selected as his head-quarters the lofty hill of Mizpah,
associated by earlier tradition with Samuel and the scene of the
short-lived rule of Gedaliah. It was well chosen, for it commanded a view
of the territory to the north, south, and west. While the army of the
Syrians, sent by night to surprise Judas, were marching up the northern
valley, the Jewish patriots were led westward toward the plain along one
of the parallel valleys that penetrated the Judean hills. Having appealed
to the patriotic memories and the religious zeal of his followers, Judas
led them in a sudden early morning attack against the Syrians encamped
near Emmaus. Soon the Syrians were in wild flight across the plain to the
Philistine cities, and Judas and his followers were left in possession of
the camp and its rich spoil. Panic also seized his pursuers when they saw
their camp in possession of the enemy, and Judas was left for the moment
undisputed master of the land of his fathers. This victory in the year
166 B.C. was in many ways the most sweeping and significant in early
Maccabean history.

V. The Battle at Bethsura. The next year Lysias himself gathered a huge
army of sixty thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry and led them
against the Jews. This time the Syrians advanced through the broad valley
of Elah where David had fought against the Philistine giant. Thence they
followed the Wady Sur, turned southward and then eastward, penetrating to
the top of the Judean plateau a little north of Hebron. Approaching from
this point the Syrians were protected in their rear by the Idumeans, the
descendants of the Edomites. They succeeded in reaching the point where
the road from the west joins the central highway from Hebron to Jerusalem.
There on a sloping hill crowned with the border town of Bethsura, Judas
was able to rally ten thousand followers to meet the huge Syrian army.
From the parallel account in II Maccabees it is clear that he did not
succeed in winning a decisive victory, but a crisis in Antioch suddenly
compelled Lysias to return, leaving the Jews in possession of the
battle-field.

VI. Restoration of the Temple Service. With mingled sadness and
rejoicing Judas proceeded at once to Jerusalem and with his followers took
up the task of restoring the desecrated temple and its service. The
citadel of Acra, which appears to have been situated on the Hill of Ophel
to the south of the temple, was still strongly garrisoned by apostate Jews