1
When Onias was High Priest in Jerusalem, the holy city enjoyed peace and prosperity, and its laws were strictly obeyed, because he was devout and hated evil.
2
The kings of Syria and Egypt honored the Temple and presented it with expensive gifts,
3
and King Seleucus, ruler of all Asia, even used to pay the costs of the Temple sacrifices from the revenues he collected.
4
But a man by the name of Simon, of the tribe of Bilgah, the chief administrative official of the Temple, lost an argument he had with Onias over the regulations governing the city market.
5
At this time Apollonius son of Thraseus was the governor of Greater Syria. Simon went to him
6
and said that there was so much money in the Temple treasury that it could not be counted, and since the money was not needed for sacrifices, it might as well be placed under the king's control.
7
When Apollonius met with the king, he told him about the money, and the king ordered Heliodorus, his chief minister, to get it for him.
8
Heliodorus set out at once on his mission, but he claimed that he was only making a tour of inspection of the cities of Greater Syria.