the Ijasidhim or pious party. But if this step had not been taken, the Jews would have been annihilated in a short time. The fact that the Maccabees are scarcely ever mentioned in the Talmud and that they were disliked by the Pharisees is to be accounted for with greater likelihood, by their assumption of royal power in combination with the High Priesthood and by their subsequent aims, which were nationalist rather than religious.
securing the Temple, Judas pro ceeded to consolidate his position : he united the Jews and dealt firmly with the apostates. But he knew that victory was not yet secure. Antiochus, previous to his death, obstinately refused to regard Judas as the Jewish representative and when he sent Menelaus, the renegade High Priest, to "encourage" the Jews (2 Macc. xi., 32), no reference to Judas was made. In 163 B.C. Lysias defeated Judas at Beth Zachariah but Judas recovered himself, mainly because a pretender arose in Antioch And Lysias desired peace. Judas now became the recognized Jewish leader and Menelaus was slain. In 162 Demetrius, now supreme in Syria, made Jakim or Alkimus, the chief of the Hellenizing Jews, High Priest. As he was a Cohen (q.v.) the Hasidhim, or pious party, acqui esced in his appointment. But at the outset he slew 6o of them and this determined Judas to fight for political independence. It is often stated that the Jewish Messianic expectations were ex clusively nationalist. But in no case did the Ifasidhim fight against their overlord unless religion was threatened and religious freedom was at stake. Alkimus could maintain himself only by the aid of the army of Bacchides. He retired before Judas to Antioch and induced Nicanor to come to his aid. Nicanor and Judas at first became friends but warfare soon broke out. In 161, on "Nicanor's Day" (13 Adar), long observed by the Jews as a joyful anniversary, the Syrian general was defeated and killed. Judas then made a treaty with Rome, buying immediate security at the price of future disaster. Judas repeated the error which had led, in similar circumstances before, to the downfall of the kingdom of Judah. Foreign alliances were nothing but entangle ments. Rome, like Assyria and Babylonia, would have intervened spontaneously if a tributary or rival extended unduly : an alliance with the world power against Syria was unnecessary, and an alliance was inevitably the first step towards loss of independence.
In "peace and quietude" would have been success, but to refrain is harder than to act. Finally Judas was killed at Elasa (I Macc. ix., 18) and Bacchides placed garrisons in Judaea.
Judas was succeeded by his brother Jonathan, who, after two years, was recognized by Bac chides. In 153 Jonathan was called upon to decide between the offers of Demetrius, king of Syria, and his rival, Alexander Balas, who claimed to be a son of Antiochus Epiphanes. Each desired to win Jonathan to his side. Alexander offered the High Priest hood and Jonathan, who realized that Demetrius was not to be trusted, threw in his lot with Alexander. On Tabernacles 152 B.C. Jonathan became High Priest. In 150 Alexander defeated De metrius and became king of Syria. In 147 Demetrius II., son of Demetrius, attacked Alexander. Jonathan destroyed the army of the governor of Coele-Syria, who had turned against Alexander. Meanwhile the Syrian garrisons, excepting those in Akra and Beth Zur, had been withdrawn from Judaea. After the death of Balas, Jonathan attacked Akra but made peace with Demetrius II., receiving the addition of three Samaritan districts in return for abandoning Beth Zur. Later he assisted Demetrius II. to quell an insurrection at Antioch. In 145 B.C. Trypho, an officer of Alexander Balas, made Alexander's son king (Antiochus VI.). This gave Jonathan the opportunity of taking Beth Zur, Jaffa, Gaza and Askelon, of fortifying the Temple and of blocking up the citadel. In spite of Jonathan's friendship with Trypho, the latter seized him at Ptolemais and afterwards treacherously slew him. Jonathan was succeeded by his brother Simon, who beat off Trypho's army. Trypho next killed Antiochus VI. and made him self king. Simon sided with Demetrius, in return for an amnesty and immunity from taxation and tribute. In 142 Simon secured independence and the people began to date their documents from "the first year of Simon, High Priest, commander and leader of the Jews." The Temple was now safe because on 23 lyyar 142 B.C., Simon gained possession of the citadel and demolished it. Simon was murdered at Dok, near Jericho, in 135 by Ptolemy, his son-in-law, the governor of Jericho. During his rule prosperity had increased and his death was a great disaster. With him per ished two of his sons, Mattathias and Judas : he was succeeded by his surviving son, John Hyrcanus (135-105).