The Environment

CONTINUES . . . From PART 1

In walks ANTIOCHUS VI DIONYSUS, son of ALEXANDER BALAS and CLEOPATRA THEA. He was only 3-Years old. A strange story, but the child’s GENERAL, DIODOTUS TRYPHON, takes on the fight and set his sights on DEMETRIUS II, in ANTIOCH. He asks JONATHAN to assist in the fight with TRYPHON, for favour of course. JONATHAN does not honour his ask. JONATHAN sides with ANTIOCHUS and takes TRYPHON and seizes the city of ANTIOCHUS. He gives all MUNICIPAL RIGHTS to his brother SIMON, from TYRE to the borders of EGYPT. Most cities allowed the takeover peacefully, except GAZA, which was taken by force.

However, in walks ROME. JONATHAN decides to seek alliances with ‘foreign people.’ He makes friends with SPARTA, a city state in LACONIA in ANCIENT GREECE, a big frown I thought his entire life was spent getting rid of the HELLENISTIC CULTURE ??

143 BCE, JONATHAN is now in battles for a 21-Year period. He is tired and makes the biggest mistake of his life. He gets to trust an officer of the town of PTOLEMAIS, ACRA. Of course, behind the request by the officer was DIODOTUS TRYPHON, and JONATHAN is taken prisoner. SIMON tries to make a plea for his brother and his two sons but fails and JONATHAN is executed at BASKAMA. SIMON buries him at MODI’IN next to his Dad and his brother JOHN. Nobody knows what happened to his two sons.

FINALLY – SIMON becomes the sole leader of their people. SIMON sides with DEMETRIUS II, after asking that the taxes remain ‘free’ for the entire country. Together they get to oppose DIODOTUS TRYPHON.

142 BCE, SIMON becomes the first PRINCE of the HEBREW HASMONEAN DYNASTY, he reigns for seven years.

141 BCE, A resolution is adopted at a large assembly of Priests, citizens and elders of the land, the effect was that SIMON should be made HIGH PRIEST for forever. The HASMONEAN DYNASTY was accorded by the SENATE in 139 BCE by the ROMAN REPUBLIC.

135 BCE, SIMON and his two sons, MATTATHIAS, and JUDAH, are assassinated at a banquet in DOK, a town over-looking the town of JERICHO in the JUDEAN DESERT, by his son-in-law, PTOLEMY, who was a SELEUCID GOVERNOR at JERICHO.

SIMON’S, 3rd son JOHN HYRCANUS seems to have heard about the plot of assassination but escaped all. He tried and failed to walk in the father and uncles footsteps, as he could not capture PTOLEMY.

AND THE STORY CONTINUES:

134 BCE, ANTIOCHUS invades JUDEA, and takes JERUSALEM. HYRCANUS finds himself without income. He was not ‘prepared’ to take the HIGH PRIEST position.

He makes a deal with ANTIOCHUS and this deal allowed the SELEUCID POWER back over JUDEA. But soon after they had to face off with the PARTHIANS, a major IRANIAN POLITICAL POWER, led by its founder ARSACES II. They failed and ANTIOCHUS dies in 128 BCE.

JOHN HYRCANUS is again left in charge of JUDEA, and we see he forges relations with ROME and EGYPT. JOHN again finds himself in battle, and seizes the towns of TRANSJORDAN, the SOUTHERN LEVANT and EAST of the JORDAN regions, also, SAMARIA, which is PALESTINE and IDUMEA, also known as the KINGDOM OF EDOM. He appoints his cousin ARISTOBULUS I, son of his uncle JUDAH MACCABEE as FIRST HASMONEAN PRIEST-KING of the new region. ARISTOBULUS I, defies his fathers, wishes to have his mother take the post. Instead, he throws her and his brothers in prison, except for one, whom he kills.

ARISTOBULUS I, only got to reigned for one year, but he did add GALILEE to the property portfolio of the HASMONEAN DYNASTY. After this death, he was succeeded by his brother ALEXANDER JANNEUS. It appears that he was worse than his brother ARISTOBULUS I, power and conquest was his second and third name.

He disrespected JEWISH LAW and married the widow of ARISTOBULUS I. He conquers PTOLEMAIS, and calls PTOLEMY IX, for help. But he is away in CYPRUS and his mother CLEOPATRA III, answers the call for help.

ALEXANDER was not a popular ruler and this relationship with CLEOPATRA III, caused a six-year civil war in JERUSALEM. He dies, and CLEOPATRA III, became ruler, but not HIGH PRIESTESS, resulting in the END of the HASMONEAN DYNASTY in 63 BCE.

The ROMANS came at the request of PRIEST-KING ARISTOBULUS II, and his competitor HYRCANUS II, and we see JERUSALEM being conquered by the ROMAN GENERAL POMPEY.

The ROMANS put HYRCANUS II up as HIGH PRIEST of JUDEA and JUDEA becomes a CLIENTKINGDOM of ROME. The DYNASTY came to a complete END in 40 BCE.

HEROD I, was crowned KING OF JUDAH by the ROMANS in 37 BCE, as his son with the same name is born.