Concerning The Successors Of Judas, Who Were Jonathan And
Simon, And John Hyrcanus.
1. 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 he 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, endeavored to take off his friends, and caught
Jonathan by a wile, 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.
2. However, Simon managed the public affairs after a courageous manner,
and took Gazara, and Joppa, and Jamnia, which were cities in his
neighborhood. He also got the garrison under, and demolished the
citadel. He was afterward 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 killing Trypho; for it was not long ere Antiochus
sent Cendebeus his general with an army to lay waste Judea, and to
subdue Simon; yet he, though he was 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].
3. 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. 2
But when the young man was informed of their coming beforehand, he
made haste to get to the city, as having a very 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 of
Hyrcanus; so he retired presently to one of the fortresses that were
about 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.
4. So 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 which sight
Hyrcanus's commiseration and concern were too hard for 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 with the injuries that she suffered
to spare the wretch; since it was to her better to die by the means of
Ptolemy, than to live ever so long, provided he might be punished for
the injuries he 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 grew feeble, and was entirely overcome by his
affections. And as the siege was delayed by this means, the year of rest
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, who was also called Cotylas, who was tyrant of Philadelphia.
5. And 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 sepulcher 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 began to hire foreign auxiliaries also.
6. 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 immediately made an attack upon the cities of Syria, as
thinking, what proved to be the case with them, that he should find them
empty of good troops. So he took Medaba and Samea, with the towns in
their neighborhood, as also Shechem, and Gerizzim; and besides these,
[he subdued] the nation of the Cutheans, 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.
7. 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; whereupon 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.
8. But then 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,
in which 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 entire 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, and 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.