Tetradrachm (Ptolemaic Talent) of Alexander Balas.— Ob- verse: Bust of King. Reverse : Eagle upon Rudder, and Palm-branch, with the Monogram and Symbol of Tyre; Date TEP (103 JEr. Seleurid), etc. ; Inscription (in Greek), u Of King Alexander."
3. Surnamed Zebina (or Zabinas, Zaftivac, said to signify "purchased," from a report that Ptolemy had bought him as a slave), the son of a merchant named I'rotarchus ; he was set up by Ptolemy Physcon, king of Egypt, as a pretender to the crown of the Greek kingdom of Syria shortly after the death of An- tiochus Sidetes and the return of Demetrius Nicator from his captivity among the Parthians (B.C. 128). Antioch, Apamea, and several other cities, disgusted with the tyranny of Demetrius, acknowledged the au- thority of Alexander, who pretended to have been adopted by Sidetes ; but he nev^r succeeded in obtain- ing power over the whole of Syria. In the earlier part of the year 125 he defeated Demetrius, who fled to Tyre, and was there killed ; but in the middle of the same year Alexander's patron, the king of Egypt, set up Antiochus Gryphus, a son of Demetrius, by whom he was defeated in battle. Alexander fled to Antioch, where he attempted to plunder the temple of Jupiter in order to pay his troops ; but the people rose against him and drove him out of the city. He soon fell into the hands of robbers, who delivered him up to Antio- chus, by whom he was put to death, B.C. 122. He was weak and effeminate, but sometimes generous. (Justin, xxxix, 1, 2; Josephus, Ant. xiii, 9, 10; Clin- ton, Fasti, iii, 334.)
Coin of Alexander Zebina.— The reverse having a Statue of Jupiter holding an Image of Victory, with the Inscription (in Greek), "■ Of King Alexander."
4. Surnamed Jann.eus (lavvaloc), the first prince of the Maccabsean dynasty who for any considerable period enjoyed the title of king. See" Maccabees. Coins of his reign are extant, from which it appears that his original name was Jonathan, which he ex- changed for the Greek name Alexander, according to the Hellenizing custom of the age. His history is detailed by Josephus (Ant. xiii, 12-16). He was the
Coin of Alexander Jannams— bearing on the obverse the in- scription (in Greek), " Of King Alexander;" on the reverse (in Samaritan-IIeb.), u King Jonathan."
third son of John Hyrcanus, who left three sons, or five, according to Josephus ( War, i, 2, 7). The father was particularly fond of Antigonus and Aristobulus, but could not endure his third son, Alexander, because he had dreamed that he would reign after him, which implied the death of his two brothers. Antigonus nev- er reigned, and Aristobulus reigned but for a short time. After his death, Salome, or Alexandra, his widow, liberated Alexander, whom Aristobulus had confined in prison since their father's death, and made him king, B.C. 104. Alexander put to death one of his brothers, who had formed a design on his life, and heaped favors on another, called Absalom, who, being contented with a private condition, lived peaceably, and retired from public employments. Alexander was of a warlike, enterprising disposition ; and when he had regulated his dominions he marched against Ptolemais, but was soon compelled to relinquish the object of his expedition in order to defend his own ter- ritories against Ptolemy Lathyrus, who had marched a powerful army into Galilee. Alexander gave him battle near Asophus, not far from the Jordan ; but Ptolemy killed 30,000, or, as others say, 50,000 of his men. After this victory the latter met with no re- sistance. His mother, Cleopatra, however, apprehen- sive for the safety of Egypt, determined to stop his further progress, and for this purpose levied a numer- ous arm}', and equipping a large fleet, soon landed in Phoenicia, B.C. 102. Ptolemais opened its gates to receive her; and here Alexander Jannauis presented himself in her camp with considerable presents, and was received as an unhappy prince, an enemy of Ptol- emy, who had no refuge but the queen's protection, B.C. 101. Cleopatra made an alliance with him in the city of Scythopolis, and Alexander marched with his troops into Ccele-Syria, where he took the town of Gadara after a siege of ten months, and after that Amathus, one of the best fortresses in the country, where Theodoras, son of Zeno, had lodged his most valuable property as in absolute security. This The- odoras, falling suddenly on Alexander's army, killed 10,000, and plundered his baggage. Alexander, how- ever,, was not deterred by this disaster from prosecut- ing his purposes : having recruited his army, he be- sieged Raphia, Anthedon, and Gaza- — towns on the Mediterranean — and took them ; the latter, after a desperate resistance, was reduced to a heap of ruins, B.C. 96.
After this Alexander returned to Jerusalem, but the Jews had revolted ; and on the feast of tabernacles, while he, as high-priest, was preparing to sacrifice, the people asseml lad in the temple had the insolence to throw lemons at him, taken from the branches which they carried in their hands. Alexander put the sedi- tious to the sword, and killed about 6000. Afterward he erected a partition of wood before the altar and the inner temple to prevent the approach of the people ; and to defend himself in future against such attempts, he took into his pay guards from Pisidia and Cilicia. Finding Jerusalem likely to continue the seat of clam- or and discontent, Alexander quitted the metropolis, at the head of his arm}-, B.C. 93 ; and, having crossed the Jordan, he made war upon the Moabites and Am- monites, and obliged them to pay tribute; attacked Amathus, the fortress beyond Jordan before mention- ed, and razed it ; and also made war with Obeda, king of the Arabians, whom he subdued. On his return to Jerusalem he found the Jews more incensed against