium which the learned Commentator has made of him, and the admirable resemblances discovered by him between Jesus Christ and Judas. See Dom. Calmet’s Comment on this place.