741 



JEWS. 



.!.'.?. 



Jews fa- 

 voured by 

 Antiochus, 

 2U4 B. C. 



Civil dis- 



176 B. C. 



on their Sabbath, assaulted the city on that day, and 

 '*^"v i/ easily took it. When this monarch, five years after- 

 wards, .was obliged to yield Judea to Antigonus, the 

 latter behaved to the Jews in such a tyrannical manner, 

 that great numbers of them fled into Egypt and Syria, 

 and Judea seemed in danger of being entirely depopu- 

 lated till it was recovered by Ptolemy in the year 292 

 B. C. In the reign of Ptolemy Philopater, a dreadful 

 persecution was carried on against them, in conse- 

 quence of their attempting to prevent that monarch 

 from profaning the temple, by entering into the sanc- 

 tuary. 



On their ready submission, in the year 201 B. C. to 

 Antiochus the Great, they gained such a strong hold on 

 his favour, that he promised to restore Jerusalem to its 

 former splendour, to recall the Jews, and to replace 

 them, as far as possible, in their ancient privileges. 

 He actually granted an exemption of taxes to all the 

 dispersed Jews that would come, within a limited time, 

 to settle in Jerusalem; and he ordered all who were slaves 

 in his dominions to be set free. But the Jews were 

 not long to enjoy this prosperity. About the year 176 

 B. C. a quarrel happened between the high-priest and 

 the governor of the temple, which was attended with 

 the most fatal consequences, a civil war ensuing, in 

 which many fell on both sides. When Antiochus Epi- 

 phanes ascended the throne of Syria, Jason, the high- 

 priest's brother, purchased from that monarch the high- 

 priesthood; and afterwards introduced Grecian cus- 

 toms, and the ceremonies of paganism among the Jews. 

 From this time the service of the temple was neglected, 

 and a general apostacy took place. The power of Ja- 

 son, however, was not of long continuance; for his 

 brother Menelaus having offered to the Syrian monarch 

 a higher price than Jason gave for the priesthood, and 

 having moreover promised to renounce Judaism, and 

 embrace the religion of the Greeks in all respects, that 

 monarch gave Menelaus a force sufficient to drive Ja- 

 son out of Jerusalem. Menelaus conducted himself 

 with great tyranny towards the Jews, who complained 

 of him to Antiochus ; but that monarch paid no atten- 

 tion to their complaints so long as Menelaus could pro- 

 cure money to bribe him. About the year 170 B. C. 

 Antiochus marched against Jerusalem, in consequence 

 of the Jews having rebelled, and made great rejoicings 

 on the report that he had been killed at the siege of 

 Alexandria. He soon made himself master of the city, 

 where he behaved with such cruelty, that it is supposed, 

 in the course of three days, 40,000 Jews were killed, 

 and as many sold for slaves. Menelaus still retained 

 the protection and favour of the Syrian monarch, and 

 if possible exceeded his former acts of tyranny and 

 cruelty. But the Jews were reserved for yet greater 

 calamities; for, about the year 168 B. C. Antiochus, 

 having been most severely mortified by the Romans, 

 Antiochus, resolved to wreak his vengeance on the Jews. He ac- 

 168 B. C. cordingly dispatched an army of 22,000 men to plun- 

 der all their cities, to murder all the men, and to sell 

 the women and children for slaves. The Jews, inca- 

 pable of resistance, beheld their city taken, their temple 

 profaned, and their religion abolished. About 10,000 

 of them, who escaped the slaughter, were carried away 

 captive. In order still more effectually to accomplish 

 his purpose, the Syrian monarch ordered the temple to 

 be dedicated to Jupiter Olympius, and his statue to be 

 set up on the altar of burnt-offering. All who refused 

 to come and worship were massacred, or tortured till 



Jutlea ra- 

 vaged by 



they complied. Altars, groves, and statues were raised 

 throughout Judea, at which the inhabitants were com- 

 pelled to worship, while it was instant death to observe 

 the Sabbath, circumcision, or any other of the rites and 

 ceremonies instituted by Moses. 



The Jews now yielded to despair, when an eminent 

 priest, named Mattathias, had the courage to oppose 

 the orders of the king, and, by his example and exhor- 

 tations, roused the spirits and the zeal of his country- 

 men. In the year 167 B. C. Mattathias, finding that 

 his followers daily increased in number, attacked the 

 Syrians and apostate Jews, marching from city to city, 

 overturning the idolatrous altars, and opening the syna- 

 gogues. He was so successful, that in the space of a 

 year he had extended his reformation throughout a con- 

 siderable part of Judea, and he could probably have 

 completed it had he not died. 



He was succeeded by the famous Judas Maccabeus, 

 who, at the head of 6000 men made himself master of 

 some of the strongest fortresses in Judea, and after de- 

 feating the Syrians in five pitched battles, drove them 

 entirely out of the country, except from a strong fort 

 built over against the temple. In the year 163 B. C. 

 after the death of Antiochus, a peace was concluded 

 upon terms very advantageous to the Jewish nation ; 

 but it was not of long continuance. Judas was again 

 successful in five engagements ; in the sixth, however, 

 having been abandoned by all his troops except 800, 

 he, together with this gallant band, was slain in the 

 year lb'1 B. C. Jonathan and Simon, his brothers, suc- 

 ceeded him. The latter drove the Syrian garri-on 

 from the fortress of Jerusalem, but was at last treacher- 

 ously murdered by his son-in-law about 135 B. C. 



Simon was succeeded by his son Hyrcan, who made 

 himself master of all Palestine, as well as of Samaria 

 and Galilee. He was successful and happy till the last 

 year of his life, when he became involved in a quarrel 

 with the Pharisees, which is supposed to have shorten- 

 ed his days. The factious and turbulent spirit of this 

 sect also proved very troublesome to Alexander Jan- 

 naeus, who obtained the royal power in the year 105 

 B. C. and who seems to have been a monarch of great 

 activity, enterprise, and talent. While he was engaged 

 in subduing his foreign enemies, the Pharisees raised a 

 rebellion at home, but this he quashed in the year 8(J 

 B. C. ; and, by treating them with very great severity, 

 not to say cruelty, he prevented them from again dis- 

 turbing his reign. Alexander having made several con- 

 quests in Syria, died about 79 B. C. He left two sons, 

 Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but bequeathed the govern- 

 ment to his wife as long as she lived. The Pharisees 

 by this time had again put forth their power, and be- 

 came so turbulent as to render the situation of the 

 queen very unpleasant: they even compelled her to 

 persecute the Sadducees in a most cruel manner. On 

 her death, contests began between her sons : the Pha- 

 risees supported Hyrcanus, but his army deserting to 

 Aristobulus, the former was obliged to abandon all ti- 

 tle both to the royal and pontifical dignity. His party, 

 notwithstanding, still existed and were active ; and 

 having obtained the assistance of the King of Arabia, 

 invaded Judea, defeated Aristobulus, and closely be- 

 sieged him in Jerusalem. In this situation, the latter 

 called in the Romans, and by their means drove the 

 Arabians out of the country. 



After this, both the brothers agreed to constitute 

 Pompey, at that time commander in chief of all the 



Jews. 



Jews roused 

 by Matta. 

 thias. 

 167 B. C. 



Judas Mac- 

 cabeus, 

 163 B. C. 



Alexander 

 Jannxus, 

 105 B. C. 



Rebellion 

 of the 

 Pharisees. 





