MACCABEE
GOO
MACCABEE
aroused. His friendship for Jonathan, however, was soon at an end, and, contrary to his promises, he threat- ened to make war upon liim unless lie paid the tribute which previous kings had exacted. This menace might have been carried out had not a formidable antagonist at home arisen in the person of Trypho, who had for- merly been an officer of Alexander lialas, and had es- poused the cause of his young son Antiochus Thcos. This man attacked Demetrius, defeated him in battle, captured his city, drove him into exile, and placed his crown on the head of Antiochus, B.C. 144. One of the lirst acts of the new king was to ingratiate himself with Jonathan; he therefore confirmed him in the high- priesthood, and appointed him governor over Judaja and its provinces, besides showing him other marks of favor, i His brother Simon he appointed to be general over the king's forces from what was called the Ladder of Tyre, viz.. a mountain lying on the sea-coast between Tyre and Ptolemais, even to the borders of Egj'pt. Jonathan, in return, rendered good service to Antiochus, and twice aefeated the armies of Demetrius. He then proceeded to establish his own power By renewing the treaty ■with Eome, entering into one also with Lacediemon, and strengthening the fortifications in Judica. He was des- tined, however, to fall by treachery, for Trypho, having ))crsuaded him to dismiss a large army he had assem- iikd to support Antiochus, decoyed him into the city of I'tolemais, and then took him prisoner. The Jews im- mediately raised Simon to the command, and paid a large sum to ransom Jonathan. Trypho, however, took the money, but, instead of releasing Jonathan, put him to death, and then, thinking that the main hinderance to his own ambitious designs was removed, caused An- tiochus to be treated in the same manner. Thus fell the third of the illustrious Maccab;ean race, who distin- guished himself nobly in the defence of his country, B.C. 14o. When Simon heard of his brother's death he fetched his bones from Bascama, where he had been buried, and had them interred at INIodin. Here he erected to his memory a famous monument of a great height, built of white marble, elaborately wrought, near which he placed seven pyramids, for his father and mother and their five sons, the whole being surrounded with a stately portico. For many years aftenvards this monument served the purpose of a beacon for sailors, and it was standing in the time of Eusebius. See Modix.
4. The last remaining brother of the Maccabee ftimily was thus SiJiON, surnamed "Thassi" (Bao-fri, Qacraitj ; the meaning of the title is uncertain. Blichaelis [Grimm, on 1 IMacc. ii] thinks that it represents the Chaldee ■^win). As above related, when he heard of the de- tention of Jonathan in Ptolemais bj' Trypho, he placed himself at the head of the patriot party, who were al- ready beginning to despond, and effectually opposed the progress of the Syrians. His skill in M'ar had been proved in the lifetime of Judas (1 Mace, v, 17-23), and he had taken an active share in the campaigns of Jona- than, when ho was intrusted with a distinct command (1 IMacc. xi. 5;) ). He was soon enabled to consummate the object for which his family had fought gloriously, but in vain. When Trypho, after having put Jonathan to death, murdered Antiochus, and seized the throne, Simon made overtures to Demetrius H (B.C. 143) against Trypho. He was consc(iuently confirmed in liis )iosi(ion of sovereign high-priest. He then turned his attention to establishing the internal peace and se- curity of his kingdom. He fortified Belhsura. Jamnia, Joppa, and (Jaza, and garrisoned them with Jewish sol- diers. The Lacedaemonians sent liim a llattering em- bassy, desiring to renew their treaty; to Kome also he sent a shield of gold of immense value, and ratified his league witli that nation. See SrAUTAN. He inoreovcr took tlie citadel of Jerusalem 4iy siege, which up to tliis time had always been oceujiied by the Syrian faction; and, besides pulling it down, even levelled the hill on which it was built, with immense )al)or, that so the Temple might not be exposed to attacks from it. Un-
der the wise government of this member of the Asmo- naian family Judiea seems to have attained the greatest height of prosperity and freedom she had known for centuries, or even knew afterwards. The writer of the first book of the Maccabees evidently rejoices to remem- ber and record it. '• The ancient men," he saj's, " sat all in the streets communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel. He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy. For everj' man sat under his vine and his fig-tree, and there was none to fray them" (xiv, 9, 11, 12). This time of quiet repose Simon employed in ad- ministering justice and restoring the operation of the law. He also beaiitified the sanctuary, and refurnished it with sacred vessels.
In the mean time Demetrius had been taken prisoner in an expedition against the Parthians, whereupon his brother Antiochus Sidetes immediately endeavored to overthrow the usurper Trypho. Availing himself of a defection in his troops, he besieged him in Dora, a town upon the sea-coast a little south of Mount Carmcl. Si- mon sent him 2000 chosen men, with arms and money, but Antiochus was not satisfied with this assistance while he remembered the independence of Palestine. He therefore refused to receive them, and, moreover, dis- patched Athenobius to demand the restoration of Joppa, Gaza, and the fortress of Jerusalem, or else the payment of a thousand talents of silver ; but when the legate saw the magnificence of the high-priest's palace at Jerusa- lem he was astonished, and as Simon deliberately re- fused to comply with the terms of the king's message, and offered by Avay of compensation orly a hundred tal- ents for the places in dispute, Athenobius was obliged to return disappointed and enraged. Trypho meanwhile escaped from Dora by ship to Oithosia, a maritime town in Phcenicia, and Antiochus, having deputed CcndebiBus to invade Judaea, juirsued him in person. The king's armies proceeded to Jamnia, and, having seized Cedrou and fortified it, Cendebfeus made use of that place as a centre from which to annoy the surrounding countrj*. Simon at this time was too old to engage actively in the defence of his native land, and therefore appointed his two eldest sons, Judas and Jolni Hyrcanus, to suc- ceed him in the command of the forces. They forthwith set themselves at the head of 20,000 men, and marched from Modin to meet the king's general: they utterly discomfited and scattered his host, drove him to Cedron, and thence to Azotus, which they set on fire, and after- A\ards returned in triumph to Jerusalem. But destruc- tion threatened their house from nearer home ; for Ptol- emy, the son of Abubus, who had married a daughter of Simon, and was governor in the district of Jericho, with plenty of money at his command, aspired to reduce the country under his dominion, and took occasion, upon a visit that Simon paid to that neighborhood, to invite him and two of his sons, with their followers, to a ban- quet, and then slew them (1 Mace, xvi, 11-10). John alone, whose forces were at Gaza, now survived to carry on the line of the Maccabees, and sustain their glory, B.C. 135. He likewise had been included in the treach- erous designs of Ptolemy, but found means to elude them. With the death of Simon the narrative of the first book of the Maccabees concludes.