In the II Maccabees version of Judas Maccabaeus’ battle oration at Ammaus in the campaign against Ptolemy, son to Dorymenes, and Gorgias, the speaker refers to great victories in the nation's past against foes much greater in number than the Jewish force, such as occurred with Sennacherib's famous expedition and in the battle of the Babylonian Jews against the Galatians. The latter reference, which is not known from other sources, is worthy of special attention. Since we are not oversupplied with data on the Jews of Babylonia during the Hellenistic period, every crumb of information acquires added importance. Moreover, this information, if confirmed and set against its proper historical background, can supplement the various sources on the early military tradition in the Jewish Diaspora. As repeatedly noted above, there is no doubt that this particular speech was not made by Judas Maccabaeus and, like the other orations in the Books of the Maccabees, reflects only the views of the author. That does not mean, however, that the historical references in the speeches should be denigrated.