ON MANDATES

Two-hundred or so years before Christ, the Jews had become Hellenized (turned into Greeks outwardly). Most remained Jews but acted the role of the Greeks. Alexander’s empire, after his death, had been divided between his three generals and in the Mideast, the Seleucids and the Ptolemies battled for control of the Jewish homeland. Eventually, although Antiochus the Great was king of Syria, which included what later became Judea, Ptolemy Antipater defeated him at the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC by the use of a ruse.

A spy had learned that Antiochus had intended to kill Ptolemy while he slept. That would create a “one-party” system there. A secular Jew as usual was the source of intrigue; Disitheos removed Ptolemy from his tent and “had a poor unknown fellow sleep in his tent instead, and he of course suffered the fate intended for Ptolemy” (3 Macabees 1:3)

Note therein that (1) Disitheous, unlike the real “Theos” (Jesus) was a respecter of person; one was a king and the other a “nobody,” (2) Ptolemy nor Disitheos had respect for life, and (3) the poor unknown fellow was merely a “tool” for the Egyptians to empower themselves at the expense of others. In those days, that was how politics work — people used lesser people to defeat the legitimate rulers, which were the Seleucids under Antiochus. (Not much has changed since then except the size of the tents!)

Because the Seleucids had been mean-spirited to them, the Jews welcomed Ptolemy after the defeat of Antiochus. (Sort of like the mean tweets of Trump and the unity speeches of Biden.) They gave a parade for Ptolemy when he arrived at Jerusalem just as they would Jesus on Psalm Sunday. Like Jesus, Antiochus was allowed in the Temple and like Jesus, he was forbidden to enter the Holy of Holies wherein not even priests could enter but only the high priest. Implied therein is that even Jesus, the “King Of Kings” and the “priest on the order of Melchizedek” would not be allowed to enter the Holy of Holies but both crooked priests Annas and Caiaphas were allowed there once a year.

Generally, there was one legitimate High Priest, but Annas had five sons and now his son-in-law in that position. So rather than Herodians who would have no king during the “33 AD insurrection of MWGA” (Make the World Great Again), the shadow government of the High Priests had become a dynasty much like the Maccabean and Herodian dynasties.

After the war was won by foreign intervention, the winner, Ptolemy, entered Jerusalem to see his prize. His bounty was everything in Jerusalem but the “tent” where God visited the Jews on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. That room belonged to God and God alone. As true King, someday Jesus should have reigned over Jerusalem as the son of David and as legitimate ruler of the old Davidian Dynasty, but also because he was the heir to Melchizedek, the first High Priest after the deluge.

Getting to the point, Ptolemy desired to enter the Holy of Holies, but he was an unclean pagan in the eyes of the Jews, so he would never be allowed to defile the Inner Sanctuary that was reserved for God and, once a year, for the High Priest. The best bet is that the High Priest (Simon II) refused Pharaoh Ptolemy entry into the Holy of Holies because that would infringe upon his authority as “king” in the Temple. Because the Jews refused Ptolemy entry, ostensibly because Simon was “The Just” and upheld the Law of Moses, Ptolemy became irate.

Remember that exactly 250 years later, the Jewish King, Jesus, would never be allowed entry into the Temple because He was accused of being a wine-bibbering drunk and because he consorted with unclean people. God would not be allowed in His own house, but a pagan politician desired that privilege. After all, was he not more sophisticated than Jesus and as such, would not he be expected to be clean? (Not so, because the cleanness of Jesus was inwardly, and Ptolemy was dirty inside as shall be shown!)

The Jews remained firm; Ptolemy was refused entry. Of course, just like Titus years later, he could have forced his way in, but he was civil in the matter. He wanted that his new subjects respect him, and respect he would not get! He first sought entry by requesting it, and when that failed, he seemed to be beguiled. He was determined that he be allowed entry because after all, it was his Temple and not God’s (The Second Temple).

Because Ptolemy was adamant and persistent, the Jews became enraged. The “silent majority” when Jesus was crucified remained silent, but when they were about to kill Ptolemy, many were the “vocal majority.” They cared more about God’s House than they would God Himself in a quarter of a century! (Does that not still ring true?). However, the priest Eleazer calmed them into silence with his prayer to God.

Ptolemy finally did as any autocratic dictator would do; he issued a mandate, but first he offered positive reinforcement operant conditioning; all those who were in favor of allowing him entry would have all the rights of the Egyptians. They would become citizens of the new world order, so to speak.

Many accepted that God’s House would be opened to them and they received their reward. Most, however, still refused, so Ptolemy invoked a mandate; “That none of those who did not sacrifice should be permitted to enter their temples, and that all Jews should be required to enroll in the census and be reduced to the condition of slaves, and that any who spoke against it should be taken by force and put to death” (3 Mac 2:28-29).

Note that he did not mandate sophisticated Jews but those who wanted to sacrifice to God but had no sacrifice. He sought to mandate the lesser people and as such, poor people were merely “tools” used for his unjust cause. (Again, does that too sound familiar?)

To account for all the Jews, there would be a census. Usually, ancient census’s were used for taxation, and the poor had to be separated from the wealthy by enumeration. To detect who complied and who did not, everybody was accounted for and divided into classes. It is apparent that the better off would be taxed heavily for non-compliance, but the poor be reduced further into slavery. The choices were compliance or else, and the “or else” was death!

Dictators usually use positive reinforcement before resulting to negative conditioning. Those in the United States saw that during the pandemic when treats of all sorts were offered for compliance before mandates were used on those who just would not comply. Today, even the “heroes” of 2021 are demoted to non-entities in 2022 because they would not comply just to appease a fake president who, like Ptolemy, must show just how authoritative he can be!

Ptolemy’s dictate was extreme; those who failed to comply, at least the poorest, would die. Ptolemy used the “media” to explain the consequences for non-compliance; he wrote a letter and distributed it all over, by then, his empire as if he was legitimately king:

Greetings and good health:

Both I myself and our affairs prosper. After our campaign against Asia Minor came to a successful conclusion, as you yourselves are aware, with the gods fighting alongside us, we thought that we should care for the nations inhabiting Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, not with the violence of the spear but with fairness and much kindness, eagerly treating them well. After we had distributed generous funds to the temples in every city, we proceeded also to Jerusalem. We went up to honor the temple of those wretched people who never cease from their folly. They spoke as if they welcomed our presence, but in fact they acted in a way that was dishonest. When we wanted to enter their sanctuary and to honor it with the most extraordinary and beautiful gifts, they were carried away by their traditional arrogance and prevented us from entering. They were spared a display of our power because of the kindness that we have toward all people. But they made clear their ill will toward us, as the only one of the nations showing such stiff-necked defiance to kings and to their own benefactors. They aren’t willing to receive anything as sincere.

But we showed indulgence toward the folly of these people and returned to Egypt in triumph. We treated all the nations in a kindly way and acted in a manner that was proper. Among other things, we made known to everyone our policy of amnesty toward their fellow Jews here because of our alliance with them and the countless matters sincerely entrusted to them from the beginning. We bravely decided to make a change, to consider them worthy of Alexandrian citizenship and to make them partners in the regular religious rites. But they received it in a disagreeable manner and rejected what is good in line with their natural, spiteful character. Turning continually to what is worthless, they not only rejected the priceless offer of citizenship but also showed their contempt, by what they said and by their silence, for those few Jews among them who favored us with honor. In every case they suspected, in keeping with their most shameful way of life, that we would swiftly reverse the policy. We were fully persuaded indeed by such proofs that these people were ill-disposed toward us in every way.

Therefore, we took care so that, if a sudden rebellion should arise against us later, we won’t find that we have these evil people at our backs as traitors and uncivilized enemies.  We have given an order that as soon as this letter arrives, you are immediately to send to us those Jews who live among you, together with their wives and children, to suffer a certain and shameful death appropriate for enemies. Treat them harshly and abusively, and bind them on all sides in iron chains. We are sure that, when these people have all been punished, the affairs of our state will be established more securely and in a more excellent condition for the future. But whoever shelters any of the Jews, from an elderly person to a child to nursing infants, will be tortured, household and all, with the most horrible punishments.  But the one who is willing to give information will receive the property of the person falling under judgment. They will also be given two thousand drachmen from the royal treasury, and will be rewarded with their freedom. But every place, without exception, where a Jew is discovered to be sheltered, will be laid waste and burned with fire. It will become utterly useless to every living creature for all time. (3 Mac 3:11-29)

 Note that, in the bold-face type, is the punishment for non-compliance after Ptolemy justifies his crazy irrational reasoning in the standard text above. He first bragged on his own successes and prosperity, failing to mention the tribulation of the Jews, and then how the “ignorant” Jews rejected such a fine positive reward for performing to his wishes; even though his wishes did not make sense and were an encroachment upon the religion of the Jews. In effect, the Jews were to abandon their religion and their God for prosperity — to be accepted as sophisticated Egyptians who were arrogantly demanding the Jews act like them, or simply to patronize the narcissistic ruler!

Then, Ptolemy wrote his real feelings about the “wierdo” non-compliant Jews: “in keeping with their most shameful way of life.” What was shameful about the Jews? They favored God and Divine Law over the insanity of his whim of the month. He wanted them to relax their Law in favor of appeasing himself, as if he was the god!

Get this; they had not rioted nor created an autonomous zone as they would when the Temple fell, but “also showed their contempt, by what they said and by their silence.”

Ptolemy could not stand that the Jews were more civil than the Egyptians, as before, God had told them to be civil and He would take care of things. He was angry because they were threatened and persecuted and continued to remain silent. That should remind people of the “2016 Republican Insurrection” wherein the President and his generals were so upset because of the peaceful protesting to the extent that they drew first blood by shooting a woman in the back… and that was the only blood that was shed. It seems that “Pharoah” Biden was as determined the kill the opposition as Ptolemy was his silent and peaceful protesters!

Hopefully, the reader gets the point — as Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and the intimidation and such that Ptolemy used is the same modus operandi as Hitler, and now Joe Biden. It is even the same as when the High Priests had Jesus nailed to a tree and had their “FBI” (The Centurions) do their dirty work. The Jews never thought that it could ever happen there but right there it happened. Americans think that it could never happen here, but here it is happening!

We end with these thoughts:

⁵ All of you are children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to night or darkness. ⁶ So then, let’s not sleep like the others, but let’s stay awake and stay sober. ⁷ People who sleep sleep at night, and people who get drunk get drunk at night. (1 Thes 5:5-7)

 Wake up; it can and is happening here, but so long as there is some degree or prosperity for some, the majority will remain silent. And as we have learned, the silence was deafening to Ptolemy and only agitated the Pharaoh to demand more! Prepare yourselves for even more mandates!