PTOLEMY III. (first styled 'EiepyiTTi^, ' benefac- tor,' in a decree of the synod of Canopus in B.C. 238) succeeded his father Philadelphus ui B.C. 247. Soon after his accession, to avenge the murder of his sister at Antioch, he engaged in the third Syrian war, during which his conquests led him far into the East, and on his return from wliich he ia alleged to have offered sacrilices in Jerus. (Jos. c. Ap. ii. 5). In B.C. 229 the control of the Jewish taxes was entrusted to Josephus, nephew of Onias II., according to an account (Jos. Ant, Xll. iv. 1-5), for which there is probably some historical basis, and which is an evidence of the mildness aad consequent popularity of the Egyp. rule. Of the later history of Euergetes only the scantiest information has been preserved. He appears to have devoted himself principally to the internal development of his kingdom, which was at the heiglit of prosperity in B.C. 222, when he was murdered by his son (Justin, xxix. 1), or more prob.ibly died a natural death (I'olyb. ii. 71). Dn 1 1'"" is to be interpreted of Euergetes, the middle verse relating to the act by which he won his title — the restoration of the Egyp. idols carried off by Cambyses nearly three centuiies before
PTOLEMY IV.
PTOLEMY YIL
17]
This king must not be confounded with the Euergetes of the Prologue to Sirach. Tlie data ot time show that the latter must have been Euergetes II., known also a.": Physcon, who was odniitted by his brother to conjoint sovereignty in B.C. 170, and died in B.C. 117. R. W. Moss.
PTOLEMY lY. (*iXo7rdrw/), strictly ' fond of his f.itlior,' though the title appears to have been given in the belief that he was designated for the throne by his father) suceeeiled his father Euer- getes in B.C. 222. In tlie llftli ye.ar of his reign he was forced into an e.\piMlition to recover Palestine from Antiochus the Great, who was completely defeated in a battle near Kaphia. I)n 11"- '-' is a summary of the campaign. A treaty of peace was made with .Antiochus (l^olyb. v. 87), and Ptolemy returned homewards. At Jerus., according to a story in 3 Mac, he attempted to enter tlie Holy of Holies against the indignant protests of the people, but tell in a fit on its threshold. Renouncing his purpose, he returned to Alexandria, where his rage against tlie Jews showed itself in an edict commaiidiMg them to practise idolatry on pain of degradation from citizenship. So many refused, that in an access of wrath he gave orders for all the Jews in Egj'pt to be collected at Alexandria to be put to death. The royal design was a^ain thwarted bj' supernatural occurrences : and a national feast was appointed to commemorate the deliverance. The last statement may be re- garded as authentic, and it is not unlikely that the Jews under this king lost some of their privi- leges, and joined the Egyp. natives in uneasiness and insurrection (Polyb. v. 107, xiv. 12) ; but teiy little reliance can be safely placed on 3 Mac. Of the rest of his reign, which terminated in B.C. 205, little is recorded beyond his extreme licenti- ousness and his Napoleonic love of building.
K. W. Mo.SS.
PTOLEMY Y. ('ExK^anis, 'illustrious') had no sooner succeeded his father, Pliilopator, in B.C. 20,3, than Antiochus the tJieat took advantage of the Eg3'p. king's minority to seize Palestine. I'tolemy's general, Scop.as, was sent to recover tlie country, but was defeated near the sources of the Jordan, and compelled to surrender at Sidon (Jerome, in Dan. ll""). Many of the Jews were led by the concessions of Antiochus (Jos. Ant. \U. iii. 3) to transfer to him their allegiance, and the country passed linally from under the control of Egypt. When the I'oinans forbade Antiochus lo attack Ptolemy, he conciliated both, but re- tained his conquests by betrothing his daughter Oleopatra to the Egyp. king (B.C. 198). The marriage was celebrated in B.C. 193, the Syrian princess receiving as her dowry the royal .share of the taxes of the conquered provinces, but no right of interference in their govorniiient. On the death of Antiochus, Ptolemy decided to invade Syria, but before his prejiarations were complete was poisoned in B.C. 182, or the early part of the tollowing year. Pn H"-" is to be interpreted of these relations between Ptolemy and Anti- ochus; but 11''"' must refer to a futile attempt to restore the independence of Isr.ael (Bevan, in /w.) rather than to .i preference for .Vntiochus by a party amongst the Jews, for in that case the phiases, so far as they ajo intelligilJe, are con- trary to fact. li. W. Moss.
PTOLEMY VI. (should be reckoned as vil., as there is eviilcnce of the brief reign of an older brother : for the authorities and the present state of the question, see Mahall'y, Einp. Ptol. 329 I.— surnamed *i\o;ij)rw/), ' lover of his mother') spent the first seven j'ears of his reign under the ve^eiicy of his mother, Cyprus being meanwhile
under the governorship of Ptolemy Macron (2 Mac 10"), who afterwards transferred his allegiance to Syria. Soon after her death he took the govern- ment into his own hands ; and amongst the envoys who came for the occasion was Apollonius, who was instructed to discover the feelings of the Egyp. court towards Syria (2 Mac 4^'). In B.C. 173 the king married his sister Cleopatra. Two years later he was defeated on the borders of Egypt by Antiochus IV., who overran the country (1 Mac 1'*'-) and got possession of the king. The latter's brother, Euergetes 11., was at once raised to the throne by the people of Alexandria, and, when Antiochus retired, reigned conjointly with his brother (n.c. 170). In B.C. 163 Philometor was driven out of Egypt by his brother, but restored soon after by order of the Roman senate, the kingdom being divided and Cyrene assigned to Euergetes. From B.C. 154 there was peace between the brothers. About the same time must be dated the foundation of the temple of Onias, near Heliopolis (Jos. Ant. XIII. iii. 1-3), the cir- cumstances of which are an evidence of the king's popularity amongst and favour to the Jews. To the same conclusion point his employment of Jewish <jenerals (.los. c. Ap. ii. 5), his relation to the Jew Aristobulus (2 Mac 1'"), who is iden- tified with the Alexandrian philosopher of the same name by Clemens Ales. {Strom, v. 14. 97) and Eusebius (Prcep. Evang. viii. 9), and possibly also the dedication of Ad. Est IP. When Alex- ander Balas was trying to establish his authority over Palestine, besought alliance with Philometor (1 Mac 10""'*), whose daughter Cleopatra was given him in marriage about B.C. 150. With a view to take advantage of the rivalry between Balas and Uemetrius (1 Mac 11'), or more prob- ably in anger at the suspected treason ot the former (Jos. Ant. xill. iv. 6), Ptolemy again invaded Syria, and attached to himself Demetrius bj' promises of support and of marriage with Cleo-