WEB ER 4 Maccabees Chapter 3
The argument is exceedingly ridiculous, for reasoning doesn’t appear to rule over its own affections, but over those of the body, in such a way as that any one of you may not be able to root out desire, but reasoning will enable you to avoid being enslaved to it. One may not be able to root out anger from the soul, but it is possible to withstand anger. Any one of you may not be able to eradicate malice, but reasoning has force to work with you to prevent you yielding to malice. For reasoning is not an eradicator, but an antagonist of the emotions. This may be more clearly comprehended from the thirst of King David. For after David had been attacking the Philistines the whole day, he with the soldiers of his nation killed many of them; then when evening came, sweating and very weary, he came to the royal tent, around which the entire army of our ancestors was encamped. Now all the rest of them were at supper; but the king, being very much thirsty, although he had numerous springs, could not by their means quench his thirst; but a certain irrational longing for the water in the enemy’s camp grew stronger and fiercer upon him, undid and consumed him. Therefore his bodyguards being troubled at this longing of the king, two valiant young soldiers, respecting the desire of the king, fully armed themselves, and taking a pitcher, got over the ramparts of the enemies. Unperceived by the guardians of the gate, they went throughout the whole camp of the enemy in quest. Having boldly discovered the fountain, they filled out of it the drink for the king. But he, though parched with thirst, reasoned that a drink regarded of equal value to blood would be terribly dangerous to his soul. Therefore, setting up reasoning in opposition to his desire, he poured out the drink to God. For the temperate mind has power to conquer the pressure of the emotions, to quench the fires of excitement, and to wrestle down the pains of the body, however excessive, and through the excellency of reasoning, to spurn all the assaults of the emotions. But the occasion now invites us to give an illustration of temperate reasoning from history. For at a time when our fathers were in possession of undisturbed peace through obedience to the law and were prosperous, so that Seleucus Nicanor, the king of Asia, both assigned them money for divine service, and accepted their form of government, then certain people, bringing in new things contrary to the public harmony, in various ways fell into calamities.