Lacedemonians; and they were received by both states with great honour.* Another and larger army of Demetrius having now collected together, Jonathan proceeded as far as Amathis to meet them and having disappointed the enemy in an attempt to storm his camp by night, they fled, by means of false fires, beyond the river Eleutherus. Jonathan then defeated some Arabians of the party of Demetrius, and marching towards Damascus, reduced all the country into subjection to Antiochus; and Simon, at the same time, invading the land of the Philistines, took Joppa.† On the return of both the brothers to Jerusalem, they assembled a national council, in which it was determined to restore the walls of the city, and thoroughly fortify the place; and in order to blockade the Syrian garrison in Acra, they erected a wall or mount between that fortress and the rest of the city; besides which, they restored and strengthened most of the other fortified places in Judea.‡ The only object which Tryphon had in setting up the youthful Antiochus, was in order to open a way for himself to the throne of Syria, intending to put that prince to death at a convenient opportunity. Aware, however, that he dared not attempt the execution of this villainous purpose, whilst the Jewish leader was in strength and power, he, by stratagem, prevailed on him to disband his army, and inveigled him into Ptolemais with only one thousand men, under pretence of putting him into possession of that place; when he suddenly assassinated his soldiers, and put Jonathan himself into chains.§ Simon having collected together the remains of the army, marched against Tryphon, who ventured not however to * Prid. ii. 331. + Prid. ii. 332. Prid. ii. 333. § Prid. ii. 333. engage him in battle. The garrison in Acra being reduced to extremities for want of provisions, Tryphon made an ineffectual attempt to relieve them, after which he quitted the neighbourhood, having first put Jonathan to death, at Bascama,* in the land of Gilead, and shortly after caused his protégé Antiochus to be assassinated, and declared himself king of Syria.† Simon having been invested with the office of high priest, sent the same ambassadors who had been so successful for his brother Jonathan, to Lacedemon and Rome, in both which cities they were received with the greatest respect, and Simon was recognized as the high priest and head of his nation.‡ He also sent a crown of gold to Demetrius, who thereupon confirmed him in all his privileges, both civil and ecclesiastical; and soon afterwards he was solemnly elected, by the whole Jewish nation, sovereign prince of Judea, as well as high priest, and both dignities vested in him and his successors.§ * Simon sent and fetched his bones from thence, and buried them in the sepulchre of his father at Modin, over which he afterwards erected a very famous monument of a great height, all built of white marble, curiously wrought and polished; near which he placed seven pyramids, two for his father and mother, four for his four brothers, and the seventh for himself; and then encompassed the whole with a stately portico, supported by marble pillars, each of an whole piece. All which was a very excellent work, and being erected on an eminence, was seen far off at sea, and was taken notice of as a remarkable sea mark on that coast, whereby seafaring men who sailed that way directed their course. Josephus (1 Macc. xiii. 25. 30. Jos. Antiq. lib. 13. c. 11.) tells us that it was remaining entire in his time, and then looked on as a curious and very excellent piece of architecture; and Eusebius also speaks of it as still standing when he wrote, which was above two hundred years after Josephus. Prid. ii. 335. § Prid. ii. 337. In a public act or instrument which was made upon the occasion, engraven on tables of brass, and hanging up in the Having assumed the sovereignty, he put all his fortifications into repair, especially Bethsura and Joppa, and furnished them with well appointed garrisons, and constituted the latter the seaport of Jerusalem, being at the distance of about forty miles.* He then laid siege to Gazara which had revolted, and having taken it, built himself a palace there.† The heathen garrison who had held the fortress of Acra nearly twenty-six years, having at length surrendered, Simon not only demolished the place, but took away and levelled the hill itself whereon it was built, and in the course of three years brought it to the level of the hill whereon the temple was built, at the same time, refortifying the mountain of the house of Jehovah, and making it stronger than ever.‡ John, the son of Simon, and afterwards called Hyrcanus, having shewn himself of approved valour and conduct, his father sent him to reside at Gazara, and appointed him general of all the forces.§ Simon also sent a third embassy to Rome for the confirmation of all his former alliances, and which he obtained, as well as letters written by L. C. Piso, at the command of the senate, to the kings of Syria, Egypt, and other states, declaring the Jews to be their allies and under their protection.|| Demetrius having been taken prisoner by the king of Parthia, and afterwards married one of that monarch's daughters, his own queen Cleopatra, out of revenge, and for sanctuary, the good deeds of Simon and his family were enumerated. From this time he took on him the state, style, and authority of prince, as well as high priest of the Jews, and was served in much plate of gold and silver, had many attendants, and in all things else appeared in the same manner of splendour and glory as other princes did. Prid. ii. 341. 345. * Prid. ii. 337. Prid. ii. 339. + Prid. ii. 338. Strabo calls it Gadaris. || Prid. ii. 344. the maintenance of the interests of her own children by him, married his brother, Antiochus Sidetes, who at first courted the assistance and countenance of Simon, making him many splendid promises; but as soon as he came into Syria, he rescinded the whole, and sent Athenobius, one of his generals, to demand the restoration of Gazara, Joppa, and the fortress of Jerusalem, and various other places. Simon offered to pay him one hundred talents for Gazara and Joppa, but claimed all the others as cities belonging to the Jews.* Antiochus having dispatched Cendebæus with an army to enforce his pretensions, that general fortified Kedron; whereupon Judas and John, two of the sons of Simon, marched to meet him, and defeated the Syrian with the loss of two thousand men, and following up his advantage, John took Azotus and other fortresses, and burned them with fire. Judas was wounded, but both brothers returned in triumph to Jerusalem, having driven the Syrians out of the country.† Simon had married one of his daughters to Ptolemy, son of Abubus, and made him governor of Jericho; and making a progress through the cities of Judah with his sons, Judas and Mattathias, in order to inspect their situation, was invited by his son-in-law to take up his abode in a castle which he had lately built. Simon apprehending no evil, accepted the invitation, but after an entertainment, and when Simon and his party had drank freely, Ptolemy assassinated them all, and immediately sent parties of soldiers to surprise John at Gazara, and the city of Jerusalem. This plan was arranged in union with Antiochus Sidetes, for the purpose of placing Ptolemy in the sovereignty of Judea. John, however, received information of the fate of his father and brethren, just time enough to be on his guard, and to arm the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and being declared high priest and prince of the Jews, he prepared to defend the territories.+ Prid. ii. 345. + Prid. ii. 846. Prid. iii. 353. 402 JOHN HYRCANUS. ANTIOCHUS having marched into Syria with a large army, shut Hyrcanus up in Jerusalem, and turned the siege into a blockade, by placing seven camps around it. To such extremity were the besieged reduced, that John was obliged to sue for peace, which was granted upon honourable terms, though at so critical a juncture, that but for the moderation and clemency of the Syrian monarch, influenced by the especial providence of God, the Jewish name and nation might then have been nearly extinguished.* Antiochus having invaded Parthia with a large army, ostensibly for the purpose of liberating his brother, Demetrius Nicator, was joined in that expedition by Hyrcanus with a body of Jews, who having participated in several victories, returned home to Jerusalem with credit and spoils, before the disaster happened which destroyed the Syrian monarch and his whole army.† Hyrcanus took advantage of the death of Antiochus, and the distracted state of the Syrian empire, to consolidate his own principality, and took possession of Medeba, Samega, and several other places in Syria, Phoenicia, and Arabia; thenceforward rendering himself and his descendants wholly independant of the kings of Syria.‡ Amongst other places he took Sechem, the seat of the * Prid. ii. 355. 358. Where see a long discussion as to the alleged violation of David's sepulchre, in order to pay the agreed ransom to Antiochus. He was defeated and slain by Phrahates, king of Parthia. Prid. ii. 363. + Prid. ii. 364. |