1054 verses about Temptation

now therefore come you first and do the commandment of the king, as all the nations have done, and the men of Judah, and those who remain in Jerusalem: and you and your house shall be in the number of the king’s Friends, and you and your sons shall be honored with silver and gold and many gifts.

Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness?

And he remembered the wickedness of the children of Baean, who were to the people a snare and a stumbling block, lying in wait for them in the ways.

And they removed, and came with a great army into the land of Judah, and he sent messengers to Judas and his kindred with words of peace deceitfully.

and the son of Abubus received them deceitfully into the little stronghold that is called Dok, which he had built, and made them a great banquet, and hid men there.

and how that the prophet charged those who were carried away, having given them the law, that they should not forget the statutes of the Lord, neither be led astray in their minds, when they saw images of gold and silver, and the adornment thereof.

And when he could not overcome Onias, he got him to Apollonius the son of Thrasaeus, who at that time was governor of Coelesyria and Phoenicia:

so that the priests had no more any zeal for the services of the altar: but despising the sanctuary, and neglecting the sacrifices, they hastened to enjoy that which was unlawfully provided in the palaestra, after the summons of the discus;

And Menelaus, supposing that he had gotten a favourable opportunity, presented to Andronicus certain vessels of gold belonging to the temple, which he had stolen: other vessels also he had already sold into Tyre and the cities round about.

Wherefore Menelaus, taking Andronicus apart, prayed him to kill Onias. And coming to Onias, and being persuaded to use treachery, and being received as a friend, Andronicus gave him his right hand with oaths of fidelity, and, though he was suspected by him, so persuaded him to come forth of the sanctuary; and forthwith he despatched him without regard of justice.

But Menelaus, seeing himself now defeated, promised much money to Ptolemy the son of Dorymenes, that he might win over the king.

Whereupon Ptolemy taking the king aside into a cloister, as it were to take the air, brought him to be of another mind:

Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, a man already well stricken in years, and of a noble countenance, was compelled to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh.

coming forward as men ought to come that are resolute to repel such things as not even for the natural love of life is it lawful to taste.

But those who had the charge of that forbidden sacrificial feast took the man aside, for the acquaintance which of old times they had with him, and privately implored him to bring flesh of his own providing, such as was befitting for him to use, and to make as if he did eat of the flesh from the sacrifice, as had been commanded by the king;

and so they, by reason of my dissimulation, and for the sake of this brief and momentary life, should be led astray because of me, and thus I get to myself a pollution and a stain of my old age.

But Antiochus, thinking himself to be despised, and suspecting the reproachful voice, while the youngest was yet alive did not only make his appeal to him by words, but also at the same time promised with oaths that he would enrich him and raise him to high estate, if he would turn from the customs of his fathers, and that he would take him for his Friend and intrust him with affairs.

But Simon and those who were with him, yielding to covetousness, were bribed by certain of those that were in the towers, and receiving seventy thousand drachmas let some of them slip away.

he stretched forth his right hand toward the sanctuary, and sware this oath: If you⌃ will not deliver up to me Judas as a prisoner, I will lay this temple of God even with the ground, and will break down the altar, and I will erect here a temple to Bacchus for all to see.

and said thus, O sirs, how exceeding strong is wine! it causes all men to err that drink it:

but when they awake from their wine, they remember not what they have done.

O sirs, is not wine the strongest, seeing that it enforces to do thus? And when he had so spoken, he held his peace.

they let all those things go, and gape after her, and even with open mouth fix their eyes fast on her; and have all more desire to her than to gold or silver, or any goodly thing whatever.

Yes, many there be that have run out of their wits for women, and become bondmen for their sakes.

Many also have perished, have stumbled, and sinned, for women.

he was so struck with the magnificence of the place, and so wondered at the orderly arrangements of the temple, that he considered entering the sanctuary itself.

And when they told him that this was not permissible, none of the nation, no, nor even the priests in general, but only the supreme high priest of all, and he only once in a year, being allowed to go in, he would by no means give way.

The elders who surrounded the king strove in many ways to divert his haughty mind from the design which he had formed.

To outward appearance they received us willingly; but belied that appearance by their deeds. When we were eager to enter their temple, and to honor it with the most beautiful and exquisite gifts,

All this, however, they have taken in a very different spirit. With their innate malignity, they have spurned the fair offer; and constantly inclining to evil,

The king, just like another Phalaris, a prey to thoughtlessness, made no account of the changes which his own mind had undergone, issuing in the deliverance of the Jews. He swore a fruitless oath, and determined forthwith to send them to hades, crushed by the knees and feet of the elephants.

but the entrance thereof is narrow, and is set in a dangerous place to fall, having a fire on the right hand, and on the left a deep water:

The first order, because they have striven with great labor to overcome the evil thought which was fashoned together with them, that it might not lead them astray from life into death.

Therefore be you⌃ not like thereto, nor to the works thereof.

If, then, reasoning appears to hold the mastery over the passions which stand in the way of temperance, such as gluttony and lust,

it surely also and manifestly has the rule over the affections which are contrary to justice, such as malice; and of those which are hindrances to manliness, as wrath, and pain, and fear.

For reasoning does not rule over its own affections, but over such as are contrary to justice, and manliness and temperance, and prudence; and yet over these, so as to withstand, without destroying them.

Let us determine, then, What is reasoning? and what passion? and how many forms of the passions? and whether reasoning bears sway over all of these?

Of the passions, pleasure and pain are the two most comprehensive; and they also by nature refer to the soul.

And there are many attendant affections surrounding pleasure and pain.

Before pleasure is lust; and after pleasure, joy.

Wrath is an affection, common to pleasure and to pain, if any one will pay attention when it comes upon him.

And there exists in pleasure a malicious disposition, which is the most multiform of all the affections.

In the soul it is arrogance, and love of money, and vaingloriousness, and contention, and faithlessness, and the evil eye.

As pleasure and pain are, therefore, two growth of the body and the soul, so there are many offshoots of these passions.

For reasoning is the leader of the virtues, but it is the sole ruler of the passions. Observe then first, through the very things which stand in the way of temperance, that reasoning is absolute ruler of the passions.

Now temperance consists of a command over the lusts.

For whence is it, otherwise, that when urged on to forbidden meats, we reject the gratification which would ensue from them? Is it not because reasoning is able to command the appetites? I believe so.

Hence it is, then, that when lusting after water-animals and birds, and four-footed beasts, and all kinds of food which are forbidden us by the law, we withhold ourselves through the mastery of reasoning.

For the affections of our appetites are resisted by the temperate understanding, and bent back again, and all the impulses of the body are reined in by reasoning.

on this ground, therefore, the temperate Joseph is praised in that by reasoning, he subdued, on reflection, the indulgence of sense.

For, although young, and ripe for sexual intercourse, he abrogated by reasoning the stimulus of his passions.

And it is not merely the stimulus of sensual indulgence, but that of every desire, that reasoning is able to master.

Now, then, since it is the law which has forbidden us to desire, I shall much the more easily persuade you, that reasoning is able to govern our lusts, just as it does the affections which are impediments to justice.

Since in what way is a solitary eater, and a glutton, and a drunkard reclaimed, unless it be clear that reasoning is lord of the passions?

For the temperate understanding repels all these malignant passions, as it does wrath: for it masters even this.

For the temperate mind is able, as I said, to be superior to the passions, and to transfer some, and destroy others.

The argument is exceedingly ridiculous: for reasoning does not appear to bear sway over its own affections, but over those of the body,

in such a way as that any one of you may not be able to root out desire, but reasoning will enable you to avoid being enslaved to it.

One may not be able to root out anger from the soul, but it is possible to withstand anger.

Any one of you may not be able to eradicate malice, but reasoning has force to work with you to prevent you yielding to malice.

For reasoning is not an eradicator, but an antagonist of the passions.

but the king, being very much thirsty, although he had numerous springs, could not by their means quench his thirst;

but a certain irrational longing for the water in the enemy’s camp grew stronger and fiercer upon him, and consumed him with languish.

But he, though parched with thirst, reasoned that a draught reputed of equal value to blood, would be terribly dangerous to his soul.

Wherefore, setting up reasoning in opposition to his desire, he poured out the draught to God.

For the temperate mind has power to conquer the pressure of the passions, and to quench the fires of excitement,

and to wrestle down the pains of the body, however excessive; and, through the excellency of reasoning, to abominate all the assaults of the passions.

When, therefore, his decrees were disregarded by the people, he himself compelled by means of tortures every one of this race, by tasting forbidden meats, to abjure the Jewish religion.

commanded his spearbearers to seize every one of the Hebrews, and to compel them to taste swine’s flesh, and things offered to idols.

I would counsel you, old man, before your tortures begin, to taste the swine’s flesh, and save your life; for I feel respect for your age and hoary head, which since you have had so long, you appear to me to be no philosopher in retaining the superstition of the Jews.

While the tyrant incited him in this manner to the unlawful eating of flesh, Eleazar begged permission to speak.

But, tyrant-like, you not only force us to break the law, but also to eat, that you may ridicule us as we thus profanely eat:

We will bring you some meat cooked by yourself, and do you save yourself by pretending that you have eaten swine’s flesh.

Let not us who are children of Abraham be so evil advised as by giving way to make use of an unbecoming pretense;

For had the passions been superior to reasoning, I would have given them the witness of this mastery.

Ridiculous would it be were it not so; and I prove that reasoning has not only mastered pains, but that it is also superior to the pleasures, and withstands them.

The reasoning of our father Eleazar, like a first-rate pilot, steering the vessel of piety in the sea of passions,

O priest worthy of the priesthood! you did not pollute your sacred teeth; nor make your appetite, which had always embraced the clean and lawful, a partaker of profanity.

But perhaps some might say, It is not all who conquer passions, as all do not possess wise reasoning.

and knowing that it is a blessed thing to endure all kinds of hardships for virtue, would not, for the sake of religion, master his passion?

Then, indeed, vehemently swayed with passion, he commanded to bring others of the adult Hebrews, and if they would eat of the unclean thing, to let them go when they had eaten; but if they objected, to torment them more grievously.

and, conforming to the Greek mode of life, alter your rule, and revel in youth’s delights.

Thus speaking, he ordered the instruments of torture to be brought forward, that very fear might prevail upon them to eat unclean meat.

Now let us consider the matter: had any of them been weak-spirited and cowardly among them, what reasonings would they have employed but these?

O wretched that we are, and exceeding senseless! when the king exhorts us, and calls us to his bounty, should we not obey him?

Why do we cheer ourselves with vain counsels, and venture upon a disobedience bringing death?

Shall we not fear, O kindred, the instruments of torture and weigh the threatenings of torment and shun this vain-glory and destructive pride?

The law itself is not forward to put us to death, if we dread torture.

For they were well aware of the sufferings, and masters of the pains. So that as soon as the tyrant had ceased counselling them to eat the unclean, they altogether with one voice, as from the same heart said:

And when the spearmen said, Consent to eat, that you may be released from your tortures,—

Now this one, having endured this praiseworthy death, the third was brought along, and exhorted by many to taste and save his life.

Do not you share the madness of your kindred: but give regard to the king, and save yourself.

For just as if, had they as slaves to the passions, eaten of the unholy, we should have said that they had been conquered by the;

now it is not so: but by means of the reasoning which is praised by God, they mastered their passions.

so that seven-towered right-reasoning of the young men, securing the harbour of religion, conquered the intermperance of passions.

for great is the trial of soul and danger of eternal torment laid up for those who transgress the commandment of God.

Let us arm ourselves, therefore, in the abnegation of the divine reasoning.

The mother, when two things were set before here, religion and the safety of her seven sons for a time, on the conditional promise of a tyrant,

But with the reasoning of religion the mother quenched passions so great and powerful.