By A. Palestine was included in the province of Coele • Syria, which extended from Lebanon to Egypt. The governor was Androraachus, who chose as his residence the town of Samaria, because of its central position, and possiblj also of the amenities of the neighbourhood. A''ainst him the Samaritans rose in revolt, prompted uy jealou.sy of the privi- leged Jews, by resentment at the estnbjisliment amongst them of the seat of government, or l>y the opportunity afl'orded by the absence in Egj-pt of such of their compatriots as were most favourably dispo.sed towards A. (Jo.s. Ant. XI. viii. 6). Setting fire to the bouse of Andromachus, they bunit him alive. The news reached A. just after he had received the submission of Egypt ; and, hastening back, ho put to death the leaders of the revolt (Curt. iv. 8. 10), and removed the rest of the people from their city, planting a colony of Macedonians in their stead. From that time Shechem, at the foot of Mt. fJerizim, became the religious centre of the Samaritans. Coins of A. have been found coined at Ashkelon and Acco (Ptolemais), and also, if Miillcr's identifications are correct, at Cie.sarea, Scythdpolis, and I{al)bah (Miiller, Numismatii/ue d\Ali:j-'tni/re, .■i().'i-309) ; but it cannot be inferred with conlidence that these towns were made by him sub-capitals of districts, as such coins were issued by the Diadochoi long after the death of A. Not only were large numbers of the Samaritans settled by iiim in the Thebais {,Ios. Ant. XI. viii. 6), and of Jews in Alexandria {ih. XIX. v. 2; Apiun. ii. 4) and in the Egyj). villages (see the evidence of papyri in Mahalfy, J^tolemici, 86, n.), but many of the latter appear to have willingly i-unilled themselves in his army. When he was rebuibling the temple of Bel in liabyloM, his soliliers were ordered to assist in removing the rubbish. The .lews are said to have refu.scd on the grounds that any dealing with idolatry was forbidden them, and tiiat their Scrip- tures predicted the permanency of the destruction of the temple of Bel. They were threatened and punished in vain. Apjwalmg to A., they were
exempted from the task, in virtue of the original stipulation that they 'should continue under the laws of their fathers.' The incident again is of doubtful authenticity ; but it is in agreement with all the traditions of the kindly attitude of A. towards the Jews.
In the Biblical books A. is expressly mentioned only in 1 Mac 1'' 6'', though several passages in Dan. are frequently interpreted as alluding to him.
LrrKRATURR. — The sourcea of A.*8 history are examined in Freeman, Hut. Eniiayg, 2nd ser. Ess. 5, to which add Pauly, HE. art. ' Alexander,' and Mahaffy, Ptolemies, wliere in § 5fl evidence is adduced in favour of the novel su^'gestion, that A.*« friendship to the Jews was due to his desire to use them as a kind of intelligence department to his army. For the rabbinical traditions see Derenbourg, [list, de- la I'al. i. 41 fT.; Hamburger, JiE ii. 44-47. Droysen, Gfsch. Alfx. (U« Grosfim (Hamburg, 1837), and Ge«ch. des Hetlenumus (Ootha, 1877) are of special value.
R. W. Moss.
ALEXANDER BALAS was either a natural son of Antiochus Epiphanes (Jos. Ant. xill. ii. 1 ; Liv. Epit, 50 ; Strabo, xiii. ), or a lad of Smyrna who claimed such descent (Justin, xxxv. 1 ; Appian, i'yr. 67). In the latter (more likely) case, Balas was his proper name, and its etymology is unknown ; in the former case the name may be connected \vitn the Aram. kYj? 'lord.' He also assumed his reputed father's title of Epiphanes (1 Mac 10'). lie was set up as a pretender to the throne of Demetrius Soter, whose despotism had alienated liis sulijects and ofiended his neighbours, by the three allied kings, Ptolemy Philometor of Egypt, Attalus II. of Pergamum, and Ariarathes V. of Cappadocia. The Uomans also supported his claims (Polybius, xxxiii. 14. 16), in accordance with their policy of promoting civil strife within kingdoms that might become formidable. He secured the help of Jonathan (B.C. 153) by nomi- nating him high priest, and after some reverses defeated Demetrius, who fell in the battle. Balas thereupon married Cleopatra, dauj^hter of Ptolemy Philometor (for a fuller account of whose relations with Balas see Mahatly, Ei.ip. of Ptulcmie.i, §§ 208- 212), and appointed (li.c. 150) Jonathan with special honours (Jos. Ant. XIII. iv. 2) aTpaTrryds and fiepioipxri!, military and civil governor of the pro- vince, although Syrian commandants were retained in several of the principal fortresses. His kingdom now established, Balas proved himself an incapable ruler, negligent of State affairs, and given up to self-indulgence (Miiller, Fragm. Hiit. Grcec. iL prajf. xvi, n. 19 ; Liv. Ejnt. .50 ; Justin, xxxv. 2). Demetrius Nicator, son of Dera. Soter, invaded the country in B.C. 147, and was supported by Apollonius, governor of Cojle-Syria. But Jonathan defeated and slew Apollonius, and was rewarded on the part of Balas by the gift of Ekron. Balas, however, was deserted by his own soldiers and by the people of Antioch. Ptolemy, his father-in-law, entere<l Syria on the plea that Balas was plotting against him, and took up the cause of Demetrius, to whom he transferred iiis daughter Cbiopatra in marriage. Balas hastened from Cilicia, where he had been trying to quell a revolt, but was defeated by Ptolemy. He was either slain (B.C. 140) in the battle (Eu.seb. Chron. Arm. i. 340), or he lied to Abuj, in Arabia, where he wius as.sa.ssinated (Miiller, I.e. ; 1 Mac 11"). The relation of the Jews to Balas, and the consistency of their alliance, ai)i>ear in 1 Mac 10", UV 'They were well pleased with Alexander, because he was the first that spake words of peace unto them, and they were con- federate with him always.' His necessities and his unconcern made Judiea almost autonomous.