Aristobulus Is Taken Off By Pompey's Friends, As Is His Son
Alexander By Scipio. Antipater Cultivates A Friendship With
Caesar, After Pompey's Death; He Also Performs Great Actions
In That War, Wherein He Assisted Mithridates.
1. Now, upon the flight of Pompey and of the senate beyond the Ionian
Sea, Caesar got Rome and the empire under his power, and released
Aristobulus from his bonds. He also committed two legions to him, and
sent him in haste into Syria, as hoping that by his means he should
easily conquer that country, and the parts adjoining to Judea. But envy
prevented any effect of Aristobulus's alacrity, and the hopes of Caesar;
for he was taken off by poison given him by those of Pompey's party;
and, for a long while, he had not so much as a burial vouchsafed him
in his own country; but his dead body lay [above ground], preserved in
honey, until it was sent to the Jews by Antony, in order to be buried in
the royal sepulchers.
2. His son Alexander also was beheaded by Scipio at Antioch, and that
by the command of Pompey, and upon an accusation laid against him before
his tribunal, for the mischiefs he had done to the Romans. But Ptolemy,
the son of Menneus, who was then ruler of Chalcis, under Libanus, took
his brethren to him by sending his son Philippio for them to Ascalon,
who took Antigonus, as well as his sisters, away from Aristobulus's
wife, and brought them to his father; and falling in love with the
younger daughter, he married her, and was afterwards slain by his father
on her account; for Ptolemy himself, after he had slain his son, married
her, whose name was Alexandra; on the account of which marriage he took
the greater care of her brother and sister.
3. Now, after Pompey was dead, Antipater changed sides, and cultivated
a friendship with Caesar. And since Mithridates of Pergamus, with
the forces he led against Egypt, was excluded from the avenues about
Pelusium, and was forced to stay at Asealon, he persuaded the Arabians,
among whom he had lived, to assist him, and came himself to him, at the
head of three thousand armed men. He also encouraged the men of power in
Syria to come to his assistance, as also of the inhabitants of Libanus,
Ptolemy, and Jamblicus, and another Ptolemy; by which means the cities
of that country came readily into this war; insomuch that Mithridates
ventured now, in dependence upon the additional strength that he had
gotten by Antipater, to march forward to Pelusium; and when they refused
him a passage through it, he besieged the city; in the attack of which
place Antipater principally signalized himself, for he brought down that
part of the wall which was over against him, and leaped first of all
into the city, with the men that were about him.
4. Thus was Pelusium taken. But still, as they were marching on, those
Egyptian Jews that inhabited the country called the country of Onias
stopped them. Then did Antipater not only persuade them not to stop
them, but to afford provisions for their army; on which account even
the people about Memphis would not fight against them, but of their
own accord joined Mithridates. Whereupon he went round about Delta, and
fought the rest of the Egyptians at a place called the Jews' Camp; nay,
when he was in danger in the battle with all his right wing, Antipater
wheeled about, and came along the bank of the river to him; for he
had beaten those that opposed him as he led the left wing. After which
success he fell upon those that pursued Mithridates, and slew a great
many of them, and pursued the remainder so far that he took their camp,
while he lost no more than fourscore of his own men; as Mithridates
lost, during the pursuit that was made after him, about eight hundred.
He was also himself saved unexpectedly, and became an unreproachable
witness to Caesar of the great actions of Antipater.
5. Whereupon Caesar encouraged Antipater to undertake other hazardous
enterprises for him, and that by giving him great commendations and
hopes of reward. In all which enterprises he readily exposed himself to
many dangers, and became a most courageous warrior; and had many wounds
almost all over his body, as demonstrations of his valor. And when
Caesar had settled the affairs of Egypt, and was returning into Syria
again, he gave him the privilege of a Roman citizen, and freedom from
taxes, and rendered him an object of admiration by the honors and marks
of friendship he bestowed upon him. On this account it was that he also
confirmed Hyrcanus in the high priesthood.