JASON OF CYRENE, st-ri•int. An author whose history in live books is mentioned in 11. Maccabees ii. 23. The original work is lost, and known to its only in the epitome made by the au thor of II. Maeenbees. (See MACCABEES, BOOKS OF TI1E.) There is scone evidence that. it. was Used by Gorionides. It was unquestionably written in (;reek. Whether Jason was a Greek or a Hellenistic Jew is not altogether known. Birch ler defends the former opinion and ascribes to him those parts of 11. Alaceabees dealing with the Syrian wars under Antioehus IV., Antiochus V.„ and Demetrius I. (qq.v.). But there is reason to believe, as \Villrieh has shown, that the work comprised the whole history of the Asmonean dynasty, and that only tire part of it dealing with events that occurred between n.c. 175 and 101 was epitomized. In that ease it is more natural to suppose that he was a Jew. Ile may, however, have had access to written sources not of Jewish origin. This would ac count for some facts that have recently led Niese to ascribe to II. Maceabees, and conse quently to Jason. a higher age and a greater credibility than to I. Maceabees. It is not likely that this view will prevail. But even if pref erence is given to I. Maeeabees, this may not affeet Jason en much as the author of TT. Mae cabees. The latter has exercised much freedom. Not only has he abridged. but
also added to, and probably altered Jason's work. Kosters and Kamphausen have gone so far as Ii) declare .Tason a fictitious personage behind whose name the author indulged in polemics against 1. Nlaecabees. There is no convincing evidence, however, of acquaintance with 1. Mae- eabees, and such a fiction seems to most scholars wholly improbable. If Jason's work ineluded the whole dynasty, Willrich is probably right in assuming that he wrote in tho reign of Claudius. Others maintain that he lived in the second cen tury B.C. The 'Idalev xvpivaws discovered on a temple wall in Egypt ( rue des Eludes greeques, 1R94, p. 297), seems to belong to the third century n.c. Consult: Geiger, Prsehrift met rebersetzung•a der Bite! (Breslau. 1857) ; Wellhausen. Pharisiier and Sadditefirr (Greifs wald. 18741: Kosters, in Theologisrh Tijdsehrift (T,eyden. MR; pp. 491 sqq.) Trieber, Zur Kritik des Oorionides (Giittingen. 1895) Kamp hausen. in Kautzsch pokryphen (Tiibingen, 1900 ) Willrieh, Judaica (Giittingen, 1900) ; Sehtirer, Gesehichle des jiidisehen rolkes' (3d ed., Leipzig, 1901); Bfichler, Tobiaden nod Onia den (Vienna, 1899) ; Niese. Krilik der Leiden ilakleabiterbiteher ( Berlin, 1900) ; Torrey, arti cle "Maccabees," in Ettryeloptrdia Itiblica (Lon don, 1902).