Maccabees (Hasmoneans)
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Maccabees (Hasmoneans) Contents I. Revolt of the Maccabees ......................................... 1 II. Rule of the Hasmoneans ........................................ 2 III. Demise of the Hasmoneans ...................................... 6 Hasmoneans hazme-nēenz [Gk Asamomaios; tar and proclaimed, “Let every one who is zealous Heb ḥašmônay]. In the broader sense the term Has- for the law and supports the covenant come out monean refers to the whole “Maccabean” family. with me” (1 Macc. 2:15–27; Ant. xii.6.1–2 [265– According to Josephus (Ant. xii.6.1 [265]), Mat- 272]; Dnl. 11:32–35). Mattathias and his five sons tathias, the first of the family to revolt against fled to the mountains. This marked the beginning Antiochus IV’s demands, was the great-grandson of the Maccabean revolt. They waged war against of Hashman. This name may have derived from the Jews who complied with Antiochus, tore down the Heb ḥašmān, perhaps meaning “fruitfulness,” heathen altars, circumcised children who had been “wealthy.” Hashman was a priest of the family of left uncircumcised, and exhorted all Jews to follow Joarib (cf. 1 Macc. 2:1; 1 Ch. 24:7). The nar- in their struggle. Mattathias died (166 b.c.) and rower sense of the term Hasmonean has reference left the crusade in the hands of his third son Ju- to the time of Israel’s independence beginning with das, with whom a new era of fighting commenced Simon, Mattathias’s last surviving son, who in 142 (1 Macc. 2:42–70; Ant. xii.6.2–4 [273–286]). b.c. gained independence from the Syrian control, Judas was very able and at Emmaus defeated the and ending with Simon’s great-grandson Hyrcanus three generals sent by the Syrian regent Lysias and II, who submitted to the Roman general Pompey at Beth-zur defeated Lysias himself (1 Macc. 4:1– in 63 b.c. Remnants of the Hasmoneans continued 35; Ant. xii.7.4f [305–315]). Judas had regained the until a.d. 100. entire country and this allowed him to restore the worship in the temple in Jerusalem. On Chislev 25 I. Revolt of the Maccabees (14 December, 164 b.c.), exactly three years after its desecration, the temple with its altar was reded- icated and the daily sacrifices were reinstituted (1 The Hasmonean name does not occur in the books Macc. 4:36–59; 2 Macc. 10:1–8; Ant. xii.7.6f [316– of Maccabees, but appears in Josephus several 326]). This marked the commencement of the Jew- times (Ant. xi.4.8 [111]; xii.6.1 [265]; xiv.16.4 [490f]; ish Feast of Dedication or Lights (Heb ḥanûkkâ). xv.11.4 [403]; xvi.7.1 [187]; xvii.7.3 [162]; xx.8.11 [190]; 10.3 [238]; 10.5 [247, 249]; BJ i.7 [19]; 1.3 [36]; Judas continued to fight Lysias. Finally in 163 Vita 1 [2, 4]) and once in the Mishnah (Middoth b.c. Lysias had laid siege to Jerusalem. Because i.6). These references include the whole Maccabean of adverse situations on both sides, Lysias and Ju- family beginning with Mattathias. In 166 b.c. Mat- das made peace and guaranteed religious freedom tathias, the aged priest in Modein, refused to obey for the Jews (1 Macc. 6:28–63). But Judas also the order of Antiochus IV’s envoy to sacrifice to the wanted to have political freedom and continued in heathen gods, and instead slew the envoy and a Jew this struggle until his death at Eleasa in 160 b.c. who was about to comply. He then destroyed the al- (1 Macc. 7:14–9:22; Ant. xii.9.7–11.2 [384–434]). Grace Notes, a ministry of Austin Bible Church http://gracenotes.info/ Maccabees (Hasmoneans) 2 This brought disarray to Maccabean forces and the Judas had already achieved religious freedom, and Hellenists were temporarily in control under the Jonathan had become both the religious leader, leadership of the Syrian general Bacchides. by being appointed high priest, and the political leader, by becoming the sole ruler over Judea and Judas’s brother Jonathan continued the guerilla by ousting the Hellenistic elements. Simon at- warfare against Hellenism. In 157 B.C. Jonathan’s tempted and achieved complete independence from defeat of Bacchides at Beth-basi (10 km [6 mi] S the Seleucid rule. This independence endured until of Jerusalem) resulted in a peace treaty, and Bac- Rome’s intervention in 63 b.c. chides returned to Antioch. This weakened the Hel- lenists and because of the internal struggles of Syria A. Simon (143–135b.c.)Simon, the second oldest Jonathan gained strength for the next five years (1 son of Mattathias, succeeded his younger brother Macc. 9:23–73; Ant. xiii.1.1–6 [1–34]). In 152 B.C. Jonathan. There was a great upheaval in Syria Syria had further internal struggles when Alexan- because Tryphon killed Antiochus VI and reigned der Balas, who claimed to be the son of Antiochus in his stead as a rival to Demetrius II (1 Macc. IV, challenged the Seleucidian king Demetrius I. In 13:31f; Ant. xiii.7.1 [218–222]; Diodorus xxxiii.28.1; 150 B.C. LivyEpit lv; Appian Syr 68; Justinus xxxvi.1.7). Because of the dastardly act of Tryphon against Simon’s brother, Simon naturally attached himself Alexander Balas won and made Jonathan a gen- to Demetrius II on the condition of Judea’s com- eral, governor, and high priest of Judah (the king plete independence. Since Demetrius II no longer of Syria selected the high priest but none had been controlled the southern parts of the Syrian empire, chosen since the death of Alcimus in May, 159 b.c.) he extended to Simon complete exemption from and considered Jonathan one of his chief friends (1 past and future taxation. The significance of this is Macc. 10:22–66; Ant. xiii.2.3f [46–61]; 4.1f [80– that the gentile yoke over Israel had been removed 85]). This was a strange combination: Alexan- for the first time since the Babylonian Captivity, der Balas, professed son of Antiochus Epiphanes, and Judea’s political independence meant that they was in league with a Maccabean! Alexander could write their own documents and treaties. This Balas’s rule was challenged by Demetrius’s son, was in 142 b.c. (1 Macc. 13:33–42; Ant. xiii.6.7 Demetrius II Nicator, in 147 b.c. and Balas was [213f]). finally defeated in 145 b.c. Demetrius II confirmed Jonathan’s high priesthood and gave Jonathan the In order to insure the security of the new indepen- three districts of southern Samaria that he had dent state, Simon took two actions. First, because requested. In 143 b.c. Demetrius II’s army re- of the possible threat of Tryphon, Demetrius II’s ri- belled, and Diodotus Tryphon (a general of Alexan- val, Simon seized the fortress of Gazara (Gezer) be- der Balas) claimed the Syrian throne for Alexander tween Jerusalem and Joppa, expelling the Gentiles Balas’s son, Antiochus VI. Jonathan took advan- and replacing them with Jews, and appointed his tage of the situation and sided with Tryphon, who son John Hyrcanus as governor (1 Macc. 13:43–48, in turn made Jonathan head of the civil and reli- 53; 16:1, 21; Ant. xiii.6.7 [213–17]). Second, Simon gious affairs and his brother Simon head of the mil- shortly afterward captured the fortress of Acra in itary. Tryphon, however, fearful of Jonathan’s suc- Jerusalem. Acra had never been in the hands of cess, deceived him, arranged a meeting with him, the Maccabeans but had been in the control of the and subsequently killed him (1 Macc. 10:67–13:30; hellenizers for more than forty years, serving as a Ant. xiii.4.3–6.6 [86-212]). reminder of the Syrian control. With the last ves- tige of Syrian control overthrown, the Acra was pu- rified on the twenty-third day of the second month II. Rule of the Hasmoneans in 141 b.c. (3 June, 141 b.c.) (1 Macc. 13:49–52; Ant. xiii.6.7 [215–17]). Like his brothers Judas (1 Macc. 8:17) and Jonathan (1 Macc. 12:1), Simon A new phase of the Maccabean rule had emerged. made a peace treaty with Rome and Sparta, who Although the term “Hasmonean” is sometimes ap- guaranteed the freedom of worship. plied to the whole of the Maccabean family, it is more strictly applied to the high-priestly house, In commemoration of Simon’s achievement, in 140 from the time of Simon to 63 b.c. The reason for b.c. (Sept. 13) the Jews conferred upon him the this is that the Maccabean dream had finally come position of leader and high priest forever until a true, namely, that the Israelites had become polit- faithful prophet should arise (1 Macc. 14:25–40, ically and religiously an independent nation. esp v 41). The high priesthood formerly belonged Grace Notes, a ministry of Austin Bible Church http://gracenotes.info/ Maccabees (Hasmoneans) 3 to the house of Onias but this had come to an end B. John Hyrcanus (135–104b.c.)John Hyr- in 174 b.c. The Syrian kings had selected the in- canus succeeded his father as high priest and ruler tervening high priests, namely, Menelaus, Alcimus, of the people. In the first year of his reign he had and Jonathan. But now the Jews appointed Si- trouble because Antiochus VII, who had failed to mon and his descendants as successors of the high take over Judea under Simon, asserted his claim of priesthood.