Preface to the Story of the Maccabees

¹⁹This is the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, including an account of the purification of the great Temple and the dedication of the altar.

²⁰This story recounts the wars against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator

²¹and the heavenly apparitions seen by those heroes who fought bravely for Judaism. These heroes, though few in number, took the whole land and routed the barbarian hordes.

²²They regained the Temple renowned in all the world, liberated the city, and restored the laws of Moses, which were nearly abolished. The Lord showed great kindness and mercy to them.

²³All these things were recorded in five books by Jason of Cyrene, but we will attempt to condense them into one.

²⁴There are so many statistics—a veritable flood of material—that anyone who wants to study the narratives of history has a difficult job.

²⁵Therefore, our goal has been to make it easy for those who simply wish to read about these things and to help the studious to memorize more easily. We want all who read these things to profit.

²⁶As for ourselves, this work of condensing the records is a difficult task, yes, one of hard work and loss of sleep,

²⁷much like it is for those who prepare a banquet and try to please others. Yet we willingly undertake this labor for the sake of many.

²⁸We leave to compilers the exact handling of every detail, intending here to outline a brief digest.

²⁹The contractor of a new house must take care of the whole building, while the painter is concerned only with its decoration. So I think it is with us.

³⁰It is the historian’s duty to collect all that is known, to put the events in order, and to search out and discuss every detail.

³¹But one who makes a digest is allowed to pursue brevity of speech and avoid lengthy explanations.

³²So let us begin the narrative without adding any further comment, for it would be foolish to make a long preface and then cut short the story itself!