AT the same time that Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, had a quarrel with the sixth Ptolemy, about his right to the whole country of Syria, a great sedition broke out among the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those that were of dignity could not endure to be subject to their equals. However, Onias, one of the high-priests, got the better, and cast the sons of Tobias out of the city. Hereupon they fled to Antiochus, and besought him to make use of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into Judea and the king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favoured Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple; and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months. But Onias, the high-priest, fled to Ptolemy, and received a place from him in the nomus of Heliopolis: where he built a little city, resembling Jerusalem, and a temple that was

* I see little difference in the several accounts in Josephus about this Egyptian temple Onion; of which large complaints are made by his commentators. Onias, it seems, hoped to have it made very like that at Jerusalem, and of the same dimen

*like its temple, concerning which we shall speak more in its proper place hereafter.

Now Antiochus was not satisfied, either with his unexpected taking the city, or with its pillage, or with the great slaughter he had made there; but being overcome with his violent passions, and remembering what he had suffered during the siege, he compelled the Jews to dissolve the laws of their country, and to keep their infants uncircumcised, and to sacrifice swine's flesh upon the altar. Against which they all opposed themselves: and the most approved among them were put to death. Bacchides also, who was sent to keep the fortresses, having these wicked commands joined to his own natural barbarity, indulged all sorts of wickedness: and tormented the worthiest of the inhabitants, man by man, and threatened the city every day with open destruction; till at length he provoked the sufferers, by the extremity of his wicked doings, to avenge themselves.

Accordingly Matthias, the son of Asmoneus, one of the priests who lived at a village called Modin, armed himself together with his own family, which had five of his sons in it, and slew Bacchides with daggers; and thereupon out of the fear of the garrisons of the enemy, he fled to the mountains. And so many of the people followed him, that he was encouraged to come down from the mountains, and to give battle to Antiochus's

sions: and so he appears to have really done, as far as he was able, and thought proper. Of this temple, see Antiq. XIII. 3, and Of the War, VII. 10.

Now Judas, supposing that Antiochus would not lie still, gathered an army out of his own countrymen, and was the first that made a league of friendship with the Romans; and drove Epiphanes out of the country, when he had made a second expedition into it; and this by giving him a great defeat. And when he was warmed by this success, he made an assault upon the garrison that was in the city: for it had not been cut off hitherto. So he ejected them out of the upper city, and drove the soldiers into the lower: which part of the city was called the Citadel. He then got the temple under his power, and cleansed the whole place, and walled it round about, and made new vessels for sacred ministrations, and brought them into the temple; because the former vessels had been profaned. He also built another altar, and began to offer the sacrifices. And when the city had received its sacred constitution again, Antiochus died; and his son Antiochus succeeded him in the kingdom, and in his hatred to the Jews. So this Antiochus assembled fifty thousand footmen, and five thousand horsemen, and eighty elephants, and marched through Judea into the mountainous parts. He then took Bethsura, which was a small city. But at a place called Bethzacharias, where the passage was narrow, Judas met him with his army. However, before the forces joined battle, Judas's brother, Eleazar, seeing the highest of the elephants* adorned with a large tower, and with military trappings of gold, and supposing that Antiochus himself was upon him, he ran a great way before his own army; and cutting his way through the enemy's troops, he got up to the elephant. Yet could he not reach him who seemed to be the king, by reason of his being so high; but he ran his weapon into the belly of the beast, and brought him down upon himself, and was crushed to death: having done no more than attempted great things, and showed that he preferred glory before life. Now he that governed the elephant was but a private man: and had he proved to be Antiochus, Eleazar had performed nothing more by this bold stroke, than that it might appear he chose to die, when he had the bare hope of thereby doing a glorious action. Nay, this disappointment proved an omen to his

* In the eastern countries these animals usually accompany an army. The majesty of the prince is frequently measured by their number, or the splendour of their habiliments. B.

is true, the Jews fought bravely for a long time; but the king's forces being superior in number, and having fortune on their side, obtained the victory. And when a great many of his men were slain, Judas took the rest with him, and fled to the toparchy of Gophna. So Antiochus went to Jerusalem, and stayed there but a few days; for he wanted provisions; and so he went his way. He left, indeed, a garrison behind him, such as he thought sufficient to keep the place; but drew the rest of his army off, to take their winter-quarters in Syria.

Now after the king was departed, Judas was not idle: for as many of his own nation came to him, so did he gather those that had escaped out of the battle together, and again attacked Antiochus's generals, at a village called Adaza: and being too hard for his enemies in the battle, and killing a great number of them, he was at last himself slain also. Nor was it many days afterward that his brother John had a plot laid against him by Antiochus's party, and was slain by them.

WHEN Jonathan, who was Judas's brother, succeeded him, he behaved himself with great circumspection in other respects, with relation to his own people: and corroborated his authority by preserving his friendship with the Romans. He also made a league with Antiochus the son. Yet was not all this sufficient for his security: for the tyrant Trypho, who was guardian to Antiochus's son, laid a plot against him; and besides that endeavoured to take off his friends; and caught Jonathan by a stratagem, as he was going to Ptolemais to Antiochus, with a few persons in his company, and put him in bonds: and then made an expedition against the Jews. But when he was afterward driven away by Simon, who was Jonathan's brother, and was enraged at his defeat, he put Jonathan to death.

However, Simon managed the public affairs after a courageous manner; and took Gazara, Joppa, and Jamnia, which were cities in his neighbourhood. He also got the garrison under, and demolished the citadel. He was afterwards an auxiliary to Antiochus against Trypho, whom he besieged in Dora, before he went on his expedition against the Medes. Yet could not he make the king ashamed of his ambition, though he had assisted him in the killing Trypho, for it was not long before Antiochus sent Cendebeus, his general, with an army, to ravage Judea, and to subdue Si

mon. Yet he, though he were now in years, conducted the war as if he were a much younger man. He also sent his sons with a band of strong men against Antiochus; while he took part of the army himself with him, and fell upon him from another quarter. He also laid a great many men in ambush in many places of the mountains, and was superior in all his attacks upon them. And when he had been conqueror after so glorious a manner, he was made high-priest; and also freed the Jews from the dominion of the Macedonians, after one hundred and seventy years of the empire of Seleucus.

This Simon also had a plot laid against him, and was slain at a feast by his son-in-law Ptolemy, who put his wife and two sons into prison; and sent some persons to kill John, who was also *called Hyrcanus. But the young man being previously informed of their coming, made haste to get to the city; as having a great confidence in the people there, both on account of the memory of the glorious actions of his father, and of the hatred they could not but bear to the injustice of Ptolemy. Ptolemy also made an attempt to get into the city by another gate; but was repelled by the people, who had just then admitted Hyrcanus. So he retired to one of the fortresses that were above Jericho, which was called Dagon. Now when Hyrcanus had received the high-priesthood, which his father had held before, and had offered sacrifice to God, he made great haste to attack Ptolemy, that he might afford relief to his mother and brethren.†

Accordingly he laid siege to the fortress, and was superior to Ptolemy, in other respects; but was overcome by him as to the just affection he had for his relations. For when Ptolemy was distressed, he brought forth his mother and his brethren, and set them upon the wall, and beat them with rods, in every body's sight: and threatened that, unless he would go away immediately, he would throw them down headlong. At this sight Hyrcanus's commiseration and concern overcame his anger. But his mother was not dismayed, neither at the stripes she received, nor at the death with which she was threatened; but stretched out her hands, and prayed her son not to be moved by the injuries that she suffered, to spare the wretch; since it was better for her to die by the means of Ptolemy than to live ever so long; provided he

Why this John, son of Simon, the high-priest and governor of the Jews, was called Hyrcanus, Josephus nowhere informs us: nor is he called other than John at the end of the first book of the Maccabees. However, Sixtus Senensis, when he gave us an epitome of the Greek version of the book here abridged

might be punished for the injuries he had done to their family. Now John's case was this: when he considered the courage of his mother, and heard her entreaty, he set about his attacks; but when he saw her beaten, and torn to pieces with the stripes, he was entirely overcome by his affections. And as the siege was delayed by this means, the year came on upon which the Jews rest every seventh year, as they do on every seventh day. On this year, therefore, Ptolemy was freed from being besieged, and slew the brethren of John, with their mother, and fled to Zeno, also called Cotylas, who was the tyrant of Philadelphia.

Now Antiochus was so angry at what he had suffered from Simon, that he made an expedition into Judea, and sat down before Jerusalem, and besieged Hyrcanus. But Hyrcanus opened the sepulchre of David, who was the richest of all kings, and took thence about three thousand talents in money; and induced Antiochus, by the promise of three thousand talents, to raise the siege. Moreover, he was the first of the Jews that had money enough, and that began to hire foreign auxiliaries.

However, at another time, when Antiochus was gone upon an expedition against the Medes, and so gave Hyrcanus an opportunity of being revenged upon him, he made an attack upon the cities of Syria, as thinking, what proved to be the case, that he should find them empty of good troops. So he took Medaba and Samea, with the towns in their neighbourhood: as also Shechem and Gerizzim: and besides these he subdued the nation of the Chutheans, who dwelt round about that temple which was built in imitation of the temple at Jerusalem. He also took a great many other cities of Idumea,‡ with Adoreon, and Marissa.

He also proceeded as far as Samaria, where is now the city Sebaste, which was built by Herod the king, and encompassed it all round with a wall, and set his sons, Aristobulus and Antigonus, over the siege; who pushed it on so hard, that a famine so far prevailed within the city, that they were forced to eat what never was esteemed food. They also invited Antiochus, who was called Cyzicenus, to come to their assistance. Accordingly he got ready, and complied with their invitation, but was beaten by Aristobulus and Antigonus. And indeed he was pursued as far as Scythopolis by

these brethren, and fled away from them. So they returned back to Samaria, and shut the multitude again within the wall: and when they had taken the city they demolished it, and made slaves of its inhabitants. And as they had still great success in their undertakings, they did not suffer their zeal to cool, but marched with an army as far as Scythopolis, and made an incursion upon it, and laid waste all the country that lay within mount Carmel. These successes of John, and of his sons, made them be envied, and occasioned a sedition in the country and many there were who got together, and would not be at rest till they brake out into open war: but in that war they were beaten. So John lived the rest of his life very happily, and administered the government after a most extraordinary manner: and this for thirty-three years together. He died leaving five sons behind him. He was certainly a very happy man, and afforded no occasion to have any complaint made of fortune on his account. He it was who alone had three of the most desirable things in the world; the government of his nation, the high-priesthood, and the gift of prophecy. For the Deity conversed with him; and he was not ignorant of any thing that was to come afterward: insomuch, that he foresaw and foretold that his two eldest sons would not continue masters of the government. And it will highly deserve our narration, to describe their catastrophe, and how far inferior these men were to their father in felicity.

CHAP. III.

ARISTOBULUS SUCCEEDS HIS FATHER IN THE GOVERNMENT, AND AS

SUMES A DIADEM: CAUSES HIS MOTHER And brother to be PUT

TO DEATH; AND DIES HIMSELF AFTER A REIGN OF ONE YEAR.

AFTER the death of Hyrcanus, the elder son, Aristobulus, changed the government into a kingdom, and was the first that put a diadem about his head, four hundred and seventy-one years, and three months, after our people came down into the country, when they were set free from the Babylonian slavery.* Now of his brethren he appeared to have an affection for Antigonus, who was next to him: and made him his equal. But for the rest, he bound them, and put them in prison. He also put his mother in bonds, for her contesting the government with him: for John had left her governess of the public affairs. He also proceeded to that degree of barbarity, as to cause her to be starved to death in prison.

But vengeance circumvented him in the affair of his brother Antigonus whom he loved, and

whom he made his partner in the kingdom. For he slew him by the means of the calumnies which ill men about the palace contrived against him. At first indeed Aristobulus would not believe their reports, partly out of the affection he had for his brother, and partly because he thought that a great part of these tales were owing to the envy of the relaters. However, as Antigonus came once in a splendid manner from the army to that festival, wherein our ancient custom is to make tabernacles for God, it happened, in those days, that Aristobulus was sick: and that at the conclusion of the feast Antigonus came up to it with his armed men about him, and adorned in the finest manner possible: and that, in great measure, to pray to God on the behalf of his brother. Now at this time some malicious men came to the king, and told him, in what a pompous manner the armed men came; and with what insolence Antigonus marched; and that such his insolence was too great for a private person; and that accordingly he was come with a great band of men to kill him. For that he could not endure the bare enjoyment of royal honour, when it was in his power to take the kingdom himself.

Now Aristobulus, by degrees, and unwillingly, gave credit to these accusations. Accordingly he took care not to discover his suspicion openly; though he provided to be secure against any accidents. So he placed his body-guards in a certain dark subterranean passage; (for he lay sick in a place formerly called the Citadel, though afterwards its name was changed to Antonia ;) and gave orders, that if Antigonus came unarmed, they should let him alone; but if he came in his armour,† they should kill him. He also sent some to let him know beforehand, that he should come unarmed. But upon this occasion the queen very cunningly contrived the matter with those that plotted his ruin: for she persuaded those that were sent to conceal the king's message, and to tell Antigonus, that his brother had heard he had a very fine suit of armour, made with fine martial ornaments, in Galilee: and because his present sickness hindered him from coming, and seeing all that finery, he very much desired to see him now in his armour.

As soon as Antigonus heard this, the good temper of his brother not allowing him to suspect any harm from him: he came with his armour on, to show it his brother. But when he was going along that dark passage, which was called Strato's Tower, he was slain by the body-guards: and be

present methods of distant assault not being known, they engaged in close or single combat. B.