and sent to Jerusalem the Jewish town,
in which was then worshipped the all-ruling God
after the old law, which they alone then kept,
and commanded them to turn from God, and from his services,
and raised up the devil's form upon the Lord's altar,
and commanded them all to offer sacrifice to that idol,
and to kill each one, who spake against his commands.
There was then great sorrow amongst all the people,
who believed on God, because of the cruel deeds;
And many bowed down to the wicked idol;
and also many spake against the king's commands,
and would lose their lives rather than their belief,
and would not defile themselves with the foul heathendom.
nor break God's law which they read in books.
Now there was taken a certain faithful scribe[2 Macc.vi. 18 ],
hoary and old, who was called Eleazar;
and they stuck in his mouth, with many threatenings,
the foul meat which Moses forbade
God's people to taste because of its spiritual signification.
"We must now speak more plainly concerning these,
as to what meats were forbidden to men
in the old law, which one eats now nevertheless.
Moses forbad, because of its great significance [Levit. xi. 2 ]
in the old law, according to God's ordinance,
the old people — to eat those beasts
which chew not their cud, and commanded them [to be] unclean;
and those that are hoofed in a horse's likeness,
those with uncloven claws, were unclean also.
The clean beasts who chew their cud
betoken those men who meditate in their mind
about God's will, after that they hear his word
