HOW ARETAS AND HYRCANUS MADE AN EXPEDITION AGAINST ARISTOBULUS AND BESIEGED JERUSALEM; AND HOW SCAURUS THE ROMAN GENERAL RAISED THE SIEGE. CONCERNING THE DEATH OF ONIAS. FJAJ 14.8
1. AFTER these promises had been given to Aretas, he made an expedition
against Aristobulus with an army of fifty thousand horse and foot, and
beat him in the battle
And when after that victory many went over to Hyrcanus
as deserters, Aristobulus was left desolate, and fled to Jerusalem; upon
which the king of Arabia took all his army, and made an assault upon the
temple, and besieged Aristobulus therein, the people still supporting Hyreanus,
and assisting him in the siege, while none but the priests continued with
Aristobulus
So Aretas united the forces of the Arabians and of the Jews
together, and pressed on the siege vigorously
As this happened at the
time when the feast of unleavened bread was celebrated, which we call the
passover, the principal men among the Jews left the country, and fled into
Egypt
Now there was one, whose name was Onias, a righteous man be was,
and beloved of God, who, in a certain drought, had prayed to God to put
an end to the intense heat, and whose prayers God had heard, and had sent
them rain
This man had hid himself, because he saw that this sedition
would last a great while
However, they brought him to the Jewish camp,
and desired, that as by his prayers he had once put an end to the drought,
so he would in like manner make imprecations on Aristobulus and those of
his faction
And when, upon his refusal, and the excuses that he made,
he was still by the multitude compelled to speak, he stood up in the midst
of them, and said, "O God, the King of the whole world! since those
that stand now with me are thy people, and those that are besieged are
also thy priests, I beseech thee, that thou wilt neither hearken to the
prayers of those against these, nor bring to effect what these pray against
those." Whereupon such wicked Jews as stood about him, as soon as
he had made this prayer, stoned him to death. FJAJ 14.9
2. But God punished them immediately for this their barbarity, and took
vengeance of them for the murder of Onias, in the manner following: While
the priests and Aristobulus were besieged, it happened that the feast called
the passover was come, at which it is our custom to offer a great number
of sacrifices to God; but those that were with Aristobulus wanted sacrifices,
and desired that their countrymen without would furnish them with such
sacrifices, and assured them they should have as much money for them as
they should desire; and when they required them to pay a thousand drachmae
for each head of cattle, Aristobulus and the priests willingly undertook
to pay for them accordingly, and those within let down the money over the
walls, and gave it them
But when the others had received it, they did
not deliver the sacrifices, but arrived at that height of wickedness as
to break the assurances they had given, and to be guilty of impiety towards
God, by not furnishing those that wanted them with sacrifices
And when
the priests found they had been cheated, and that the agreements they had
made were violated, they prayed to God that he would avenge them on their
countrymen
Nor did he delay that their punishment, but sent a strong and
vehement storm of wind, that destroyed the fruits of the whole country,
till a modius of wheat was then bought for eleven drachmae. FJAJ 14.10
3. In the mean time Pompey sent Scaurus into Syria, while he was himself
in Armenia, and making war with Tigranes; but when Scaurus was come to
Damascus, and found that Lollins and Metellus had newly taken the city,
he came himself hastily into Judea
And when he was come thither, ambassadors
came to him, both from Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, and both desired he would
assist them
And when both of them promised to give him money, Aristobulus
four hundred talents, and Hyrcanus no less, he accepted of Aristobulus's
promise, for he was rich, and had a great soul, and desired to obtain nothing
but what was moderate; whereas the other was poor, and tenacious, and made
incredible promises in hopes of greater advantages; for it was not the
same thing to take a city that was exceeding strong and powerful, as it
was to eject out of the country some fugitives, with a greater number of
Mabateans, who were no very warlike people
He therefore made an agreement
with Aristobulus, for the reasons before mentioned, and took his money,
and raised the siege, and ordered Aretas to depart, or else he should be
declared an enemy to the Romans
So Scaurus returned to Damascus again;
and Aristobulus, with a great army, made war with Aretas and Hyrcanus,
and fought them at a place called Papyron, and beat them in the battle,
and slew about six thousand of the enemy, with whom fell Phalion also,
the brother of Antipater. FJAJ 14.11