Hyrcanus II
Hyrcanus II | |
---|---|
| |
Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum | |
King of Judaea | |
Reign | c. 67 – 66 BCE |
Predecessor | Salome Alexandra |
Successor | Aristobulus II |
High Priest of Judaea | |
Reign | c. 76 – 66 BCE |
Predecessor | Alexander Jannaeus |
Successor | Aristobulus II |
Reign | 63 – 40 BCE |
Predecessor | Aristobulus II |
Successor | Antigonus II Mattathias |
Ethnarch of Judaea | |
Reign | c. 47 – 40 BCE |
Successor | Office abolished |
Issue | Alexandra the Maccabee |
Dynasty | Hasmonean |
Father | Alexander Jannaeus |
Mother | Salome Alexandra |
Religion | Judaism |
John Hyrcanus II (
Accession
Hyrcanus was the eldest son of
When Salome died in 67 BCE, she named Hyrcanus as her successor as ruler of Judea as well,[4] but soon he and his younger brother, Aristobulus II, began fighting over who had the right to the throne.
Deposition
Hyrcanus had scarcely reigned three months when Aristobulus II rose in rebellion. Hyrcanus advanced against him at the head of his
Hyrcanus took refuge in the citadel of
Alliance with the Nabataeans
This agreement did not last. Hyrcanus feared that Aristobulus was planning his death. Such fears were furthered by Hyrcanus' adviser,
The Nabataeans advanced toward Jerusalem with an army of 50,000, took the city and besieged the Temple where Aristobulus had taken refuge for several months. During the siege,
Roman intervention
During the Roman civil war, general Pompey defeated armies of the kingdoms of Pontus and the Seleucids. He sent his deputy Marcus Aemilius Scaurus to take possession of Seleucid Syria.
As the Hasmoneans were allies of the Romans, both brothers appealed to Scaurus, each endeavouring through gifts and promises to win him over to his side. Scaurus, moved by a gift of 400 talents, decided in favour of Aristobulus and ordered Aretas to withdraw his army. During his retreat, the Nabateans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus. Scaurus returned to Damascus.[8]
When Pompey arrived in Syria in 63 BCE, both brothers and a third party that desired the removal of the entire dynasty (according to some sources, these may have been the representatives of the Pharisees), sent their delegates to Pompey, who delayed making a decision. He favoured Hyrcanus over Aristobulus, deeming the elder, weaker brother a more reliable ally of the Roman Republic.
Aristobulus, suspicious of Pompey's intentions, entrenched himself in the fortress of
Restoration
By around 63 BCE, Hyrcanus had been restored to his position as High Priest but not to the Kingship. Political authority rested with the Romans whose interests were represented by Antipater, who primarily promoted the interests of his own house. In 47 BCE, Julius Caesar restored some political authority to Hyrcanus by appointing him ethnarch. This however had little practical effect, since Hyrcanus yielded to Antipater in everything.[8]
Exile
In 40 BCE, Aristobulus' son Antigonus Mattathias allied himself with the Parthians and was proclaimed King and High Priest.[8] Hyrcanus was seized and his ears mutilated (according to Josephus, Antigonus bit his uncle's ears off) to make him permanently ineligible for the priesthood.
Then Hyrcanus was taken by the Parthians into captivity in Babylonia,[10] where he lived for four years amid the Babylonian Jews, who paid him every mark of respect.
Return to Jerusalem and death
In 36 BCE,
However, in 30 BCE Herod charged Hyrcanus with plotting with the Nabateans and put him to death. Josephus states that Hyrcanus was 80 years old at the time of his death.
Biblical scholar Gregory Doudna proposed in 2013 that Hyrcanus II was the figure known as the
See also
- Hasmonean coinage
- Hyrcanus inscription
- Hyrcania
- Siege of Jerusalem (disambiguation), list of sieges for, and battles of, Jerusalem
References
- ISBN 9783161456176. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
- ^ Alexander Jannaeus jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ Hyrcanus II jewishencyclopedia.com
- ^ a b c "Hyrcanus II", Jewish Encyclopedia"
- Baba Kama82b)
- ^ Schürer, "Gesch." i. 291, note 2
- ^ Josephus Flavius. "The Antiquities of the Jews". Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ a b c Hoehner, H.W., "Hasmoneans", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J, Geoffrey W. Bromiley (ed.), Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, (1995)
- ISBN 9781846031717. Archived from the originalon 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
- ^ Hammond & Goodman 2017, p. xvii.
- ISBN 9781407311388
- ^ Gregory Doudna, A Narrative Argument that the Teacher of Righteousness was Hyrcanus II. Excerpted from pp. 95-107 of the book Archived 2021-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Hyrcanus II". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
Bibliography
Sources
- Hammond, Martin; Goodman, Martin, eds. (2017). The Jewish War, by Josephus. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0191057595.
- Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book XIV, 5-13.
- The Jewish War, book I, 8-13.
Literature
- Heinrich Ewald, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, volume IV, p. 524ff.
- Heinrich Graetz, History of the Jews, volume III, p. 167ff.
- Hitzig[clarification needed], Geschichte des Volkes Israel, volume II, p. 500ff.
- Emil Schürer, Geschichte des judischen Volks im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, volume I, p. 338 et seq.