HOW UPON THE QUARREL BETWEEN ANTIOCHUS GRYPUS AND ANTIOCHUS CYZICENUS ABOUT THE KINGDOM HYRCANUS TOOKSAMARIA, AND UTTERLY DEMOLISHED IT; AND HOW HYRCAUS JOINED HIMSELF TO THE SECT OF THE SADDUCEES, AND LEFT THAT OF THE PHARISEES. FJAJ 13.65
1. WHEN Antiochus had taken the kingdom, he was afraid to make war against
Judea, because he heard that his brother by the same mother, who was also
called Antiochus, was raising an army against him out of Cyzicum; so he
staid in his own land, and resolved to prepare himself for the attack he
expected from his brother, who was called Cyzicenus, because he had been
brought up in that city
He was the son of Antiochus that was called Soter,
who died in Parthia
He was the brother of Demetrius, the father of Grypus;
for it had so happened, that one and the same Cleopatra was married to
two who were brethren, as we have related elsewhere
But Antiochus Cyzicenus
coming into Syria, continued many years at war with his brother
Now Hyrcanus
lived all this while in peace; for after the death of Antlochus, he revolted
from the Macedonians, (27)
Dean Prideaux takes notice at the year 130, that Justin, in agreement with
Josephus, says, "The power of the Jews was now grown so great, that
after this Antiochus they would not bear any Macedonian king over them;
and that they set up a government of their own, and infested Syria with
great wars."
nor did he any longer pay them the least regard, either as their subject
or their friend; but his affairs were in a very improving and flourishing
condition in the times of Alexander Zebina, and especially under these
brethren, for the war which they had with one another gave Hyrcanus the
opportunity of enjoying himself in Judea quietly, insomuch that he got
an immense quantity of money
How ever, when Antiochus Cyzicenus distressed
his land, he then openly showed what he meant
And when he saw that Antiochus
was destitute of Egyptian auxiliaries, and that both he and his brother
were in an ill condition in the struggles they had one with another, he
despised them both. FJAJ 13.66
2. So he made an expedition against Samaria which was a very strong
city; of whose present name Sebaste, and its rebuilding by Herod, we shall
speak at a proper time; but he made his attack against it, and besieged
it with a great deal of pains; for he was greatly displeased with the Samaritans
for the injuries they had done to the people of Merissa, a colony of the
Jews, and confederate with them, and this in compliance to the kings of
Syria
When he had therefore drawn a ditch, and built a double wall round
the city, which was fourscore furlongs long, he set his sons Antigonus
and Arisrobulna over the siege; which brought the Samaritans to that great
distress by famine, that they were forced to eat what used not to be eaten,
and to call for Antiochus Cyzicenus to help them, who came readily to their
assistance, but was beaten by Aristobulus; and when he was pursued as far
as Scythopolis by the two brethren, he got away
So they returned to Samaria,
and shut them again within the wall, till they were forced to send for
the same Antiochus a second time to help them, who procured about six thousand
men from Ptolemy Lathyrus, which were sent them without his mother's consent,
who had then in a manner turned him out of his government
With these Egyptians
Antiochus did at first overrun and ravage the country of Hyrcanus after
the manner of a robber, for he durst not meet him in the face to fight
with him, as not having an army sufficient for that purpose, but only from
this supposal, that by thus harassing his land he should force Hyrcanus
to raise the siege of Samaria; but because he fell into snares, and lost
many of his soldiers therein, he went away to Tripoli, and committed the
prosecution of the war against the Jews to Callimander and Epicrates. FJAJ 13.67
3. But as to Callimander, he attacked the enemy too rashly, and was
put to flight, and destroyed immediately; and as to Epicrates, he was such
a lover of money, that he openly betrayed Scythopolis, and other places
near it, to the Jews, but was not able to make them raise the siege of
Samaria
And when Hyrcanus had taken that city, which was not done till
after a year's siege, he was not contented with doing that only, but he
demolished it entirely, and brought rivulets to it to drown it, for he
dug such hollows as might let the water run under it; nay, he took away
the very marks that there had ever been such a city there
Now a very surprising
thing is related of this high priest Hyrcanus, how God came to discourse
with him; for they say that on the very same day on which his sons fought
with Antiochus Cyzicenus, he was alone in the temple, as high priest, offering
incense, and heard a voice, that his sons had just then overcome Antiochus.
And this he openly declared before all the multitude upon his coming out
of the temple; and it accordingly proved true; and in this posture were
the affairs of Hyrcanus. FJAJ 13.68
4. Now it happened at this time, that not only those Jews who were at
Jerusalem and in Judea were in prosperity, but also those of them that
were at Alexandria, and in Egypt and Cyprus; for Cleopatra the queen was
at variance with her son Ptolemy, who was called Lathyrus, and appointed
for her generals Chelcias and Ananias, the sons of that Onias who built
the temple in the prefecture of Heliopolis, like to that at Jerusalem,
as we have elsewhere related
Cleopatra intrusted these men with her army,
and did nothing without their advice, as Strabo of Cappadocia attests,
when he saith thus, "Now the greater part, both those that came to
Cyprus with us, and those that were sent afterward thither, revolted to
Ptolemy immediately; only those that were called Onias's party, being Jews,
continued faithful, because their countrymen Chelcias and Ananias were
in chief favor with the queen." These are the words of Strabo. FJAJ 13.69
5. However, this prosperous state of affairs moved the Jews to envy
Hyrcanus; but they that were the worst disposed to him were the Pharisees,
(28)
The original of the Sadducees, as a considerable party among the Jews,
being contained in this and the two following sections, take Dean Prideaux's
note upon this their first public appearance, which I suppose to be true:
"Hyrcanus," says be, "went over to the party of the Sadducees;
that is, by embracing their doctrine against the traditions of the eiders,
added to the written law, and made of equal authority with it, but not
their doctrine against the resurrection and a future state; for this cannot
be supposed of so good and righteous a man as John Hyrcanus is said to
be. It is most probable, that at this time the Sadducees had gone no further
in the doctrines of that sect than to deny all their unwritten traditions,
which the Pharisees were so fond of; for Josephus mentions no other difference
at this time between them; neither doth he say that Hyrcanna went over
to the Sadducees in any other particular than in the abolishing of all
the traditionary constitutions of the Pharisees, which our Savior condemned
as well as they." [At the year.]
who were one of the sects of the Jews, as we have informed you already.
These have so great a power over the multitude, that when they say any
thing against the king, or against the high priest, they are presently
believed
Now Hyrcanus was a disciple of theirs, and greatly beloved by
them
And when he once invited them to a feast, and entertained them very
kindly, when he saw them in a good humor, he began to say to them, that
they knew he was desirous to be a righteous man, and to do all things whereby
he might please God, which was the profession of the Pharisees also
However,
he desired, that if they observed him offending in any point, and going
out of the right way, they would call him back and correct him
On which
occasion they attested to his being entirely virtuous; with which commendation
he was well pleased
But still there was one of his guests there, whose
name was Eleazar, a man of an ill temper, and delighting in seditious practices.
This man said," Since thou desirest to know the truth, if thou wilt
be righteous in earnest, lay down the high priesthood, and content thyself
with the civil government of the people," And when he desired to know
for what cause he ought to lay down the high priesthood, the other replied,
"We have heard it from old men, that thy mother had been a captive
under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. FJAJ 13.70
(29)(29) This slander, that arose from a Pharisee, has been preserved by their successors the Rabbins to these later ages; for Dr. Hudson assures us that David Gantz, in his Chronology, S. Pr. p. 77, in Vorstius's version, relates that Hyrcanus's mother was taken captive in Mount Modinth. See ch. 13. sect. 5. "This story was false, and Hyrcanus was provoked against him; and all the Pharisees had a very great indignation against him. FJAJ 13.71
6. Now there was one Jonathan, a very great friend of Hyrcanus's, but
of the sect of the Sadducees, whose notions are quite contrary to those
of the Pharisees
He told Hyrcanus that Eleazar had cast such a reproach
upon him, according to the common sentiments of all the Pharisees, and
that this would be made manifest if he would but ask them the question,
What punishment they thought this man deserved? for that he might depend
upon it, that the reproach was not laid on him with their approbation,
if they were for punishing him as his crime deserved
So the Pharisees
made answer, that he deserved stripes and bonds, but that it did not seem
right to punish reproaches with death
And indeed the Pharisees, even upon
other occasions, are not apt to be severe in punishments
At this gentle
sentence, Hyrcanus was very angry, and thought that this man reproached
him by their approbation
It was this Jonathan who chiefly irritated him,
and influenced him so far, that he made him leave the party of the Pharisees,
and abolish the decrees they had imposed on the people, and to punish those
that observed them
From this source arose that hatred which he and his
sons met with from the multitude: but of these matters we shall speak hereafter.
What I would now explain is this, that the Pharisees have delivered to
the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which
are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the
Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances
to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe
what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers
And concerning
these things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among
them, while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich, and have
not the populace obsequious to them, but the Pharisees have the multitude
on their side
But about these two sects, and that of the Essens, I have
treated accurately in the second book of Jewish affairs. FJAJ 13.72
7. But when Hyrcanus had put an end to this sedition, he after that
lived happily, and administered the government in the best manner for thirty-one
years, and then died, (30)
Here ends the high priesthood, and the life of this excellent person John
Hyrcanus, and together with him the holy theocracy, or Divine government
of the Jewish nation, and its concomitant oracle by Urim. Now follows the
profane and tyrannical Jewish monarchy, first of the Asamoneans or Maccabees,
and then of Herod the Great, the Idumean, till the coming of the Messiah.
See the note on Antiq. B. III. ch. 8. sect. 9. Hear Strabo's testimony
on this occasion, B. XVI. p. 761, 762: "Those," says he, "that
succeeded Moses continued for some time in earnest, both in righteous actions
and in piety; but after a while there were others that took upon them the
high priesthood, at first superstitious and afterward tyrannical persons.
Such a prophet was Moses and those that succeeded him, beginning in a way
not to be blamed, but changing for the worse. And when it openly appeared
that the government was become tyrannical, Alexander was the first that
set up himself for a king instead of a priest; and his sons were Hyrcanus
and Aristobulus." All in agreement with Josephus, excepting this,
that Strabo omits the first king, Aristobulus, who reigning but a single
year, seems hardly to have come to his knowledge. Nor indeed does Aristobulus,
the son of Alexander, pretend that the name of king was taken before his
father Alexander took it himself, Antiq. B. XIV. ch. 3. sect. 2. See also
ch. 12. sect. l, which favor Strabo also. And indeed, if we may judge from
the very different characters of the Egyptian Jews under high priests,
and of the Palestine Jews under kings, in the two next centuries, we may
well suppose that the Divine Shechinah was removed into Egypt, and that
the worshippers at the temple of Onias were better men than those at the
temple of Jerusalem.
leaving behind him five sons
He was esteemed by God worthy of three of
the greatest privileges, - the government of his nation, the dignity of
the high priesthood, and prophecy; for God was with him, and enabled him
to know futurities; and to foretell this in particular, that, as to his
two eldest sons, he foretold that they would not long continue in the government
of public affairs; whose unhappy catastrophe will be worth our description,
that we may thence learn how very much they were inferior to their father's
happiness. FJAJ 13.73