First letter to the Jews in Egypt
1 ① Greetings to our brothers, the Jews in Egypt, from their brothers, the Jews in Jerusalem and in the region of Judea – may you have peace and happiness. 2May God fill you with every good and remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, his faithful servants. 3May he give you all a heart to worship him and to fulfill his will with generosity and a well-disposed spirit. 4May he incline your hearts to listen to his law and precepts, and give you peace. 5May he hear your prayers and be reconciled with you, and not abandon you in time of misfortune. 6This is what we now pray for you.
7In the year one hundred and seventy-nine, when Demetrius was king, we Jews wrote to you during the most critical moment of trials that we had to endure during those years. And we said to you: “Jason and his associates have betrayed the cause of the Holy Land and of the Kingdom. 8They have burned the Temple gateway and shed innocent blood.
But we prayed to the Lord and were heard. And now we have just offered a sacrifice with wheat flour, lighted the lamps again and set out the loaves of bread. 9So we write to you again that you may celebrate the Feast of Tents in the month of Chislev in this year one hundred and eighty-eight.
Second letter to the Jews in Egypt
10The inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea, their senators and Judas, to Aristobulus, teacher of King Ptolemy, belonging to the family of the anointed priests, and to the Jews in Egypt: greetings and prosperity.
11Having been saved by God from great dangers, we give him thanks because he came to our help against the king himself. 12God drove out those who fought against the Holy City; 13their leader left for Persia with a seemingly invincible army, but the priests of the goddess Nanea laid a trap for them and killed them in her temple.
14Antiochus and his friends came to that place under the pretext of marrying the goddess, but in reality they wanted to seize its great treasures as a dowry. 15The priests of Nanea had set out the treasures and Antiochus entered the sacred enclosure with a few men. But as soon as Antiochus had entered, they closed the temple 16and opened a secret door in the ceiling. Then they threw stones down and crushed the leader and his men. They then dismembered the bodies, cut off their heads and threw them to those outside. 17In all these things, may our God be blessed for he has handed over the impious to death.
18As we are about to celebrate the purification of the Temple on the twenty-fifth day of Chislev, it seems good to us to inform you, so that you, too, may celebrate the Feast of Tents and remember the fire that appeared when Nehemiah, who built the Temple and the altar, offered sacrifices. 19For when our ancestors were deported to Persia, the devout priests of the time took some of the fire from the altar and hid it secretly in the hollow of a dry well, with such caution that the place remained unknown to everyone.
20Many years had passed, when in God’s own time Nehemiah, who was commissioned by the king of Persia, sent the descendants of the priests who had hidden the fire to look for it. 21But they reported to us that they did not find the fire but instead a thick liquid. So Nehemiah ordered them to draw it out and bring it to him.
When the sacrifice had been prepared on the altar, Nehemiah ordered the priests to sprinkle the liquid on the wood and the victims placed on it. 22They did so and after some time the sun which had previously been clouded over, shone. At once such a great fire blazed up that all were astonished.
23While the sacrifice was being consumed, the priests together with all those present prayed. Jonathan led while Nehemiah and the rest responded. 24This was their prayer:
“Lord, Lord God, Creator of all things, dreadful and strong, just and merciful, you alone are good and are King, 25you alone are generous, just, all-powerful and eternal. You who save Israel from many evils, who chose our ancestors and sanctified them, 26accept this sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel. Protect your heritage and sanctify it.
27Gather our scattered people together, set free those held in slavery among the nations, turn your eyes on those who are despised and crushed; so the pagans may know that you are our God. 28Afflict those who oppress us, who insult and treat us with contempt. 29Plant your people in your holy place, as Moses said.”
30The priests sang the hymns, 31and when the sacrifice was all consumed, Nehemiah ordered that the remaining liquid be poured over some large stones. 32This was done, and a flame flared up but it was outshone by the fire from the altar. 33This matter became known, and it was reported to the king of the Persians that the liquid with which Nehemiah and his companions had burned the sacrifice was found in the place where the exiled priests had hidden the fire. 34So, after verifying the facts, the king ordered that a fence be built to enclose the place and decreed that it be a sacred place.
35The king gave some of that liquid to those who enjoyed his favor, and they gave him gifts in return. 36Nehemiah and his companions called the place “Nephtar” which means “purification” but afterwards, many called it “Naphtha.”
- This part of the first letter could be a model for wishing someone a “Happy New Year.”
The Jews of Palestine write this letter after having overcome their oppressors. When they are about to celebrate the Purification of the Temple which has been retrieved from the enemy forces, they inform the Jewish communities dispersed in Egypt about it.
The letter deals with several themes. We single out the legend according to which the Ark (which had in fact been destroyed in the fall of Jerusalem in 587) had been saved and hidden. This was to express the great faith of the people; nothing that God had done in the time of their ancestors could be lost.
Note 2:13-15. This fact, not totally reliable, completes what we read in 1 Chr 29:29-30; 2 Chr 9:29; 16:11... Ezra 7:25-26; Ne 8; regarding the formation of the nucleus of the Bible, a task which was achieved not by Nehemiah, but rather by Ezra.
