Bible Dictionary
Lysimachus
Lysimachus was the translator of the Greek additions to Esther and, in another historical account, a deputy priest in Jerusalem during the Maccabean period.
Definition
Lysimachus was the son of Ptolemy of Jerusalem and the Greek translator of the book of Esther, including its Greek additions. The name also belonged to the brother of Menelaus, who served as his deputy in the priesthood at Jerusalem during the Maccabean period.
Biblical Usage
Lysimachus is associated with the Greek form of Esther and its additions. The other Lysimachus appears in the account of the Jerusalem priesthood and temple disturbances in 2 Maccabees.
Historical Background
The deputy Lysimachus was left in Jerusalem when Menelaus was summoned to Antioch. He was accused of robbing the temple and was killed during the resulting insurrection beside the treasury.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
“a son of Ptolemaeus of Jerusalem,” the Greek translator of the book of Esther. Comp. (Esther 9:20)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>li-sim'-a-kus (Lusimachos):</p><p>(1) The son of Ptolemy, of Jerusalem, is named (Additions to Esther 11:1) as the interpreter (translator of the Rest of Esther into Greek).</p><p>See ESTHER, THE REST OF.</p><p>(2) Brother of Menelaus, a Greek name said by Josephus (Ant., XII, v, 1) to have been assumed by Onias, the high priest in the hellenizing days of Antiochus Epiphanes, as the Jewish name Jesus was changed to Jason. When Menelaus was summoned to Antioch (2 Macc 4:29) on a charge of malversation, he left Lysimachus as his deputy in the priesthood at Jerusalem. Lysimachus robbed the temple and caused an insurrection in which he met his death beside the treasury (2 Macc 4:42). The name of Lysimachus does not appear in the narrative of these events given by Josephus</p><p>J. Hutchison</p>