In Modin, or Modein, a town near the sea, but the site of which is now unknown, there lived an old man of a priestly family named Asmon, who was rich and influential.  His name was Mattathias, and he had five grown-up sons, each distinguished for bravery, piety, and patriotism.  He was so prominent in his little city for fidelity to the faith of his fathers, as well as for social position, that when an officer of Antiochus came to Modin to enforce the decrees of his royal master, he made splendid offers to Mattathias to induce him to favor the crusade against his countrymen.  Mattathias not only contemptuously rejected these overtures, but he openly proclaimed his resolution to adhere to his religion,—­a man who could not be bribed, and who could not be intimidated.  “Be it far from us,” he said, “to forsake law and ordinances.  We will not hearken to the king’s words, to turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

When he had thus given noble attestation of his resolution to adhere to the faith of his fathers, there came forward an apostate Jew to sacrifice on the heathen altar, which it seems was erected by royal command in all the cities and towns of Judaea.  This so inflamed the indignation of the brave old man that he ran and slew the Jew upon the altar, together with the king’s commissioner, and pulled down the altar.

For this, Mattathias was obliged to flee, and he escaped to the mountains, taking with him his five sons and all who would join his standard of revolt, crying with a loud voice, “Let every one zealous for the Law follow me!” A considerable multitude fled with him to the wilderness of Judaea, on the west of the Dead Sea, taking with them their wives and children and cattle.  But this flight from persecution speedily became known to the troops that were quartered on Mount Zion, a strong fortress which controlled the Temple and city, and a detachment was sent in pursuit.  The fugitives, zealous for the Law, refused to defend themselves on the Sabbath day, and the result was that they all perished, with their wives and children.  Their fate made such a powerful impression on Mattathias, that it was resolved henceforth to fight on the Sabbath day, if attacked.  The patriots had to choose between two alternatives,—­to be utterly rooted out, or to defend themselves on the Sabbath, and thus violate the letter of the Law.  Mattathias was sufficiently enlightened to perceive that fighting on the Sabbath, if attacked, was a supreme necessity, remembering doubtless that Moses recognized the right of necessary work even on the sacred day of rest.  The law of self-defence is an ultimate one, and appeals to the consciousness of universal humanity.  Strange as it may seem, the Sabbath has ever been a favorite day with generals to fight grand battles in every Christian country.