(מותו של חוניו השלישי (מקבים ב', ד, ל — לח

The article deals with the story of the death of Onias III at the hand of Antiochus Epiphanes, as described in II Maccabees 4, 30–38. The author defends the autenticity of this passage against those who claim that it lacks all historic foundation. To his mind, the event is clear when regarded against the political-historical background of the period, and is not contradicted by extant remnants of Greek historical traditions (Diodorus, John of Antioch). The verses in question are written in the "pathetic" style of hellenistic historiography, Jason of Cyrene — of whom II Maccabees represents an epitome — having been one of its exponents. These verses should not be regarded as an interpolation made by an epitomator, just as no ideological conflict is to be seen between Jason and the epitomator. The contradictory version told by Josephus in The Jewish War, from which it appears that Onias III was not killed by Antiochus but was the founder of the Onias Temple in Egypt, arose out of the historian's own views and did not stem from Egypto-Jewish tradition. In "Antiquities", which was composed at a later date and which does not show any influence of the Second Book of Maccabees, Josephus altered his version and stated that the Egyptian Temple was built by Onias IV. As to the contradiction between the evidence of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Maccabees II as regards the death of Onias III, the author claims that Theodore was directly influenced by "The Jewish War" of Josephus, who was an author well known both to Theodore himself and to the entire circle to which he belonged.