Chapter 2.
HOW ALEXANDER [BALA] IN HIS WAR WITH DEMETRIUS, GRANTED JONATHAN
MANY ADVANTAGES AND APPOINTED HIM TO BE HIGH PRIEST AND PERSUADED HIM TO
ASSIST HIM ALTHOUGH DEMETRIUS PROMISED HIM GREATER ADVANTAGES ON THE OTHER
SIDE. CONCERNING THE DEATH OF DEMETRIUS.FJAJ 13.10
1. NOW in the hundred and sixtieth year, it fell out that Alexander,
the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, (1)
This Alexander Bala, who certainly pretended to be the son of Antiochus
Epiphanes, and was owned for such by the Jews and Romans, and many others,
and yet is by several historians deemed to be a counterfeit, and of no
family at all, is, however, by Josephus believed to have been the real
son of that Antiochus, and by him always spoken of accordingly. And truly,
since the original contemporary and authentic author of the First Book
of Maccabees (10:1) calls him by his father's name, Epiphanes, and says
he was the son of Antiochus, I suppose the other writers, who are all much
later, are not to be followed against such evidence, though perhaps Epiphanes
might have him by a woman of no family. The king of Egypt also, Philometor,
soon gave him his daughter in marriage, which he would hardly have done,
had he believed him to be a counterfeit, and of so very mean a birth as
the later historians pretend.
came up into Syria, and took Ptolemais the soldiers within having betrayed
it to him; for they were at enmity with Demetrius, on account of his insolence
and difficulty of access; for he shut himself up in a palace of his that
had four towers which he had built himself, not far from Antioch and admitted
nobody
He was withal slothful and negligent about the public affairs,
whereby the hatred of his subjects was the more kindled against him, as
we have elsewhere already related
When therefore Demetrius heard that
Alexander was in Ptolemais, he took his whole army, and led it against
him; he also sent ambassadors to Jonathan about a league of mutual assistance
and friendship, for he resolved to be beforehand with Alexander, lest the
other should treat with him first, and gain assistance from him; and this
he did out of the fear he had lest Jonathan should remember how ill Demetrius
had formerly treated him, and should join with him in this war against
him
He therefore gave orders that Jonathan should be allowed to raise
an army, and should get armor made, and should receive back those hostages
of the Jewish nation whom Baechides had shut up in the citadel of Jerusalem.
When this good fortune had befallen Jonathan, by the concession of Demetrius,
he came to Jerusalem, and read the king's letter in the audience of the
people, and of those that kept the citadel
When these were read, these
wicked men and deserters, who were in the citadel, were greatly afraid,
upon the king's permission to Jonathan to raise an army, and to receive
back the hostages
So he delivered every one of them to his own parents.
And thus did Jonathan make his abode at Jerusalem, renewing the city to
a better state, and reforming the buildings as he pleased; for he gave
orders that the walls of the city should be rebuilt with square stones,
that it might be more secure from their enemies
And when those that kept
the garrisons that were in Judea saw this, they all left them, and fled
to Antioch, excepting those that were in the city Bethsura, and those that
were in the citadel of Jerusalem, for the greater part of these was of
the wicked Jews and deserters, and on that account these did not deliver
up their garrisons.FJAJ 13.11
2. When Alexander knew what promises Demetrius had made Jonathan, and
withal knew his courage, and what great things he had done when he fought
the Macedonians, and besides what hardships he had undergone by the means
of Demetrius, and of Bacchides, the general of Demetrius's army, he told
his friends that he could not at present find any one else that might afford
him better assistance than Jonathan, who was both courageous against his
enemies, and had a particular hatred against Demetrius, as having both
suffered many hard things from him, and acted many hard things against
him
If therefore they were of opinion that they should make him their
friend against Demetrius, it was more for their advantage to invite him
to assist them now than at another time
It being therefore determined
by him and his friends to send to Jonathan, he wrote to him this epistle:
"King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, sendeth greeting
We have
long ago heard of thy courage and thy fidelity, and for that reason have
sent to thee, to make with thee a league of friendship and mutual assistance.
We therefore do ordain thee this day the high priest of the Jews, and that
thou beest called my friend
I have also sent thee, as presents, a purple
robe and a golden crown, and desire that, now thou art by us honored, thou
wilt in like manner respect us also."FJAJ 13.12
3. When Jonathan had received this letter, he put on the pontifical
robe at the time of the feast of tabernacles, (2)
Since Jonathan plainly did not put on the pontifical robes till seven or
eight years after the death of his brother Judas, or not till the feast
of tabernacles, in the 160th of the Seleucidm, 1 Macc. 10;21, Petitus's
emendation seems here to deserve consideration, who, instead of "after
four years since the death of his brother Judas," would have us read,
"and therefore after eight years since the death of his brother Judas."
This would tolerably well agree with the date of the Maccabees, and with
Josephus's own exact chronology at the end of the twentieth book of these
Antiquities, which the present text cannot be made to do.
four years after the death of his brother Judas, for at that time no high
priest had been made
So he raised great forces, and had abundance of armor
got ready
This greatly grieved Demetrius when he heard of it, and made
him blame himself for his slowness, that he had not prevented Alexander,
and got the good-will of Jonathan, but had given him time so to do
However,
he also himself wrote a letter to Jonathan, and to the people, the contents
whereof are these: "King Demetrius to Jonathan, and to the nation
of the Jews, sendeth greeting
Since you have preserved your friendship
for us, and when you have been tempted by our enemies, you have not joined
yourselves to them, I both commend you for this your fidelity, and exhort
you to continue in the same disposition, for which you shall be repaid,
and receive rewards from us; for I will free you from the greatest part
of the tributes and taxes which you formerly paid to the kings my predecessors,
and to myself; and I do now set you free from those tributes which you
have ever paid; and besides, I forgive you the tax upon salt, and the value
of the crowns which you used to offer to me (3)
Take Grotius's note here: "The Jews," says he, "were wont
to present crowns to the kings [of Syria]; afterwards that gold which was
paid instead of those crowns, or which was expended in making them, was
called the crown gold and crown tax." On 1 Macc. 10:29.
and instead of the third part of the fruits [of the field], and the half
of the fruits of the trees, I relinquish my part of them from this day:
and as to the poll-money, which ought to be given me for every head of
the inhabitants of Judea, and of the three toparchies that adjoin to Judea,
Samaria, and Galilee, and Peres, that I relinquish to you for this time,
and for all time to come
I will also that the city of Jerusalem be holy
and inviolable, and free from the tithe, and from the taxes, unto its utmost
bounds
And I so far recede from my title to the citadel, as to permit
Jonathan your high priest to possess it, that he may place such a garrison
in it as he approves of for fidelity and good-will to himself, that they
may keep it for us
I also make free all those Jews who have been made
captives and slaves in my kingdom
I also give order that the beasts of
the Jews be not pressed for our service; and let their sabbaths, and all
their festivals, and three days before each of them, be free from any imposition.
In the same manner, I set free the Jews that are inhabitants of my kingdom,
and order that no injury be done them
I also give leave to such of them
as are willing to list themselves in my army, that they may do it, and
those as far as thirty thousand; which Jewish soldiers, wheresoever they
go, shall have the same pay that my own army hath; and some of them I will
place in my garrisons, and some as guards about mine own body, and as rulers
over those that are in my court
I give them leave also to use the laws
of their forefathers, and to observe them; and I will that they have power
over the three toparchies that are added to Judea; and it shall be in the
power of the high priest to take care that no one Jew shall have any other
temple for worship but only that at Jerusalem
I bequeath also, out of
my own revenues, yearly, for the expenses about the sacrifices, one hundred
and fifty thousand [drachmae]; and what money is to spare, I will that
it shall be your own
I also release to you those ten thousand drachmae
which the kings received from the temple, because they appertain to the
priests that minister in that temple
And whosoever shall fly to the temple
at Jerusalem, or to the places thereto belonging, or who owe the king money,
or are there on any other account, let them be set free, and let their
goods be in safety
I also give you leave to repair and rebuild your temple,
and that all be done at my expenses
I also allow you to build the walls
of your city, and to erect high towers, and that they be erected at my
charge
And if there be any fortified town that would be convenient for
the Jewish country to have very strong, let it be so built at my expenses."FJAJ 13.13
4. This was what Demetrius promised and granted to the Jews by this
letter
But king Alexander raised a great army of mercenary soldiers, and
of those that deserted to him out of Syria, and made an expedition against
Demetrius
And when it was come to a battle, the left wing of Demetrius
put those who opposed them to flight, and pursued them a great way, and
slew many of them, and spoiled their camp; but the right wing, where Demetrius
happened to be, was beaten; and as for all the rest, they ran away
But
Demetrius fought courageously, and slew a great many of the enemy; but
as he was in the pursuit of the rest, his horse carried him into a deep
bog, where it was hard to get out, and there it happened, that upon his
horse's falling down, he could not escape being killed; for when his enemies
saw what had befallen him, they returned back, and encompassed Demetrius
round, and they all threw their darts at him; but he, being now on foot,
fought bravely
But at length he received so many wounds, that he was not
able to bear up any longer, but fell
And this is the end that Demetrius
came to, when he had reigned eleven years, (4)
Since the rest of the historians now extant give this Demetrius thirteen
years, and Josephus only eleven years, Dean Prideaux does not amiss in
ascribing to him the mean number twelve.
as we have elsewhere related.FJAJ 13.14