353
Tin: .IKWISII
touching the rcsiili-iil Kiiyptiiiii Jews, who were the induced Cleopatra to iiiitiii support of her throne, modify her lonirln^js for conquest. The Ej;yptian unny withdrawn, Alexander found his hands free; and forthwith he planned new campaigns. His operations in northeastern Palestine ended .scarcely less lie captured Gachini and the stroni; disjistrously. fortress Amathus on the Jordan; l)Ut, in an ambush set for him by 'I'lieodorus. ruler of .malhus, hi- li^l the
whole of
llie
rear-iruard of his
— together with his hairjrage.
Alexander Janneeus
main
sided, that they pelted the king with the citrons which they carried in accordance with one of the customs of this festival. They assailed him with loud ciles, and styled him "son of the captive," thus resurrecting the old Pharisaic charge against the members of the Hasnionean hou.se and tlieir eligibility to the priesthood (see Joiln IIyhcanus). Alexander siuinnoned Ids Pisidian and Cilician inerce-
—
ID.ODO miu nion^ su<-eess
army
He was
KNCYCLOPEDIA
in Ids expedition against Philistia, capturing Uaplua, Antlie(h)ii, and tinally, in the year Dl), tli<' ancient city of Gaza, which he occujiied through treacliery, and gave up to be pillaged and burnetl by
ful
his soldiery.
Scarcely, however, had peace been restored in exwhen civil strife began to rage within. The newly adopted p<iljcy of the Ihismoneans, inaugurated by John Hyrcanusand zealously continued bj' his sons, whidi consisted in greater prominence being given to political interests and the repression of religious considerations, led at last to open contlict between the luling <lynasly and the Pharisees, who represenled and ruled Internal The latter, the Dissenpojiular sentiment. sjiiritual su('ccssors of the Maccabesions, ans, sided with the llasinonean princes when it was a matter of the defense of Palestine, inasmuch as a free country afforded the best oi)portunity for what lay closest to their hearts; namely, the free and untrammeled observance of Jidaism. Hut with a policy of conquest they would have nothing to do; rightfully apprc<'i,'iling the course of events. Ihey had no ambition 1o lake Jiait in the worM's politics, reserving all llirir allcnlion and energy for the ethic.-il and religious develojanenl of the ancestral faith. This friction which would have brought about dangerous results in the time of Hyrcarnis I., had it not been for the strong personality and good luck of that i)rince, which enabled him to hold till- balance between parlies came to a posiThe relations tive rupture in the reign of his son. between Alexander and the Pharisees were probably never very cordial; IliDUgh, accnrding to the statement of the Talmud. Simon b. Slielah, the head of the party, was a Itrother of the (lueen and a frecpient guest at the palace. The inscription ujion his coinage, l^on IDJinV U'lm^fi'f 'A/jfni'iV"".- (King Alexanternal affairs,
—
—
der),
must
ities;
for
have ofTended Pharisaic sensibilthem the house of David was the only in
it.sc-lf
legitimate royal house, all others Ix-ing usurpers of llie royal title. Even the pldl-IIellenic Arislobulus I. ludk Iliis into (-oMsiili-ratii>n when be pernd1l(-d only Hebrew inscriplinns upon his i-oins. and conU-nted himself with the title of high priest upon them. Possibly had Alexaniler's warlike undertakings lieen slightly more successful, the Pliarisi'es ndght have iiariloned him even worse transgressions than this. His contiiuious campaigns from 104-i)H ii.c. inllicted such hanlsbips upon Palestine as to make his conquest of a few Philistine towns seem comparatively trivial. .s a result of this warlike policy. Ali'xander f<lt compelled to maintain friendly relations with that class of the jieople most deeply the interested in lailional political aggnuidizement Saddueees. the arislocnilie class. In order to show his allinity with the Saddueees, he, in his capacity of high ])riesl, while olTering the prescrilied water libation on the Feast of Tabernacles, allowed the watir to run ipnn his bet, thus ex|>ressing his con The tempt for this purely Pharisaic ceremony. people present Were .so incensed at this denionstmlion against tlie Pharisees, wltli whuiii they iu the
—
1-23
Copper Coin of Alexander Jannu-us. (AfUr M&dilen, '-Hlator; of JewUblColnBgr.")
and let them loose tipon the people, slaying then and there G.OdO Pharisees. But the matter did not end here. Returning from an unsuccessful expedition against OI)edas. the king of the Arabs, he found his |)eople. inHis (iteil by the Pharisees, armed and ar Cruelty. niyed against him; and for .six years thereafter a state of actual war prevailed between the people and the royal troops, costing the lives of no less than .'iO.ODO Jews. When, tinally, Alexander, realizing his impotence, sought peace with the Pharisees, lie was met with the response that the lirst and only condition of lasting peace was bis death. His l)rulal cruelty in massjicring the defenseless multitude in the sacred precincts of the Temple robs the reply of its harshness; and tlie Pharisees felt themselves justified in their bitterness. No excuse, however, can be found for their treasonable negotiations with the Syrian king Demetrius HI., son of Demetrius Euca'rus, -svhom Ihey summoned to fight against their monarch. The rule of a foreigner, with free exerci.se of their religion, seemed to them a less evil than independence under a Sad<lucean ruler. Nevertheless, national feeling proved stronger than religious sentiment among he Pharisees, or at least among the Pharisaically inclined; for after the bloody battle near Sheclieni between Alexander and Demetrius, in which the former lost nearly his wliolc army, he himself escaping only as a fugitive into the mountains of Ephraim, a large number of the Pharisees who had taken service with the Syrians went over to Alexander, (-ompi'lling Demetrius to Avithdriiw fromjudea. Alexandershowed himself on thisoceasion even more short-sighted than his opponents. Inst<>ad of concluding an honondili' peace with them, for which the opportindty was certainly at hanil. he not only prosecuted his attacks upon hostile Pharisees, but treated them with excessive and inhuman cruelty. Upon the advice of a Sadducee favorite named l)iogenes he caused in one day tHKI captured I'hari.s<-es to be nailid on cros.ses. This monstrous deed is renilered si ill more horrible by the legendary stntemeiit that he caused the wives and children of the condenuu'd to be executed before their eyes, while he, surrouniled by feasting courtiers and courtezans, eiijoved the bloody speciaele This ruthli-ssact struck terror into the hearts of his Pharisee opponents, ami Ihev enngnited, to the luunbi-r of S.(H)0, to Syria ami Their subs<-qiu-nl fate was equally sad to kgvpt. that of those who settled iu Syria especially so, for naries
I
