Gazara

Gazara was, according to the Bible, a fortress of great strength in Judea that figures often in the Maccabean wars.

In Judean history, Gazara is recalled as the ancient Gezer, the fortress captured by a pharaoh, who gave it to his daughter when she married Solomon.[1] In the Maccabean chronicles, this place was the location where Judas pursued Gorgias (1 Maccabees 4:15). It was fortified by the Greek general Bacchides (1 Maccabees 9:52; Ant, XIII, i, 3). It was captured by Simon Maccabeus along with the city of Joppa and the Jerusalem citadel, which all belonged to the Seleucid empire.[2] Simon built a palace at Gazara, and appointed his son, John, commander of his army (1 Maccabees 13:43). Recent excavations have uncovered the ruins of Simon's palace.[3] Maccabean account also cited that Judeans started settling in Gazara, which has also been confirmed by archaeological evidence.[4] A different account of Gazara's occupation is given in 2 Maccabees 10:32, where the capture is attributed to Judas. This event, however, caused the war with the Seleucid king Antiochus VII.[4]

The fortress is identical with Tel Jezer, the ancient Gezer.

References
  • Ewing, W. (1915). Garaza. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Eds. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. Retrieved December 9, 2005.
  1. Honigman, Sylvie (2014). Tales of High Priests and Taxes: The Books of the Maccabees and the Judean Rebellion Against Antiochos IV. Oakland, CA: Univ of California Press. p. 166. ISBN 9780520958180.
  2. Harrington, Daniel J. (2012). First and Second Maccabees, Volume 12. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780814647820.
  3. PEFS, 1905, 26
  4. Xeravits, Géza; Zsengeller, Jozsef (2007). The Books of the Maccabees: History, Theology, Ideology: Papers of the Second International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Pápa, Hungary, 9-11 June, 2005. Leiden: BRILL. p. 55. ISBN 9789004157002.

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