1 Maccabees 12:4
4
And they gave them letters to their governors in every place, to conduct them into the land of Judah with peace. [The messengers also delivered letters to the Spartans to renew their historic friendship, and returned to Jerusalem after completing their diplomatic missions.][fn]
Footnotes
4
The Greek text here continues with verses 5-23, which contain letters between Jonathan and the Spartans claiming that Jews and Spartans shared descent from Abraham. This genealogical claim is historically unfounded — a standard diplomatic fiction of the Hellenistic era — and this correspondence is not included. The bracketed text at the end of this verse is an editorial summary provided for narrative context. The Roman renewal mission is independently confirmed by Josephus.
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