THEOSISJerome of Stridon
The king of the north will make a return, assembling a significantly larger army than in the past, and as the culmination of time approaches, he will swiftly come with a formidable force and considerable wealth. During this period, many shall rise up against the king of the south. This alludes to Antiochus the Great, who, in disdain of the negligence exhibited by Ptolemy Philopator—who had lost the performer Agathoclea (or Agathoclida) and had instead taken her brother Agathocles, later appointing him as governor of Egypt—mobilized a vast army in upper Babylonia. Following the death of Philopator, he broke the alliance and turned his forces against the king's son, Antiochus Epiphanes, who was merely four years old at the time.
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Agathocles proved to be both weak and arrogant, leading to revolts in regions once under Egypt's control, and unrest spread within Egypt itself. Additionally, Philip of Macedon allied with Antiochus the Great to combat Agathocles and Epiphanes, each aiming to annex adjoining cities from Ptolemy’s realm.
It is foretold that many would oppose the young king of the south, Ptolemy Epiphanes. Furthermore, among your people, the sons of those who have turned away from the faith shall rise to bring the prophecy to fruition, only to ultimately stumble. As Antiochus the Great clashed with the leaders of Ptolemy, Judea found itself divided among various factions, with some siding with Antiochus while others aligned with Ptolemy. In this tumultuous atmosphere, Onias the priest, alongside many Jews, sought refuge in Egypt. Honored by Ptolemy, they obtained land known as Heliopolis, where Onias constructed a temple resembling the Jewish temple that had existed prior to Vespasian’s reign, lasting for two hundred and fifty years. However, during the Jewish war against the Romans, the city named after Onias was completely destroyed, leaving no remnant of either the city or the temple.
Through the actions of the high priest Onias, countless Jews found asylum in Egypt, which also became populated with many Cyrenians. Onias asserted that he was fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy, which states, ‘There shall be an altar to the Lord in Egypt, and the name of the Lord within it’ (Isaiah 19:19). The expectation pertains to the sons of the turncoats in your midst, who have abandoned the law of the Lord and sought to offer sacrifices elsewhere, in defiance of divine command. They will elevate themselves in pride, claiming to fulfill the vision or mandate of the Lord, but they shall ultimately fall, as both the temple and the city would be laid waste in due time. When Antiochus took control of Judea, Scopas Epholus, a leader of the Ptolemaic faction sent to confront Antiochus, captured Judea after a brave struggle and returned to Egypt with prominent allies of Ptolemy.