History of the Hasmoneans from now on toward the works of the temple. 42And besides this, the five thousand shekels of silver, which they received from the income of the sanctuary in revenue year by year, this also is remitted because it belongs to the priests who minister. 43And whoever shall flee to the temple at Jerusalem and be found inside its precincts, whether one who owes money to the king or any other matter, let them go free, and all that they have in my kingdom. 44 And for the building and renewing of the works of the sanctuary the expense shall be paid also out of the king's revenue. 45 And for the building of the walls of Jerusalem and their fortification round about, the expense shall be paid also out of the king's revenue, and for the building of the walls in Judea. these 46 Now when Jonathan and the people heard these words, they put no Rejecreliance in them nor did they receive them, because they remembered the tion of great evil which he had done in Israel, and that he had caused them very offers great distress. 47 But they were well pleased with Alexander, because he was the first who made overtures of peace to them; so they remained his allies for all time. § 192. Honors Bestowed upon Jonathan by Alexander Balas, I Mac. 1048-66 History of the Hasmoneans of De I Mac. 10 48Then King Alexander mustered great forces and encamped Defeat opposite Demetrius. 49But when the two kings joined battle, the army of metriAlexander retreated, and Demetrius pursued it, and vanquished them. us 50 And he pushed the struggle vigorously until sundown. Demetrius, however, fell that day. ander's with emy 51Then Alexander sent ambassadors to Ptolemy king of Egypt with this Alexmessage, saying, 52As I have returned to my kingdom, and am seated on ande the throne of my fathers, and have secured the rulership, and have over- ance thrown Demetrius, and have gotten possession of our country; 53for when PtolI engaged in battle with him, he and his army were defeated by us, we ascended his royal throne; 54now, therefore, let us make a treaty with each other, and give me now your daughter as wife and I will become your son-inlaw and will give both you and her gifts worthy of her. 55And Ptolemy the king answered, Happy the day in which you returned to the land of your fathers and ascended the throne of their kingdom. 56And now I will deal with you as you have written. Meet me then at Ptolemais, that we may see each other; and I will make you my son-in-law as you have said. 57Then Ptolemy went out of Egypt, with Cleopatra his daughter, and came to Ptolemais in the one hundred and sixty-second year. 58 King Alexander met him and he bestowed on him his daughter Cleopatra, and celebrated her marriage at Ptolemais with great pomp, as kings are accustomed to do. con 59 King Alexander then wrote to Jonathan to come to meet him. 60So he Honors went with pomp to Ptolemais and met the two kings and gave them and ferred their Friends silver and gold, and many gifts, and was favorably received by upon • 1057 150 B.C. Jonathan Apollo nius's chal Jona History of the Hasmoneans them. 61 Then some infamous Israelitish apostates assembled to make accusation against him, but the king paid no attention to them. 62 Rather, the king commanded that they take off Jonathan's garments and clothe him in purple. And thus they did. 63 And the king made him sit with him, and said to his princes, Go forth with him into the midst of the city and make proclamation that none complain against him of any matter, and let none trouble him for any cause. 64 And when those who had accused him saw his glory, as they made proclamation, and saw him clothed in purple, they all took to flight. 65 And the king showed him honor, and inscribed him among his Chief Friends, and made him a commander and governor of a province. 66 And Jonathan returned to Jerusalem with peace and gladness. § 193. Jonathan's Victory over Apollonius, I Mac. 1067-89 History of the Hasmoneans I Mac. 10 67 Now in the one hundred and sixty-fifth year,P Demetrius son of Demetrius, came from Crete into the land of his fathers. 68Then lenge to King Alexander heard of it, and he was exceedingly troubled and returned than to Antioch. 69 And Demetrius appointed Apollonius, who was over Cœlesyria, and he collected a great army and encamped in Jamnia, and sent to Jonathan the high priest this message: The battle nius r 70You alone are hostile to us, and I have become a laughing-stock and butt of ridicule on account of you. Now why do you flaunt your power against us in the mountains? 71If, indeed, you trust your forces, come down to us in the plain, and there let us try the matter together, because with me is the power of the cities. 72Ask and learn who I am and the rest who help us. They will tell you, You cannot make a stand before us, for your troops have been twice put to flight on their own ground. 73And now you will not be able to withstand the cavalry and such an army as this in the plain, where there is neither stone nor pebble nor place to which to flee. 74 Now when Jonathan heard the words of Apollonius, he was stirred to and de- anger, and he chose ten thousand men and went forth from Jerusalem, and feat of Simon his brother met him to help him. 75 And he encamped against ApolloJoppa. The people of the city, however, shut him out, because Apollonius had a garrison in Joppa. 76So they fought against it. Then the people of the city were afraid and opened to him, and Jonathan became master of Joppa. 77 But when Apollonius heard of it he gathered an army of three thousand horsemen and a great host and marched toward Azotus as though he were going on by [Joppa], and at the same time he advanced into the plain, because he had a large cavalry force and trusted in it. 78Then [Jonathan] pursued him to Azotus, and the armies joined battle. 79Now Apollonius P 1067 147 B.C. 1069 Colesyria (lit., the hollow Syria) was between Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanons, but here as, e.g., in Ezra-Neh., is probably intended to include all Syria. 107 Yours is the strength of mountains, mine the strength of the cities. There is a play in Heb. on the words, mountains and cities. 1072 So in all probability the original Heb. As the result of an error the Gk. reads, fathers. History of the Hasmoneans had secretly left a thousand horse behind him. 80Jonathan, however, knew that there was an ambush laid behind him. So when they surrounded his army, and cast their darts at the people from morning until evening, 81the people stood still, as Jonathan commanded them, so that their horses became tired out. 82Then Simon led out his army, and joined battle with the phalanx (for the cavalry was exhausted), and they were defeated by him and fled. 83 And the horsemen were scattered in the plain and fled to Azotus, where they entered Beth-dagon, their idol's temple, to save themselves. 84But Jonathan burned Azotus and the cities about it, and took their spoils; and he burned the temple of Dagon and those who fled into it. 85 And those who had fallen with the sword, with those who were burned, numbered about eight thousand men. 86 And Jonathan departed from there and encamped beside Ascalon, and the people of the city came forth to meet him with great pomp. 87Then Jonathan, with those who belonged to his party, returned to Jerusalem, having many spoils. tional 88 And when King Alexander heard these things, he heaped still more Addihonors on Jonathan, and sent him a buckle of gold, as is customarily given to honors those who are of royal lineage. He also gave him Ekron with all its territory for Jonas a possession. § 194. Overthrow of Alexander by Ptolemy and Demetrius II, I Mac. 111-19 History of the Hasmoneans athan my's in and coast I Mac. 11 1Then the king of Egypt collected great forces, as countless Ptoleas the sands on the seashore, and many ships and treacherously attempted vasion to make himself master of Alexander's kingdom and to add it to his own of Syria realm. 2And he went forth into Syria with words of peace, and the peoples seizure of the cities opened to him and received him, for King Alexander's command of the was that they should receive him because he was his father-in-law. 3But cities when Ptolemy entered the cities, he put his forces as a garrison in each city. 4And when he came near Azotus, they showed him the temple of Dagon burned down, and Azotus and its suburbs pulled down, and the bodies cast outside, and those who had been burned, whom Jonathan burned in the war, for they had made heaps of them along the way he was going. 5And when they told the king what things Jonathan had done, that they might cast blame on him, the king held his peace. And Jonathan met the king with pomp at Joppa, and they saluted one another, and they passed the night there. 7And Jonathan went with the king as far as the river that is called Eleutherus and then returned to Jerusalem. But King Ptolemy became master of the cities upon the sea-coast, as far as Seleucia which is by the sea. Alexan And he plotted evil against Alexander. 9And he sent ambassadors to Plots King Demetrius, saying, Come, let us make a treaty with each other, and I against will give you my daughter whom Alexander has, and you shall reign over der and your father's kingdom; 10for I am sorry that I gave my daughter to him, seizure march. 113 The Gk. adds, Ptolemais, but this is an impossible reading, for Ptolemy was still on the the of Antioch Defeat and death ander History of the Hasmoneans for he has attempted to murder me. 11 But he was casting blame on him because he coveted his kingdom. 12And taking his daughter from him, he gave her to Demetrius, and was estranged from Alexander, so that their enmity was openly seen. 13Ptolemy then entered Antioch and assumed the diadem of Asia. And he put two diadems on his head, the diadem of Egypt and that of Asia. 14But King Alexander was in Cilicia at that time, because the people of that territory were in revolt. 15 And when Alexander heard of it, he came to make war against him; and Ptolemy went out to meet him with a strong force, and put him to flight. of Alex- 16 And Alexander fled into Arabia that he might find asylum there; and and the so King Ptolemy held the upper hand. 17Then Zabdiel the Arabian took off Alexander's head and sent it to Ptolemy. 18King Ptolemy died the third Deme day after, and they who were in his strongholds were slain by those who were in the strongholds, 19 and Demetrius reigned in the hundred and sixtyseventh year." acces sion of trius II mation author § 195. Jonathan's New Honors and Privileges under Demetrius II, I Mac. 1120-40 History of the Hasmoneans Confir- I Mac. 11 20At that time Jonathan gathered together the people of Judea of Jon to take the citadel that was at Jerusalem, and he erected many engines of athan's war against it. 21Some, however, who hated their own nation, apostates, ity went to the king, and reported to him that Jonathan was besieging the citadel. 22 And when he heard it, he was angry, and immediately after he heard of it he set out and came to Ptolemais, and wrote to Jonathan that he should not besiege it, and that he should meet him and confer with him at Ptolemais with all speed. 23 But when Jonathan heard this, he gave orders to proceed with the siege, while he chose certain of the elders of Israel and of the priests, and putting himself in peril, 24and taking silver and gold and garments, and various presents besides, he went to the king at Ptolemais. And he was favorably received; 25and although some apostates of the nation made complaints against him, 26the king treated him just as his predecessors had done and exalted him in the presence of all his Friends, 27both confirming to him the high priesthood, and all the other honors that he had before, and giving him pre-eminence among his Chief Friends. Deme V 28 And Jonathan requested the king to make Judea free from tribute, together with the three districts of Samaria, and he promised him three hundred talents. 29 And the king consented and wrote letters to Jonathan coning the cerning all these things in the following terms: trius's letter proclaim integri ty and inde 30 King Demetrius to his brother Jonathan and to the nation of the Jews, greeting. 31The copy of the letter which we wrote to Lasthenes our kinsman dence concerning you, we have also written to you, that you may see it. 32King pen of Judea u 1119 145 B.C. 1128 Gk., the three districts and the country of Samaria, but it is incredible that Samaria is intended. Probably the original read as above, and a later scribe living after the Jews had conquered Samaria introduced the present error. Cf. 34 and 1030. History of the Hasmoneans Demetrius to Lasthenes his father, greeting. 33To the nation of the Jews who are our friends and observe what is just toward us, we have determined to do good, because of their good-will toward us. 34 We have therefore confirmed to them the territory of Judea and also the three districts of Apherema and Lydda and Ramathaim-they were added to Judea from the province of Samaria-and all things belonging to them. To all who sacrifice in Jerusalem we remit that which the king formerly received of them yearly instead of the king's dues from the produce of the earth and the fruits of trees. 35And as for the other things that belong to us, henceforth of the tithes and the tolls that belong, and the salt-pits and the crowns that belong to us, all these we will bestow upon them. 36And not one of these things shall be annulled from this time forth and forever. 37 Now, therefore, be careful to make a copy of these things, and let it be given to Jonathan, and let it be set up on the holy mount in a suitable and conspicuous place. phon's the son ander on the throne 38 And when King Demetrius saw that the land was quiet before him and Trythat no resistance was made to him, he sent away all his forces, each one to plans to his own home, except the foreign mercenaries, whom he had enlisted from place the isles of the heathen. All the troops, however, who had served his father of Alexhated him. 39 Now Tryphon was one of those who had formerly belonged to Alexander's party, and when he saw that all the troops were murmuring against Demetrius, he went to Yamliku,b the Arabian who was bringing up Antiochus, the young child of Alexander, 40 and importuned him that he should deliver him to him, that he might reign in his father's place. And he told him all that Demetrius had done, and the hatred which his troops bore him. And he stayed there a long time. § 196. Jonathan's Transfer of Allegiance from Demetrius II to Antiochus, I Mac. 1141-74 History of the Hasmoneans than's to De I Mac. 11 41Then Jonathan sent a message to King Demetrius request- Jonaing him to drive out the garrison at Jerusalem and those who were in the great strongholds because they were fighting with Israel continually. 42And De- service metrius answered Jonathan, I will not only do this for you and your nation, metrius but I will greatly honor you and your nation, if I find a favorable opportunity. 43 Now therefore you will do well if you send me men who shall fight for me, for all my forces have revolted. 44So Jonathan sent him three thousand warriors to Antioch, and they came to the king who was glad at their coming. 45 And the people of the city gathered themselves together at the centre of the city to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand men, and they were eager to slay the king. 46But the king fled into the court of the palace, and the men of the city seized the thoroughfares of the city, and began to 1134 See 1030 § 191, notem. Apherema is probably the Gk. form of Ephraim, the town mentioned in II Sam. 1323. 1134 Following the Syr. and many Gk. MSS. Cf. I Sam. 11. 1139 Tryphon, glutton, or debauchee, instead of his original name, Diodorus. b 1139 Restoring the original Arabian form. It appears in Diodorus as Jamblichus. |