ANTIOCHUS. Of the many kings who bore this name, Antiochus, called Epiphanes, has the chief claim on our attention in a Biblical Cyclo pmdia, since in the Books of Maccabees and in the prophecies of Daniel his person is so prominent. Nevertheless, it will be our business to set forth, not that which readers of the Bible can gather for themselves, but such preliminary and collateral in formation as will tend to throw light on the position of the Jews towards the Syrian monarchy.
The name Antiochus may be interpreted he who withstands, or lasts out ; and denotes military prowess, as do many other of the Greek names. It was borne by one of the generals of Philip, whose son, Seleucus, by the help of the first Ptolemy, established himself (B.c. 312) as ruler of Babylon. The year 312 is in consequence the era from which, under that monarchy, time was computed, as, for instance, in the Books of Maccabees. For eleven years more the contest in Asia continued, while Antigonus (the 'one-zyed') was grasping at universal supremacy. At length, in 301, he was defeated and slain in the decisive battle of Ipsus, in Phrygia. Ptolemy, son of Lagus, had meanwhile become master of southern Syria ; and Seleucus was too much indebted to him to be disposed to eject him by force from this possession. In fact, the three first Ptolemies (lc. 323-222) looked on their extra Egyptian possessions as their sole guarantee for the safety of Egypt itself against their formidable neigh bour, and succeeded in keeping the mastery, not only of Palestine and Ccele-Syria, and of many towns on that coast, but of Cyrene and other parts of Libya, of Cyprus, and other islands, with nume rous maritime posts all round Asia Minor. A per manent fleet was probably kept up at Samos (Polyb. v. 35, is), so that their arms reached to the Hellespont (v. 34, 7) ; and for some time they ruled over Thrace (xviii. 34, 5). Thus Syria was divided between two great powers, the northern half falling to Seleucus and his successors, the southern to the Ptolemies ; and this explains the titles king of the north' and king of the south,' in the 11th chapter of Daniel. The line dividing
them was drawn somewhat to the north of Damas cus, the capital of Ccele-Syria.
The first Seleucus built a prodigious number of cities with Greek institutions, not, like Alexander, from military or commercial policy, but to gratify ostentation, or his love for Greece. This love, indeed, led him to fix his capital, not at Babylon, where Alexander would have placed it, but in the north of Syria (see ANTIOCH) ; and in extreme old age his life fell a sacrifice to his romantic passion for revisiting his native Macedonia. To people his new cities was often a difficult matter ; and this led to the bestowal of premiums on those who were willing to become citizens. Hence we may account for the extraordinary privileges which the Jews en joyed in them all, having equal rights with Mace donians. At the same time (whether from the example which Alexander had set or from the force of circumstances) that age displayed remarkable tendencies to religious fusion everywhere ; insomuch that—if, with Josephus, we may trust to the letter in the 1st Book of Maccabees (xii. 21) — even the Lacedmmonians put in their claim to be re garded as children of Abraham. But there was still another cause which recommended the Jews to the Syrian kings. A nation thus diffused through their ill-compacted empire, formed a band most useful to gird its parts together. To win the hearts of the Jews, was to win the allegiance of a brave brotherhood, who would be devoted to their protector, and who could never make common cause with any spirit of local independence. For this reason Antiochus the Great, and doubtless his predecessors also, put peculiar trust in Jewish garrisons. In a letter quoted by Josephus (Antiq. xii. 3, 4) he orders the removal of 2000 families of Jews of Mesopotamia and Babylonia, with all their goods, into Lydia and Phrygia, for garrison service and although the authenticity of the letter may be suspicious, it at any rate proves the traditionary belief that the earlier kings of the house of Seleucus had transported troops of Jewish families west ward for military purposes.