Hyrcanus II, a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea in the 1st century BCE. The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Kohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol ( Heb כהן גדול "Great Priest" is the title of High Priest of early Israelite The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC.

Contents 1 Accession 2 Deposition 3 Alliance with the Nabataeans 4 Roman intervention 5 Restoration 6 Exile 7 Return to Jerusalem and death 8 Bibliography 8.1 Sources 8.2 Literature 9 References

Accession

Hyrcanus was the eldest son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Alexandra Salome. Alexander Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai) king of Judea from (103 BCE to 76 BCE son of John Hyrcanus, inherited the throne from his Salome Alexandra or Alexandra of Jerusalem (139&ndash67 BCE ( Hebrew שלומציון Shelomtzion After the death of Alexander in 79 BCE, his widow succeeded to the rule of Judea and installed her elder son Hyrcanus as High Priest. Year 79 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Lucius Cornelius Sulla renounces his dictatorship

When Salome died in 67 BCE, she named Hyrcanus as successor to the Kingship as well. Events By place Rome Consuls Manius Acilius Glabrio and Gaius Calpurnius Piso. Hyrcanus was already High Priest but also shared his mothers religious views, sympathetic to the Pharisees. The word Pharisees ( lat. pharisæ|us, - i) comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "separated" In contrast to this, Alexander Jannaeus had supported the Saducees. The Sadducees were members of a Jewish sect founded in the second century BC, possibly as a political party

Deposition

Hyrcanus had scarcely reigned three months when his younger brother Aristobulus II, who agreed with his father's Saducean stance, rose in rebellion. Aristobulus II was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea, 66 BC to 63 BC from the Hasmonean Dynasty Hyrcanus advanced against him at the head of his mercenaries and his followers. A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by The brothers met in battle near Jericho and many of Hyrcanus' soldiers went over to Aristobulus II, and thereby gave the latter the victory. Jericho ( Arabic, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô

Hyrcanus took refuge in the citadel of Jerusalem; but the capture of the Temple by Aristobulus II compelled Hyrcanus to surrender. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name A peace was then concluded, according to the terms of which Hyrcanus was to renounce the throne and the office of high priest, but was to enjoy the revenues of the latter office. ^[1]

Alliance with the Nabataeans

This agreement however did not last, as Hyrcanus feared that Aristobulus was planning his death. Such fears were furthered by Hyrcanus' adviser Antipater the Idumean. Antipater the Idumaean (d 43 BC was the founder of the Herodian Dynasty and father of Herod the Great. According to Josephus, Antipater aimed at controlling Judea by putting the weak Hyrcanus back unto the throne.

Hyrcanus took refuge with Aretas III, King of the Nabataeans, who had been bribed by Antipater into espousing the cause of Hyrcanus by the promise of returning Arabian towns taken by the Hasmoneans. Aretas III was king of the Nabataean kingdom from 87 to 62 BCE The Nabataeans ( Arabic: الأنباط, Al-Anbāṭ) were an ancient Semitic people Arabs of southern Jordan, Canaan

The Nabataeans advanced toward Jerusalem with an army of 50,000 and besieged the city for several months. During the siege, the adherents of Hyrcanus stoned the pious Onias, who had refused to pray for the demise of their opponents, and further angered many Jews by selling a lamb of the paschal sacrifice to the besieged for the enormous price of one thousand drachmae and then instead delivered a pig, an animal deemed unclean among the Jews and therefore unfit as a sacrifice. Honi HaM'agel (חוני המעגל Khoni or Choni HaMe'agel, Hebrew for Honi the Circle-drawer) ( First century BCE) was a Jewish Drachma, pl drachmas or drachmae (δραχμή pl δραχμές or δραχμαί (until 1982 is the name of An ancient currency unit found in many

Roman intervention

During this civil war, the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus defeated the Kingdoms of Pontus and the Seleucids. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation Geography The Black Sea region loosely called Pontus by various scholars has a steep rocky coast with rivers that cascade through the gorges of the coastal ranges The Seleucid Empire /sə'lusɪd/ ( 312 - 63 BC) was a Hellenistic empire i He sent his deputy Marcus Aemilius Scaurus to take possession of Seleucid Syria. Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC and son of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus.

As the Hasmoneans were allies of the Romans, both brothers appealed to Scaurus, each endeavoring by gifts and promises to win him over to his side. Scaurus, moved by a gift of 400 talents, decided in favor of Aristobulus and ordered Aretas to withdraw his army. During his retreat, the Nabateans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus.

When Pompey arrived in Syria in 63 BCE, both brothers and a third party that desired the removal of the entire dynasty, sent their delegates to Pompey, who however delayed the decision. He favoured Hyrcanus over Aristobulos, deeming the elder, weaker brother a more reliable ally of the Roman Empire.

Aristobulos, suspicious of Pompey, entrenched himself in the fortress of Alexandrium, but when the Romans summoned their army, he surrendered and undertook to deliver Jerusalem over to them. Alexandrium was a fortified Castle in the West Bank on a mountain between Scythopolis and Jerusalem, likely named for Alexander Jannæus However, since many of his followers however were unwilling to open the gates, the Romans besieged and captured the city by force, badly damaging city and temple. Aristobulus was taken to Rome a prisoner and Hyrcanus restored.

Restoration

Hyrcanus was restored to his position as High Priest but not to the Kingship. Political authority rested with the Romans whose interests were represented by Antipater, who primarily promoted the interests of his own house. See Antipater (disambiguation for other people of this name Antipater (ca In 47 BCE, Julius Caesar restored some political authority to Hyrcanus by appointing him ethnarch. Ethnarch (Εθνάρχης refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or heterogeneous kingdom This however had little practical effect, since Hyrcanus yielded to Antipater in everything.

Exile

In 40 BCE, Aristobulus' son Antigonus allied himself with the Parthians and was proclaimed King and High Priest. Antigonus the Hasmonean was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran Hyrcanus was seized and mutilated at his ears (according to Josephus, Antigonus bit his uncle's ears off) to make him permanently ineligible for the priesthood.

Then Hyrcanus was then taken to Babylonia, where for four years he lived amid the Babylonian Jews, who paid him every mark of respect.

Return to Jerusalem and death

In 36 BCE, Herod, who had vanquished Antigonus with Roman help and feared that Hyrcanus might induce the Parthians to help him regain the throne, invited the former High Priest to return to Jerusalem. Hyrcanus accepted and Herod received him with every mark of respect, assigning to him the first place at his table and the presidency of the state council.

However, in 30 BCE Herod charged Hyrcanus with plotting with the Nabateans and put him to death.

Bibliography

Sources

• Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book XIV, 5-13. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Antiquities of the Jews ( Antiquitates Judaicae in Latin) was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the
• Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War, book I, 8-13. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus The Wars of the Jews (or The History of the

Literature

• Heinrich Ewald, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, volume IV, p. Georg Heinrich August Ewald ( November 16, 1803 - May 4, 1875) was a German Orientalist and theologian. 524ff.
• Heinrich Graetz, History of the Jews, volume III, p. Heinrich Graetz ( October 31, 1817 - September 7, 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish 167ff.
• Hitzig, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, volume II, p. Hitzig is the last name of Eduard Hitzig (1838–1907 German brain scientist Ferdinand Hitzig (1807–1875 German Protestant theologian 500ff.
• Emil Schürer, Geschichte des judischen Volks im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, volume I, p. Emil Schürer ( May 2, 1844 – April 30, 1910) was a German Protestant theologian. 338 et seq.

This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. The Jewish Encyclopedia was an Encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Hyrcanus II House of Asamoneus Died: 30 BC
Preceded by Alexander Jannaeus	High Priest of Jerusalem 76 BC – 66 BC	Succeeded by Aristobulus II
Preceded by Salome Alexandra	King of Judaea 67 BC – 66 BC
Preceded by Aristobulus II	King of Judaea 63 BC – 40 BC	Succeeded by Antigonus
	High Priest of Judaea 63 BC – 40 BC

References

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