Characters from the Books of the Maccabees

Have you no longer kept in mind the words of hope about those whom death has taken from us? "I will take you out of your graves and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from your tombs. I will put my spirit within you and you will live. " See Ezekiel 37:11-14 below.

Remember the great Judas Maccabaeus, who wanted to make a sacrifice for the dead, because he rightly believed that they are destined to rise again and that the hour of peace must be hastened for them by timely sacrifices. If Judas Maccabaeus had not been certain of the resurrection, would he have prayed and had others pray for the dead? He, on the contrary, as it is written, thought that a great reward was reserved for those who die piously, as your sons surely did... See the second book of Maccabees 12, 43-46 below.

Book of Ezekiel 37, 11-14

Ezek 37, 11-14 : And he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is dead, we are lost! Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you up from your graves, O my people, and bring you back to the land of Israel. And you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my Spirit within you, and you will live; and I will give you rest on your soil, and you will know that I, Yahweh, say and do, - oracle of Yahweh!"

Second Book of Maccabees 12, 43-45

2 M 12, 43-46 : Then, having collected the sum of two thousand drachmas, he sent it to Jerusalem to be used for an expiatory sacrifice. A fine and noble deed, inspired by the thought of the resurrection! For, had he not believed that the soldiers killed in battle would rise again, it would have been useless and futile to pray for the dead. He also considered that a very fine reward is reserved for those who fall asleep in piety, and this is a holy and pious thought. This is why he made this atoning sacrifice for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sins.

The chief reads. And so the trials of Onias, the mistakes of Jason, the betrayals and thefts of Menelaus pass before the audience. The chapter is over. The reader looks at Jesus, who has been listening attentively. Cf. the second book of the Maccabees, 2 M 4.

I want direct contact to begin, continuous contact between the apostles and the people. This was decided in Upper Galilee, and there was a first glimmer of light. Jesus sends them out to preach for the first time in EMV 166.2-3. They give their first sermon in EMV 166.4-12 (especially Simon the Zealot and John). It was near the house of Elise, in Judea, that Jesus declared that he was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the crowds(EMV 209.5).

As for the fate of the complicit masses, read it in these words: "From the earth, the voice of this blood cries out to me. You will therefore be cursed...". And it is God who will pronounce them to an entire people who have failed to protect the gift of Heaven. For if it is true that I have come to redeem, woe to those who will be murderers and will not be redeemed, among this people whose first redemption was my Word. Cf. Gen 4:10-11 below.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Second Book of the Maccabees, 4

2 M 4 : Simon, the informer of the treasury and of his country, spoke ill of Onias: it was he, he said, who had stirred up Heliodorus and who was the author of all the evil. The city's benefactor, the defender of his fellow citizens and the faithful observer of the laws, he dared to pass him off as an adversary of the state. This hatred went so far that murders were committed by one of Simon's affianced. Then Onias, considering the danger of these divisions and the outbursts of Apollonius, the military governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, who was encouraging Simon's wickedness, went to see the king, not to accuse his fellow citizens, but having in mind the general and particular interest of all his people. For he could see that, without the king's intervention, it would be impossible to pacify the situation, and that Simon would not give up his criminal ventures.

But after the death of Seleucus, Antiochus nicknamed Epiphanes succeeded him, and Jason, brother of Onias, set out to usurp the pontificate. In a meeting with the king, he promised him three hundred and sixty talents of silver and eighty talents from other revenues. In addition, he promised to commit himself in writing to a further 150 talents, if he were allowed to establish, on his own authority and according to his own views, a gymnasium with an epebeum, and to register the inhabitants of Jerusalem as citizens of Antioch. The king agreed to everything. As soon as Jason had obtained power, he set about introducing Greek customs among his fellow citizens. He abolished the franchises which the kings, out of humanity, had granted to the Jews thanks to the enterprise of John, father of Eupolemus, who had been sent on an embassy to conclude a treaty of alliance and friendship with the Romans, and, destroying legitimate institutions, he established customs contrary to the law. He took pleasure in founding a gymnasium at the very foot of the Acropolis, and raised the noblest children by putting them under the hat. Hellenism then grew to such an extent, and the excessive perversity of Jason, a godless man and by no means a high priest, led to such an inclination towards foreign customs, that the priests no longer showed any zeal for the service of the altar and, despising the temple and neglecting the sacrifices, rushed to take part, in the palaestra, in the exercises proscribed by the law, as soon as the call to throw the discus was heard. Paying no heed to the honorific functions of their country, they held in high esteem the distinctions of the Greeks. That's why serious calamities befell them, and in the very people whose way of life they imitated and to whom they wanted to resemble in everything, they found enemies and oppressors. For one does not violate divine laws with impunity; but this is what subsequent events will demonstrate.

While the five-yearly games were being celebrated in Tyre, which the king was attending, the criminal Jason sent spectators from Jerusalem, who were citizens of Antioch, bearing three hundred drachmas of silver for the sacrifice of Hercules; but the same people who were carrying them asked that this money be used, not for sacrifices, which was not appropriate, but to cover other expenses. Thus the three hundred drachmas were indeed intended by the one who sent them for the sacrifice in honor of Hercules; but they were used, according to the desire of those who brought them, for the construction of triremes.

Apollonius, son of Menestheus, having been sent to Egypt, on the occasion of the enthronement of King Ptolemy Philometor, Antiochus learned that this king was ill-disposed towards him and, wishing to be safe from him, he went to Joppa, then to Jerusalem. Received magnificently by Jason and the whole city, he made his entry by torchlight and amidst acclamations; then he led his army to Phoenicia in the same way.

Three years later, Jason sent Menelaus, brother of the aforementioned Simon, to bring the money to the king and pay the registration fees for important business. But Menelaus recommended himself to the king, honored him with the outward appearance of a man in high place, and had the sovereign pontificate awarded to himself, offering three hundred talents of silver more than Jason had done. Having received his letters of investiture from the king, he returned to Jerusalem, having nothing worthy of the priesthood and bringing only the instincts of a cruel tyrant and the fury of a wild beast. Thus Jason, who had deceived his own brother, deceived in turn by another, had to flee to the land of the Ammonites. As for Menelaus, he obtained power; but, as he did not comply with the sum promised to the king, despite the complaints of Sostratus, commander of the Acropolis, who was responsible for collecting taxes, both were summoned to the king.

Menelaus left his brother Lysimachus to replace him as high priest, and Sostratus left Cratès, governor of Cyprus, to replace him. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Tarsus and Mallas revolted, because these two cities had been given as presents to Antiochides, the king's concubine. The king therefore left in haste to quell the sedition, having left as his lieutenant Andronicus, one of the great dignitaries. Menelaus, judging the circumstances favorable, took some gold vessels from the temple and gave them to Andronicus, and managed to sell others to Tyre and the neighboring cities.

When Onias became aware of Menelaus' new crime, he reproached him for it, after retiring to a safe haven at Daphne, near Antioch. Menelaus therefore took Andronicus aside and urged him to put Onias to death. Andronic therefore came to Onias and, using cunning, swore an oath on his right hand; then, although suspicious, he persuaded him to leave his asylum and immediately put him to death, without regard for justice. And so, not only the Jews, but many of the other nations were outraged and grieved at this man's unjust murder.

And when the king had returned from Cilicia, the Jews of Antioch, together with Greeks who were also enemies of violence, came to him about the unjust murder of Onias. Antiochus was deeply saddened and, moved by compassion for Onias, shed tears at the memory of the deceased's moderation and wise conduct. Red with anger, he immediately had Andronicus stripped of his purple, tore off his clothes and, having had him led through the whole city, he degraded this scoundrel in the very place where he had carried out his impious attack on Onias, the Lord thus striking him with just punishment.

Now, a great number of sacrilegious thefts having been committed in the city by Lysimachus, in agreement with Menelaus, and word of them having spread, the people rose up against Lysimachus, when already many golden vessels had been scattered. Seeing the multitude stirred up and their spirits inflamed with anger, Lysimachus armed some three thousand men and began to commit acts of violence, under the command of a certain Tyrant, a man advanced in age and no less in perversity. But when they heard of Lysimachus' attack, some seized stones, others large sticks, and some gathered ashes from the ground, and hurled them tumultuously at Lysimachus' followers. In this way, they wounded many of his men, killed several of them, put all the others to flight and massacred the sacrilegious man himself near the temple treasury.

An investigation against Menelaus then began. When the king came to Tyre, the three men sent by the elders explained the justice of their case. Seeing himself convinced, Menelaus promised Ptolemy, son of Dorymene, a large sum of money to make the king favorable to him. Ptolemy then took the king under the peristyle, as if to cool off, and made him change his mind. The king declared Menelaus innocent of the charges brought against him, though guilty of all crimes, and condemned to death unfortunate men who, had they pleaded their case even before Scythians, would have been returned innocent; and men who had defended the city, the people and sacred objects, suffered this unjust punishment without delay. The Tyrians themselves were outraged, and gave the victims a magnificent funeral. As for Menelaus, thanks to the greed of the powerful, he maintained his dignity, growing in malice and cruel scourge of his fellow citizens.

Book of Genesis 4, 10-11

Gen 4, 10-11 : Yahweh said: "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out from the earth to me. Now you are cursed by the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand."

Come closer: there (to the north) lies Gerimot. Do you remember Joshua? This is the site of the defeat of the kings who sought to attack the camp of Israel, which was strengthened by its alliance with the Gibeonites. Gerimot, Jarmout, Yarmouth: The description provided is perfectly consistent with recent archaeological discoveries, which have uncovered traces of fortifications at Khirbit el Yarmuk, 27 km west-southwest of Jerusalem, and less than two kilometers from Beth Shemesh. However, in Maria Valtorta’s time, the supposed location was indicated further east—Jean-François Lavère,*Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta* and*The Valtorta Enigma*, Volume 1, page101.     

This is the site of the defeat of the kings who sought to attack the camp of Israel, which was strengthened by its alliance with the Gibeonites ( Joshua 10:1–14): Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, learned that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, that he had treated Ai and its king as he had treated Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon, having made peace with Israel, were living among them. He was then greatly afraid; for Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, even larger than Ai, and all its men were valiant. Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent word to Oham, king of Hebron; to Pharam, king of Jerimoth; to Japhia, king of Lachish; and to Dabir, king of Eglon: “Come up to me and help me, so that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ” So the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered together and marched up with all their armies; they set up camp near Gibeon and laid siege to it. The people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Do not withhold your help from your servants; hurry to come up to us, rescue us, and come to our aid; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have joined forces against us.” ” So Joshua set out from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him, and all the valiant men of war. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands, and not one of them will stand against you.” Joshua came upon them suddenly; having marched all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord rained large stones down on them from the sky as far as Azekah, and they died; more died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the midst of the sky and did not hasten to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.  

And nearby was Beth-Shemesh, the priestly city of Judah, where the Philistines returned the Ark along with the offering of gold—which the soothsayers and priests had required of the people to be delivered from the plagues that were tormenting the guilty Philistines. 1 Samuel 6:1–15: The Ark of Yahweh remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months. Then the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and said to them, “What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we are to send it back to its place.” ” They replied, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but be sure to offer a guilt offering to him; then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” The Philistines asked, “What kind of restitution shall we make to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, for the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. So make models of your tumors and models of the mice that are ravaging the land, and thus give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will cease to lay his hand so heavily upon you, upon your gods, and upon your land. Why would you harden your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? Did they not let the children of Israel go after he had brought his punishments upon them? Now, then, make a new cart and take two nursing cows that have never been yoked; harness the cows to the cart, and take their calves away from them into the stall. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; then, having placed the gold objects you have given as a restitution offering in a chest beside it, send it on its way, and it will go. Watch it closely: if it goes up the road toward its border, to Beth-Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster upon us; but if not, we will know that it was not his hand that struck us, and that this has happened to us by chance.”

So the people did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, harnessed them to a cart, and shut their calves in the stall. They placed the ark of Yahweh on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumors. The cows went straight toward Beth-Shemesh; they kept following the same path, walking and lowing, without turning to the right or to the left. The princes of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh. The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. Looking up, they saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it. The cart came to the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite and stopped there. There was a large stone there. They split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites, after bringing down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, containing the gold objects, placed everything on the large stone. The people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord on that day.

And there, over there, is Tsorea, bathed in sunlight, the homeland of Samson. Seraa , Sar’a, Tsor’ah, Tsorea, Tsorea, Soréa. SeeJudges 13:2: “There was a man from Saraa, of the clan of Dan, named Manoah; his wife was barren and had never given birth.”

And, a little further east, Timna, where he married and where he performed so many feats, but also committed many follies.  Timnata, Timnatha, Timna. According to Maria Valtorta, Timnatah would thus be located a little east of Saara, which is entirely consistent with the biblical context of Judges 13,1–6 | Judges 14:1–5 | Joshua 15:10–57 | Joshua 19:43 | 2 Chronicles 28:18. This would suggest locating it about twenty kilometers west of Bethlehem. (Jean-François Lavère,Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta).        

Where he married and where he performed so many feats, but also committed many follies Judges 14:1–20: Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman among the daughters of the Philistines. When he returned, he told his father and mother, saying, “I saw a woman in Timnah among the daughters of the Philistines; now get her for me as my wife.” His father and mother said to him: “Is there no woman among your brothers’ daughters or among all our people that you must go and take a wife from the Philistines, who are uncircumcised?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me.” ” His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for He was seeking a cause for conflict with the Philistines. — At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they arrived at the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Samson; and, with nothing in his hand, Samson tore the lion apart as one would tear apart a young goat. And he did not tell his father and mother what he had done.

He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased him. Some time later, having returned to Timnah to take her as his wife, he took a detour to look at the lion’s carcass, and there he found a swarm of bees and honey inside the lion’s body. He scooped some up in his hands and ate it as he went along; and when he came near his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. Samson’s father went down to the woman’s house; and there Samson held a feast, as was the custom among young men. As soon as they saw him, they invited thirty companions to be with him.

Samson said to them, “I’m going to give you a riddle. If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and if you can guess it, I will give you thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes; but if you cannot explain it to me, then you must give me thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes.” ” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, so that we may hear it.” He said to them, “Out of the eater came something to be eaten; out of the strong came the sweet.” For three days, they could not solve the riddle. On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us; otherwise, we will burn you and your father’s house. Surely you invited us here just to rob us?” ” Samson’s wife wept beside him and said, “You have nothing but hatred for me, and you do not love me. You have set a riddle before the sons of my people, and you haven’t explained it to me!” He replied to her, “I haven’t explained it to my father or my mother—why should I explain it to you?” She wept before him like this throughout the seven days of the feast; on the seventh day, as she was tormenting him, he explained the riddle to her, and she explained it to the people of her town. The townspeople said to Samson on the seventh day, before sunset: “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have guessed my riddle.”

The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon. There he killed thirty men; taking their spoils, he gave the spare clothes to those who had solved the riddle. Then, burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house. Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions, whom he had chosen as a friend.

And there were Azekah and Soko, which were Philistine camps at that time. 1 Samuel 17:1: The Philistines, having gathered their armies to wage war, assembled at Soco, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Soco and Azeka, at Ephes-Dommim.

Further down, here is Zanoah, one of the cities of Judea. Szanoé, Zanuah, Zanoah, Zano’akh. Mentioned inJoshua 15:56: “Jezreel, Jucadam, Zanoé.”  

And here—turn around—is the Valley of the Terebinth where David defeated Goliath. See 1 Samuel 17:2–54: Saul and the men of Israel also gathered and camped in the Valley of the Terebinth; and they drew up in battle formation opposite the Philistines. The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side, and Israel was stationed on the mountain on the other side; the valley lay between them. Then a champion came out from the Philistine camp; his name was Goliath; he was from Gath, and his height was six cubits and a span. A bronze helmet covered his head, and he wore a scale coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He wore bronze shoes on his feet and carried a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the tip of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-bearer walked ahead of him. Goliath stopped and, addressing the battalions of Israel, shouted to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man to come down against me. If he prevails against me in battle and kills me, we will be subject to you; but if I prevail against him and kill him, you will be subject to us and serve us.”

The Philistine added, “Today I challenge the army of Israel: Give me a man, and we will fight each other. ” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they were terrified and filled with great fear. Now David was the son of a man from Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, an Ephrathite, who had eight sons; this man was old and advanced in years during the time of Saul. The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul into battle; and the names of these three sons who had gone to war were Eliab, the eldest, Abinadab, the second, and Shammah, the third. David was the youngest. The three older sons were with Saul, and David would go back and forth from Saul’s camp to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. The Philistine came forward morning and evening, and he appeared for forty days. Jesse said to David, his son, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers. And these ten cheeses, take them to the commander of their thousand. Go and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back a token from them. Saul and they, along with all the men of Israel, are in the Valley of Terebinth, fighting against the Philistines.”

David rose early in the morning and, leaving the sheep with a shepherd, took the provisions and set out, just as Jesse had commanded him. When he arrived at the camp, the army was marching out of the camp to form battle lines, and war cries were being shouted. The Israelites and the Philistines lined up in formation, unit against unit. David handed his baggage over to the baggage keeper and ran toward the troops. As soon as he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. While he was talking with them, the champion—his name was Goliath, the Philistine from Gath—stepped forward from the Philistine ranks, uttering the same taunts, and David heard him. When they saw this man, all the men of Israel retreated before him, overcome with great fear. An Israelite said, “Do you see that man coming forward? He is coming forward to defy Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will shower him with great riches, give him his daughter, and free his father’s household from all taxes in Israel.” ” David said to the men standing near him, “What will be done for the one who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised man, that he should insult the armies of the living God? ” The people repeated the same words to him, saying, “That is what will be done for the one who kills him.” Eliab, his older brother, heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab’s anger flared up against David, and he said: “Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left this small flock in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart; you have come down just to watch the battle.”

David replied, “What have I done now? Wasn’t that just a figure of speech?” ” Then, turning away from him to speak to another, he spoke the same words; and the people answered him as they had the first time. When the words David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, who sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail! Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight him, for you are but a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ” David said to Saul, “When your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I would go after it, strike it, and snatch the sheep from its mouth; if it turned against me, I would seize it by the jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and it will be the same with this Philistine, this uncircumcised man—for he has defied the armies of the living God. ” David added, “The Lord, who has delivered me from the lion and the bear, will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

Saul had David put on his clothes, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and clad him in a coat of mail; then David girded Saul’s sword over his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had never worn armor before. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these weapons; I am not used to them.” So David took them off, picked up his staff, selected five smooth stones from the stream, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, his quiver. Then, with his sling in hand, he advanced toward the Philistine. The Philistine drew closer to David little by little, preceded by the man carrying the shield. The Philistine looked, saw David, and despised him, for he was very young, fair-haired, and handsome. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with a staff?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” ” David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will deliver you into my hands; I will strike you down and cut off your head; today I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth; and the whole earth will know that Israel has a God; and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and He has delivered you into our hands.”

The Philistine rose, set out, and advanced toward David, and David hurried to run toward the front of the army to meet the Philistine. David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it with his sling; he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. Thus David, with a sling and a stone, prevailed over the Philistine; he struck the Philistine dead. And there was no sword in David’s hand. David ran over, stopped beside the Philistine, and, seizing his sword and drawing it from its sheath, killed him and cut off his head with it. Seeing their hero dead, the Philistines fled. Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up, shouting, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The corpses of the Philistines lay strewn along the road from Saraim to Gath and to Ekron. When the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine’s head and had it brought to Jerusalem, and he placed the Philistine’s weapons in his tent.

That is Maqqeda, where Joshua defeated the Amorites. Maqeda, Makkedah, Maqqeda. SeeJoshua 10:10–41|Joshua 15:41.  Joshua 10:10–41: And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD rained large stones from the sky upon them as far as Azekah, and they died; more died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.   

Joshua, and all Israel with him, marched from Lebna to Lachish; he set up camp before it and attacked it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel, who captured it on the second day and struck it down with the edge of the sword, along with all the living creatures within it, just as he had done to Lebna. — Then Horam, king of Gezer, went up to help Lachish; but Joshua defeated him and his people, leaving no one to escape. Joshua and all Israel with him moved from Lachish to Eglon; they set up camp before it and attacked it. They captured it that same day and put it to the sword; Joshua devoted every living thing in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it. After capturing it, they struck it down with the edge of the sword—the city, its king, all its surrounding towns, and every living thing in it—leaving no one to escape, just as Joshua had done to Eglon; and he devoted it to destruction, along with every living thing in it. Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and attacked it. They captured it, along with its king and all its surrounding towns; and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and they utterly destroyed every living thing in it, sparing no one. Joshua dealt with Debir and its king just as he had dealt with Hebron and just as he had dealt with Libnah and its king. Joshua conquered the entire land—the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills—along with all their kings, sparing no one and devoting everything that breathed to destruction, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and throughout the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

Joshua 15:41: Gideroth , Beth-Dagon, Naama, and Makkedah—sixteen cities and their villages.

Turn around again. Do you see that solitary mountain in the middle of the plain that once belonged to the Philistines? There lies Gath, the homeland of Goliath and the place where David took refuge with Achish to escape Saul’s mad rage. Get , Gath, Tel es-Safieh. Mentioned several times in the Bible (including 1 Samuel 17:4). The site was identified in 1887, but it was not until 2001 that excavations confirmed earlier hypotheses. Maria Valtorta’s description is all the more remarkable for this (Jean-François Lavère,Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta).         

There lies Gath, the homeland of Goliath and the place where David sought refuge with Achish to escape Saul’s mad rage. See 1 Samuel 27:1–4: David said to himself: “One day I will perish at the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to take refuge quickly in the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may give up searching for me throughout the territory of Israel; thus I will escape from his hand.” ” So David set out, along with the six hundred men who were with him, and they went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath. David stayed with Achish in Gath, along with his men—each with his family—and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the wife of Nabal. It was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he did not pursue him any further.    

This open landscape is the plains of the very fertile land of the Philistines. We will travel that way to Ramlé. Ramlé , Ramla, Ramleh. Historians identify Ramlé as the only city in Palestine founded by the Arabs, built around 705–715 by Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik. The fact that the name is “mentioned by Jesus” seems to indicate that it existed well before the^8thcentury (Jean-François Lavère,*Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel* based on Maria Valtorta).          

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Book of Joshua 10:1–51 (Gerimoth | Megiddo)

Joshua 10:1–51: Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, that he had treated Ai and its king as he had treated Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon, having made peace with Israel, were living among them. He was then greatly afraid; for Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, even larger than Ai, and all its men were valiant warriors. Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent word to Oham, king of Hebron; to Pharam, king of Jerimoth; to Japhia, king of Lachish; and to Dabir, king of Eglon: “Come up to me and help me, so that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ” So the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jerimoth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered together and went up with all their armies; they set up camp near Gibeon and laid siege to it. The people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Do not withhold your help from your servants; hurry to come up to us, rescue us, and come to our aid; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have joined forces against us.” ” So Joshua set out from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him, and all the valiant men of war. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands, and not one of them will stand against you.” Joshua came upon them suddenly; having marched all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into confusion before Israel; Israel inflicted a great defeat on them near Gibeon, pursued them along the road leading up to Beth-horon, and defeated them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord rained large stones down on them from the sky as far as Azekah, and they died; more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the sword of the Israelites. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” And the sun stood still, and the moon stood still, until the nation had avenged itself on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of the Righteous? And the sun stood still in the middle of the sky and was not in a hurry to set for nearly a whole day. There has never been a day like that, either before or since, when the Lord obeyed the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel.

Joshua, and all Israel with him, marched from Lebna to Lachish; he set up camp before it and attacked it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel, who captured it on the second day and struck it down with the edge of the sword, along with every living thing in it, just as he had done to Lebnah. — Then Horam, king of Gezer, went up to help Lachish; but Joshua defeated him and his people, leaving no one to escape. Joshua and all Israel with him moved from Lachish to Eglon; they set up camp before it and attacked it. They captured it that very day and put it to the sword; Joshua devoted every living thing in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it. After capturing it, they struck it down with the edge of the sword—the city, its king, all its surrounding towns, and every living thing in it—leaving no one to escape, just as Joshua had done to Eglon; and he devoted it to destruction, along with every living thing in it. Joshua and all Israel with him then turned toward Debir and attacked it. They captured it, along with its king and all its surrounding towns; and they struck them down with the edge of the sword, and they utterly destroyed every living thing in it, leaving no one to escape. Joshua dealt with Debir and its king just as he had dealt with Hebron and just as he had dealt with Libnah and its king. Joshua conquered the entire land—the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the foothills—along with all their kings, sparing no one and devoting everything that breathed to destruction, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, and throughout the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

Book of Joshua 15:41 (Macedah)

Joshua 15:41: Gideroth, Beth-Dagon, Naama, and Maceda: sixteen cities and their villages.

Book of Joshua 15:56 (Zanuah)

Joshua 15:56: “ Jezreel, Jukadam, Zanoah”

1 Samuel 6:1–15 (Beth-Shemesh—The Ark Returned by the Philistines)

1 Sam 6:1–15: The ark of the Lord remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months. Then the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and said to them, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we are to send it back to its place.” ” They replied, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but be sure to offer a guilt offering to him; then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.” The Philistines asked, “What kind of restitution shall we make to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, for the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. So make models of your tumors and models of the mice that are ravaging the land, and thus give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps he will cease to lay his hand so heavily upon you, your gods, and your land. Why would you harden your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? Did they not, after he had brought his punishments upon them, let the children of Israel go? Now, then, make a new cart and take two nursing cows that have never been yoked; harness the cows to the cart, and take their calves away from them into the stall. Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; then, having placed the gold objects you have given as a restitution offering in a chest beside it, send it on its way, and it will go. Watch it closely: if it goes up the road toward its border, to Beth-Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster upon us; but if not, we will know that it was not his hand that struck us, and that this has happened to us by chance.”

So the people did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, harnessed them to a cart, and shut their calves in the stall. They placed the ark of Yahweh on the cart, along with the box containing the golden mice and the models of their tumors. The cows went straight toward Beth-Shemesh; they kept following the same path, walking and lowing, without turning to the right or to the left. The princes of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-Shemesh. The people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. Looking up, they saw the ark and rejoiced at the sight of it. The cart came to the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite and stopped there. There was a large stone there. They split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. The Levites, after bringing down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, containing the gold objects, placed everything on the large stone. The people of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord on that day.

1 Samuel 17:1–54 (Gath | Socoh | Azekah | Valley of Tiberin | David and Goliath)

1 Sam 17:1: The Philistines gathered their armies to go to war and assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Socoh and Azekah, at Ephes-Dommim.

1 Sam 17:2–54: Saul and the men of Israel also gathered and encamped in the Valley of Terebinth; they drew up in battle formation opposite the Philistines. The Philistines were stationed on one side of the mountain, and Israel was stationed on the other side; the valley lay between them. Then a champion came out from the Philistine camp; his name was Goliath; he was from Gath, and his height was six cubits and a span. A bronze helmet covered his head, and he wore a scale armor; the weight of the armor was five thousand shekels of bronze. He wore bronze shoes on his feet and carried a bronze javelin between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the tip of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-bearer walked ahead of him. Goliath stopped and, addressing the battalions of Israel, shouted to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man to come down against me. If he prevails against me in battle and kills me, we will be subject to you; but if I prevail against him and kill him, you will be subject to us and serve us.”

The Philistine added, “Today I challenge the army of Israel: Give me a man, and we will fight each other. ” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they were terrified and filled with great fear. Now David was the son of a man from Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, an Ephrathite, who had eight sons; this man was old and advanced in years during the time of Saul. The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul into battle; and the names of these three sons who had gone to war were Eliab, the eldest; Abinadab, the second; and Shammah, the third. David was the youngest. The three older sons were with Saul, and David would go back and forth from Saul’s camp to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. The Philistine came forward morning and evening, and he appeared for forty days. Jesse said to David, his son, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers. And these ten cheeses—take them to the commander of their thousand. Go and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back a token from them. Saul and they, along with all the men of Israel, are in the Valley of Terebinth, fighting against the Philistines.”

David got up early in the morning and, leaving the sheep with a shepherd, took the provisions and set out, just as Jesse had commanded him. When he arrived at the camp, the army was marching out of the camp to form battle lines, and war cries were being shouted. The Israelites and the Philistines lined up in formation, unit against unit. David handed his baggage over to the baggage keeper and ran toward the troops. As soon as he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. While he was talking with them, the champion—his name was Goliath, the Philistine from Gath—stepped forward from the Philistine ranks, uttering the same taunts, and David heard him. When they saw this man, all the men of Israel retreated before him, overcome with great fear. An Israelite said, “Do you see that man coming forward? He is coming forward to defy Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will shower him with great riches, give him his daughter, and free his father’s household from all taxes in Israel.” ” David said to the men standing near him, “What will be done for the one who kills this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? Who is this Philistine, this uncircumcised man, to insult the armies of the living God? ” The people repeated the same words to him, saying, “That is what will be done for the one who kills him.” Eliab, his older brother, heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab’s anger flared up against David, and he said: “Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left this small flock in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart; you have come down just to watch the battle.”

David replied, “What have I done now? Wasn’t that just a figure of speech?” ” Then, turning away from him to speak to another, he spoke the same words; and the people answered him as they had the first time. When the words David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, who sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail! Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight him, for you are a child, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ” David said to Saul, “When your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I would go after it, strike it, and snatch the sheep from its mouth; if it turned against me, I would seize it by the jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, and it will be the same with this Philistine, this uncircumcised man—for he has defied the armies of the living God. ” David added, “The Lord, who has delivered me from the lion and the bear, will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

Saul had David put on his clothes, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and clad him in a coat of mail; then David girded Saul’s sword over his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had never worn armor before. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these weapons; I am not used to them.” So David took them off, picked up his staff, selected five smooth stones from the stream, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, his quiver. Then, with his sling in hand, he advanced toward the Philistine. The Philistine drew closer to David little by little, preceded by the man carrying the shield. The Philistine looked, saw David, and despised him, for he was very young, fair-haired, and handsome. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” ” David replied to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin; but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will deliver you into my hands; I will strike you down and cut off your head; today I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth; and the whole earth will know that Israel has a God; and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and He has delivered you into our hands.”

The Philistine rose, set out, and advanced toward David, and David hurried to run toward the front of the army to meet the Philistine. David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it with his sling; he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. Thus David, with a sling and a stone, prevailed over the Philistine; he struck the Philistine dead. And there was no sword in David’s hand. David ran over, stopped beside the Philistine, and, seizing his sword and drawing it from its sheath, killed him and cut off his head with it. Seeing their hero dead, the Philistines fled. Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up, shouting, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The corpses of the Philistines littered the road from Saraim to Gath and to Ekron. When they returned from pursuing the Philistines, the Israelites plundered their camp. David took the Philistine’s head and had it brought to Jerusalem, and he placed the Philistine’s weapons in his tent.

1 Samuel 27:1–4 (Gath | David, Achish, Saul)

1 Sam. 27:1–4: David said to himself: “One day I will perish at the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to flee quickly to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul will give up searching for me throughout the territory of Israel; thus I will escape his hand.” ” So David set out, along with the six hundred men who were with him, and they went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath. David stayed with Achish in Gath, along with his men—each with his family—and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the wife of Nabal. It was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he did not pursue him any further.

Book of Judges 13:2 (Corea)

Judg 13:2: There was a man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, named Manoah; his wife was barren and had never given birth.

Book of Judges 14:1–20 (Samson—Timnah)

Jg 14:1–20: Samson went down to Timnah, and there he saw a woman among the daughters of the Philistines. When he returned, he told his father and mother, saying, “I saw a woman in Timnah among the daughters of the Philistines; now get her for me as my wife.” His father and mother said to him: “Is there no woman among your brothers’ daughters or among all our people that you must go and take a wife from the Philistines, who are uncircumcised?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me.” ” His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for He was seeking a cause for conflict with the Philistines. — At that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When they arrived at the vineyards of Timnah, behold, a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Samson; and, with nothing in his hand, Samson tore the lion apart as one would tear apart a young goat. And he did not tell his father and mother what he had done.

He went down and spoke to the woman, and she pleased him. Some time later, when he returned to Timnah to take her as his wife, he took a detour to look at the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s body. He scooped some up in his hands and ate it as he went along; and when he came near his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. Samson’s father went down to the woman’s house; and there Samson held a feast, as was the custom among young men. As soon as they saw him, they invited thirty companions to be with him.

Samson said to them, “I’m going to give you a riddle. If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and if you can guess it, I will give you thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes; but if you cannot explain it to me, then you must give me thirty tunics and thirty sets of clothes.” ” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, so that we may hear it.” He said to them, “Out of the eater came something to be eaten; out of the strong came the sweet.” For three days, they could not solve the riddle. On the seventh day, they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us; otherwise, we will burn you and your father’s house. Surely you invited us here just to rob us?” ” Samson’s wife wept beside him and said, “You have nothing but hatred for me; you do not love me. You have set a riddle before the sons of my people, and you have not explained it to me!” He replied to her, “I have not explained it to my father or my mother—why should I explain it to you?” She wept before him like this throughout the seven days of the feast; on the seventh day, as she was tormenting him, he explained the riddle to her, and she explained it to the people of her town. The townspeople said to Samson on the seventh day, before sunset: “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have guessed my riddle.” The Spirit of Yahweh came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon. There he killed thirty men; taking their spoils, he gave the spare clothes to those who had solved the riddle. Then, burning with anger, he went up to his father’s house. Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions, whom he had chosen as a friend.