Menelaus soon found that he was unable to pay the large amount of money
which he had promised to Antiochus. The King, who demanded punctuality
of his subjects in their payment of tribute, summoned him to Antioch.
Fearing that he would be punished or stripped of his office, he sent
secret directions to his brother Lysimachus, who was acting as High
Priest during his absence, to remove some of the holy vessels from the
Temple, and to send him the money obtained by selling them. When Onias,
the deposed High Priest heard of this, his anger was aroused, and he
accused Menelaus of robbing the Temple. Menelaus fearing, that he would
be removed from his office, bribed one of the King’s officers to kill
Onias. When Onias learned of the plot against his life, he escaped; but
later, when the officer induced him to return by assurances of safety,
he was brutally murdered.
Great was the anger of the Jews when they heard of this new outrage. The
people of Jerusalem rose up against the brother of Menelaus, and put to
route a number of his followers who tried to defend him. Lysimachus,
himself, escaped to the treasury of the Temple, but was pursued and
killed. Menelaus, in the meantime by bribing the King, gained his
support, and continued to remain in the office of High Priest.
ANTIOCHUS’S ENTRANCE INTO
JERUSALEM.
While Antiochus was engaged in attacking Egypt, a report was spread that
he had been killed. This news was received by the Jews with great joy.
Jason, the deposed High Priest, knowing that Menelaus would now be left
without a protector entered Jerusalem, defeated the soldiers of
Menelaus, and put the latter to flight. Jason did not remain there long,
however, for it soon became known that Antiochus was alive and that he
was marching towards Jerusalem with a large army. Antiochus, in the
meantime, had been led to believe that the entire Jewish nation had
revolted; and further angered by the fact that the news of his death had
caused such rejoicing, quickly returned from Egypt; and entered
Jerusalem, where he killed 40,000 of the inhabitants, and took as many
captive. He then robbed the treasury of the Temple, and removed to
Antioch all the sacred vessels, the table of shewbread, the golden
candlestick, and the altar of incense.