GORGIAS. - General of the court of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1 Macc. 3:38). In the third campaign against Judas (166 B.C.), Ptolemy held the supreme command; Gorgias, together with the commander-in-chief Nicanor, was at the head of the army: 40,000 foot soldiers and 7,000 horsemen.

They encamped at Emmaus ('Amwās): since an approach from the north proved impossible, the Syrian generals resolved to conquer Jerusalem by attacking directly from the west. Gorgias attempted, with 5,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 horsemen, to surprise Judas's 6,000 warriors with a night attack. The latter, having evaded it, attacked and captured the main Syrian camp, defeating Nicanor. Gorgias, on his return, did not dare give battle and withdrew to Jamnia, remaining at the head of that district (1 Macc. 3:38-4:25). Gorgias defeated Joseph and Azariah in their reckless attack on Jamnia (1 Macc. 5:55-62); but shortly afterward he was routed by Judas and nearly taken prisoner (2 Macc. 12:32-37).

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: E. Schürer, Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes, I, 4th ed., Leipzig 1902, pp. 205 ff., 221; A. Vaccari, La S. Bibbia, III, Florence 1948, pp. 362-65, 373 f., 475; F.-M. Abel, Les livres des Maccabées, Paris 1949, pp. 65, 73-79, 105, 411, 441.

Francesco Spadafora

@incollection{ec6_gorgia, author = {Spadafora, Francesco}, title = {Gorgia}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {930}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/gorgia} }

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