ALEXANDER
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ALEXANDER
him than ever, and a civil war shortly ensued, in which he killed above 50,000 persons. All his en- deavors to bring about a reconciliation proving fruit- less, Alexander one day asked them what the}- would have him do to acquire their good-will. They an- swered unanimously " that he had nothing to do but to kill himself." After this they sent deputies to desire succors from Demetrius Eucaerus against their king, who marched into Judaea with 3000 horse and 40,000 infantry, and encamped at Sichem. A battle ensued, in which Alexander was defeated and compelled to fly to the mountains for shelter, B.C. 88. This occur- rence, however, contributed to his re-establishment, for a large number of the Jews, touched with the un- happy condition of their king, joined him ; and Deme- trius, retiring into Syria, left the Jews to oppose their king with their own forces. Alexander, collecting his army, marched against his rebellious subjects, whom he overcame in every engagement, and having shut up the fiercest of them in Bethom, he forced the town, made them prisoners, and carried them to Jerusalem, where he ordered eight hundred of them to be cruci- fied before him during a great entertainment which he made for his friends ; and before these unhappy wretches had expired he commanded their wives and children to be murdered in their presence— an unheard- of and excessive cruelty, which occasioned the people of his own party to call him " Thracides," meaning " as cruel as a Thracian," B.C. 86. Some time after- ward Antiochus, surnamed Dionysius, having conquer- ed Damascus, resolved to invade Judaea ; but Alexan- der defeated his intention, and compelled him to return into Arabia, where he was killed. Aretas, the suc- ceeding king of Damascus, however, came into Judaea, and defeated Alexander in the plain of Sephala, B.C. 82. A peace being concluded, Aretas returned to Da- mascus, and Alexander ingratiated himself with the Jews, B.C. 81. Having given himself up to excessive drinking, he brought on a violent quartan fever, which terminated his life. His queen, Alexandra, observing him to be near his end, and foreseeing all she had to fear from a mutinous people not easily governed, and her children not of age to conduct her affairs, was greatly distressed. Alexander told her that, to reign in peace, she should conceal his death from the army till Bagaba, which he was then besieging, was taken ; that, when returned to Jerusalem, she should give the Pharisees some share in the government; that she should send for the principal of them, show them his dead body, give them permission to treat it with what indignities they pleased in revenge for the ill-treat- ment they had received from him, and promise that she would in future do nothing in the government without their advice and participation. He died at the age of forty-eight, after a reign of twenty-seven years, B.C. 78. This admission of the Pharisees into the government demands the especial notice of the reader, as it accounts not only for their influence over the minds of the people, but also for their connection witli the rulers, and their power as public governors, which appear so remarkably in the history of the Gos- pel.-— much beyond what might be expected from a sect merely religious. Alexander left two sons, Ilyr- Canus and Aristohulus, who disputed the kingdom and high-priesthood till the time of Herod the Great, and whose dissensions caused the ruin of their family, and were the means of Herod's elevation. — Calmet, s. v. See Alexandra.
5. The son of Aristohulus and Alexandra, and grandson of Alexander Jannseus. He was to have been carried captive to Home, with his brother Antig- onus, when Pompey took Jerusalem from Aristohulus (B.C. C3) ; on the way, however, he found means to escape, and, returning to Judaea (B.C. 57), raised an army of 10,000 foot and 15,000 horse, with which he performed many gallant actions, and seized the for- tresses of Alexandrium and Machaerus. Hyrcanus ap-
| plied for aid to Gabinius, the general of the Roman ; troops, who drove him from the mountains, beat him near Jerusalem, killed 3000 of his men, and made j many prisoners. By the mediation of his mother, Al- j exandra, matters were accommodated with Gabinius, J and the Romans marched into Egypt, but were soon 1 compelled to return by the violent proceedings of Al- I exander. Wherever he met with Romans he sacri- ficed them to his resentment, and a number were com- pelled to fortify themselves on Mount Gerizim, where Gabinius found him at his return from Egypt. Being apprehensive of engaging the great number of troops who were with Alexander, Gabinius sent Antipater with offers of general pardon if they laid down their arms. This had the desired success ; many forsook Alexander, and retired to their own houses ; but with 30,000 still remaining he resolved to give the Romans ! battle. The armies met at the foot of Mount Tabor, where, after a very obstinate action, Alexander was overcome, with the loss of 10,000 men.
Under the government of Crassus (B.C. 53) Alex- ander again began to embroil affairs ; but after the un- happy expedition against the Parthians Cassius obliged him, under conditions, to continue quiet (B.C. 52) while he marched to the Euphrates to oppose the pas- sage of the Parthians. During the wars between Cae- sar and Pompey, Alexander and Aristohulus, his fa- ther, espoused Caesar's interest, B.C. 49. Aristohu- lus was poisoned, and Alexander beheaded at Antioch. B.C. 48. (Josephus, Ant. xiv, 5-7 ; War, i, 8 and 9.)