A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MACCABAET. - MACCABAEI. 879
which it had been commenced. Antiochus had brother Simon carried on a harassing and desultory
collected a powerful army to put down the revolt, warfare against the Syrians. About the same
but being called to the eastern provinces of his time another of the brothers, John, fell in battle.
empire (B. C. 166), he left the conduct of it to his Jonathan, however, gradually grew in strength;
friend and minister Lysias, who was also entrusted and Bacchides, who had met with several disasters,
with the guardianship of his son and the govern- at length concluded a peace with Jonathan, alment of the provinces from the Euphrates to the though Jerusalem and several other important
sea. [LYsIAs, No. 4.] Lysias sent against the towns still continued in the possession of the Syrian
Jews a large force under the command of Ptolemy, party. A revolution in the Syrian monarchy in
the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, but B. C. 152 gave Jonathan still greater power. In
they were entirely defeated by Judas near Em- that year an adventurer, Alexander Balas, laid
manus in B.c. 165. In the next year (B.c. 164) claim to the throne of the Seleucidae. [ALEXLysias took the field in person with a still larger ANDER BALAS, VOI. I. p. 114.] Alexander and
army, but he met with the same fate as his the reigning monarch, Demetrius Soter, eagerly
generals, and was overthrown a little to the north courted the assistance of Jonathan. He espoused
of Hebron. The death of Antiochus Epiphanes, the side of Alexander, who offered him the highwhich happened in this year at Tabae in Persia, priesthood, and various immunities and advantages.
and the struggle which arose between Lysias and As Alexander eventually drove Demetrius out of
Philip for the guardianship of the young Antiochus his kingdom, Jonathan'shared in his good fortune,
Eupator and for the administration of the empire, and became recognised as the high-priest of the
paralysed for the time the exertions of the Syrians. Jewish people. After the death of Alexander,
Judas and his brothers entered Jerusalem in B. C. which followed soon after, Jonathan played a dis —
163 and purified the temple; they then proceeded tinguished part in the struggle for the Syrian
to expel the Syrians and Hellenising Jews from throne between Demetrius Nicator, the son of
every part of Judaea. Meantime, however, Lysias, Soter, and Antiochus VI., the youthful son of
with the aid of the apostate Jews, had again col- Alexander Balas. He first supported the former;
lected a formidable army, with which he marched but subsequently espoused'the side of Antiochus;
against Judas, accompanied by the young king. and it was mainly owing to his energy and ability
His forces were arrested by the strong fortress of that Demetrius was obliged to take to flight, and
Bethsura, which commands the narrow passes that yield the throne to his young rival. Tryphon, the
lead to Jerusalem; and notwithstanding an heroic minister of Antiochus, wished, however, to supbattle near this place, in which Eleazar, the brother plant his master, and obtain the Syrian throne for
of Judas, perished, the town was obliged to ca- himself; and finding Jonathan the chief obstacle
pitulate and Judas to retire to Jerusalem. Here to his ambitious views, he treacherously got him:
Judas shut himself up, and successfully resisted all into his power, B. C. 144, and put him to death in
the attempts of Lysias to take the place; but as the following year. Jonathan was succeeded in
both parties suffered dreadfully from famine, and the high-priesthood by his brother,
the approach of Philip. made Lysias anxious to be 3. SIMON. Simon immediately declared for Deat liberty to oppose his rival, a treaty was con- metrius, and was confirmed by the latter in the
cluded between Judas and Lysias, and the latter high-priesthood. He was the most fortunate of the
withdrew his troops.. heroic sons of Mattathias. He renewed the alliance
This peace, however, was of short duration. with the Romans, fortified many towns, and exDemetrius, who was the rightful heir to the throne pelled eventually the Syrian garrison from the
of Syria, had escaped from Rome, where he had fortress in Jerusalem. Under his fostering care
been a hostage, and on his arrival in Syria suc- the country began to recover from the ravages of
ceeded in getting into his power Lysias and the the long protracted wars, and gradually increased'
young Antiochus, both of whom he put to death, in wealth and prosperity. Still he was not desB. c. 162. He then proceeded to sow dissension tined. to end his days in peace. In B.C. 137,
among the patriotic party in Judaea, by proclaim- Antiochus VII., who had succeeded his brother
ing Alcimus high-priest. Several of the zealots Demetrius Nicator, unwilling to lose Judaea, which'
for the law declared in favour of:the latter, and his had now become an independent state, sent an
claims were supported by a Syrian army. But as army- under his general Cenbedeus, to invade the
Judas would not own the authority of a high- country. The aged Simon entrusted the conduct of
priest who owed his appointment, to the Syrians, the war to his sons Judas and Joannes Hyrcanus,
the war broke out again. At first the Maccabee who conquered Cenbedeus, and drove him out of
met with great success; he defeated the Syrians the country. But Simon did not long enjoy the
under Nicanor in two successive battles, and then fruits of his victory. His son-in-law Ptolemy,
sent an embassy to Rome to form an alliance with' the governor of Jericho, instigated by Antiochus,
the republic. His offer was eagerly accepted by formed a plot to obtain the government of Judaea.
the Roman senate; but before this alliance became He treacherously seized Simon at a banquet, and
known, he was attacked by an overwhelming put him to death with two of his sons, Judas and
Syrian force under the command of Bacchides, and Mattathias, B. C. 135. His other son Joannes
having -only 800 men with him, fell in battle Hyrcanus escaped, and succeeded his father.
after performing prodigies of valour, B. c. 160. He 4. JOANNES HYRCANUS I. was high-priest B. C.
was succeeded in the command of the patriotic 135-106. He did not assume the title of king,
party by his brother, but was to all intents and purposes an independent
2. JONATHAN. As Bacchides and Alcimus monarch. His life is given under HYRCANUS.
were in possession of almost the whole of the He was succeeded by his son,
country, Jonathan was obliged to act on the de- 5. ARISTOBULUS I., who was the first of the
fensive. He: took up a strong position in the Maccabees who assumed the kingly title, -which
wilderness ofTekoahb, and in. conjunction with his was henceforth borne by his successors. His reign