The Hasmonaeans
The Syrians recognized the government of John Hyrcanus on
condition that he consider himself subject to Syria and promise help in Syrian
military campaigns. Certain coastal cities annexed by Jonathan and Simon were
also to be relinquished. The efficient rule of Hyrcanus, however, quickly
effected the re-conquest of these cities and the addition of Idumaea (
Old Covenant Edom) to Judean territory. These conquests insured the use of
ancient trade routes by the merchant class, but they posed problems to the
religiously oriented Jews. Hyrcanus compelled the Idumaeans to become
circumcised and accept the Jewish faith, a practice which later Judaism
disavows. There is something ironical in the thought of a grandson of Mattathias
forcing religious conformity on a people conquered by Jewish arms! Hyrcanus also
campaigned in Samaria where he destroyed the temple on Mount Gerizim. The
success of Jewish arms might be applauded by the nationalistic element in Judea,
but the religious fervor of the earlier Maccabees was no longer evident.
Before John Hyrcanus died in 104 B.C., the borders of the
state had been extended on every side. The Maccabean struggle was long past and
new rivalries developed. The older Hellenists were discredited, but their ideas
were perpetuated in the party of the Sadducees. The orthodox of Maccabean times
became the Pharisees of pre-Christian Judaism and the New Covenant. Hyrcanus,
himself, was devout and law-abiding, but his children had little sympathy with
traditional Hebrew thought. They numbered themselves among the aristocrats, and
they came to look with distain on the rigidly orthodox Pharisees. Ironically
these heirs of the Maccabees became thoroughly Hellenized.
The death of John Hyrcanus precipitated a dynastic struggle
among his children. His eldest son, who preferred his Greek name Aristobulus
to his Hebrew name, Judah, emerged as victor and cast three of his brothers into
prison-two of whom are thought to have starved to death. Another brother was
murdered in the palace. In the short reign of but one year, Aristobulus pushed
the borders of Judea north to Mount Lebanon and took the title of king to
himself. His life was cut short, however, by drink , disease, and the haunting
fear of rebellion.
At the time of Aristobulus ' death he had but one brother
living, and he was in prison. Although his Hebrew name was Jonathan, history
knows him by his Greek name Alexander Jannaeus.
Under Jannaeus the policy of territorial expansion continued. The frontiers of
Judea were extended along the Philistine coast toward the Egyptian frontier and
in the Transjordan region. The Jewish state approximated the territory
controlled by Israel in the days of David and Solomon. It included the whole of
Palestine and adjacent areas from the borders of Egypt to Lake Huleh, north of
the Sea of Galilee. Perea in Transjordan was subject to Jannaeus, as were the
city of the Coastal Plain except for Ascalon.
The territories incorporated into the Hasmonaean kingdom
were, for the most part, quickly Judaised. The Idumaeans came to exercise an
important place in Jewish life, and Galilee
became an important center of Judaism. The Samaritans, however, continued to
resist assimilation and cities such as Apollonia and Scythopolis ( Old Covenant
Beth-shean), with only a small Jewish element in their population, kept their
non-Jewish character.
Partisan strife, however, marred the reign of Alexander
Jannaeus, who showed open contempt for the Pharisees, precipitating civil war.
The Pharisees accepted aid from the Syrians in their conflict with Jannaeus and
for a time Jewish independence was in the balance. When the Pharisees felt that
they had gained their point they withdrew their alliance with Syria and hoped
for a Jewish state that would be both free of foreign control and tolerant of
their viewpoint. Jannaeus, however, sought out the leaders of the rebellion and
crucified eight hundred Pharisees. Tradition says that Jannaeus repented on his
death-bed, instructing his wife Salome Alexandra to dismiss his
Sadducean advisors and reign with the help of the Pharisees. The tradition may
have no historical basis, but Salome Alexandra did turn to the
Pharisees for support.
Salome Alexandra had been married successively to Aristobulus
and to Alexander Jannaeus. The widow of the two Hasmonaean rulers, she reigned
in her own right for seven years. She was a woman of seventy when she came to
the throne, dividing royal responsibilities among her two sons. Hyrcanus,
the elder son, became High Kohen-(Priest), and his brother Aristobulus
received the military command. Her brother, Simeon ben Shetah, was
a leader among the Pharisees and this fact may have disposed her to seek peace
between the opposing factions of Judaism.
Under Alexandra, the Pharisees had their opportunity to make
a constructive contribution to Jewish life. In many areas, particularly
education, they were eminently successful. Under the presidency of Simeon ben
Shetah the Sanhedrin ( the Jewish Council of State) decreed that every young man
should be educated. A comprehensive system of elementary education was
inaugurated so that the larger villages, towns, and cities of Judea would
produce a literate, informed people. This education was centered in the Hebrew
Scriptures.
The wounds of earlier strife were not healed during
Alexandra's reign. Although the Pharisees were happy in their new-found
recognition, the Sadducees were resentful of the fact that they had lost power.
To compound the problem, the Pharisees sought to avenge the massacre of their
leaders by Alexander Jannaeus. Sadducean blood was spilt and the makings of
another civil war were in the air.
The Sadducees found in Aristobulus, the younger son of
Jannaeus and Alexandra, the man they could support as Alexandra's successor. He
was a soldier and appealed to the party that dreamed of imperial expansion and
worldly power. Hyrcanus, the elder brother and rightful heir, was acceptable to
the Pharisees. With the death of Alexandra the partisans of the two sons were
ready for a showdown.
When his mother died, Hyrcanus (II) who had
been serving as High Kohen succeeded to the throne, but his brother
Aristobulus led an army of Sadducees against Jerusalem. Neither Hyrcanus not
the Pharisees were ready for war, and Hyrcanus surrendered his honors to
Aristobulus (II) who became king and High Kohen. Hyrcanus and Aristobulus
thereupon vowed eternal friendship, and Aristobulus' eldest son Alexander
married Hyrcanus' only daughter, Alexandra. Peace between the brothers was
short-lived however. Hyrcanus had to flee and Antipater, governor of
Idumea espoused his cause. With civil war threatening, Pompey appeared with his
Roman Legions to insure the peace of Judea and further the aims of Rome.
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A Concise Scriptural history Malachi to Messiah Malachi to Matthew Persian Period Alexander The Great The Ptolemies Syrian Seleucids Maccabee Hasmonaeans Romans The Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Zealots YAHWEH's Remnant Scripture History Through the Ages