{N}THE ASMONEAN FAMILY{/}

{K}ANTIGONUS IV EPIPHANES{/}

Antigonus III died leaving two sons. One of them, Seleucus IV Philopator 
assumed the throne of his father, while the other was held as hostage in 
Rome. The new king negotiated the release of his brother in exchange for 
his own son Demetrius. He reigned a dozen years at the end of which he 
was assassinated by his minister Heliodorus. The uncle then overthrew the 
throne of his nephew. Antiochus had himself crowned as Antiochus IV 
Epiphanes. This political overthrow divided the leading classes. This 
internal turmoil was aggravated even more by Rome's increasing 
encroachment in the area. By the treaty of Apamea the Seleucids had lost 
the eastern part of their empire. And even though they had annexed 
Palestine, they had to keep an eye on Egypt, not because it was a 
formidable foe, but because it had Rome's support.
{K}SACRILEGE{/}

The event took place in 168 BC. Antigonus attacked Egypt easily defeating 
the army sent against him by Ptolemy VI Philometor. Antigonus savored his 
victory when an emissary of the Roman Senate, Popilios Laenas, gave him 
the following ultimatum: Leave Egypt immediately or face the consequences 
with Rome. Antigonus preferred the humiliation to a probable defeat, and 
returned with his forces to Palestine. Seeing that money is lifeline of 
war, Antigonus returned to a method that had already proved successful. 
Since all temples had a treasury, the king began taking funds from 
Jerusalem's Temple treasury. In no time the Jews responded in anger. 
Antigonus lashed back with a violent persecution against faithful 
supporters of the Law. He profaned the Holy Place, forbade Jewish worship 
and replaced it with the cult of Olympian Zeus. He then sent soldiers to 
the countryside to enforce his orders. This sparked a resistance movement 
led by the priest {N}Mattathias{/} which quickly swelled into a war for 
independence.
{K}HELLENISM AND JUDAISM{/}

Such a rapid degradation of the situation to the point of insurrection 
would not have been understandable if the motives for it had not been 
accumulating for some time.
The campaigns of Alexander, the founding of Macedonian colonies, and the 
establishment of Hellenistic kingdoms, that is, descendants of Alexander 
and the domination of Hellenistic or Greek culture, all had their 
influence on Jewish communities in the {N}diaspora{/}, that is, on those 
dispersed in other countries, and this process grew day by day. These 
Jews scattered throughout the Near East discovered a culture they had not 
known, but which now attracted them greatly. In Palestine, the Ptolemites 
had created many cities according to the Greek model, among them 
Ptolemais or Nisa-Scitopolis. Even in Jerusalem, the High Priest {N}Jason{/} 
manifested his admiration for Hellenism. He was even willing to accept 
150 talents for written authorization allowing the Greeks to construct a 
gymnasium and a military school [2Mac_4,9]. These would signify the 
establishment of institutions that were repugnant to the Jewish 
conscience. From that time on, the division widened that separated the 
traditionalist Jews who demanded even greater fidelity to ancestral laws 
from those who believed that the modern outside influences could benefit 
Israel.
{K}HIGH PRIESTS DIVIDED{/}

The quarrel had reached the great priestly families. These priestly 
rivalries gradually motivated political powers to become involved in 
order to diminish the sovereignty of the high priests. Antiochus, whose 
financial resources were weak, quickly passed from his role as arbiter to 
that of judge and so from the beginning years of his reign he made it his 
practice to appoint and change high priests. The king deposed Onias, 
naming Jason as high priest in his place. Three years later a certain 
Menelaus offered Antiochus more money for which he was named high priest. 
Jason had no option but to flee. Such practices would only discredit 
Antiochus and the Jewish supporters of the Greeks.
{K}JUDAS MACABBEUS (166-160 BC){/}

{N}Mattathias{/} which we already named organized a resistance group to 
destroy pagan altars and forcefully to circumcise all uncircumcised 
children in the territory of Israel [1Mac_3,1] - [1Mac_3,2]. He died 
several months later (166 BC). His son, Judas, named the Macabbee, that 
is "the hammer" succeded him. His brothers and all of his father's 
followers offered him their support and enthusiastically continued the 
war [1Mac_3,1]. Antiochus didn't take their uprising seriously. He sent 
merely a detachment of soldiers under the command of a certain 
Apollonius. Judas defeated him, whereupon Governor Lysias, who ruled in 
the absence of the king, sent a much larger army under the command of 
Gorgias. Judas defeated this Seleucid force as well. Alarmed, Lysias 
decided to take command of the military campaign himself. His troops were 
also defeated and he had to flee to Antioch.
{K}RESISTANCE INTENSIFIES{/}

These unexpected victories strengthened the confidence of the Jews 
winning over even other Jews who out of fear had not become involved in 
the struggle. Now it was evident to everyone that God was again 
manifesting his protection for his people. And since the enemy had been 
repelled far from Jerusalem, it was time to take possession again of the 
Temple. Judas' principal goal was now to purify the Holy Place that the 
Greeks had profaned three years previously. The reconsecration of the 
altar and the sanctuary was celebrated on the 25 th of the ninth month 
with songs accompanied by zithers, harps, and cymbals [1Mac_4,54]. In 
future centuries this {N}Dedication{/} of the Temple in the year 164 BC would 
be commemorated on the Feast of Hanukkah. 
With the liberation and purification of the sanctuary it again became the 
place where the Community of Judea could celebrate its God in total 
freedom. Nevertheless, it was necessary to go and help those brothers and 
sisters that were most distant and isolated where the Greeks were more 
angry than ever against the Jews because of Judas' victories. Judas and 
his brother {N}Jonathan{/} led their forces to Gilead to inflict bloody 
reprisals there and to repatriate to Jerusalem all of the oppressed 
communities they found there. Mattathias' third son, Simon, carried out a 
similar mission in Galilee.
While all this was happening, Antiochus IV died, leaving an eight year 
old son to rule, and {N}Lysias{/} proclaimed himself regent of the kingdom. 
As both the Greek poulation of Palestine and his Jewish allies urged him 
to intervine, he decided to deal a definitive blow to the resistance. He 
badly defeated Judas and his troops and threatened Jerusalem. The only 
thing that saved the Holy City from destruction was that Lysias had to 
return to Antioch to defend it against Philip to whom Antiochus IV on his 
death bed had entrusted his kingdom.
Thereupon {N}Lysias{/} proposed to his king that he sign a treaty with Judas 
in order to have peace on that flank. The king sent a peace delegation to 
the Jews who accepted the treaty. The king and his leaders committed 
themselves to it under oath, and the Greeks, who were subjects of the 
king and were surrounded by the Jews, abandoned the Akra citadel in 
Jerusalem. 
It is very probable that the Book of {N}Daniel{/} was published in this year. 
Its author was one of the teachers of the Law who had suffered 
persecution. These recent events and the end of the persecution were 
nothing but a prelude to God's justice that would fall definitively on 
the persecutor and would raise God's people above all other nations.
In reality, however, no permanent solution had been achieved. The first 
book of the Maccabees tells what happened few days later: {C}When the king 
went up to Mount Zion and when he saw the defenses, he broke his oath and 
ordered the surrounding wall to be demolished{/} [1Mac_6,60] -[1Mac_6,62]. 
The king's betrayal justifiably disturbed Judas. Within a short time the 
hostilities resumed.  Judas had time to sign an alliance with Rome, but 
his own days were numbered. Overwhelmed in combat, he preferred to suffer 
death rather than retreat. He died in the year 160 BC.
{K}JONATHAN{/}

The palace intrigues and the political assassinations brought to the 
throne the son of Seleucid IV who reigned under the name of {N}Demetrius{/} I 
Soter. Then the Greek sympathizers again harrassed and persecuted those 
who had fought at the side of Judas{C}. These men traced and searched out 
all{I}__{/}the friends and supporters of Judas .... It was a terrible trial 
for Israel such as had never been experienced since the disappearance of 
the prophets.{/}It was then that Jonathan accepted command of the 
resistance after the death of his brother Judas [1Mac_9,23] - 
[1Mac_9,31].
{K}A DOUBLE GAME{/}

The intrigues in the court of Antioch did not resolve themselves. 
{N}Alexander Balas{/} presented himself as rival to Demetrius, claiming to be 
one of the sons of Antiochus Epiphanes. Demetrius attempted to win 
Jonathan's support by making him all kinds of promises, namely that in 
the future he would have the right to raise an army, to manufacture 
weapons, and to represent himself as an ally of the king. Acting upon 
these authorizations, Jonathan took charge of Jerusalem and began the 
reconstruction of the city [1Mac_10,10].
Immediately Alexander Balas made {N}Jonathan{/} a counteroffer, naming him 
high priest with the sought after title, "friend of the king." Without 
scruples, Jonathan accepted these powers at the hands of this usurper. 
Accordingly, in 153 BC on the Feast of Tabernacles, Jonathan made a 
solemn procession into the Temple dressed in the robes of the high 
priest.
Demetrius attempted to win over Jonathan again with even greater favors, 
but they were rejected. A short time later Demetrius died in combat 
against Alexander Balas. However, the latter soon followed him in death 
in 145 BC. His son, Demetrius II, reigned without opposition. Meanwhile, 
Jonathan continued his double game of playing contenders for power 
against one another until he too fell victim of an ambush at Ptolemais 
and was executed shortly thereafter (143 BC).
{K}THE BIRTH OF A DYNASTY{/}

After Jonathan's capture {N}Simon{/}, another of Mattathias' sons, renewed 
the attacks against the Seleucids. He expelled the Greek garrison 
controlling the citadel in Jerusalem and then occupied the territory of 
Joppa. With that he had gained an important foothold to the 
Mediterranean. He obtained an exemption from all taxes from Antioch and 
then, for the first time since the rebellion had begun, was the first to 
imprint his own coinage.
The Jews and priests granted Simon by decree dated 140 BC the title of 
Governor and High Priest of the Jews. In this way the Jewish community 
under the command of Simon regained total autonomy both religiously and 
politically.
The family of Mattathias was installed as head of the Community of 
Jerusalem, or more exactly, of the state of Israel because it had now 
become a state. And this family power would become hereditary, as could 
be seen immediately upon Simon's death. His descendants assumed in 
history the name as the Hasmonean rulers.
{K}A FIRST BALANCE{/}

As long as Simon lived, Judea was at peace. The inhabitants cultivated 
their fields in peace. The earth produced its harvests and the trees gave 
their fruit. The elderly sat in the public square and talked about the 
good state of things, while youths wore elegant garments of war. Peace 
was restored once more in the country and Israel experienced happy 
times...Each one sat in the shade of his vine and of his fig tree with no 
one to disturb him{/} [1Mac_14,4] - [1Mac_14,12].
Such praise of Simon's government might give the impression that 
everything was in order. In reality, many Jews were critical of the fact 
that military, political, and religious power was all united in the hands 
of a ruler who was not a descendant of David nor of Zadok.
{K}FIRST DISSENSIONS{/}

The first dissensions appeared in the Jewish community in 153 BC when 
Jonathan accepted the title of high priest from Alexander Balas. Jonathan 
belonged to the Tribe of Levi, and was a descendant of Aaron, but he was 
not of the line of Zadok who was the only one approved by ancestral 
tradition to give a high priest to Israel. Consequently, the most 
religious elements of the community, the {N}Hasideans{/} (Hasidim), 
considered Jonathan to be an illegitimate high priest. Moreover, as a 
soldier, he would contract many ritual impurities that are incompatible 
with priestly dignity. The political ambitions and the moral decline of 
the royal dynasty under succeeding leaders did the rest. The Hasideans 
distanced themselves more and more from political power and formed the 
{N}Pharisees{/} movement (the Separated Ones).
About this same time and for the same reasons, a number of laity and 
priests distanced themselves from the Temple in Jerusalem where an 
illegitimate, and even unworthy high priest officiated. They established 
a center on the shores of the Dead Sea to live a life of total 
faithfulness to the Law of the Covenant. This was the origin of the 
Community of the {N}Covenant{/}, known better as the Community of {N}Qumran{/}.
{K}JOHN HYRCANUS{/}

Simon's son in law , Ptolemy, wanted to take power. He invited Simon and 
his two sons to the fortress of Dok in the year 104 BC where he killed 
Simon and one of the sons. The other son, John, escaped the assassins 
[1Mac_16,21] and according to the dynastic system the people expressed 
their will that he should ascend the throne. A few years later he did so, 
taking the name of John Hyrcanus.
In 138 BC the Parthians took Demetrius II prisoner, and he was followed 
on the throne of Syria by Antiochus VII. The new ruler was determined to 
regain Palestine despite the treaties, promises, and guarantees signed by 
his predecessors. Antiochus invaded Judea and besieged Jerusalem where 
Hyrcanus had taken refuge. However, since Antiochus was unable to take 
the city, he came to terms with John. A short time later, Antiochus was 
killed in an expedition against the Parthians (128 BC), and his brother 
was incapable of maintaining control over Palestine. John Hyrcanus was 
able to continue his plan of reconquest.
This son of Simon, John, returned first to Transjordan where he captured 
several cities. Crossing the Jordan again, he annihilated Sichem. The 
temple on Mt. {N}Gerizim{/} was leveled and the country of Samaria was forced 
to observe the Law to one degree or another. Nevertheless, the opposition 
continued: as a result Samaria, the capital of the region, was completely 
destroyed in 107 BC. At this same time, the inhabitants of southern 
Palestine, Idumea, were conquered and forced to accept circumcision. John 
Hyrcanus conquered even Jamnia, Azotus, and surrounding territory, in 
this way widening his window to the Mediterranean. With the help of Rome, 
John maintained these conquests and independence.
{K}PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES{/}

The reasons that motivated the {N}Pharisees{/} to distance themselves from 
Simon, became even more aggravated in the case of his son. John Hyrcanus 
had always openly favored Hellenism and this naturally attracted the 
Sadducees as his best allies.
The {N}Sadducees{/} probably owe their name to Zadok, the high priest who 
consecrated Solomon and exercised the role in the newly constructed 
Temple. The Sadducees had shown an interest in Hellenism even before the 
Maccabean revolt. Paradoxically, they were conservative in their 
religious beliefs, holding that only the Law had authority. They rejected 
oral tradition, at the opposite of the Pharisees who considered it as 
important as the Torah. For that reason the Sadducees did not believe in 
the resurrection of the dead which they considered an innovation. In 
contrast, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection because of oral 
tradition. This conservatism of the Sadducees was balanced by a real 
openness in other fields. For example, they took the same realist 
position as the Hasmoneans (descendants of the Maccabees) regarding both 
political and cultural affairs. 
The fact that the responsibilities of the high priest had now been 
assumed by the king made the priestly aristocracy, that controlled 
worship in the Temple of Jerusalem, feel obliged to involve itself in 
political power. Political leaders were increasingly administering the 
country with an openness toward Hellenism.
{K}ARISTOBULUS THE TERRIBLE{/}

At the death of John Hyrcanus his oldest son, Aristobulus, officially 
took the title of king, the first of the Hasmonean family to do so. He 
also had his mother imprisoned, ordering that she be allowed to starve to 
death. Three of his brothers were also imprisoned. The youngest, 
Antigonus, was pardoned and even participated for some time in 
government. Suddenly, however, he was accused before his older brother 
and was executed. Although Aristobulus reigned for only two years, he had 
time to reconquer Galilee. At Aristobulus' death in 103 BC, his widow 
Salome Alexandra liberates the three imprisoned brothers, marries the 
oldest one and puts him on the throne. From the very beginning the new 
king boasts about his sympathy for Greek culture and Hellenizes his name. 
He would no longer be called Jonathan, but Alexander Janneus.
{K}ALEXANDER JANNEUS (103-76){/}

Alexander continued the expansionist policy of his predecessors. He 
conquered Carmel and the Plain of Sharon, then in the south: Gaza and the 
territories extending toward Egypt (96 BC). The same year he took 
possession of Gadara and Amathus in Transjordan. Shortly thereafter, 
however, he is almost defeated in an ambush by the king of the Nabateans.  
His enemies think that it is time for an insurrection, and they go so far 
as to enlist the aid of Demetrius III (95-88), king of Antioch. However, 
a national popular uprising again saved the Hasmonean dynasty. Alexander 
takes savage revenge, exterminating his opponents. In 83 he completes his 
conquest of Transjordan by capturing Gerasa, Pella, and Dion. In every 
captured city Alexander forcefully imposed Judaism. Under these 
conditions, however, the unity of his kingdom was fragile. To repress 
subversive movements, he employed mercenaries from Asia Minor.
{K}CONFLICT WITH PHARISEES{/}

Despite the fact that Alexander Janneus, his mother, and his brothers had 
all suffered terribly at the hands of his brother Aristobulus, he himself 
did not act any more nobly toward others. He imposed his authority 
through terror and reduced all opposition to silence with great cruelty. 
The horror of his atrocities shocked his contemporaries so much that even 
his military successes in restoring to Israel the territories once held 
by Solomon could not justify his barbarism. For example, he had 6,000 
Pharisees massacred to avenge their insult to him while he was 
officiating as high priest in the Temple on the Feast of Tabernacles. A 
short time later he had 800 of his opponents crucified, and as they hung 
on the cross, their wives and children were beheaded in their presence. 
All the while Alexander banqueted with his lovers and followers at the 
foot of the crosses.
{K}ALEXANDRA (76-67){/}

When Alexander Janneus died, his widow Salome Alexandra maintained a 
stable power over the country. However, since she could not be high 
priest, she appointed her eldest son John Hyrcanus II to that position. 
Alexandra proved herself to be an able ruler during all the years of her 
reign, trying by all means to maintain the peace.
With the queen's support the Pharisees gained entrance to the Council of 
the {N}Sanhedrin{/} which previously had been open only to the Elders and the 
priestly aristocracy (the Sadducees). The presence of the Pharisees, 
however, alienated the Sadducees who convinced Aristobulus II, brother of 
the high priest, to join them in opposition to his mother's government 
and to the growing influence of the Pharisees.  Salome Alexandra was able 
to maintain control, but when she died in 67 BC civil war broke out.
{K}ENEMY BROTHERS{/}

Aristobulus did not respect the right of his older brother, John 
Hyrcanus, to the throne. The very day that their mother fell gravely ill, 
Aristobulus took command of twenty strategic locations in the kingdom, 
assuring his control of the situation. Little by little he became 
involved in the civil war. His brother, John Hyrcanus, was obliged to 
capitulate and sign a treaty in which Aristobulus assumed the throne, but 
John kept the high priesthood. However, at this time a third person 
entered the equation, nullifying the agreement. A certain Antipater, the 
father of the future Herod the Great, threw his support with John 
Hyrcanus, fully aware of the latter's vacillating character and of the 
opportunity for his own ambitions. He also was very familiar with the 
nearby country of Nabatea, neighbor to Idumea, where his father had been 
governor. Antipater made an agreement with King Aretas of Nabatea that he 
would hand over the cities that Alexander Janneus had taken away from him 
in exchange for military support to offer refuge to John Hyrcanus. This 
move forced Aristobulus to retreat and seek sanctuary in Jerusalem where 
he was besieged by the troops of Aretas and Hyrcanus.
