Battle of Emmaus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Battle of Emmaus
Part of the Maccabean Revolt
Date 166 BC Location near Emmaus Result Jewish victory
Belligerents
Maccabees	Seleucid Empire
Commanders
Judas Maccabeus	Lysias, Gorgias
Strength
c. 3000	At least 5000
Casualties and losses
	c. 3000

v • d • e Maccabean Revolt Wadi Haramia – Beth Horon – Emmaus – Beth Zur – Beth Zechariah – Adasa – Dathema – Elasa

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2008)

This article or section is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (January 2008)

The Battle of Emmaus took place in 166 BC between the Hasmonean forces of Judea, led by Judas Maccabeus, also spelled Machabeus, or Maccabaeus, known to history as Judas the Hammer, and the third expedition of Greek forces sent by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, this time led by Lysias and his general, Gorgias.

[edit] Battle

Judas Maccabeus organized his men into unites resembling a regular army, with units of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000. Their weapons were improvised and inferior to those of the Greeks, which were armed and dressed like those of Alexander the Great's regulars. They set up a fortified camp on the south side of Emmaus. Judas addressed his men, urging them to fight valiantly, "for it is better for us to die in battle than to see the evils of our nation, and of the holies. Nevertheless, as it shall be the will of God in heaven, so be it done." Though he spoke these words, Judas Maccabeus was seeking victory, not death and glory through martyrdom.

Gorgias established his base camp at the town of Emmaus, along the western border of Judea, while Judas Maccabeus' camp was located in the town of Mitzpah, north of Jerusalem. When word reached Maccabeus that Gorgias was leading 5,000 troops on a march against his camp and was planning to surprise the Jewish rebels in a nighttime attack, he abandoned his camp and led his forces to Emmaus, to attack the Hellenic base camp that remained there. He found the camp empty and deserted. The only obvious place in the area to hide was the mountains. So Gorgias and his men scoured the hills for Jewish soldiers. They were unsuccessful. Gorgias returned to Emmaus, only to find his camp destroyed and the rebel army in position against his troops. In the ensuing battle, Judas Maccabeus and his men succeeded in repelling Gorgias and chasing his army out of Judea and down to the Coastal Plain in what was considered one of his most important victories in the war for Judea's independence.

[edit] References

• Weir, William. 50 Battles That Changed the World: The Conflicts That Most Influenced the Course of History. Savage, Md: Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-6609-6.