A man named Razis, one of the elders of Jerusalem, was denounced to Nicanor. He deeply loved his compatriots and was highly esteemed by them, and he was known as the father of the Jews because of his loyalty. In the early days of the revolt, he had been convicted of practicing Judaism and had risked unhesitatingly both life and limb in that cause. Nicanor, in his determination to demonstrate his contempt for the Jews, sent more than five hundred soldiers to arrest him, for he thought that by such an action he would deliver a severe blow to the Jews. When the troops were on the point of capturing the tower and were forcing open the outer gate, they called for fire to burn down the doors. Razis, finding himself surrounded on all sides, turned his sword on himself, preferring to die nobly rather than fall into the hands of evil men and suffer outrages unworthy of his noble birth. However, in the heat of the struggle he failed to hit his mark exactly. So while the troops rushed in through the doors, he quickly ran up to the top of the wall and courageously threw himself down into the crowd. They quickly separated, and a space opened, and he plunged into the midst of the empty area they had vacated. Still breathing and inflamed with anger, he picked himself up and ran through the crowd, even though blood was gushing from his severe wounds. Then, standing on a steep rock, with almost the last drop of blood drained from his body, he tore out his entrails with both hands and flung them into the midst of the crowd, calling upon THE LORD OF LIFE AND SPIRIT to restore them to him once again. This was the manner of his death.
2 MACCABEES: chapter 14, verses 37 - 46
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