Antiquities of the Jews - Book 13

BOOK XIII

Containing the Eighty-Two Years from the Death of Judas Maccabeus to the Death of Queen Alexandra

CHAPTER 1

How Jonathan Took the Government After His Brother Judas, and How He and His Brother Simon Fought Bacchides

The previous book told how the Jewish nation regained its freedom after the Macedonians had brought it into slavery. It also described the struggles and great battles fought by Judas, the commander of the army, until he was killed while fighting for his people. After his death, however, the wicked men and those who had broken the laws of their ancestors rose again in Judea. They grew in power and brought trouble upon the people from every side.

A famine added to their hardships and made the wickedness worse. Many people, unable to endure the lack of food and the suffering caused by both famine and their enemies, left their country and went over to the Macedonians. Bacchides gathered the Jews who had abandoned their ancestors' way of life and chosen to live like their neighbors. He put them in charge of the country. They captured the friends and followers of Judas and handed them over to Bacchides, who tortured and tormented them before putting them to death.

The Jews had never suffered such a disaster since their return from Babylon. When the survivors among Judas's companions saw that the nation was on the verge of ruin, they went to his brother Jonathan. They urged him to follow his brother's example and care for his people, since Judas had died for their freedom. They asked him not to let the nation go without a leader, especially during such dangerous times. Jonathan told them he was ready to die for them and considered himself no less devoted than his brother. They then appointed him commander of the Jewish army.

When Bacchides heard this, he feared that Jonathan would cause trouble for the king and the Macedonians, just as Judas had done. He began looking for a way to kill him by treachery. Jonathan and his brother Simon learned of the plot, gathered their companions, and quickly fled to the nearest wilderness. They reached a lake called Asphar and camped there.

When Bacchides learned that they were in a vulnerable position, he hurried to attack them with all his forces. He set up camp beyond the Jordan and gathered more troops. Jonathan heard that Bacchides was coming, so he sent his brother John, also called Gaddis, to the Nabatean Arabs. He was to leave their baggage with them until the battle with Bacchides was over, since the Nabateans were friends of the Jews.

But the sons of Ambri laid an ambush for John near the city of Medaba. They seized him and his companions, took all they carried, and killed them. John's brothers later punished the men for this, as I shall relate.

When Bacchides learned that Jonathan had camped among the lakes of the Jordan, he waited for the Sabbath and attacked, thinking Jonathan would refuse to fight because the law required rest on that day. Jonathan urged his companions to fight. He told them their lives were in danger: the river was behind them, their enemies were closing in from the front, and they had no way to escape.

After praying to God for victory, Jonathan attacked and defeated many of the enemy. When he saw Bacchides advancing boldly, he reached out his right hand to strike him. Bacchides saw the blow coming and dodged it. Jonathan and his companions then leaped into the river and swam across, escaping to the other side of the Jordan. The enemy did not cross after them. Bacchides returned to the citadel in Jerusalem, having lost about two thousand men.

He also fortified many Judean cities whose walls had been destroyed. These included Jericho, Emmaus, Bethoron, Bethel, Tinma, Pharatho, Tecoa, and Gazara. He built towers and strong, high walls in each city and placed garrisons there to attack the Jews. He strengthened the citadel in Jerusalem more than any of the others. He also took the sons of leading Jews as hostages, shut them inside the citadel, and used them to keep the people under control.

Around this time, someone came to Jonathan and Simon with news that the sons of Ambri were holding a wedding. They were bringing the bride from the city of Gabatha. She was the daughter of a prominent Arabian, and the wedding procession was to be grand, with great riches on display.

Jonathan and Simon saw this as the right moment to avenge their brother's death. They believed they had enough men to punish those responsible, so they hurried to Medaba and hid in the mountains. When they saw the bride and groom approaching with the large company of friends expected at a wedding, they rushed out from their hiding place and killed them all. They took the wedding ornaments and all the goods carried in the procession, then returned with the revenge they had sought for their brother John. About four hundred people died, including the sons of Ambri, their friends, their wives, and their children.

Simon and Jonathan returned to the lakes of the Jordan and stayed there. After Bacchides had secured Judea with garrisons, he went back to the king. Judea remained peaceful for two years.

When the deserters and wicked men saw that Jonathan and his followers were living safely in the country during this peace, they sent word to King Demetrius. They urged him to send Bacchides to capture Jonathan, claiming the task would be easy and could be done in a single night. If Bacchides surprised them, they said, he could kill them all.

The king sent Bacchides to Judea. Once there, Bacchides wrote to all his friends, both Jews and foreign troops, ordering them to seize Jonathan and bring him to him. But they couldn't capture Jonathan. He knew about the plots against him and guarded himself carefully. Bacchides grew angry with the deserters who had persuaded him and the king to make the attempt, and he killed fifty of their leaders.

Jonathan, his brother, and their companions then withdrew to Bethagla, a village in the wilderness, because they feared Bacchides. Jonathan built towers there, surrounded the village with walls, and made sure it was well guarded. When Bacchides heard of this, he came against Jonathan with his own army and Jewish auxiliaries. He attacked the fortifications and besieged them for many days.

Jonathan did not lose heart, despite Bacchides' determined assault. He left his brother Simon in the village to fight the enemy, then secretly went out into the countryside and gathered a large force of his supporters. That night, he attacked Bacchides' camp and killed many of the men there. Simon realized what Jonathan was doing when he saw the enemy falling, so he led his own attack, burned the Macedonians' siege engines, and killed many more.

When Bacchides saw that enemies surrounded him, with some in front and others behind, he became discouraged and troubled by the unexpected turn of the siege. He blamed the deserters who had called him away from the king, accusing them of deceiving both him and the king. Still, he wanted to bring the siege to a proper end if he could, and then return home.

When Jonathan learned what Bacchides intended to do, he sent ambassadors to offer a treaty of friendship and mutual aid. He also proposed that each side return its captives. Bacchides considered this a proper way to withdraw, so he made a peace treaty with Jonathan. They swore that they would never again make war against one another.

Bacchides returned the captives, gathered his own men, and went back to the king at Antioch. After that, he never returned to Judea. Jonathan took advantage of the peace and went to live in Michmash. There he governed the people, punished the wicked and ungodly, and purged the nation of them.

CHAPTER 2

How Alexander [Bala], in His War Against Demetrius, Gave Jonathan Many Advantages, Appointed Him High Priest, and Won His Support, Though Demetrius Offered Him Greater Advantages. The Death of Demetrius.

In the 160th year, Alexander, the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, came into Syria and took Ptolemais. The soldiers inside had betrayed the city to him because they hated Demetrius for his arrogance and because he was so difficult to approach. Demetrius had shut himself away in a palace of his own, built with four towers not far from Antioch, and admitted no one. He was also lazy and careless about public affairs, which stirred his subjects' hatred even more, as we have already related elsewhere.

When Demetrius heard that Alexander was in Ptolemais, he gathered his whole army and marched against him. He also sent ambassadors to Jonathan to propose an alliance of mutual help and friendship. Demetrius wanted to approach Jonathan first, before Alexander could make an agreement with him and win his support. He feared that Jonathan might remember how badly he had treated him before and join Alexander in the war.

Demetrius therefore ordered that Jonathan be allowed to raise an army and have weapons made. He also ordered the release of the Jewish hostages whom Bacchides had confined in the citadel of Jerusalem. After receiving these favors from Demetrius, Jonathan came to Jerusalem and read the king's letter before the people and the men guarding the citadel. The wicked men and deserters inside the citadel were terrified when they heard that the king had permitted Jonathan to raise an army and recover the hostages. Jonathan returned each hostage to his parents.

Jonathan then settled in Jerusalem, improving the city and repairing its buildings as he saw fit. He ordered the walls rebuilt with square stones so the city would be better protected against its enemies. When the men guarding the garrisons in Judea saw what he was doing, they all abandoned their posts and fled to Antioch, except for those stationed at Bethsura and in the citadel of Jerusalem. Most of the men in those two places were wicked Jews and deserters, so they did not surrender their garrisons.

When Alexander learned what Demetrius had promised Jonathan, he also considered Jonathan's courage and the great deeds he had done when fighting the Macedonians. He knew how much Jonathan had suffered at the hands of Demetrius and Bacchides, Demetrius's general. Alexander told his friends that he could find no one who could help him more than Jonathan. Jonathan was brave against his enemies and had a strong hatred for Demetrius, who had made him suffer greatly and had also suffered much at his hands. If they wanted Jonathan on their side against Demetrius, Alexander said, they should invite him to help them now.

Alexander and his friends agreed to send a message to Jonathan, and the king wrote:

"King Alexander sends greetings to his brother Jonathan. We have long heard of your courage and faithfulness, and for that reason we are writing to make a treaty of friendship and mutual aid with you. Today we appoint you high priest of the Jews, and you shall be called our friend. We have also sent you a purple robe and a golden crown as gifts. Since we have honored you in this way, we ask you to show us the same respect."

When Jonathan received the letter, he put on the high priest's robe during the Feast of Tabernacles, four years after his brother Judas had died. Until then, no one had been appointed high priest. Jonathan raised a large army and prepared a great supply of weapons.

When Demetrius heard what had happened, he was distressed and blamed himself for acting too slowly. He had failed to stop Alexander and win Jonathan's goodwill, giving Alexander time to do so. Demetrius then wrote to Jonathan and the Jewish people. His letter said:

"King Demetrius sends greetings to Jonathan and the Jewish nation. You have kept your friendship with us and have not joined our enemies, even when they tried to persuade you. I commend you for your loyalty and urge you to remain faithful to us. We will reward you and grant you favors.

"I will free you from most of the tributes and taxes that you have paid to me and to the kings before me. From this day on, you will owe no tribute. I also cancel the salt tax and the payments you have made to me for crowns. In place of the third part of the crops and half the fruit from the trees, I give up my share from this day forward.

"I also cancel the poll tax due for every person living in Judea and in the three regions bordering Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea. This exemption will apply now and forever. Jerusalem shall be holy and inviolable, free from tithes and taxes within its boundaries. I also give up my claim to the citadel, allowing Jonathan, your high priest, to occupy it and place in it a garrison of men he trusts to be loyal to him. They will guard it for us.

"I free all Jews in my kingdom who have been taken captive or made slaves. I also order that Jewish animals not be taken for our service. The Jews shall be free from demands on their Sabbaths, their festivals, and the three days before each festival. I grant the same freedom to Jews living throughout my kingdom, and no one shall harm them.

"Jews who wish to enlist in my army may do so, up to thirty thousand men. Wherever they serve, they shall receive the same pay as my own soldiers. I will place some in my garrisons, some as guards around me, and others as officials in my court.

"I also grant them the right to follow the laws of their ancestors. The three regions added to Judea shall be under their authority, and the high priest shall see to it that no Jew worships at any temple other than the one in Jerusalem.

"Each year, I will provide 150,000 drachmae from my own revenues for the costs of the sacrifices. Any money left over shall belong to you. I also cancel the 10,000 drachmae that the kings have received from the temple, since that money belongs to the priests who serve there.

"Anyone who takes refuge in the temple at Jerusalem or in its grounds, anyone who owes the king money, and anyone who is there for any other reason shall be set free, and their property shall be safe.

"I also give you permission to repair and rebuild your temple, at my expense. You may rebuild the walls of your city and raise high towers, and I will pay for this work. If there is any fortified town that would benefit the Jewish country, you may make it strong, and I will cover the cost."

These were the promises and grants Demetrius made to the Jews in his letter. King Alexander, meanwhile, raised a large army of mercenaries and Syrians who had deserted to him, then marched against Demetrius.

When the armies met in battle, Demetrius's left wing routed its opponents, pursued them a long way, killed many of them, and plundered their camp. But the right wing, where Demetrius was fighting, was defeated, and the rest of his army fled. Demetrius fought bravely and killed many of his enemies. As he pursued the others, his horse carried him into a deep bog, where it was difficult to escape. The horse fell, and Demetrius could not get away. When his enemies saw what had happened, they turned back, surrounded him, and threw their spears at him.

Demetrius fought bravely on foot, but at last he had received so many wounds that he could no longer stand. He fell and died. This was the end of Demetrius, after he had reigned for eleven years, as we have related elsewhere.

CHAPTER 3

The Friendship Between Onias and Ptolemy Philometor, and How Onias Built a Temple in Egypt Like the One in Jerusalem

Onias, the son of the high priest Onias, bore the same name as his father. As we have already said, he had fled to King Ptolemy, known as Philometor, and was then living in Alexandria. When he saw Judea suffering under the Macedonians and their kings, he sought to win lasting honor for himself. He decided to write to King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra, asking their permission to build a temple in Egypt like the one in Jerusalem and to appoint Levites and priests from among his own people.

His chief reason for making this request was his trust in the prophet Isaiah, who had lived more than six hundred years earlier and foretold that a Jewish man would build a temple to Almighty God in Egypt. Encouraged by this prophecy, Onias sent the following letter to Ptolemy and Cleopatra:

"After carrying out many important services for you in the war, with God's help, in Coele-Syria and Phoenicia, I came with the Jews to Leontopolis and other places in your kingdom. There I found that most of your people had temples that were not properly established. This has caused them to hate one another, as often happens among Egyptians because they have so many temples and disagree about the worship of God.

"I have found a suitable place in a fortress whose name comes from the region of Bubastis. It contains many kinds of building materials and is filled with sacred animals. I ask you to let me clear this holy place, which belongs to no one and has fallen into ruin, and build a temple there to Almighty God. It will follow the pattern of the temple in Jerusalem and have the same dimensions. It will benefit you, your wife, and your children, and give the Jews living in Egypt a place to gather in friendship and harmony. It will also serve your interests. The prophet Isaiah foretold that 'there would be an altar to the Lord God in Egypt', along with many other things concerning that place."

This was Onias's letter to King Ptolemy. The reply from the king and queen shows their piety, as well as their concern that Onias might be breaking the law. They placed the blame for any offense against the law on him. Their answer read:

"King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra send greetings to Onias. We have read your petition asking permission to clear the ruined temple at Leontopolis, in the district of Heliopolis, in the region called Bubastis. We are surprised that God would be pleased to have a temple built in a place that is unclean and filled with sacred animals. But since you say that the prophet Isaiah foretold this long ago, we give you permission to proceed, provided it can be done according to your law and does not make it appear that we have offended God."

Onias took possession of the place and built a temple and altar to God. They were modeled on those in Jerusalem, though they were smaller and less grand. I won't describe their dimensions or furnishings here, since I have already written about them in the seventh book of The Wars of the Jews. Onias gathered other Jews who shared his beliefs, along with priests and Levites, and they performed the religious services there. This is enough about the temple.

The Jews of Alexandria and the Samaritans who worshiped at the temple built on Mount Gerizim in the days of Alexander began to quarrel over their temples. They brought the dispute before Ptolemy himself. The Jews argued that Moses' law required the temple to be built in Jerusalem; the Samaritans said it belonged on Mount Gerizim.

They asked the king to hear the case with his advisers and put to death whichever side lost the argument. Sabbeus and Theodosius spoke for the Samaritans, while Andronicus, son of Messalamus, spoke for the people of Jerusalem. Both sides swore by God and the king that they would argue from the law. They also asked Ptolemy to execute anyone who broke that oath.

The king gathered several of his advisers and sat down to hear the case. The Jews in Alexandria were greatly troubled for the men defending the temple in Jerusalem. They could not bear the thought that anyone might diminish the reputation of a temple so ancient and famous throughout the world.

Sabbeus and Theodosius let Andronicus speak first. He used the law and the succession of high priests to show that each high priest had received his office from his father and ruled over the temple. He also explained that the kings of Asia had honored the Jerusalem temple with donations and splendid gifts. He dismissed the temple on Mount Gerizim as though it had never existed.

Through this speech and other arguments, Andronicus persuaded the king that the temple in Jerusalem had been built according to the laws of Moses. Ptolemy ordered Sabbeus and Theodosius put to death. These were the events that took place among the Jews in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy Philometor.

CHAPTER 4

How Alexander Honored Jonathan in an Extraordinary Way, and How Demetrius, Son of Demetrius, Defeated Alexander and Made an Alliance of Friendship with Jonathan

As we have related, Demetrius was killed in battle, and Alexander took control of the kingdom of Syria. He wrote to Ptolemy Philometor, asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. Alexander said it was fitting for him to become related by marriage to a man who had received the kingdom of his ancestors through God's providence, had defeated Demetrius, and was worthy in other ways of joining his family.

Ptolemy gladly accepted the proposal. In his reply, he congratulated Alexander on gaining his ancestors' kingdom and promised to give him his daughter in marriage. He also told Alexander that he was coming to Ptolemais and asked him to meet him there. Ptolemy would bring his daughter from Egypt and marry her to Alexander in that city.

After writing this, Ptolemy set out for Ptolemais with his daughter Cleopatra. Alexander was already there, as Ptolemy had requested. Ptolemy gave his daughter to him in marriage and provided her with a dowry of silver and gold fit for a king.

When the wedding was over, Alexander wrote to Jonathan the high priest and asked him to come to Ptolemais. Jonathan went to meet the kings and presented them with splendid gifts. Both kings honored him. Alexander made Jonathan take off his own clothes and put on a purple robe. He seated him beside himself on his throne, then ordered his officers to escort Jonathan through the center of the city and announce that no one was permitted to speak against him or disturb him.

When the officers had made this proclamation, those who had planned to accuse Jonathan and who were hostile to him fled. They had heard the king's command and feared that trouble would come to them. Alexander treated Jonathan with such favor that he counted him among his closest friends.

In the 165th year, Demetrius, son of Demetrius, came from Crete with a large force of mercenaries. Lasthenes the Cretan had brought the soldiers to him, and Demetrius sailed to Cilicia. When Alexander heard this, he was greatly alarmed. He hurried out of Phoenicia to Antioch, hoping to secure the city before Demetrius arrived.

Alexander left Apollonius Daus in command of Coele-Syria. Apollonius marched with a large army to Jamnia and sent a message to Jonathan the high priest. He said Jonathan should not be the only man allowed to live in peace and exercise authority without submitting to the king. This, he said, made him a laughingstock among everyone, since Jonathan had not yet been brought under the king's rule.

"Don't deceive yourself by sitting among the mountains and pretending you have an army. If you trust in your strength, come down into the plain, and let our armies meet. The battle will show which of us is braver. Remember, the most valiant men from every city are in my army. They are the same men who have always defeated your ancestors. Let us fight where we can use weapons, not stones, and where the defeated have nowhere to run."

Jonathan was angered by this message. He chose ten thousand soldiers and hurried out of Jerusalem with his brother Simon, then went to Joppa. He camped outside the city because the people had shut its gates against him. Apollonius had placed a garrison there. But when Jonathan prepared to besiege Joppa, the people feared he would take it by force and opened the gates to him.

When Apollonius heard that Jonathan had taken Joppa, he gathered three thousand cavalry and eight thousand infantry and went to Ashdod. From there he moved slowly and quietly toward Joppa. Then he pretended to retreat, drawing Jonathan out into the plain because he trusted in his cavalry and expected them to win the battle.

Jonathan marched out and pursued Apollonius toward Ashdod. When Apollonius saw that his enemy had reached the plain, he turned back and attacked. He had hidden a thousand cavalry in a valley, ready to appear behind Jonathan's army.

Jonathan saw them and did not lose his nerve. He arranged his soldiers in a square and ordered them to face the enemy on every side, so they could fight those attacking from the front and the rear. The battle lasted until evening. Jonathan gave part of his army to his brother Simon and ordered him to attack the enemy. Jonathan told his own men to cover themselves with their armor and withstand the cavalry's spears. They followed his orders. The soldiers stood close together behind their joined shields, which stopped the spears from reaching their bodies.

The enemy cavalry threw their spears from morning until late in the day, but they did no harm. Once they had used up their weapons, they grew tired. Simon saw their weakness and attacked the infantry in front of him. His men fought eagerly and put the enemy to flight. When the cavalry saw the infantry running, they too fled. They were worn out from fighting all day, and their hopes had depended on the infantry. They ran in confusion, scattered, and lost contact with one another across the plain.

Jonathan pursued them to Ashdod, killing many and driving the rest into the temple of Dagon. He took the city in the first assault and burned it, along with the nearby villages. He also burned the temple of Dagon and killed those who had taken refuge there. In all, eight thousand of the enemy died in the battle or perished in the temple.

After defeating this great army, Jonathan left Ashdod and went to Askelon. He camped outside the city, and the people came out to greet him with generous gifts and honors. Jonathan accepted their welcome, then returned to Jerusalem with the considerable spoil he had taken from his defeated enemies.

When Alexander heard that his general Apollonius had been defeated, he pretended to be pleased. Apollonius had fought against Jonathan, Alexander's friend and ally, without the king's permission. Alexander sent Jonathan a message praising his worth and gave him honors, including a gold button of the kind customarily given to the king's relatives. He also granted Jonathan Ekron and its surrounding district as his inheritance.

Around this time, King Ptolemy, called Philometor, led an army into Syria, sending part of it by sea and part by land. He came to help Alexander, who was his son-in-law. At Alexander's command, the cities welcomed Ptolemy and escorted him as far as Ashdod.

There, the people complained loudly about the temple of Dagon, which had been burned. They accused Jonathan of destroying it, setting fire to the surrounding country, and killing many of its people. Ptolemy heard their charges but said nothing.

Jonathan also went to meet Ptolemy, reaching him at Joppa. He brought him fine and valuable gifts and showed him every mark of respect. After escorting Ptolemy as far as the river called Eleutherus, Jonathan returned to Jerusalem.

While Ptolemy was at Ptolemais, he narrowly escaped an unexpected death. Alexander had arranged a plot against him through Ammonius, one of his friends. The evidence of the plot was clear, so Ptolemy wrote to Alexander and demanded that he punish Ammonius. He explained the trap Ammonius had set and insisted that he be punished for it.

Alexander refused to meet Ptolemy's demand. Ptolemy then understood that Alexander himself had planned the plot and became angry with him. Alexander had already made himself hated by the people of Antioch, who had suffered greatly at his hands. At last, Ammonius received the punishment his shameless crimes deserved. As we have related elsewhere, he was killed in disgrace while trying to hide in women's clothing.

Ptolemy now regretted giving his daughter in marriage to Alexander and agreeing to help him against Demetrius. He ended his alliance with Alexander, took his daughter away, and at once sent a message to Demetrius. Ptolemy offered to make an alliance of mutual aid and friendship with him, give him his daughter in marriage, and restore him to his ancestors' kingdom.

Demetrius welcomed the proposal and accepted both Ptolemy's support and his daughter's hand in marriage. Ptolemy still faced a difficult task: he had to persuade the people of Antioch to accept Demetrius. They hated him because of the harm his father, Demetrius, had done to them. But they also hated Alexander because of Ammonius, as we have already explained, and so Ptolemy persuaded them to drive Alexander out of Antioch. Alexander fled to Cilicia.

Ptolemy then came to Antioch, where its people and army made him king. He was forced to wear two crowns, one for Asia and one for Egypt. But Ptolemy was a just and decent man. He did not want what belonged to others, and he was wise enough to consider what might happen in the future. He wanted to avoid provoking the Romans. So he called the people of Antioch together and urged them to receive Demetrius. He promised that Demetrius would not hold against them what they had done to his father. Ptolemy also said he would guide and govern Demetrius well and would not let him commit any wrong. He himself, he said, was content with the kingdom of Egypt. By speaking this way, Ptolemy persuaded the people of Antioch to accept Demetrius.

Alexander soon gathered a large army and marched from Cilicia into Syria. He burned and plundered the countryside around Antioch. Ptolemy and his son-in-law Demetrius, to whom Ptolemy had already given his daughter in marriage, brought their army against him. They defeated Alexander and drove him into flight. He escaped to Arabia.

During the battle, Ptolemy's horse was startled by the sound of an elephant, threw him off, and knocked him to the ground. When his enemies saw what had happened, they attacked him and struck him many times on the head. He was in danger of dying. His guards carried him away, but he was so badly injured that for four days he could neither understand nor speak.

On the fifth day, Ptolemy regained his senses. Zabdiel, an Arabian prince, had cut off Alexander's head and sent it to him. Ptolemy woke to the welcome news and sight of Alexander's death and severed head. But soon after finding such joy in Alexander's death, Ptolemy himself died. Alexander, called Balas, had ruled Asia for five years, as we have related elsewhere.

After Demetrius, who was called Nicator, took the kingdom, he treated Ptolemy's soldiers cruelly. He forgot the alliance of mutual aid between them, and he forgot that he was Ptolemy's son-in-law and relative through his marriage to Cleopatra. The soldiers fled his harsh treatment and went to Alexandria, while Demetrius kept the elephants.

Jonathan the high priest raised an army from throughout Judea and attacked the citadel in Jerusalem. It was held by a Macedonian garrison and by some lawless men who had abandoned the customs of their ancestors. At first, they dismissed Jonathan's attempt to capture the citadel, trusting in its strength. But some of them slipped out at night and went to Demetrius, telling him that the citadel was under siege.

Demetrius was angered by the news. He gathered his army and left Antioch to march against Jonathan. While still in Antioch, he sent Jonathan an order to come to him at once in Ptolemais. Jonathan did not stop the siege. Instead, he took with him the elders of the people and the priests, along with gold, silver, clothing, and many valuable gifts. He went to Demetrius and presented them to him, calming the king's anger.

Demetrius treated Jonathan with respect and confirmed his position as high priest, which earlier kings had granted him. When the Jewish deserters made accusations against Jonathan, Demetrius refused to believe them. Jonathan asked that the tribute for all Judea, along with the three districts of Samaria, Perea, and Galilee, be set at three hundred talents. Demetrius agreed and issued a letter confirming these privileges. It read:

"King Demetrius sends greetings to Jonathan, his brother, and to the Jewish nation.

"We have sent you a copy of the letter we wrote to Lasthenes, our kinsman, so that you may know what it says.

"King Demetrius sends greetings to Lasthenes, our father.

"I have decided to thank and favor the Jewish nation, which has acted justly in its dealings with us. I therefore grant them the three districts of Apherima, Lydda, and Ramatha, which were taken from Samaria and added to Judea, together with all their villages. I also remit what the kings before me received from those who offered sacrifices in Jerusalem, the payments due from the crops and trees, and all other revenues belonging to us, including the salt pits and the crowns customarily presented to us. From this day forward, they will be required to pay none of these taxes.

"Make a copy of this letter and give it to Jonathan. Let it be displayed in a prominent place in their holy temple."

These were the terms of the letter.

When Demetrius saw that there was peace everywhere and no threat of war, he dismissed most of his army and cut the soldiers' pay. He kept in service only the foreign troops who had come with him from Crete and the other islands. This made the soldiers hate him. From then on, he gave them nothing. Earlier kings had continued to pay their soldiers during peacetime, just as they did in war, so the men would remain loyal and be ready to face the hardships of battle whenever the need arose.

CHAPTER 5

How Trypho, After Defeating Demetrius, Gave the Kingdom to Antiochus, the Son of Alexander, and Won Jonathan as His Ally; and the Deeds and Embassies of Jonathan

Diodotus, also called Trypho, was one of Alexander's generals and was born in Apamea. He saw that the soldiers hated Demetrius, so he went to Malchus the Arab, who was raising Antiochus, the son of Alexander. Trypho told Malchus how much the army disliked Demetrius and urged him to hand over Antiochus, promising to make the young man king and restore his father's kingdom to him. At first Malchus resisted, because he did not trust Trypho. But Trypho pressed him for a long time and finally persuaded him to agree. This was the position Trypho had reached.

Jonathan the high priest wanted to drive out the men in Jerusalem's citadel, along with the Jewish deserters and other wicked men, as well as the troops stationed in the fortresses throughout the country. So he sent gifts and ambassadors to Demetrius, asking him to remove his soldiers from the strongholds of Judea. Demetrius replied that when the war he was then fighting had ended, he would grant this request and do even more for Jonathan. He also asked Jonathan to send him help, explaining that his army had deserted him. Jonathan chose three thousand of his soldiers and sent them to Demetrius.

The people of Antioch hated Demetrius because of the harm he had done them, and because they also hated his father, Demetrius, who had treated them very badly. They waited for a chance to attack him. When they heard that Jonathan was sending help to Demetrius, they feared he would gather a large army unless they acted quickly and seized him. So they took up their weapons, surrounded his palace, blocked every way out, and set out to overthrow their king.

Demetrius saw that the people of Antioch had become his bitter enemies and were already in arms. He took the mercenaries serving with him and the Jewish soldiers sent by Jonathan, and attacked the Antiochians. But they were tens of thousands in number, and Demetrius was defeated. Seeing the Antiochians gaining the upper hand, the Jews climbed to the roof of the palace and shot down at them. Their position was so high and distant that the Antiochians could do them no harm, while the Jews inflicted heavy losses on them. The Jews drove the Antiochians out of the nearby houses, then set the houses on fire. Because the houses stood close together and were mostly made of wood, the flames spread through the city and burned it down.

Unable to stop the fire or defend themselves, the Antiochians fled. The Jews leaped from rooftop to rooftop as they pursued them, which made the chase all the more startling. When the king saw that the Antiochians were busy rescuing their wives and children and had stopped fighting, he attacked them in the narrow streets. He killed many of them, until at last they threw down their weapons and surrendered to Demetrius.

Demetrius forgave their rebellion and ended the uprising. He gave the Jews rich spoils as a reward, thanked them for helping him win, and sent them back to Jerusalem to Jonathan with a full account of the service they had done him. Later, however, Demetrius treated Jonathan badly and broke his promises. He threatened to make war against him unless the Jewish nation paid all the tribute owed to the first kings of Syria. He would have carried out this threat if Trypho had not stopped him and turned his preparations against Jonathan toward his own defense.

Trypho had returned from Arabia with the young Antiochus, who was still a boy. He placed the diadem on Antiochus's head. All the soldiers who had deserted Demetrius because they had not been paid joined Antiochus. Trypho then made war against Demetrius, defeated him in battle, and took his elephants and the city of Antioch.

After his defeat, Demetrius withdrew to Cilicia. The young Antiochus sent ambassadors and a letter to Jonathan, making him his friend and ally. He confirmed Jonathan in the high priesthood and gave him the four districts that had been added to Judea. He also sent him gold vessels and cups, a purple robe, and permission to use them. He gave Jonathan a gold clasp, named him one of his chief friends, and appointed his brother Simon commander of the forces from the Ladder of Tyre to Egypt.

Jonathan was pleased with these favors. He sent ambassadors to Antiochus and Trypho, declared himself their friend and ally, and promised to join them in war against Demetrius. He explained that Demetrius had failed to repay his kindness. Although Jonathan had helped him when he badly needed it, Demetrius had answered those favors with further injuries.

Antiochus gave Jonathan permission to raise a large army in Syria and Phoenicia and make war on Demetrius's generals. Jonathan hurried from city to city. The people welcomed him with honor, but gave him no troops. When he reached Askelon, its people came out to meet him with gifts and great ceremony.

Jonathan urged the people of Askelon and the cities of Coele-Syria to abandon Demetrius and join Antiochus. By helping Antiochus, he said, they could punish Demetrius for the wrongs he had done them. They had many reasons to take this course if they chose. Jonathan persuaded these cities to promise their support, then went to Gaza to win its people over as well.

But the people of Gaza were more hostile to him than he expected. They had shut their gates against him. Though they had deserted Demetrius, they had not decided to join Antiochus. Jonathan was angered by this, so he besieged Gaza and ravaged its territory. He stationed part of his army around the city and sent the rest through the countryside, where they plundered and burned what they found.

When the people of Gaza saw how much they were suffering, and that Demetrius was sending no help, they realized their danger was near while any benefit from their alliance with him was far off and uncertain. They decided it would be wiser to make peace with Jonathan and join his side. So they sent messengers to him, promising friendship and support. People often fail to see what is best for them before suffering teaches them, then choose what they should have done before they were harmed.

Jonathan made a treaty of friendship with them and took hostages to secure their promise. He sent the hostages to Jerusalem, then traveled through the country as far as Damascus.

Jonathan heard that Demetrius's generals had reached the city of Cades with a large army. Cades lies between the land of the Tyrians and Galilee. The generals believed that an attack there would draw Jonathan out of Syria to defend Galilee, since he would not abandon his own people when they were under attack.

Jonathan went to meet them. He left Simon in Judea, where Simon raised as large an army as he could and then besieged Bethsura, the strongest place in Judea. A garrison of Demetrius's soldiers held the city, as we have already related. Simon built siege works and brought up engines of war, pressing the attack with great force. The garrison feared that Simon would take the city and put them to the sword. They sent word to him, asking for his oath that he would not harm them if they left the city and went over to Demetrius. Simon swore that they would be safe, expelled them from the city, and placed his own garrison there.

Jonathan left Galilee, where he had been camped near the waters called Gennesar, and entered the plain called Asor. He did not know that the enemy was there. Demetrius's generals learned a day in advance that Jonathan was coming. They placed men in ambush in the mountains, ready to attack him suddenly, while the rest of their army waited in the plain.

When Jonathan saw the enemy preparing for battle, he readied his own soldiers as well as he could. But the Jews feared they would be caught between the army in front of them and the ambush behind them. They fled in haste, and almost all of Jonathan's men abandoned him. Only about fifty remained. Mattathias, the son of Absalom, and Judas, the son of Chapseus, who commanded the whole army, were among them.

These men boldly attacked the enemy, as if they had given up hope of surviving. Their courage dismayed the opposing soldiers, and they drove them back with their weapons. When Jonathan's soldiers, who had fled, saw the enemy retreating, they gathered again and pursued them fiercely, all the way to Cades, where the enemy's camp was.

Jonathan won a great victory and killed two thousand of the enemy before returning to Jerusalem. Seeing that his affairs were going well by God's providence, he sent ambassadors to Rome because he wanted to renew the friendship his people had once shared with the Romans. He instructed the same ambassadors to visit the Spartans on their way home and remind them of the friendship and kinship between their peoples.

When the ambassadors reached Rome, they went before the Senate and delivered Jonathan the high priest's message, explaining that he had sent them to renew the friendship. The Senate confirmed its earlier decision to maintain friendly relations with the Jews. It also gave them letters for the kings of Asia and Europe and for the governors of the cities, asking them to provide the ambassadors with safe passage back to their country.

On their return, the ambassadors went to Sparta and delivered the letter from Jonathan. A copy of it follows:

"Jonathan, high priest of the Jewish nation, together with the Senate and the people of the Jews, sends greetings to the ephors, the Senate, and the people of Sparta. If you are well, and your public and private affairs are going as you wish, that is what we hope for. We are well too.

"In former times, Areus, then king of Sparta, sent a letter to Onias, who was then our high priest, through Demoteles. The letter spoke of the kinship between your people and ours. We gladly received it and welcomed both Demoteles and Areus. We did not need this proof, since the sacred writings already assured us of our kinship. Still, we did not think it right to claim this relationship first, lest we seem too eager to take credit for what you have now made known to us.

"It has been a long time since our kinship with you was renewed. On holy days and festivals, when we offer sacrifices to God, we pray for your safety and victory. We have been surrounded by wars because of the greed of our neighbors, but we did not want to trouble you or any other people related to us. Now that we have overcome our enemies, we are sending Numenius, the son of Antiochus, and Antipater, the son of Jason, both honored members of our Senate, to the Romans. We have given them this letter for you as well, so that they may renew the friendship between us.

"You will do well to write to us and tell us what you need from us, for we are ready in every way to do as you wish."

The Spartans welcomed the ambassadors and passed a decree of friendship and mutual assistance, which they sent back with them.

At this time, the Jews had three sects, each with a different view of human actions. One was the sect of the Pharisees, another was the sect of the Sadducees, and the third was the sect of the Essenes.

The Pharisees held that some actions are governed by fate, while others remain within our own power. Those actions are subject to fate, they said, but fate does not cause them. The Essenes taught that fate rules everything and that nothing happens to people outside its decree. The Sadducees rejected fate altogether. They said it does not exist and has no control over human affairs. They believed that all our actions are in our own hands, so we cause what is good and bring evil upon ourselves through our own folly. I have explained these beliefs more fully in the second book of The Jewish War.

Demetrius's generals wanted to make up for their defeat, so they gathered an even larger army and marched against Jonathan. When Jonathan learned that they were coming, he hurried to meet them in the country of Hamoth. He meant to keep them from entering Judea. He camped about fifty furlongs from the enemy and sent spies to inspect their camp and report how they were positioned.

The spies gave him a full account. They also seized some enemy soldiers during the night, and these prisoners told Jonathan that an attack was coming soon. Forewarned, he took steps to protect his army. He placed guards beyond the camp and kept all his soldiers armed through the night. He urged them to be brave and ready to fight in the dark if necessary, so the enemy would gain no advantage through surprise.

When Demetrius's generals learned that Jonathan knew their plan, they lost confidence. They were alarmed that their intentions had been discovered, and they no longer expected to defeat Jonathan by trickery. They did not believe they could match his army in open battle, so they decided to flee. They lit many fires to make it appear that they were still in camp, then withdrew.

In the morning Jonathan came to fight them, but found their camp empty. He learned they had fled and pursued them, but could not catch them. They had already crossed the Eleutherus River and were out of danger. Jonathan then went into Arabia, fought the Nabateans, took much of their booty and many captives, and went to Damascus, where he sold what he had taken.

Around the same time, his brother Simon traveled through Judea and Palestine as far as Askelon. He strengthened the fortresses by building them up and placing garrisons in them. Then he went to Joppa and captured it. He stationed a large garrison there because he had heard that the people of Joppa planned to hand the city over to Demetrius's generals.

After Simon and Jonathan had finished these tasks, they returned to Jerusalem. Jonathan gathered the people and asked their advice about repairing Jerusalem's walls and rebuilding the wall around the temple, which had been torn down. He also proposed strengthening the neighboring areas with very high towers and building another wall through the middle of the city. This wall would separate the marketplace from the garrison in the citadel and keep the soldiers from receiving supplies. He also wanted to make the fortresses throughout the country stronger and easier to defend.

The people approved these plans. Jonathan took charge of the building work in the city, while Simon went to strengthen the fortresses throughout the country.

Demetrius crossed the Euphrates and went to Mesopotamia. He hoped to hold that country and Babylon, then gain control of the upper provinces and use them as a base to recover his whole kingdom. The Greeks and Macedonians who lived there had often sent him ambassadors, promising to surrender to him and help him fight Arsaces, the king of the Parthians, if he came to them.

Encouraged by these promises, Demetrius hurried there. He planned to defeat the Parthians, build an army of his own, and then make war on Trypho and drive him out of Syria. The people of the region welcomed him eagerly. He raised an army and fought Arsaces, but lost all his troops and was taken alive, as we have related elsewhere.

CHAPTER 6

How Jonathan Was Killed by Treachery; How the Jews Made Simon Their General and High Priest, and the Courageous Deeds He Performed, Especially Against Trypho

When Trypho learned what had happened to Demetrius, he no longer remained loyal to Antiochus. Instead, he plotted to kill him and take his kingdom. His fear of Jonathan stood in the way, since Jonathan was Antiochus's friend. So Trypho decided to remove Jonathan first, then carry out his plan against Antiochus. He resolved to trap Jonathan through deceit. Leaving Antioch, he came to Bethshan, which the Greeks call Scythopolis. Jonathan met him there with forty thousand chosen men, believing Trypho had come to fight. When Trypho saw that Jonathan was prepared for battle, he tried to win him over with gifts and friendly treatment. He ordered his commanders to obey Jonathan, hoping to convince him of his goodwill and put his suspicions to rest. Then, when Jonathan was off guard, Trypho could seize him. Trypho also urged him to send his army away, since there was no need to bring it along in a time of peace. He asked Jonathan to keep only a small company with him and go to Ptolemais. Trypho claimed he would hand the city over to him and place all the fortresses in the region under his control. He said these were the very reasons he had come.

Jonathan did not suspect Trypho's intentions. He believed the advice came from sincere goodwill, so he dismissed his army and kept only three thousand men with him. He left two thousand in Galilee and went with the remaining thousand to Ptolemais. But when they arrived, the people of Ptolemais shut the gates, as Trypho had ordered. Trypho seized Jonathan and killed all the men who had come with him. He also sent soldiers to attack the two thousand left in Galilee. When they heard what had happened to Jonathan, they prepared for battle before Trypho's men arrived, put on their armor, and escaped the country. Seeing that they were ready to fight for their lives, Trypho's soldiers left them alone and returned to him.

When the people of Jerusalem heard that Jonathan had been captured and his men killed, they mourned his terrible fate. Everyone asked what had become of him, and fear spread through the city. They were troubled that, without Jonathan's courage and leadership, the surrounding nations might turn against them. Those nations had kept quiet while Jonathan was alive, but now they might attack and drive the Jews into great danger. Their fears proved well-founded. When the surrounding peoples heard that Jonathan was dead, they began making war against the Jews, who now had no leader. Trypho also gathered an army and prepared to invade Judea.

When Simon saw how frightened the people of Jerusalem were, he decided to speak to them and strengthen their resolve before Trypho's attack. He called them together in the temple and addressed them:

"My countrymen, you know that our father, my brothers, and I have risked our lives willingly to win back your freedom. We have many examples before us, and our family has resolved to die for our laws and our worship of God. No fear can drive this resolve from our hearts or make us value life more than honor. Follow me wherever I lead you. You will have a commander ready to suffer and to do great things for you. I am no better than my brothers, that I should spare my life, and I am not worse than they, that I should refuse what they considered most honorable: to die for your laws and the worship of God that belongs to you. I will prove that I am truly their brother. I expect to avenge their deaths on our enemies and to save you, your wives, and your children from the injuries they plan to inflict. With God's help, I will also protect the temple from destruction. I see that these nations despise you because you have no leader, and that this has encouraged them to make war against you."

Simon's speech restored the people's courage. Though they had been overcome by fear, they now hoped for better days. All the people cried out together that Simon should lead them and govern them in place of his brothers Judas and Jonathan. They promised to obey his commands. Simon immediately gathered all his soldiers who were fit for war and hurried to rebuild the city walls, strengthening them with high, sturdy towers. He sent a friend of his, Jonathan son of Absalom, to Joppa with orders to drive out the inhabitants, since he feared they would hand the city over to Trypho. Simon himself stayed behind to defend Jerusalem.

Trypho left Ptolemais with a large army and entered Judea, bringing Jonathan with him in chains. Simon met him at Adida, a hilltop city overlooking the plains of Judea. When Trypho learned that the Jews had made Simon their governor, he sent him a deceitful offer. If Simon wanted his brother Jonathan released, Trypho said, he must send one hundred talents of silver and two of Jonathan's sons as hostages. Once released, Jonathan would then be unable to lead Judea in revolt against the king. Trypho also claimed that Jonathan was being held because of money he had borrowed from the king and still owed.

Simon saw through Trypho's trick. He knew that if he sent the money, he would lose it, and Trypho would still refuse to release Jonathan. He also knew that Jonathan's sons would be handed over to the enemy. Yet Simon feared the people might blame him for his brother's death if he refused to meet Trypho's demands and so failed to try to save him. He gathered his army and explained Trypho's offer to them. He warned them that it was a trap, but said it was better to send the money and Jonathan's sons than to be accused of refusing the terms and abandoning his brother. So Simon sent the silver and the sons. After receiving them, Trypho broke his promise and kept Jonathan in chains. He then took his army through the country, intending to reach Jerusalem by way of Idumea. Simon followed with his own army, setting up camp wherever Trypho camped.

The men in the citadel sent word to Trypho, urging him to hurry to their aid and bring them supplies. Trypho prepared his cavalry as if he meant to reach Jerusalem that very night. But a heavy snowfall covered the roads and made them impassable, especially for horses. Trypho could not reach Jerusalem, so he turned away and went to Celesyria. There he attacked the land of Gilead and killed Jonathan. After arranging for Jonathan's burial, Trypho returned to Antioch.

Simon sent men to Basca to bring back his brother's bones, then buried him in their hometown of Modin. All the people mourned him greatly. Simon also built a large monument for his father and brothers. It was made of smooth white stone and raised high enough to be seen from far away. He surrounded it with covered walkways and set up pillars, each carved from a single stone. It was a remarkable sight. He also built seven pyramids, one for each of his parents and brothers. They were impressive in both size and beauty, and they remained there in the writer's time. Simon took great care to bury Jonathan and build these monuments for his family. Jonathan died after serving four years as high priest and governor of his people. These were the circumstances of his death.

The people had made Simon high priest. In the first year of his high priesthood, he freed them from their subjection to the Macedonians and ended their tribute payments. They gained this freedom after 170 years of the Assyrian kingdom, beginning from the time when Seleucus, called Nicator, gained control of Syria.

The people cared so much for Simon that in their contracts and public records they dated events by "the first year of Simon, benefactor and ethnarch of the Jews." Under his leadership, they prospered and defeated their surrounding enemies. Simon captured Gazara, Joppa, and Jamhis. He also besieged and took the citadel of Jerusalem, then tore it down so that their enemies could no longer use it as a refuge from which to harm them.

Simon believed it would be best for the people to level the mountain where the citadel had stood, so the temple would stand higher than the surrounding buildings. He called an assembly and reminded the people of the suffering they had endured because of the citadel's garrison and the Jewish deserters who had joined it. He warned that they could suffer the same troubles again if a foreign ruler took the kingdom and placed a garrison in the citadel. His words persuaded the people, since he urged them to do what would serve their own good. They set to work and leveled the mountain, laboring day and night without stopping. The work took three full years, until the site stood even with the rest of the city. Afterward, the temple was higher than every other building, since both the citadel and the mountain beneath it had been destroyed. These were the deeds Simon carried out.

CHAPTER 7

How Simon Made an Alliance with Antiochus Pius and Fought Trypho, Then Cendebeus, the General of Antiochus's Army; How Simon Was Murdered by His Son-in-Law Ptolemy

Some time after Demetrius was taken captive, Trypho, his governor, killed Antiochus, the son of Alexander, who was also called The God. Antiochus had reigned for four years. Trypho claimed that he had died in the hands of his surgeons. Trypho then sent his friends and closest companions to the soldiers, promising them a great deal of money if they made him king. He told them that the Parthians had captured Demetrius, and that if Demetrius's brother Antiochus became king, he would punish them for having deserted his brother. Hoping to gain wealth by giving the kingdom to Trypho, the soldiers chose him as their ruler.

Once Trypho had taken control, he showed his wicked nature. While he was still a private citizen, he had acted like a friend to the people and pretended to be moderate. In this way, he skillfully won them over to whatever he wanted. But after becoming king, he dropped the pretense and showed his true character. His enemies soon gained the advantage. The soldiers hated him and went over to Cleopatra, Demetrius's wife, who was then shut up in Seleucia with her children.

Demetrius's brother Antiochus, called Soter, was barred from entering any of the cities because of Trypho. So Cleopatra sent for him, invited him to marry her, and offered him the kingdom. Her friends had urged her to do this, and she feared that some people in Seleucia might hand the city over to Trypho.

Antiochus came to Seleucia, and his forces grew stronger each day. He marched against Trypho, defeated him in battle, drove him out of Upper Syria and into Phoenicia, and pursued him there. Trypho took refuge in Dora, a hard-to-capture fortress, and Antiochus laid siege to it.

Antiochus also sent ambassadors to Simon, the Jewish high priest, asking for an alliance and mutual support. Simon readily agreed. He sent Antiochus large sums of money and provisions for the army besieging Dora, supplying them generously. For a short time, Antiochus treated Simon as one of his closest friends. Trypho, however, escaped from Dora and fled to Apamea. He was captured during the siege and put to death, after reigning for three years.

Antiochus soon forgot the help Simon had given him in his time of need. Driven by greed and wickedness, he gave an army to his friend Cendebeus and sent him to ravage Judea and capture Simon.

When Simon heard that Antiochus had broken their alliance, he was already an old man. Still, angered by Antiochus's unjust treatment, he resolved to act with more courage than his age might allow and took command of his army like a young man. He sent his sons ahead with the bravest soldiers, while he led another part of the army by a different route. He stationed many men in ambush in the narrow valleys between the mountains. Every plan succeeded, and he defeated his enemies each time.

Simon spent the rest of his life in peace and also made an alliance with the Romans.

Simon ruled the Jews for eight years. He was murdered at a feast through the treachery of his son-in-law Ptolemy, who also seized Simon's wife and two of his sons and held them captive. Ptolemy sent men to kill Simon's third son, John, whose name was Hyrcanus. But the young man saw them coming and escaped the danger. He hurried to Jerusalem, trusting in the people's goodwill because of the benefits they had received from his father and their hatred of Ptolemy. When Ptolemy tried to enter the city through another gate, the people drove him away, having already admitted Hyrcanus.

CHAPTER 8

Hyrcanus Receives the High Priesthood and Drives Ptolemy from the Country. Antiochus Makes War against Hyrcanus, Then Forms an Alliance with Him.

Ptolemy withdrew to a fortress above Jericho called Dagon. Hyrcanus had now received the high priesthood that his father had held. First, he offered sacrifices to God, then set out against Ptolemy. He attacked the fortress and was stronger than Ptolemy in every respect except one: his concern for his mother and brothers. Ptolemy brought them onto the wall, tortured them in full view, and threatened to throw them down unless Hyrcanus ended the siege.

Hyrcanus thought that by easing the siege and sparing the fortress, he could spare his family from further suffering. His determination began to weaken. But his mother stretched out her hands and begged him not to hold back on her account. She urged him to grow more furious and to capture the fortress quickly, so he could punish their enemy for what he had done. She said that even a painful death would be sweet to her if Ptolemy were made to pay for his cruelty.

Her words persuaded Hyrcanus to take the fortress at once. But when he saw her beaten and torn apart, his courage failed. He could not help but grieve for her suffering, and his pity overcame him. The siege dragged on, until the year in which the Jews were required to rest. They observe this rest every seventh year, just as they do every seventh day. Ptolemy was therefore freed from the war. He killed Hyrcanus's brothers and mother, then fled to Zeno, called Cotylas, the tyrant of Philadelphia.

Antiochus was deeply troubled by the suffering Simon had caused him. In the fourth year of his reign, and the first year of Hyrcanus's rule, during the 162nd Olympiad, he invaded Judea. He burned the countryside and shut Hyrcanus inside the city, surrounding it with seven camps. At first, he made no progress, because the walls were strong and the besieged fought bravely. Once, the city's water ran short, but a heavy rain saved them. It fell when the Pleiades set.

On the north side, where the city wall stood level with the ground outside, the king built one hundred three-story towers and stationed soldiers on them. He also dug two ditches, both deep and wide, and trapped the inhabitants within them as though they were enclosed by another wall. The besieged often made sorties. When they found the enemy off guard, they attacked and inflicted heavy losses; when they saw the enemy ready for them, they easily withdrew into the city.

Hyrcanus saw that such a large number of people would quickly consume the city's supplies, while many of them were of no use in the defense. He sent away those who were unfit to fight and kept only the men in the prime of life. Antiochus would not allow the expelled people to leave. They wandered between the walls, where hunger slowly killed them. But when the Feast of Tabernacles approached, those inside the city took pity on them and let them return.

Hyrcanus then sent to Antiochus and asked for a seven-day truce for the festival. Antiochus respected their devotion to God and granted the truce. He also sent a splendid offering: bulls with gilded horns, every kind of sweet spice, and gold and silver vessels. The people at the gates received the gifts from those who brought them and led them to the temple. Meanwhile, Antiochus held a feast for his army.

His conduct was very different from that of Antiochus Epiphanes. After taking the city, Epiphanes had offered swine on the altar and sprinkled the temple with their broth, in an effort to violate the laws of the Jews and the religion handed down by their ancestors. For this reason, our people made war against him and never reconciled with him. But everyone called this Antiochus "the Pious" because of his great respect for religion.

Hyrcanus welcomed Antiochus's restraint. When he learned of the king's reverence for God, he sent ambassadors to ask that Antiochus restore the rights and customs the Jews had received from their forefathers. Antiochus rejected the advice of those who urged him to destroy the nation because its way of life seemed unsociable to other people. He paid no heed to them. Since he believed that the Jews acted from religious conviction, he told the ambassadors that he would end the war if the besieged surrendered their weapons, paid tribute for Joppa and the other cities bordering Judea, and accepted a royal garrison.

The Jews agreed to the other terms but refused to admit the garrison, since they could not mix or associate with other peoples. In place of a garrison, they offered hostages and five hundred talents of silver. They paid three hundred talents at once and sent the hostages without delay. Antiochus accepted the offer. One of the hostages was Hyrcanus's brother. The king also tore down the fortifications surrounding the city. On these terms, Antiochus ended the siege and departed.

Hyrcanus opened the tomb of David, who had been richer than any other king, and took three thousand talents from it. He was the first Jew to use this wealth to maintain foreign troops. He and Antiochus also made an alliance of friendship and mutual aid. Hyrcanus then welcomed Antiochus into the city and generously supplied everything his army needed. He also joined Antiochus on an expedition against the Parthians.

Nicolaus of Damascus confirms this in his history. He writes: "After Antiochus defeated Indates, the Parthian general, he set up a trophy at the river Lycus and stayed there for two days. He did so at the request of Lyrcanus the Jew, because a festival handed down from their ancestors was being celebrated, and the Jewish law did not permit them to travel."

Nicolaus spoke truthfully. The festival, which we call Pentecost, fell the next day after the Sabbath. We are forbidden to travel on the Sabbath or on a festival day.

When Antiochus later fought Arsaces, king of Parthia, he lost much of his army and was killed. His brother Demetrius succeeded him as king of Syria. Arsaces had released Demetrius from captivity at the same time Antiochus attacked Parthia, as we have related elsewhere.

CHAPTER 9

How Hyrcanus, After Antiochus' Death, Led an Expedition Against Syria and Made an Alliance with the Romans; the Deaths of King Demetrius and Alexander

When Hyrcanus heard that Antiochus had died, he immediately set out against the cities of Syria. He hoped to find them without enough soldiers to defend themselves. Yet it took him six months to capture Medaba, and his army suffered greatly in the effort. He then took Samega and the surrounding places, along with Shechem and Gerizzim, where the Cutheans lived. They worshiped at a temple like the one in Jerusalem. Alexander had allowed Sanballat, the commander of his army, to build it for Manasseh, who was Jaddua the high priest's son-in-law, as we have already related. The temple had stood for two hundred years, but by this time it had been abandoned.

Hyrcanus also captured Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and brought all the Idumeans under his rule. He allowed them to remain in their country if they would be circumcised and follow Jewish law. Since they wished to live in the land of their ancestors, they accepted circumcision and the other Jewish customs. From then on, they were considered Jews.

Hyrcanus, the high priest, wanted to renew the alliance of friendship between his people and the Romans. He therefore sent ambassadors to Rome. After the Senate received their letter, it renewed the alliance of friendship and mutual aid in the following terms:

"Fanius, son of Marcus, the praetor, convened the Senate on the eighth day before the Ides of February in the Senate House. Lucius Manlius, son of Lucius, of the Mentine tribe, and Gaius Sempronius, son of Gaius, of the Falernian tribe, were present. The matter before the Senate concerned the alliance of friendship and mutual aid between the Romans and the Jewish people. Their ambassadors, Simon son of Dositheus, Apollonius son of Alexander, and Diodorus son of Jason, all worthy and honorable men, had several requests concerning this alliance and other public matters.

"They asked that Joppa and its harbors, Gazara, the springs of Jordan, and the other cities and territories Antiochus had taken from them during the war, against the Senate's decree, be restored to them. They also asked that the king's troops be forbidden to cross their land or the lands subject to them; that the actions Antiochus had taken during the war without the Senate's decree be declared invalid; and that ambassadors be sent to secure the return of what Antiochus had taken and to assess the damage to the country caused by the war. They also asked for letters of protection to the kings and free peoples, so they could return home safely.

"The Senate therefore decreed that it would renew its alliance of friendship and mutual aid with these worthy men, who had been sent by a good and friendly people. As for the letters they requested, the Senate replied that it would consider the matter when its own affairs allowed, and would try to prevent similar injuries from being done to them in the future. The praetor Fanius was to provide them money from the public treasury for their journey home."

Fanius then dismissed the Jewish ambassadors and gave them money from the public treasury. He also handed the Senate's decree to those appointed to escort them and ensure their safe return.

Such was the state of affairs for Hyrcanus the high priest. King Demetrius wanted to make war on him, but he had no chance to do so, since both the Syrians and the soldiers hated him for his wicked character. They sent ambassadors to Ptolemy, called Physcon, asking him to send someone from the family of Seleucus to take the throne. Ptolemy sent Alexander, called Zebina, with an army. The two sides fought, and Demetrius was defeated. He fled to Ptolemais, where his wife Cleopatra refused to receive him. He then went to Tyre, where he was captured. After suffering greatly at the hands of his enemies, he was put to death.

Alexander took the kingdom and made an alliance with Hyrcanus. Later, however, when Hyrcanus fought Antiochus, Demetrius' son, called Grypus, he too was defeated and killed.

CHAPTER 10

How Hyrcanus Took Samaria and Destroyed It After the Dispute Between Antiochus Grypus and Antiochus Cyzicenus; How He Joined the Sadducees and Left the Pharisees

After Antiochus took the kingdom, he was afraid to make war on Judea. He had heard that his brother, who was also named Antiochus and shared the same mother, was raising an army at Cyzicum against him. So he stayed in his own country and prepared for the attack he expected from his brother, who was called Cyzicenus because he had been raised in that city. Cyzicenus was the son of Antiochus Soter, who died in Parthia, and the brother of Demetrius, Grypus's father. As we have related elsewhere, the same Cleopatra had been married to two brothers. When Antiochus Cyzicenus came into Syria, he and his brother fought for many years.

Throughout this time, Hyrcanus lived in peace. After Antiochus died, Hyrcanus revolted from the Macedonians and no longer treated them as either his masters or his friends. His affairs prospered during the rule of Alexander Zebina, and even more so under the two brothers. Their war gave Hyrcanus the chance to live in peace in Judea and amass a great deal of money. But when Antiochus Cyzicenus began to ravage his country, Hyrcanus showed openly what he intended to do. He saw that Antiochus had no Egyptian allies, and that both brothers were weakened by their struggle with each other, so he thought little of them.

Hyrcanus then marched against Samaria, a strongly fortified city. We will speak at the proper time of its later name, Sebaste, and of Herod's rebuilding of it. Hyrcanus attacked and besieged the city with great effort. He was angry with the Samaritans for the wrongs they had done to the people of Merissa, a Jewish colony allied with Judea, at the urging of the kings of Syria.

Hyrcanus dug a ditch and built two walls around the city, a total of eighty furlongs in length. He placed his sons Antigonus and Aristobulus in command of the siege. The Samaritans were so weakened by famine that they were forced to eat things they would not usually eat. They called on Antiochus Cyzicenus for help, and he came at once, but Aristobulus defeated him. The two brothers pursued him as far as Scythopolis, where he escaped. They returned to Samaria and again trapped the people inside the walls.

The Samaritans were forced to ask Antiochus for help a second time. He obtained about six thousand men from Ptolemy Lathyrus, who sent them without his mother's consent. By then, she had all but driven him from his government. With these Egyptians, Antiochus first raided and plundered Hyrcanus's country like a bandit. He did not dare meet Hyrcanus in battle because his army was too small. He hoped that by harassing the land, he would force Hyrcanus to lift the siege of Samaria. But Antiochus fell into traps and lost many soldiers, so he went away to Tripoli. He left Callimander and Epicrates to continue the war against the Jews.

Callimander attacked the enemy too rashly and was immediately defeated and killed. Epicrates loved money so much that he openly betrayed Scythopolis and other nearby places to the Jews. Still, he could not make them lift the siege of Samaria.

Hyrcanus took the city after a siege of a year. He did not stop there. He destroyed it completely and brought streams of water through it, digging channels beneath the city. He even removed every sign that a city had once stood there.

A remarkable story is told about Hyrcanus the high priest and how God spoke to him. They say that on the very day his sons fought Antiochus Cyzicenus, Hyrcanus was alone in the temple, offering incense as high priest. There he heard a voice announcing that his sons had just defeated Antiochus. When he came out of the temple, he told the assembled people what he had heard. The report proved true. Such was the state of Hyrcanus's affairs.

At this time, not only the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea prospered, but also those living in Alexandria, Egypt, and Cyprus. Queen Cleopatra was at odds with her son Ptolemy, called Lathyrus. She appointed Chelcias and Ananias, the sons of Onias, as her generals. Onias had built a temple in the district of Heliopolis, like the one in Jerusalem, as we have related elsewhere.

Cleopatra entrusted these men with her army and followed their advice in all matters. Strabo of Cappadocia bears witness to this when he writes: "Most of those who came to Cyprus with us, as well as those sent there afterward, immediately went over to Ptolemy. Only those called the party of Onias, who were Jews, remained loyal, because their countrymen Chelcias and Ananias held the queen's highest favor." These are Strabo's words.

This prosperous state of affairs stirred envy of Hyrcanus among the Jews. His strongest opponents were the Pharisees, one of the Jewish sects, as we have already explained. They had great influence over the people. Whenever they spoke against the king or the high priest, the people readily believed them.

Hyrcanus had been a student of the Pharisees, and they loved him greatly. Once, after inviting them to a feast and treating them warmly, he spoke to them while they were in good spirits. He told them that they knew he wanted to live righteously and do everything that pleased God, as the Pharisees also professed to do. He asked them to correct him if they saw him do anything wrong or stray from the right path.

They all declared that he was entirely virtuous, and he was pleased by their praise. But one of the guests, Eleazar, was a bad-tempered man who enjoyed stirring up sedition. He said, "If you truly want to know the truth and live righteously, give up the high priesthood and be content with governing the people."

When Hyrcanus asked why he should give up the high priesthood, Eleazar replied, "We have heard from the elders that your mother was a captive during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes." The story was false, and Hyrcanus was angered by it. The Pharisees were also deeply offended by Eleazar's words.

Jonathan, a close friend of Hyrcanus and a member of the Sadducees, advised him. The Sadducees held views quite opposed to those of the Pharisees. Jonathan told Hyrcanus that Eleazar had insulted him with words that reflected the common opinion of the Pharisees. Hyrcanus could find out whether they agreed with the insult by asking what punishment Eleazar deserved. If they wanted him punished for his offense, then Hyrcanus could be sure they had not approved of his words.

The Pharisees answered that Eleazar deserved a flogging and imprisonment, but they did not think an insult should be punished by death. In other cases, too, the Pharisees were not severe in their punishments. Hyrcanus was angry at this mild sentence and concluded that Eleazar had insulted him with their approval.

Jonathan was the one who stirred Hyrcanus's anger most and persuaded him to leave the Pharisees, repeal the decrees they had imposed on the people, and punish those who followed them. This was the beginning of the hatred Hyrcanus and his sons faced from the people. We will speak of these events later.

For now, I will explain that the Pharisees passed down many practices to the people from their ancestors. These practices were not written in the laws of Moses. The Sadducees rejected them, saying that only the written laws were binding and that people should not follow customs handed down by tradition. These differences led to serious disputes among the two groups. The Sadducees could persuade only the rich and had little influence over the common people, while the Pharisees had the support of the multitude. I have written at length about these two sects and the Essenes in the second book of Jewish Affairs.

After Hyrcanus ended this conflict, he lived in prosperity and governed well for thirty-one years. Then he died, leaving five sons. God had granted him three of the greatest honors: rule over his people, the dignity of the high priesthood, and the gift of prophecy. God was with him and allowed him to know what would happen in the future. In particular, Hyrcanus predicted that his two eldest sons would not hold power for long. Their unhappy end deserves to be told, so that we may learn how far they fell below their father's good fortune.

CHAPTER 11

Aristobulus Takes the Crown, Imprisons His Mother and Brothers, Kills Antigonus, and Then Dies

After their father, Hyrcanus, died, his eldest son Aristobulus decided to turn the government into a kingdom. He put a diadem on his head, 481 years and three months after the people had been freed from Babylonian captivity and returned to their own land.

Aristobulus loved his next-youngest brother, Antigonus, and treated him as an equal. He imprisoned his other brothers. He also put his mother in prison because she challenged his rule, though Hyrcanus had left her in charge of everything. Aristobulus was so cruel that he let her starve to death.

He was later turned against Antigonus by false accusations and had him killed as well. This was the brother he had seemed to love most, and whom he had made his partner in the kingdom. At first, Aristobulus refused to believe the charges. He loved Antigonus and thought the people making the accusations were driven by envy.

But one day, Antigonus returned from the army during the Feast of Tabernacles. Aristobulus had fallen ill, and Antigonus went to the temple in splendid armor, accompanied by his soldiers, to celebrate the feast and pray for his brother's recovery. Some wicked men, eager to turn the brothers against each other, used Antigonus's grand appearance and military achievements to stir up Aristobulus. They claimed that Antigonus's display was unfit for a private man and showed that he wanted royal power. They also said he had brought a strong force with him so he could kill Aristobulus. After all, they argued, it was foolish for Antigonus to settle for a lesser position under his brother when he could rule for himself.

Aristobulus believed the accusations, but he was careful not to let Antigonus suspect him, and he took steps to protect himself. He ordered his guards to wait in a dark underground passage. Aristobulus was lying ill in the tower called Antonia. He told the guards not to harm anyone if Antigonus came unarmed, but to kill him if he came in armor.

Aristobulus sent a message asking Antigonus to visit without his armor. But the queen and her allies, who were plotting against Antigonus, persuaded the messenger to tell him the opposite. They said Aristobulus had heard that Antigonus had made himself a fine suit of armor and wanted him to come wearing it, so he could see it.

Antigonus suspected no treachery. Trusting his brother's goodwill, he came dressed in his full armor, as he usually was, to show it to him. When he reached a place called Strato's Tower, where the passage was very dark, the guards killed him.

His death shows that envy and slander can be stronger than anything else, and that nothing more surely breaks the natural affection people have for one another. Here, too, we can marvel at Judas, an Essene who never failed in his predictions. When he saw Antigonus passing by the temple, he cried out to his companions and students, who had come to learn how to foretell the future:

"It would be better for me to die now. I spoke falsely about Antigonus, who is still alive, and I can see him passing by. I had predicted that he would die today at the place called Strato's Tower, but that place is six hundred furlongs away. Most of the day has already passed, and I am in danger of proving to be a false prophet."

While Judas was speaking in sorrow, word arrived that Antigonus had been killed underground, in a place also called Strato's Tower, after the name of the Caesarea on the coast. The news threw the prophet into great confusion.

Aristobulus immediately regretted having killed his brother. His illness grew worse, and the guilt of his crime tormented him. The pain became unbearable, his insides were corrupted, and he began to vomit blood.

One of his servants was carrying the blood away when, by what I can only suppose was divine providence, he slipped and spilled some of it in the very place where Antigonus's blood stains still remained. The people who saw this cried out, as if the servant had spilled the blood there on purpose. Aristobulus heard them and asked what had happened. When they would not answer, he pressed them harder. People naturally suspect that what is being hidden is terrible. At last, he threatened them until they told him the truth.

He wept bitterly, overwhelmed by the knowledge of what he had done, and groaned aloud:

"So I cannot hide from God the wicked and dreadful crimes I have committed. Sudden punishment is coming upon me for shedding the blood of my own family. And now, you shameless body of mine, how long will you keep alive a soul that deserves to die, so that it may appease the spirits of my brother and my mother? Why don't you surrender it all at once? Why do I give my blood to those I murdered, drop by drop?"

As he finished speaking, he died. He had ruled for one year.

Aristobulus was called a lover of the Greeks. He did much for his country, waged war against the Itureans, and added a large part of their land to Judea. He forced the people who wished to remain there to be circumcised and live by Jewish law. He was naturally fair-minded and modest, as Strabo says, quoting Timagenes:

"This man was fair-minded and very useful to the Jews. He added territory to their land, took part of the Iturean nation for them, and bound those people to them through circumcision."

CHAPTER 12

How Alexander, After Taking the Government, Marched Against Ptolemais and Then Lifted the Siege for Fear of Ptolemy Lathyrus; How Ptolemy Made War on Him Because He Had Secretly Asked Cleopatra to Attack Ptolemy, While Pretending to Be His Friend; and How Ptolemy Defeated the Jews in Battle

After Aristobulus died, his wife Salome, whom the Greeks called Alexandra, released his brothers from prison. Aristobulus had kept them there, as we have already said. She then made Alexander Jannaeus king, since he was the eldest and most moderate of them.

His father had hated Alexander from the moment he was born and would not allow him into his presence until the day he died. The reason for this hatred is said to have been as follows. Hyrcanus loved his two eldest sons, Antigonus and Aristobulus, above the rest. One night, God appeared to him in a dream, and Hyrcanus asked which of his sons would succeed him. When God showed him the face of Alexander, Hyrcanus was distressed that Alexander would inherit all his possessions and sent him to be raised in Galilee. Yet God had not misled Hyrcanus. After Aristobulus died, Alexander took the kingdom. He killed one of his brothers, who also wanted the throne, but respected the other, who preferred to live a quiet, private life.

After Alexander Jannaeus had arranged the government as he thought best, he marched against Ptolemais. He defeated its people in battle, drove them inside the city, and laid siege to it. Among the coastal cities, only Ptolemais and Gaza remained to be conquered, along with Strato's Tower and Dora, which were held by the tyrant Zoilus.

At that time, Antiochus Philometor and Antiochus, who was called Cyzicenus, were at war with each other and were destroying one another's armies. The people of Ptolemais could get no help from either king. As the siege wore on, Zoilus, who held Strato's Tower and Dora and commanded a force of soldiers, brought them some small measure of aid. He had also tried to make himself a ruler while the two kings were fighting. The people of Ptolemais could not expect much help from either king, since neither was a close ally.

The two kings were like wrestlers who knew they lacked the strength to win but were too ashamed to give up. So they delayed the fight by staying still as long as they could. The people of Ptolemais had only one hope left: the kings of Egypt, and Ptolemy Lathyrus, who now ruled Cyprus. Cleopatra, his mother, had driven him from Egypt, and he had gone to Cyprus. The people of Ptolemais sent envoys to him and asked him to come to their aid before Alexander took the city. They promised that if he crossed into Syria, the people of Gaza would join them. Zoilus, the Sidonians, and many others, they said, would also support him. Ptolemy was encouraged by their promises and quickly prepared his fleet.

During this time, Demenetus, a persuasive man who led the people, changed the minds of the people of Ptolemais. He told them it was better to risk falling under Jewish rule than to hand themselves over to a master and face certain slavery. He also warned them that accepting Ptolemy would bring a war now and a much greater war from Egypt later. Cleopatra, he said, would never ignore an army Ptolemy had gathered in a neighboring country. She would come against them with a large force, especially since she was already trying to drive her son from Cyprus. If Ptolemy failed, he could retreat to Cyprus, but the people of Ptolemais would be left in the greatest danger.

Ptolemy had heard that the people of Ptolemais had changed their minds, but he continued his voyage. He landed his army at a place called Sycamine, then marched toward Ptolemais and camped nearby. His forces, both cavalry and infantry, numbered about thirty thousand. When the people of Ptolemais refused to receive his envoys or listen to their message, he was deeply troubled.

Zoilus and the people of Gaza then came to Ptolemy and asked for his help. The Jews, they said, and Alexander had laid waste to their country. Alexander lifted the siege of Ptolemais because he feared Ptolemy. After withdrawing his army to his own country, Alexander used a trick. In secret, he urged Cleopatra to attack Ptolemy. In public, he acted as if he wanted an alliance of friendship and mutual aid with him.

Alexander promised Ptolemy four hundred talents of silver. In return, he asked him to kill Zoilus and give Zoilus's territory to the Jews. Ptolemy gladly made the alliance and defeated Zoilus. Later, however, he learned that Alexander had secretly sent word to Cleopatra, his mother. Though Ptolemy had sworn to uphold the alliance, he broke it, attacked Alexander, and besieged Ptolemais because the city would not admit him.

Ptolemy left some of his forces and commanders to continue the siege, then marched with the rest to ravage Judea. When Alexander learned what Ptolemy intended, he gathered about fifty thousand men from his own country. Some writers say the number was eighty thousand. He led his army out to meet Ptolemy. Ptolemy, meanwhile, attacked Asochis, a city in Galilee, and took it by force on the Sabbath. He captured about ten thousand people and seized a great deal of other spoils.

Ptolemy next tried to capture Sepphoris, a city near the place he had destroyed, but lost many men. He then went to fight Alexander. Alexander met him by the Jordan River, near a place called Saphoth, and camped close to the enemy.

Alexander placed eight thousand men in the front line. He called them Hecatontomachi, and they carried bronze shields. The front-line soldiers in Ptolemy's army also had bronze-covered shields. In other ways, Ptolemy's men were weaker than Alexander's and more afraid to face the dangers of battle. But Philostephanus, the commander of the camp, gave them courage and ordered them to cross the river between the two armies.

Alexander chose not to stop them. He thought that once the enemy had the river behind them, they would be easier to capture because they could not escape across it. At first, both armies fought with equal courage and strength, and many men fell on both sides. Alexander's forces had the advantage until Philostephanus brought up the reserve troops at the right moment to help the soldiers who were giving way.

The Jews had no reserve troops to aid the part of their army that began to flee. The men nearby did not help them. They fled too. Ptolemy's soldiers acted differently. They pursued the Jews and killed them, chasing them even after the whole army had taken flight. They continued killing until their iron weapons were blunted and their hands were worn out. It was said that thirty thousand men died. Timagenes gives the number as fifty thousand. Of those who survived, some were captured and the rest fled to their own country.

After this victory, Ptolemy overran the country. When night fell, he stayed in some villages in Judea. He found them filled with women and children, and ordered his soldiers to strangle them and cut them into pieces. He then commanded them to throw the bodies into boiling pots and eat the flesh as if it were a sacrifice.

He gave this order so that any of his enemies who had fled from the battle and reached the villages would think his soldiers were cannibals who ate human flesh. He expected the sight to make them even more afraid. Strabo and Nicolaus of Damascus also say that Ptolemy's men treated the people in this way, as I have already related. Ptolemy also took Ptolemais by force, as we have described elsewhere.

CHAPTER 13

How Alexander, Under the Mutual Defense Treaty He Had Made with Cleopatra, Invaded Coelesyria and Destroyed Gaza; How He Killed Tens of Thousands of Jews Who Rebelled Against Him; and What Happened to Antiochus Grypus, Seleucus, Antiochus Cyzicenus, Antiochus Pius, and Others

Cleopatra saw that her son had grown powerful. He had laid Judea waste without opposition and taken control of Gaza. Since he was now almost at her borders, she decided she could no longer ignore his actions. She believed that, having grown stronger, he would soon seek control of Egypt. So she marched against him with a fleet at sea and an army on land. She appointed the Jews Chelcias and Ananias as generals over her entire army. She also sent most of her wealth, her grandchildren, and her will to the people of Cos.

Cleopatra ordered her son Alexander to sail to Phoenicia with a large fleet. When that country revolted, she went to Ptolemais. The people there refused to receive her, so she laid siege to the city. Meanwhile, Ptolemy left Syria and hurried to Egypt, believing it had no army and that he could take it quickly. His hopes came to nothing. During this time, Chelcias, one of Cleopatra's generals, died in Coelesyria while pursuing Ptolemy.

When Cleopatra learned of her son's attempt to seize Egypt and heard that his campaign had failed, she sent part of her army there and drove him out. After returning from Egypt, Ptolemy spent the winter at Gaza. During that time, Cleopatra captured both the garrison at Ptolemais and the city itself.

When Alexander came to Cleopatra, he brought her gifts and showed her the respect due to her. After all, with Ptolemy bringing him so much trouble, she was the only person he could turn to for help. Some of Cleopatra's advisers urged her to seize Alexander and take over his country. They argued that she should not stand by while so many brave Jews remained under the rule of one man.

Ananias advised her otherwise. He said it would be unjust to strip her ally, a relative of theirs, of his authority. "You must understand," he told her, "that if you act unjustly toward him, all of us Jews will become your enemies." Cleopatra followed Ananias's advice. She did Alexander no harm, and the two made a mutual defense treaty at Scythopolis, a city in Coelesyria.

Once Alexander was free from the threat posed by Ptolemy, he immediately marched against Coelesyria. After a siege that lasted ten months, he captured Gadara. He also took Areathus, a very strong fortress belonging to the people who lived beyond the Jordan. The fortress held the chief treasury and most treasured possessions of Theodorus, son of Zeno.

Zeno had once taken the Jews by surprise, killed ten thousand of them, and seized Alexander's baggage. This defeat did not discourage Alexander. He marched against the coastal towns of Raphia and Anthedon, which he captured by force. King Herod later changed Anthedon's name to Agrippias.

When Alexander learned that Ptolemy had left Gaza for Cyprus and that Cleopatra had returned to Egypt, he turned against the people of Gaza. He was angry because they had invited Ptolemy to help them. He laid siege to the city and ravaged the surrounding country.

Apollodotus, the general of the Gazaean army, attacked the Jewish camp at night with two thousand foreign soldiers and ten thousand of his own men. While it was dark, the people of Gaza had the advantage because the Jews thought Ptolemy was attacking them. When daylight came and the truth became clear, the Jews regrouped and struck back, killing about a thousand Gazaeans.

The people of Gaza resisted fiercely. Neither their lack of supplies nor the great number of their dead could persuade them to surrender. They preferred to endure any hardship rather than fall into enemy hands. Aretas, king of the Arabs, who was then widely known, urged them to keep fighting and promised to come to their aid.

Before Aretas arrived, Apollodotus was killed. His brother Lysimachus envied the reputation he had won among the citizens, so he murdered him. Lysimachus then gathered the army and surrendered the city to Alexander. At first, Alexander entered and did nothing. Later, he turned his army loose on the people of Gaza and let them punish the inhabitants.

The Jews spread through the city and killed the people of Gaza. The Gazaeans fought back bravely and killed as many Jews as they could. Some, seeing that no help was coming, set fire to their own houses so the enemy could not take their goods. Others killed their wives and children with their own hands, believing this was the only way to spare them from slavery.

The city's five hundred senators had been gathered in Apollo's temple when the attack began. Alexander killed them there. After completely destroying Gaza, he returned to Jerusalem. The siege had lasted a year.

Around this time, Antiochus, called Grypus, died. Heracleon treacherously caused his death. Grypus was forty-five years old and had ruled for twenty-nine years.

His son Seleucus succeeded him and went to war against his father's brother, Antiochus, called Cyzicenus. Seleucus defeated him, captured him, and killed him. Later, Antiochus, the son of Cyzicenus, who was called Pius, came to Aradus, placed the crown on his own head, and went to war against Seleucus. He defeated Seleucus and drove him out of Syria.

After fleeing Syria, Seleucus returned to Mopsuestia and demanded money from the people there. They were angered by his actions, burned down his palace, and killed him and his friends.

When Antiochus, the son of Cyzicenus, became king of Syria, Antiochus, Seleucus's brother, went to war against him. He was defeated and killed along with his army. After him, his brother Philip took the crown and ruled over part of Syria.

Ptolemy Lathyrus then summoned his fourth brother, Demetrius, called Eucerus, from Cnidus and made him king of Damascus. Antiochus fought hard against both brothers, but soon died. He had gone to help Laodice, queen of the Gileadites, when she was fighting the Parthians. He fought bravely but fell in battle while Demetrius and Philip ruled Syria, as I have related elsewhere.

Alexander's own people rebelled against him. During a festival, he stood at the altar and was about to offer a sacrifice when the people rose against him and pelted him with citrons. They were carrying the fruit because Jewish law required everyone to bring palm and citron branches to the Feast of Tabernacles, as I have explained elsewhere.

They also insulted Alexander, saying he was descended from a captive and was unfit to hold office or offer sacrifices. He flew into a rage and killed about six thousand of them. He also built a wooden barrier around the altar and the temple, enclosing the area that only priests were allowed to enter. This kept the crowd from reaching him.

Alexander also hired foreign soldiers from Pisidia and Cilicia. He did not use Syrians because he was at war with them. He defeated the Arabians, including the Moabites and Gileadites, and forced them to pay tribute. He also destroyed Amathus, while Theodorus did not dare to fight him.

Later, Alexander fought Obedas, king of the Arabs, but fell into an ambush in rough, difficult terrain. At Gadurn, a village in Gilead, a mass of camels drove him down into a deep valley. He barely escaped with his life. He fled from there to Jerusalem, where the people mocked him because of this and his other defeats.

Alexander fought against them for six years and killed no fewer than fifty thousand of them. When he asked them to end their hatred of him, they hated him even more because of what had already happened. He asked what he should do, and they shouted that he should kill himself. They also sent to Demetrius Eucerus and asked him to make a mutual defense treaty with them.

CHAPTER 14

How Demetrius Eucerus Defeated Alexander, Then Soon Left the Country in Fear; How Alexander Killed Many Jews and Put an End to His Troubles; and the Death of Demetrius

Demetrius came with an army, gathered those who had invited him, and set up camp near Shechem. Alexander marched against him with 6,200 mercenaries and about 20,000 Jews who supported him. Demetrius had 3,000 cavalry and 40,000 foot soldiers.

Both sides made every effort to persuade their opponents to change sides. Demetrius tried to win over Alexander's mercenaries, who were Greeks, while Alexander tried to draw away the Jews in Demetrius's army. Neither side succeeded, and they went to battle. Demetrius won. All of Alexander's mercenaries were killed, after proving their loyalty and courage. Many of Demetrius's soldiers also died.

Alexander fled to the mountains. At that point, 6,000 Jews who had been with Demetrius took pity on him and joined his side, seeing how his fortunes had changed. Demetrius grew afraid and withdrew from the country.

The Jews then fought Alexander. He defeated them in several battles, and many were killed. He drove the strongest among them into the city of Bethome and laid siege to it. When he captured the city and took its defenders prisoner, he brought them to Jerusalem and committed one of the most savage acts imaginable. While he feasted with his concubines in full view of the city, he ordered about 800 men to be crucified. As they were still alive, he had their wives and children killed before their eyes.

He did this to avenge the injuries they had caused him. The punishment was inhuman, even though their wars had brought him close to ruin. Their actions had put both his life and his kingdom in the greatest danger. They had not been content to fight him themselves, but had also brought in foreign forces. In the end, they forced him to return to the king of Arabia the land of Moab and Gilead, which he had conquered, along with the towns in those lands, so that the king would not join them in the war. They had also done many other things to insult and disgrace him.

Even so, this cruelty seems to have served no necessary purpose. For this reason, the Jews called Alexander a Thracian. About 8,000 of the soldiers who had fought against him fled by night and remained in exile for as long as Alexander lived. With those opponents gone, Alexander ruled in complete peace for the rest of his life.

After leaving Judea, Demetrius went to Berea and besieged his brother Philip. He had 10,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 cavalry with him. Strato, the tyrant of Berea and an ally of Philip, called for help from Zizon, ruler of the Arabian tribes, and Mithridates Sinax, ruler of the Parthians.

They arrived with a large force and drove Demetrius's men into their camp with a shower of arrows. Once trapped there, Demetrius's troops were forced by thirst to surrender. The victors seized much plunder from the country and captured Demetrius, whom they sent to Mithridates, then king of Parthia. They returned the captives from Antioch to the people of Antioch without payment.

Mithridates treated Demetrius with great honor until Demetrius died of illness. Soon after the battle, Philip went to Antioch, captured the city, and became ruler of Syria.

CHAPTER 15

How Antiochus, Called Dionysus, and Then Aretas Invaded Judea; How Alexander Captured Many Cities and Returned to Jerusalem; How He Died After Three Years of Illness; and the Counsel He Gave Alexandra

After these events, Antiochus, called Dionysus, the brother of Philip, sought to take power. He came to Damascus, seized control of the city, and ruled there. While he was campaigning against the Arabians, his brother Philip heard what had happened and came to Damascus. Milesius, who had been left in charge of the citadel, and the people of Damascus handed the city over to Philip.

Philip, however, proved ungrateful to Milesius. He gave him none of the rewards Milesius had expected in return for admitting him to the city. Instead, Philip wanted people to believe that Milesius had surrendered Damascus out of fear, not friendship. Because Philip had failed to repay him as he should have, Milesius came to suspect him. When Philip later marched out to the Hippodrome, Milesius trapped him there and kept Damascus for Antiochus, called Eucerus. When Antiochus learned of Philip's situation, he returned from Arabia.

Antiochus then set out against Judea with eight thousand foot soldiers and eight hundred cavalrymen. Fearing his advance, Alexander dug a deep ditch from Chabarzaba, now called Antipatris, to the sea at Joppa, the only direction from which Antiochus could bring his army against him. Alexander also built a wall, raised wooden towers, and set up forts along a stretch of one hundred and fifty furlongs. There he waited for Antiochus. But Antiochus soon burned the defenses and led his army through the passage into Arabia.

At first, the Arabian king, Aretas, retreated. Then he suddenly returned with ten thousand horsemen. Antiochus met him in battle and fought fiercely. He won the battle, but while bringing reinforcements to a part of his army that was in trouble, he was killed. After Antiochus fell, his army fled to the village of Cana, where most of the soldiers died of hunger.

After Antiochus, Aretas ruled Coele-Syria. The people of Damascus called him to govern because they hated Ptolemy Menneus. Aretas then invaded Judea and defeated Alexander in a battle near a place called Adida. But after they reached an agreement, Aretas withdrew from Judea.

Alexander marched again and captured the city of Dios. He then attacked Essa, where most of Zeno's treasure was kept. He surrounded the city with three walls and took it by force. From there he marched to Golan and Seleucia, and captured both cities. He also seized the valley called the Valley of Antiochus and the fortress of Gamala. Alexander accused Demetrius, the governor of those places, of many crimes and removed him from office.

After spending three years at war, Alexander returned to his own country. The Jews welcomed him with joy because of his success.

At this time, the Jews held the following cities that had once belonged to the Syrians, Idumeans, and Phoenicians. Along the coast were Strato's Tower, Apollonia, Joppa, Jamnia, Ashdod, Gaza, Anthedon, Raphia, and Rhinocolura. Near Idumea, in the central part of the country, were Adora and Marissa. Near Samaria were Mount Carmel, Mount Tabor, Scythopolis, and Gadara. In Gaulonitis were Seleucia and Gabala. In Moab were Heshbon, Medaba, Lemba, Oronas, Gelithon, Zorn, the Valley of the Cilices, and Pella. The Jews destroyed Pella completely because its inhabitants refused to give up their own religious customs and adopt those of the Jews. The Jews also held other leading cities in Syria that had been destroyed.

After this, King Alexander fell ill from heavy drinking and suffered from a quartan fever for three years. Still, he kept leading his army until the strain of his campaigns exhausted him. He died in the region of Ragaba, a fortress beyond the Jordan.

When his queen saw that he was near death and could no longer hope he would recover, she came to him in tears. She mourned for herself and her sons, who would be left without support, and said, "To whom are you leaving me and my children? We have no one else to protect us, and you know how much your people hate you."

Alexander advised her that she could keep the kingdom secure for herself and her children if she followed his counsel. First, she should keep his death secret from the soldiers until she had captured the fortress. Then she should return to Jerusalem in a victory procession and place some of her power in the hands of the Pharisees. They would praise her for honoring them and would help reconcile the people to her. He explained that the Pharisees had great influence among the Jews. They could harm those they hated and help those they favored. The people trusted them most when they spoke harshly against someone, even when envy was their only reason.

Alexander said that the Pharisees had turned the people against him, though he admitted that he had wronged them. "When you reach Jerusalem," he told her, "call their leaders to you. Show them my body, and let them see that you are speaking sincerely. Give them leave to do with it as they wish. They may deny me burial because I caused them so much suffering, or they may choose some other way to insult my body in their anger. Promise them, too, that you won't handle the affairs of the kingdom without consulting them. If you say this, they will give me a more honorable funeral than you could arrange yourself. And though they have the power to mistreat my body, they won't harm it. You will then rule in safety."

After giving his wife this counsel, Alexander died. He had ruled for twenty-seven years and lived to the age of fifty-one.

CHAPTER 16

How Alexandra Won the Pharisees' Goodwill, Held the Kingdom for Nine Years, and Died After Many Glorious Deeds

After Alexandra captured the fortress, she followed her husband's advice. She spoke with the Pharisees and handed over to them all matters concerning his body and the affairs of the kingdom. This quieted their anger toward Alexander and restored their goodwill toward him. They then went among the people and spoke of the deeds of Alexander, telling them they had lost a righteous king. Their praise moved the people to grieve for him. Alexander received a more splendid funeral than any king before him.

Alexander left two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but entrusted the kingdom to Alexandra. Hyrcanus was unable to manage public affairs and preferred a quiet life. His younger brother, Aristobulus, was bold and energetic. Alexandra, for her part, was loved by the people because she seemed to disapprove of the wrongs her husband had committed.

Alexandra made Hyrcanus high priest because he was the elder son, but even more because he had no desire to take part in politics. She allowed the Pharisees to do as they pleased and ordered the people to obey them. She also restored the practices the Pharisees had introduced according to the traditions of their forefathers, practices that her father-in-law, Hyrcanus, had abolished.

Alexandra held the title of ruler, but the Pharisees held the power. They recalled those who had been banished, freed the prisoners, and, in short, acted like masters of the kingdom. The queen still took charge of the kingdom's affairs. She gathered a large force of mercenary soldiers and greatly strengthened her army, making herself feared by the neighboring rulers. She also took hostages from them, and the country remained at peace.

The Pharisees, however, troubled the queen. They demanded that she put to death the men who had advised Alexander to kill the eight hundred. They first murdered Diogenes, then killed several others, one after another. At last, the most powerful of these men came to the palace with Aristobulus, who openly disapproved of what was happening. It was clear that, given the chance, he would not allow his mother to continue in this way.

The men reminded the queen of the dangers they had faced and the great deeds they had done, proving their loyalty to their master and earning his favor. They begged her not to destroy their hopes. They had escaped their open enemies, they said, only to be killed at home by private enemies, like animals, with no one to help them. If their opponents were satisfied with those already slain, they would accept what had happened out of their love for their rulers. But if more deaths were to follow, they asked to be released from the queen's service. They could not bring themselves to seek their own safety without her help, they said, and would rather die at the palace gate if she refused to pardon them.

They also told her it was shameful for both her and them that, after she had abandoned them, they should fall into the hands of her husband's enemies. The Arabian king Aretas and the other rulers, they said, would gladly reward anyone who could bring them such men as foreign allies. Their names alone might frighten those rulers before they even heard their voices. If the queen would not grant this request, and still chose the Pharisees over them, they begged her to place them in the fortresses. If some evil spirit was set against Alexander's house, they were willing to share its misfortunes and live there as private citizens.

As the men spoke, calling on Alexander's spirit to pity those already killed and those still in danger, everyone present began to weep. Aristobulus made his feelings plain and spoke harshly to his mother. "The truth is that these men brought their troubles on themselves," he said, "by allowing a woman, driven by ambition against all reason, to rule them when her sons were in their prime and better suited to govern."

Alexandra did not know what she could properly do, so she entrusted the fortresses to the men, except for Hyrcania, Alexandrium, and Macherus, where she kept her greatest treasures. Some time later, she sent Aristobulus with an army to Damascus against Ptolemy, who was called Menneus and had been a troublesome neighbor to the city. Aristobulus achieved little there and returned home.

Around this time, word arrived that Tigranes, king of Armenia, had invaded Syria with an army of five hundred thousand men and was marching against Judea. The news alarmed the queen and the people. They sent him many valuable gifts and ambassadors while he was besieging Ptolemais. Selene, the queen also called Cleopatra, then ruled Syria and had persuaded the people of Ptolemais to keep Tigranes out.

The Jewish ambassadors pleaded with Tigranes not to take harsh action against their queen or nation. He praised them for showing him respect from so great a distance and gave them reason to hope for his favor. But after he captured Ptolemais, word reached him that Lucullus, while pursuing Mithridates, had failed to find him because he had fled to Iberia. Lucullus was instead ravaging Armenia and laying siege to its cities. When Tigranes heard this, he returned home.

After this, the queen fell dangerously ill, and Aristobulus decided to seize the government. He slipped away at night with only one servant and went to the fortresses where his father's old supporters were stationed. He had long been troubled by his mother's conduct, and now he feared that, after her death, the Pharisees would take control of the whole family. He knew his brother, who was next in line to rule, was not capable of governing. No one knew what Aristobulus was doing except his wife, whom he left in Jerusalem with their children.

He went first to Agaba, where Galestes, one of the powerful men already mentioned, welcomed him. When morning came, the queen learned that Aristobulus had fled. At first, she thought he had no plans to change the government. But messengers soon arrived with news that he had secured one fortress, then another, and then all the rest. Once he began, every stronghold submitted to him. The queen and the people fell into great confusion, for they realized that Aristobulus would soon be firmly established in power. Their greatest fear was that he would punish them for the cruel treatment his family had suffered at their hands.

They decided to take Aristobulus' wife and children into custody and keep them in the fortress above the temple. Meanwhile, people streamed to Aristobulus from every part of the country, and he soon had a royal household around him. In a little more than fifteen days, he gained control of twenty-two strongholds. This gave him the means to raise an army from Libanus, Trachonitis, and the neighboring rulers. People are easily swayed by the larger force and readily submit to it. The rulers who helped him also expected to benefit if he became king, since their support would have helped him win the throne.

The Jewish elders, with Hyrcanus among them, went to the queen and asked what she thought should be done. Aristobulus, they said, was now master of almost the whole kingdom, since he held so many fortresses. It was foolish for them to make plans without consulting her while she was still alive, even if she was ill, and danger would soon fall upon them all. She told them to do whatever they thought best. They still had many advantages, she said: a confident people, an army, and money in their treasuries. As for her, she had little concern for public affairs now that her body was failing.

A short time after she spoke with them, Alexandra died. She had ruled for nine years and lived to the age of seventy-three. She showed none of the weakness commonly attributed to women. Her desire to rule made her highly shrewd, and her actions showed that she had the strength of mind to govern. At the same time, men often reveal their poor judgment through the mistakes they make in ruling.

Alexandra always put present needs before the future. She valued absolute power above everything else and gave little thought to what was good or right. Her choices brought her family into such misfortune that, before long, it lost the authority she had gained through so many dangers and hardships. She wanted a power beyond her proper reach, and she listened to those who hated her family. She also left the government without the support of capable men. Her rule was such that, after her death, the palace filled with trouble and unrest.

Still, during her lifetime, she kept the nation at peace. This is the end of Alexandra's story.