Prayerful Maccabees Women
These women aren't named in the Second Book of Maccabees, but are referred to as women who tied sackcloth around their breasts, and who raised their hands toward heaven in a kind of collective supplication to God that he might see the anguish of his faithful and help them in their hour of need.
Their story begins during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator. A man named Simon, of the tribe of Benjamin, who was superintendent of the Jerusalem Temple, aspired to do something in the city market (perhaps not honorable) that the pious High Priest Onias wouldn't allow. The two had a falling out. and Simon went to Apollonius of Tarsus (then governor of Phoenicia and Coelesyria) to report that untold riches could be found in the Temple. Simon suggested that it all be confiscated and brought under the management of King Seleucus.
Apollonius then went to the ruler to discuss it, and the king decided to seize everything of value from the Temple. He sent his minister, Heliodorus, to oversee the exploitation of the Temple. Heliodorus set off for Phoenicia and Coelesyria, but in reality, he headed straight for Jerusalem, where the high priest cordially received him.
The Priest Reveals the Temple's Wealth
The high priest revealed that, indeed, there were things of value in the Temple (but nothing like what Simon had claimed). The total amounted to roughly a few hundred talents of silver and gold. A portion of the amount was reserved in a fund to care for orphans and widows. The priest also explained that another part belonged to a man of high position and dignity named Hyrcanus, who was a member of the Tobias family. The Bible states that Joseph was the father of Hyrcanus, and Hyrcanus's mother was the sister of Onias II, the high priest.
The Second Book of Maccabees states that King Seleucus was the elder brother of Antiochus Epiphanes, and that their father was Antiochus the Great. The family of Judas Maccabeus carried out campaigns against Antiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator after the Temple had been looted and desecrated.
Heliodorus Defiles the Temple
Despite the protests of the high priest, Heliodorus carried out the king's order to seize whatever he could find of value in the Temple. All the priests fell down before the altar and prayed to God. Everyone could see the anguish in the expression of the high priest; nobody knew how to stop the robbing and defiling of the Temple.
The Women Converge onto the Streets
Jews made public supplication. The women wrapped sackcloth or haircloth around their breasts and entered the streets. Even the virgins (who usually stayed inside) came out to witness the calamity. They stretched their arms upright and held their hands open in a gesture of supplication to God; they asked the Divine to preserve their treasure.
Heliodorus Is Struck Down
A richly festooned horse with a rider in a golden suit of armor suddenly appeared and reared up on its hind legs. Its front hooves struck Heliodorus. Two handsome young men, dressed in finery, appeared on either side of the king's minister and began flogging him. Heliodorus soon fell to the ground. The people watching believed that the horse and rider, and the two young men, were the manifestation of the Spirit of God. Heliodorus was carried out on a litter, believed to be dying.
Four rooms in a second-floor apartment of the Pontifical Palace in the Vatican are known as the Stanze of Raphael. One of the rooms is designated the Room of Heliodorus, and features pictorial decoration by Raphael and his students (A.D. 1503 to A.D. 1513).
Friends of Heliodorus Beg for His Life
While Heliodorus remained unconscious, his friends begged the High Priest Onias to pray to God to spare their friend's life. Onias feared that the king would think that Jews had harmed his emissary, so he decided to help the wounded Heliodorus offer a sacrifice for health before God. When Heliodorus returned to the king, and the king asked him who should go to the Temple next, Heliodorus answered: “your enemy.” Heliodorus believed the power of God would protect the Temple of the Jews.
