ries fhewed the greatest exploits, both in foul and body. Yet did the upfhot of this battle prove different from what was expected as to both of them; for neither did thofe that invited Demetrius to come to them, continue firm to him, though he were conqueror; and fix thoufand Jews, out of pity to the change of Alexander's condition, when he was fled to the mountains came over to him. Yet could not Demetrius bear this turn of affairs, but fuppofing that Alexander was already become a match for him again, and that all the nation would [at length] run to him, he left the country, and went his way. 6. However, the rest of the [Jewish] multitude did not lay afide their quarrels with him, when the foreign] auxiliaries were gone; but they had a perpetual war with Alexander, until he had flain the greatest part of them, and driven the reft into the city Bemefelis; and when he had demolished that city, he carried the captives to Jerufalem. Nay, his rage was grown fo extravagant, that his barbarity proceeded to the degree of impiety; for when he had ordered eight hundred to be hung upon croffes in the midft of the city, he had the throats of their wives and children cut before their eyes; and these executions he faw as he was drinking and lying down with his concubines. Upon which fo deep a surprise seized on the people, that eight thoufand of his oppofers fled away the very next night, out of all Judea, whofe flight was only terminated by Alexander's death; fo at laft, though not till late, and with great difficulty, he, by fuch actions, procured quiet to his kingdom, and left off fighting any more.

7. Yet did that Antiochus, who was alfo called Dionyfus, become an origin of troubles again. This man was the brother of Demetrius, and the laft of the race of the Seleucida. Alexander was afraid of him, when he was marching against the Arabians; fo he cut a deep trench between Antipatris, which was near the mountains and the fhores of Joppa; he alfo erected an high wall before the trench, and built wooden towers, in order to hinder any fudden approaches. But fill he was not able to exclude Antiochus, for he burnt the towers, and filled up the trenches, and marched on with his army. And as he looked upon taking his revenge on Alexander, for endeavouring to ftop him, as a thing of lefs confequence, he marched directly against the Arabians, whofe king retired into fuch parts of the country as were fitteft for engaging the enemy, and then on the fudden, made his horse turn back, which were in number ten thoufand, and fell upon Antiochus's army, while they were in diforder, and a terrible battle enfued. Antiochus's troops, fo long as he was alive, fought it out, although a mighty flaughter was made among them by

Jofephus here calls this Antiochus the last of the Seleucidæ, although there remained ftill a fhadow of another king of that family, Antiochus Afiaticus, or Commagenus, who reigned, or rather lay hid, till Pompey quite turned him out, as Dean Aldrich here notes, from Appian and Juftin

the Arabians; but when he fell, for he was in the fore front, in the utmost danger in rallying his troops, they all gave ground, and the greatest part of his army were deftroyed, either in the action or the flight; and for the rest who fled to the village of Cana, it happened that they were all confumed by want of neceffaries, a few only excepted.

8. About this time it was that the people of Damafcus, out of their hatred to Ptolemy, the fon of Menneus invited Aretas [to take the government,] and made him king of Celefyria, This man alfo made an expedition against Judea, and beat Alexander in battle; but afterwards retired by mutual agreement. But Alexander, when he had taken Pella, marched to Gerafa again, out of the covetous defire he had of Theodorus's poffeffions; and when he had built a triple wall about the garrifon, he took the place by force. He allo demolished Golan, and Seleucia, and what was called The Valley of Antiochus; befides which he took the ftrong fortrefs of Gamala, and ftripped Demetrius, who was governor therein, of what he had, on account of the many crimes laid to his charge, and then returned into Judea, after he had been three whole years in this expedition. And now he was kindly received of the nation, because of the good fuccefs he had. So when he was at reft from war, he fell into a diftemper; for he was afflicted with a quartan ague, and fuppofed that by exercifing himfelf again in martial affairs he thould get rid of his diftemper; but by making fuch expeditions at unfeasonable times, and forcing his body to undergo greater hardthips than it was able to bear, he brought himself to his end. He died therefore in the midft of his troubles, after he had reigned feven and twenty years.

CHAP. V.

Alexandra reigns nine years during which time the Pharifees were the real Rulers of the Nation.

OW Alexander left the kingdom to Alexandra his wife, and depended upon it, that the Jews would now very readily fubmit to her; because she had been very averfe to fuch cruelty as he had treated them with, and had oppofed his violation of their laws and had thereby got the good will of the people. Nor was he mistaken as to his expectations; for this woman kept the dominion, by the opinion that the people had of her piety; for the chiefly ftudied the ancient customs of her country, and caft thote men out of the government that offended against their holy laws. And as the had two fons by Alexander, fhe made Hyrcanus the elder high prieft, on account of his age, as alfo, befides that, on account of his unactive temper, no way difpofing him to disturb the public. But fhe retained the younger Ariftobulus with her, as a private perfon, by reason of the warmth of his temper.

2. And now the Pharifees joined themselves to her, to affist her in the government. Thefe are a certain fect of the Jews that appear more religious than others, and feem to interpret the laws more accurately. Now Alexandra hearkened to them to an extraordinary degree, as being herfelt a woman of great piety towards God, But these Pharifees artfully infinuated themselves into her favour by little and little, and became themselves the real administrators of the public affairs: They banished and reduced whom they pleafed; they bound and loofed [men] at their pleasure,*+ and, to fay all at once, they had the enjoyment of the royal authority, whilst the expences and the difficulties of it belonging to Alexandra. She was a fagacious woman in the management of great affairs, and intent always upon gathering foldiers together; to that the encreased the army the one half, and procured a great body of foreign troops, till her own nation became not only very powerful at home, but terrible alfo to foreign potentates, while fhe governed other people, and the Pharifees governed her.

3. Accordingly they themfelves flew Diogenes, a person of figure, and one that had been a friend to Alexander; and accufed him as having affifted the king with his advice, for crucifying the eight hundred men [before mentioned.] They alfo prevailed with Alexandra to put to death the rest of those who had irritated him against them. Now fhe was fo fuperftitious as to comply with their delires and accordingly they flew whom they plealed themfelves; but the principal of thofe that were in danger fled to Ariftobulus, who perfuaded his mother to fpare the men on account of their dignity, but to expel them out of the city, unless fhe took them to be inno. cent; fo they were fuffered to go unpunished, and were difperled all over the country. But when Alexandra sent out her army to Damafcus, under pretence that Ptolemy was always oppreffing that city, the got poffeffion of it; nor did it make any confiderable refiftance. She alfo prevailed with Tigranes king of Armenia, who lay with his troops about Ptolemais, and befieged ‡ Cleopatra, by agreements and prefents to go away. Accordingly Tigranes foon arose from the fiege, by reafon of thofe domeftic tumults which happened upon Lu cullus's expedition into Armenia.

Matt xvi. 19 xviii. 18.

+ Here we have the oldest and most authentic Jewish expofition of binding and loofing, for punishing or abfolving men, not for declaring actions lawful or unlawful, as fome more modern Jews and Chriftians vainly pretend.

Strabo, B XVI. p. 740, relates, that this Selene Cleopatra was besieged by Tigranes, not in Ptolemais, as here, but after she had left Syria in Seleucia, a citadel in Mefopotamia; and adds, that when he had kept her a while in prifon, he put her to death. Dean Aldrich fuppofes here that Strabo contradicts Jofephus, which does not appear to me; for although Jofephus fays both here and in the Antiquities, B. XIII ch. xvi, fect 4. Vol. II. that Tigranes befieged her now in Ptolemais, and that he took the city, the Antiquities inform us, yet does he no where intimate that he now took the queen herself; io that both the narrations of Strabo and Jofephus may ftill be true notwithstanding.

4. In the mean time Alexandra fell fick and Ariftobulus, her younger fon took hold of this opportunity, with his domeftics, of which he had a great many, who were all of them his friends on account of the warmth of their youth, and got poffeffion of all the fortreffes. He also used the fums of money he found in them to get together a number of mercenary foldiers, and made himself king; and befides this, upon Hyrcanus's complaint to his mother, the compaffionated his cafe, and put Ariftobulus's wife and fons under restraint in Antonia, which was a fortrefs that joined to the north part of the temple. It was, as I have already faid, of old called the citadel; but afterwards got the name of Antonia, when Antony was lord [of the Eaft, juft as the other cities, Sebafte and Ágrippias, had their names changed, and thefe given them, from Sebaftus and Agrippa. But Alexandra died before the could punifh Ariftobulus, for his difinheriting his brother after she had reigned nine years.

CHAP. VI.

When Hyrcanus, who was Alexander's Heir, receded from his claim of the Crown, Ariftobulus is made King, and afterward the fame Hyrcanus, by the means of Antipater, is brought back by Aretas. At laft Pompey is made the Arbitrator of the dif pute between the Brothers.

NOW

OW Hyrcanus was heir to the kingdom, and to him did his mother commit it before fhe died: But Ariftobulus was fuperior to him in power and magnanimity; and when there was a battle between them, to decide the difpute about the kingdom, near Jericho, the greateft part deferted Hyrcanus, and went over to Ariftobulus; but Hyrcanus, with thofe of his party who ftayed with him, fled to Antonia, and got into his power the hoftages that might be for his prefervation (which were Ariftobulus's wife, with her children;) but they came to an agreement, before things fhould come to extremities, that Ariftobulus fhould be king and Hyrcanus fhould refign that up, but retain all the rest of his dignities, as being the king's brother. Hereupon they were reconciled to each other in the temple, and embraced one another in a very kind manner, while the people ftood round about them: They also changed their houfes, while Ariftobulus went to the royal palace, and Hyrcanus retired to the houfe of Ariftobulus.

2. Now thofe other people which were at variance with Ariftobulus were afraid upon his unexpected obtaining the government; and especially this concerned * Antipater, whom

That this Antipater, the father of Herod the Great, was an Idumean as Jofephus affirms here; fee the note on Antiq. B. XIV. ch. xv. fect. 2. Vol. II.

Ariftobulus hated of old. He was by birth an Idumean, and one of the principal of that nation, on account of his ancestors and riches, and other authority to him belonging: He also perfuaded Hyrcanus to fly to Aretas, the king of Arabia, and to lay claim to the kingdom; as alfo he perfuaded Aretas to receive Hyrcanus, and to bring him back to his kingdom: He also caft great reproaches upon Ariftobulus, as to his morals, and gave great commendations to Hyrcanus, and exhorted Aretas to receive him, and told him how becoming a thing it would be for him, who ruled fo great a kingdom, to afford his affiftance to fuch as are injured; alleging that Hyrcanus was treated unjustly, by being deprived of that dominion which belonged to him by the prerogative of his birth. And when he had predisposed them both to do what he would have them, he took Hyrcanus by night, and ran away from the city, and, continuing his flight with great fwiftnefs, he efcaped to the place called Petra, which is the royal feat of the king of Arabia, where he put Hyrcanus into Aretas's hand; and by difcourfing much with him, and gaining upon him with many prefents, he prevailed with him to give him an army that might restore him to his kingdom. This army confifted of fifty thoufand footmen and horfemen, against which Ariftobulus was not able to make refiftance, but was deferted in his first onfet, and was driven to Jerufalem: He also had been taken at firft by force, if Scaurus, the Roman general, had not come and feasonably interpofed himself, and raised the fiege. This Scaurus was fent into Syria from Armenia by Pompey the great, when he fought againft Tigranes; fo Scaurus came to Damafcus, which had been lately taken by Metellus and Lollius, and caufed them to leave the place; and, upon his hearing how the affairs of Judea stood, he made hafte thither as to a certain booty.

3. As foon, therefore, as he was come into the country, there came ambaffadors from both the brothers, each of them defiring his affiftance; but Ariftobulus's three hundred talents had more weight with him than the juftice of the cause ; which fum, when Scaurus had received, he sent an herald to Hyrcanus and the Arabians, and threatened them with the refentment of the Romans, and of Pompey, unlefs they would raise the fiege. So Aretas was terrified, and retired out of Judea to Philadelphia, as did Scaurus return to Damafcus again: Nor was Ariftobulus fatisfied with efcaping [out of his brother's hands.] but gathered all his forces together, and pursued his enemies and tought them at a place called Papyron, and flew above fix thoufand of them, and, together with them, Antipater's brother, Phalion.

4. When Hyrcanus and Antipater were thus deprived of their hopes from the Arabians; they transferred the fame to their adverfaries; and becaufe Pompey had paffed through Syria, and was come to Damafcus, they fled to him for aflif