(5) John Hyreanus. He was succeeded by his son the celebrated John Hyrcanus. (B. C. 135.) At first he was hard pressed by Antiochus Sidetes, and only able to preserve Jerusalem on condition of dismantling the fortifications and submitting to a tribute. (B. C. 133.) The for eign and civil wars of the Seleucidm gave him afterwards abundant opportunities to retrieve his losses. He reduced Idurnwa (Joseph. Antiq. xiii: 9, sec. i), confirmed the alliance with Rome, and at length succeeded in destroying Samaria, the hated rival of Jerusalem. (B. C. tog.) The external splendor of his government was marred by the growth of internal divisions (Joseph. Antiq. xii, to, secs. 5, 6) ; but John escaped the fate of all the older members of his family, and died in peace (B. C. to6-5) after possessing the supreme authority for thirty years.
(6) Aristobulus. He was succeeded by his son, Aristobulus, who added ITUR/EA-a district at the base of the Anti-Libanus—to his dominions, but died, after a short reign of one year, of re morse for the murder of his mother, Salome Alex andra, to whom the secular dominion had been be queathed by Hyrcanus, but whom Aristobulus ha? cast into prison, and caused there to die of hungel (7) Alexander JannEous. The son who sm ceeded him was Alexander Jannwus. Constantly fighting, and generally beaten, this king yet, strange to say, contrived to enlarge his territories ; restless and enterprising as he was cruel and san guinary, he gave his opponents no rest, and his opponents were all his neighbors in turn, ex cepting Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Attached to the SABDUCEES (which see), like his father, and probably, something of a pagan, he was disliked by the mass of his countrymen, and a civil war of six years' duration ensued. After a brief period of peace, he died (B. C. 78).
(8) Hyrcanus II followed Alexander. He did not long retain authority, for Alexander, when dying, had recommended his wife, Alexandra, to throw herself into the arms of the very party who had thwarted him all his life, the Pharisees, as the best way of retaining her authority. This she did ; and governed, on the whole, prudently for nine years. The Pharisaic party, however, abused the power which fell into their hands, and a re action took place. Aristobulus, youngest son of the queen, and a prince of great spirit, placed himself at the head of the movement, marched to Jerusalem, took possession of the city, and ejected his elder brother, Hyrcanus II, from the sov ereignty. Afterwards, ho‘vever, the latter, at the instigation of Antipater, the Idumean, and father of Herod the Great, fled to Aretas, king of north ern Arabia, who was induced, by the promise of a cession of the territory which had been acquired by Alexander Jannmus, to take up arms on his behalf. This led to the interference
of the Romans, who were then fighting both in Syria and Armenia. After several vicissitudes, Jerusalem was captured (B. C. 63) by Pompey, who had decided in favor of Hyrcanus,and Judxa made dependent on the Roman province of Syria, and Hyrcanus, appointed ethnarch and high priest'. Aristobulus, however, with his two sons, Alexander and Antigonus, and two daughters, were carried captive to Rome. Antigonus was put to death by the common executioner (B. C. 37). Thus ended the Maccabwan dynasty. (Smith, Bib. Dict.; Ewald, Ilist. of Israel.) (See MAC CABEES, BOOKS OF.) H. S. MACCABEES, BOOKS OF (mak'ka-beez, Woks 6v). See APOCRYPHA.
1. Number of Books. The books of Mac cabees are the titles of certain Jewish histories containing principally the details of the heroic exploits referred to in thepreceding article. There were in all four books (to which some add a fifth) known t'o the ancients, of which three are still read in the eastern, and two in the western church. Of these the third is the first in order of time. We shall, however, to avoid confusion, speak of them in the order in which they are commonly enumerated.
(1) The First Book of Maccabees contains a lucid and authentic history of the undertakings of Antiochus Epiphanes against the Jews, from the year B. C. 175 to the death of Simon Macca bxus, B. C. 135. This history is confessedly of great value. Although its brevity, observes De Wette (see 1 Mace. i :6; viii :7; xii), renders it in some instances unsatisfactory, defective,. and uncritical, and occasionally extravagant, It is upon the whole entitled to credit, chronologically accurate, and advantageously distinguished above all other historical productions of this period. It is the second book in order of time.
(a) Language. There is little question that this book was written in Hebrew, although the original is now lost. The Greek version abounds in Hebraisms and errors of translation.
(b) Author and Age. Of the author nothing is known; but he must have been a Palestinian Jew, who wrote some considerable time after the death of Simon MaccabTus, and even of Hyr canus, and made use of several written, although chiefly of traditionary, sources of information. At the same time it is not impossible that the author was present at several of the events which he so graphically describes.