G. Aristobulus succeeded his father as high-priest and supreme governor. He was the first, also, after the captivity, who openly assumed the title of king. He threw his mother, who claimed the throne, into prison, and starved her to death. Three of his brothers, also, he held in bonds. Antigonus, the other one, bj' whose help he subdued Itura;a or Auranitis, a district at the foot of the Anti-Libanus, was killed by treachery ; and, after a year of miserj- and crime, Aristobulus died. His wife, Salome or Alexandra, immediately released his brethren, and Alexander Jannajus was made king. One of his brothers, who showed signs of ambition, he slew, the other one he left alone. His first military act was the siege of Ptolemais, which was in the hands of the Syrians. The inhabitants sought help from Ptolemy Lathyrns, who governed Cyprus, but fearing the army of 80,000 men he brought with him, declined to open their gates to him, whereupon he attacked Gaza and Dora. Alexander pretended to treat with him for the surrender of these places, and at the same time sent to Cleopatra, the widow of Physcon, for a Ir.rge army to drive him from Palestine. He detected the duplicity of this conduct, and took ample vengeance on Alexan- der by ravaging the country. He also defeated him with the loss of 30,000 men. Judtea ^vas saved by a large army from Cleopatra, commanded by Chelcias and Ananias, two Jews of Alexandria. They pursued Ptol- emy into Ccele- Syria, and besieged Ptolemais, which was reduced. Alexander next invaded the country be- yond Jordan. Here, also, he was defeated, but not there- by discouraged from attacking Gaza, which, after some fruitless attempts, he captured and totally destroyed. His worst enemies, however,~were the Pharisees, who had great influence with the people, and a seditioii arose during the Feast of Tabernacles, in which the troops slew (JOOO of the mob. He again invaded the trans- Jordanic country, and was again defeated. The Jews rose in rebellion, and for some years the land suffered the horrors of civil war. The rebels applied for aid to Demetrius Eucharus. brother of Ptolemy Lathyrus, and king of Damascus, who completel)' routed Alexander. A sudden change of fortune, however, put him at the head of 60,000 men, and he marched in triumph to Jeru- salem, where he took signal vengeance on his subjects. The rest of his life was peaceful. After a reign oi' twen- ty-seven years he died, B.C. 79, solemnly charging his wife Alexandra to espouse the Pharisaic party if she wished to retain her kingdom. His eldest son, Hyrca- nus H, became high-priest. Aristobulus, the younger son, espoused the opposite party to his mother. In or- der to employ his active mind, the queen sent him north- wards to check the operations of Ptolemy, king of Chal- cis. He got possession of Damascus, and won the affec- tions of the army. After a reign of nine years his moth- er died, B.C. 70, and Aristobulus forthwith marched to- wards Jerusalem. Hyrcanus and the Pharisees seized his wife and children as hostages, and met his army at Jericho, but were discomfited, and Aristobulus entered Jerusalem and besieged his brother in tlie tower of Ba- ris. At lengtli they agreed that Hyrcanus should re- tire to a private station, and that Aristobulus slioidd be king. This was a fatal blow to the Pharisees. But there was a worse enemy waiting for the conqueror. This was none other than Antipater, the Idumiuau, who
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had been made general of all Idiima?a by Alexander Jan- iiieiis. lie "was wealtliy, active, and seditious, and pos- sessed, moreover, of great inliuence with the deposed Hyrcanus. Suspicious of the power, successes, and de- signs of Aristobulus, he persuaded his brother Hyrcanus to Hy to Petra, to Aretas, king of Arabia, and with his heli> an array of 50,000 men was marched against Aris- tobulus. The Jews were defeated, and the usurper fled to Jerusalem, where he was closely besieged by Aretas, Antipater, and Hj-rcanus. Here, however, deliverance was at length brought by Scaurus, the general of Pom- pey, who, having come to Damascus, and tinding that the citj- had been taken by Metellus and Lollius, him- self proceeded hastily into Juda;a. His assistance was eagerly sought by both parties. Aristobulus offered him 400 talents, and Hyrcanus the same; but as the former was in possession of the treasure, Scaurus thought that his promises were the most likely to be fulfilled, and consequently made an agreement with Aristobulus, raised the siege, and ordered Aretas to depart. He then returned to Damascus ; whereupon Aristobulus gathered an army, defeated Aretas and Hyrcanus, and slew 6000 of tlie enemy, together with Phalion, the brother of An- tipater. Shorth' after Pompey himself came to Damas- cus, when both the brothers eagerly solicited his protec- tion. Antipater represented the cause of Hyrcanus. Pompey, however, who was intent on the subjugation of Petra, dismissed the messengers of both, and on his return from Arabia marched directly into Judaea. Aris- tobidus fled to Jerusalem, but, finding the city too dis- tracted to make good its defence, otfered to surrender. Gabinius was sent forward to take possession; mean- while the soldiery had resolved to resist, and when he came he was surprised to find that the gates were shut and the walls manned. I'ompey, enraged at this ap- parent treachery, threw Aristobulus into chains, and ad- vanced to Jerusalem. The fortress of the Temple was impregnable except on the north, and, notwithstanding his engines, Pompey was unable to reduce it for three months ; neither could he have done so then had it not been for the Je^vish scruples about observing the Sab- bath. The Romans soon found that they coidd prose- cute their operations on that day without disturbance, and after a time the battering-rams knocked down one of the towers, and the soldiers etfected an entrance (mid- summer, B.C. 63) on the anniversary of the capture of the city by Nebuchadnezzar. Great was the astonish- ment of Pompey at finding the Holy of Holies empty, without an image or a statue. Tlie wealth he found in the building he magnanimously left untouched; Hjt- canus he reinstated in the high-priesthood; the coun- try he laid under tribute ; the walls he demolished ; Aristobulus and his family he carried captives to Kome. Alexander, the son of Aristobulus, on the journey made his escape, and, raising a considerable force, garrisoned Machwrus, Hyrcauia, and the stronghold of Alexandri- on. Gabinius, however, subdued him, but had no soon- er done so than Aristobulus likewise escaped from Pome, and intrenched liimself in Alexandrion. He was taken prisoner, and sent in chains to Pome. At the entreaty of his wife, who liad always espoused the Roman cause, Antigonus his son was released, but he remained a pris- oner. Alexander, with 80,000 men, once more tried his strength with the Romans on the field of battle, but was put to flight. He was subseipiently executed by Me- tellus Scipio at Antioch, B.C. 49. Thus H}Tcanus re- tained the sovereignty, but Antipater enjoyed the real power; he contrived to ingratiate himself with Cffisar, who made him a Roman citizen and procurator of all Ju(tea. He began to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and made his eldest son, I'liasael. governor of that city ; and his younger son, Herod, governor of Galilee. The latter soon began to distingutsh himself against the ban- ditti that invested the hills. He carefully contrived also to make friends with the Roman governor of SjTia, as a step to his own aggrandizement. His riches ena- bled him to do this by means of enormous bribes. He