Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times
The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PATRIOT ARMY.
Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.
The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.
It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.
A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PATRIOT ARMY.
/ðə ˈpeɪtriət ˈɑːrmi/
Line 2
Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.
Line 3
The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.
Line 4
It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.
/ɪt wɑːz ə streɪndʒ ərˈeɪ ðæt maɪt hæv bɪn siːn ˈmeɪkɪŋ ɪts weɪ ʌp ðə ˈmaʊntən pæs/
Line 5
A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

array noun US /ərˈeɪ/

an orderly arrangement

From this reading “It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.”

capacities noun US /kəˈpæsətiz/

plural of “capacity” — capability to perform or produce

From this reading “A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.”

endured verb US /enˈdjʊrd/

past form of “endure” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant

From this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

flocked verb US /flɑːkt/

past form of “flock” — move as a crowd or in a group

From this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

heathen noun US /ˈhiːðən/

a person who does not acknowledge your god

From this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

patriot noun US /ˈpeɪtriət/

one who loves and defends his or her country

From this reading “THE PATRIOT ARMY.”

revolt noun US /rɪˈvoʊlt/

organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another

From this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

wildfire noun US /ˈwaɪldfaɪər/

a raging and rapidly spreading conflagration

From this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

like wildfire verb + noun

In this reading “The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.”

Three days noun + noun

In this reading “Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.”

considerable force adjective + noun

In this reading “Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.”

passed before verb + particle counted as “pass before”

In this reading “Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.”

All words in this reading · 70

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

ARMYnounUS /ˈɑːrmi/

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading THE PATRIOT ARMY.

arraynounUS /ərˈeɪ/

an orderly arrangement

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

capacitiesnounUS /kəˈpæsətiz/

plural of “capacity” — capability to perform or produce

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

certainlyadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

considerableadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərəbəl/

large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

enduredverbUS /enˈdjʊrd/

past form of “endure” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

eventsnounUS /ɪˈvents/

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

fightingnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

flockedverbUS /flɑːkt/

past form of “flock” — move as a crowd or in a group

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

glanceverbUS /ɡlæns/

throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

heathennounUS /ˈhiːðən/

a person who does not acknowledge your god

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

hundredsnounUS /ˈhʌndrədz/

plural of “hundred” — ten 10s

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

ill-concealed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

impatiencenounUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns/

a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

Judæa

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

Mattathias

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

meanlyadverb

in a nasty ill-tempered manner

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

Modin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

mountainnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

PATRIOTnounUS /ˈpeɪtriət/

one who loves and defends his or her country

From this reading THE PATRIOT ARMY.

professionaladjectiveUS /prəˈfeʃənəl/

engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

revoltnounUS /rɪˈvoʊlt/

organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

rulenounUS /ruːl/

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

soldiernounUS /ˈsoʊldʒər/

an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

sonsnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

southernadjectiveUS /ˈsʌðərn/

in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

spreadverbUS /spred/

distribute or disperse widely

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

standardadjectiveUS /ˈstændərd/

conforming to or constituting a standard of measurement or value; or of the usual or regularized or accepted kind

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE PATRIOT ARMY.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading It was a strange array that might have been seen making its way up the mountain pass.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

wildfirenounUS /ˈwaɪldfaɪər/

a raging and rapidly spreading conflagration

From this reading The news of the events at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to the standard of revolt.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they brought with them a considerable force.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading A professional soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting capacities.

Chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times by Alfred John Church holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times contain?

Chapter 12 holds 114 sentences of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times by Alfred John Church exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 12 of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

Common questions about reading The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times by Alfred John Church on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times?

Yes. All 4444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times take to read?

About 370 minutes of reading across 889 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times section by section

How to work through The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Alfred
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Church
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lately
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Professor
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.