2 Maccabees 12:38-46
New Catholic Bible
38 Thereupon Judas rallied his forces and advanced to the town of Adullam. Inasmuch as the seventh day of the week was at hand, they purified themselves according to custom and kept the Sabbath there.
39 The Sacrifice for the Dead.[a] On the following day, since the need had now become urgent, Judas and his men went to collect the bodies of those who had fallen and to bury them with their kindred in their ancestral tombs. 40 However, under the tunic of each of the dead, they found amulets that were sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. Thus it was clear to everyone that this was the reason that these men had been slain. 41 And so they all praised the acts of the Lord, the just judge who reveals things that are hidden, 42 and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be completely blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, since they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as a result of the sin of those who had fallen.
43 Then he took up a collection from all of his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this, he acted in a suitable and honorable way, guided by his belief in the resurrection.[b] 44 For if he had not expected those who had fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. 45 However, if he was focusing on the splendid reward reserved for those whose death was marked by godliness, his thought was holy and devout. 46 Therefore, he had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead so that they might be delivered from their sin.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Maccabees 12:39 Judas has a sacrifice of expiation celebrated that God may pardon the sins of the dead. From the viewpoint of the faith, this passage is of great importance. First of all, it bears witness in an explicit manner to belief in the resurrection of the dead. Secondly, it gives weight to the conviction of the Church concerning a purification after death, that is, during that provisional condition in which the deceased—before living fully in God—expiate their sins and can be aided by the prayer of the living. Thirdly, the passage also offers testimony on behalf of the communion of saints, that is, that spiritual exchange that unites all the faithful with one another.
- 2 Maccabees 12:43 The ancient ritual (Lev 4:1-5, 13; 6:17-23) provided various forms of sacrifices of expiation according to the status of the persons and the gravity of the sin committed. In this case, it was two thousand silver drachmas.
