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his standard, and he made his son Judas captain over them. Unexpected victories speedily followed, and the successful Judas was surnamed Makkab, 'the hammer.' Mattathias died before the end of the first year, but the struggle was continued by his sons. At the end of three years the Syrians had been driven from the Temple, though they still held the fortress which overlooked it. Accordingly, in December 165, three years after the Temple had been defiled, a great feast was held for its dedication. Up to this time Judas had been aided by the Chmldlm, or pious — a set of religious devotees whose ideal was ceremonial puritanism. This party would have been satisfied to rest in what had already been achieved, but Judas and his brethren aimed at political independence. Although it estranged the ChaMdim, Judas, with varying fortunes, maintained the struggle till b.c. 161. Antiochus iv. died, the forces of the young Antiochus v. were defeated, a great victory was won over Nicanor, whom Demetrius i., the next king of Syria, sent to Judsea. This victory was long celebrated in a yearly festival. Judas himself fell before the end of the year 161 In a battle with the force which Demetrius sent to avenge the death of Nicanor.

The direction of the Jewish cause then fell to Jona-than, one of the brothers of Judas, who for nearly twenty years was the leader (161-143). At the beginning of this period the Maccabsan fortunes were at their lowest ebb. At first Jonathan thought of taking refuge with the Nabataeans, but here he was treacherously treated and his brother John was slain. He himself, with a con-siderable force, was caught near the Jordan by the Syrians, and escaped only by swimming the river to the western side. Here Jonathan maintained himself for some years as an outlaw in the wilderness of Judaea. After many unsuccessful efforts to capture him, the Syrians finally (b.c. 153) entered into a treaty with him whereby he was permitted to live at Michmash as a kind of licensed free-booter. Here, like David in his outlaw days, he ruled over such as came to him. A little later Alesander Balas appeared in the field as a contestant for the Syrian crown. This proved a great help to the Maccabaean cause, as both parties were willing to bid high for the support of Jonathan. Jonathan for a time adhered to the cause of Alexander, who killed Demetrius I. and secured the crown. But although Alexander had driven Demetrius i. from the field, he was left but a short time in undisputed possession of the Syrian throne. Demetrius ii. appeared, and bid high for Jewish favour. He recognized Jonathan as high priest, and exempted the Jews from various taxes. This angered the adherents of Alexander, one of whom lured Jonathan to Ptolemais for a conference and treacherously put him to death. Another brother, Simon (143-135), then assumed the leadership. The star of Alexander Balas went down, and Demetrius ii. made a treaty which once more recognized the Inde-pendence of the Jews. This event created the wildest joy. Never since Uzziah had paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser in. in b.c. 737, unless it was for a few years in the reign of Josiah, had the Jews been politically free. It seemed like a new birth of the nation, and it stimulated the national genius and devotion in all directions. Many psalms were written at this period, and the whole civil and religious polity of the nation were reorganized. Simon was made both political head of the nation and high priest, and it was ordained that these ofiices should continue in his house for ever, or until a faithful prophet should arise (1 Mac 14"ff). Simon spent his energies in the following years in organizing his government and consolidating his territory. He was successful in taking possession of Gezer, where he built a large castle, recently excavated; also Joppa, which he made his port, and on the other side of the country, Jericho. At the latter place he was assassinated in b.c. 135 by his son-in-law, who hoped to seize the government.

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27. The Hasmonsean Dynasty. — The chronology follows : —

John Hyrcanus i 135-105

Aristobulus 1 105-104

Alexander Jannaeus 104-79

Alexandra 79-69

John Hyrcanus ii 1 ao b-i

Aristobulus n / ™-63

During the early years of Hyrcanus i. the vigorous Antiochus vii. (Sidetes), who had gained the Syrian crown, pressed him so hard that the struggle for inde-pendence not only had to be renewed, but seemed for a time to waver in the balance. Weaker hands, however, soon came into possession of the Syrian sceptre; and Hyrcanus, his independence secure, set about con-solidating the power of Judaea. He conquered the Edomites, who had centuries before been pushed up into southern Judah, and compelled them to accept Judaism. Later he conquered Samaria and lower Galilee, treating the latter country as he had treated Idumaea (cf. Jos. Ant. xm. x. 2). During the reign of Hyrcanus the Pharisees and Sadducees began to emerge into well-defined and opposing parties. The former were developed out of the Chasidim of the earlier time. They desired separation and exclusion from foreigners in order that they might devote themselves to the keeping of the Law. The Sadducees, on the other hand, consisted largely of the old priestly families, whose wealth and position prevented them from either the narrowness or the devotion of the Pharisees. Hyrcanus threw in his lot with the latter.

Aristobulus I., upon his accession, assumed the title of king (Ant. xin. xl. 1) — a step which still further estranged the Pharisees. He was a man of cruel and suspicious disposition, who imprisoned his brother and treated his subjects roughly. He conquered and Judaized in the one year of his reign ' upper Galilee,' by which it is supposed Ituraea is meant.

Upon his death his widow, Alexandra, released her brother-in-law, Alexander Jannaeus, from prison and offered him her hand and the throne, both of which he accepted. In his long and chequered reign he not only put down rebellion on the part of his turbulent subjects, but conquered and Judaized the old Israelitish territory across the Jordan, so that under him the Uttle Jewish community had spread, by conquest and forcible con-version, from the narrow limits of the days of Nehemiah to practically the limits of the territory of ancient Israel. Thus the foundations of the NT distribution of Palestinian Jews were laid by the Hasmonaeans. During the whole of the reign of Alexander the opposition of the Pharisees to the dynasty and its poUcy was exceed-ingly bitter. As his end approached, Alexander com-mitted the government to Alexandra, advising her to make her peace with the Pharisees (,Ant. xiii. xv. 5). This she did, and for the next ten years the internal affairs of the kingdom were more pacific. Alexandra made her son, John Hyrcanus ii., high priest. Upon her death she left the civil authority to Aristobulus ii., the younger of her two sons (.Ant. xiii. xvi. 1). This division of the two oflSces, which had been united from Simon to Alexandra, proved a fatal mistake. Each brother desired the office of the other, and a civil war followed. This dragged itself on tor several years. Aristobulus was more popular with the soldiery, and in a short time had defeated Hyrcanus and assumed the high priesthood. The contemplative Hyrcanus would probably have been quietly relegated to pri vate Uf e had not an extraordinary man, Antipater, an Idumaean, appeared. He attached himself to Hyrcanus, and persuaded thelatter to flee to Haretath in. (Aretas), king of the Nabataeans, who upon the promise that the cities which Alexander Jannseushad taken should be restored to him, furnished an army for the prosecution of the civil war. The advantage seems to have been with Hyrcanus, when in the year 65, Scaurus, the representative of the Roman

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