An abler leader than Judas could not have been chosen. A giant in stature, it was said of him that when he walked, the earth trembled beneath him, and that his battle-cry resounded like the roar of a lion. His bold fearlessness made him the terror of his enemies, who shrunk from him. But besides his great strength and his remarkable courage, he possessed that love for his God, that enthusiasm for his religion that left nothing impossible. No disadvantage was for him too great to overcome; no army too numerous to defeat. His personal strength and extraordinary bravery won for him his surname “Maccabee”, a Hebrew word meaning “Hammerer”. There are many who say that this surname is derived from the first letters of the Hebrew words מי כּמך בּאלים יי “Who is like thee, O Lord among the Gods”, which were inscribed on Judas’s banner. At first, Judas was the only one to be honored by the surname “Maccabee”; but, later, the name passed to his brothers; and, finally, to all who fought under his standard. THE DEFEAT OF APPOLONIUS. Judas went a step further than his father, fortifying those cities which he took by surprise. His small troop gradually became a small army, numbering six thousand. Having assured himself that he could rely on them, Judas prepared to meet the enemy on the field. Appolonius, the Syrian general who had recently plundered Jerusalem and murdered its inhabitants, was soon informed of the revolt, and raised a large army to crush Judas. But Judas, although his army was only a handful compared with the large forces of the enemy, marched against Appolonius, and totally defeated his army and slew him. Judas took the sword of Appolonius as a trophy, and used it in all his latter battles. THE ROUTING OF SERON. Seron, the Syrian lieutenant, aroused by the news of Appolonius’s defeat, gathered a still larger army than that which had been defeated, and advanced against Judas. According to their usual custom before fighting, Judas and his men had fasted; and, weak with hunger and fatigue, the Jews despaired of success when they saw what a mighty host was coming to meet them. But Judas encouraged them to fight boldly against the oppressors of their people, saying that strength came from heaven and not from large numbers, and reminding them that they fought for their lives and their laws. When he had finished speaking he rushed upon the Syrians as they were ascending the rocky hills at Bethoron. Seron fell early in the battle, and his army, confused and without a commander, was routed with great loss of life. THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT PLACED IN CHARGE OF LYSIAS.