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upon the children of the chief men of the country, he confined them in that fortress as hostages.*

Alcimus being thus established in full power, set himself, like our modern emancipators, to pollute and corrupt the Jewish rites, and make them more conformable to those of the surrounding heathen. Haggai and Zechariah had ordered a low wall, called the Chel or wall of partition, to be erected round the sanctuary, to separate the holy from the unholy part of the mountain, within which no uncircumcised person was allowed to enter. But Alcimus, in order to take away this distinction, and give the Gentiles equal liberty with the Jews to pass into the inner court of the temple, ordered this wall of partition to be pulled down; but whilst the operation was performing, God struck down the arch-apostate, and he died in his sin.†

On the death of Alcimus, for whose sake chiefly this last war had been undertaken, and most probably influenced by the letters which the Roman senate had sent to Demetrius, in consequence of the embassy of Judas Maccabæus, Bacchides returned into Syria, leaving the unhappy land of Judea in a state of comparative tranquillity.§

Jonathan having availed himself of the interval of peace, to restore as far as possible the shattered institutions of his country, was still assailed by the apostate faction, who laid a plan with the court of Syria for the assassination of himself and all his friends, and Bacchides was sent with an army, to countenance and support the atrocity: but the Jewish leader happily discovered and defeated the plot, and slew thirty of the conspirators.||

Feeling himself greatly inferior to the Syrian general in military force, he retired to Bethhasi, a strong fortress in the

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wilderness, the fortifications of which he strengthened and repaired, and there awaited his enemies. Bacchides was assisted in the siege by considerable numbers of the apostate Jews, and on the approach of the hostile army, Jonathan drew out part of his troops in order to harass and cut off the besiegers, leaving his brother Simon with the rest, to defend the fortress; and this plan was so successfully pursued, that Bacchides not only grew weary of the war, but became incensed against those Jews who had drawn his court into their measures, and put several of them to death. Jonathan having received information that the Syrian general was about to quit the country, opened a negociation with him, which ended in a mutual exchange of prisoners, and a treaty of peace; after which Jonathan settled in peace at Michmash, a town lying about nine miles north of Jerusalem, where he governed Israel according to the law of Moses, cutting off all the apostates, and, as far as he had the means, producing a reformation both in church and state.*

The affairs of Judea proceeded thus tranquilly till Demetrius having given himself up to debauchery and drunkenness, an impostor, named Balas, assuming the name of Alexander, was set up as a son of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Roman senate allowing itself to be influenced in his favour, the conspiracy soon became formidable.

Jonathan and his Jews were now become strong enough to be an object worthy the alliance of either of the contending parties, and both Demetrius and Alexander, who had taken possession of Ptolemais, sent ambassadors, with presents and unlimited overtures, to secure their assistance. Jonathan, however, recollecting the cruelties of Demetrius, and fearful of trusting to his promises, preferred identifying himself with the fortunes of Alexander, and in which he was most

* Prid. ii. 305.

likely governed by the policy of the Romans. Alexander having appointed him to the office of high priest, which had been vacant since the death of Alcimus, he assumed that sacred office, to which, indeed, he was entitled as well by birth as by character and qualification.

*

The contest between Alexander, assisted by Jonathan and the Romans, and Demetrius, after one or two indecisive actions, ended in a pitched battle, wherein Demetrius being defeated and slain, his competitor acquired the throne of Syria.+

Soon after this victory, he obtained Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemy Philometer, for his wife, and the wedding being celebrated at Ptolemais, Jonathan was invited, and received with great honour by both the monarchs; Alexander, according to his promise, appointing him general of Judea, one of the chief princes of his empire, and Meridarches+ of his palace; and many of his enemies attempting to misrepresent his conduct, Alexander refused to hear them, and sent Jonathan home to Judea laden with honours.§

Onias, who, we have seen,|| had retired to the court of Memphis, prevailed on Ptolemy Philometer to allow him to build a temple in imitation of that at Jerusalem, in the Nomos,

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"That is, chief sewer, an office which one of the electors still bears - in the German empire. Grotius thus explains the word in his comment on the Maccabees, 1 Macc. x. 65. xi. 27. and 3 Macc. p. 796. But in his comment on Matt. xix. 28. he expounds it rather to denote the governor of a tribe or province; and, if it be so taken here, and be understood to mean that Jonathan was rather made governor of some part of the Syrian empire, than governor and orderer of the parts and dishes of the feast at the royal table, perchance this interpretation may reach the truth nearer than the other." Prid. ii. 314.

or prefecture of Heliopolis,* upon the site of an old temple of Bubastis,† wherein he placed an altar of incense, a shewbread table, and other utensils, like those at Jerusalem, and having persuaded the Jews that he was at liberty to do so from the prophecy of Isaiah,+ he prevailed on the priests and Levites to administer the Jewish ritual therein; and afterwards built a city in the vicinity; which after his own name he called Onion.§

Alexander, the usurper and impostor, having given himself up to debauchery and luxury, Demetrius Nicator, the son of Demetrius Soter, who had been secretly preserved and educated at Cnidus, made an effort to recover his father's throne; and landing in Cilicia, was joined by Apollonius, who then governed in Cole-Syria and Phoenicia for Alexander. The first step which this officer took to shew his devotion to the youthful adventurer, was to attempt to reduce Jonathan and his poor Jews, who remained firm in their allegiance to Alexander.

Having collected a large army, he encamped in Jamnia, whence he sent an insolent defiance to Jonathan; Thou alone liftest up thyself against us, and I am laughed to scorn for thy sake, and reproached: and why dost thou vaunt thy power against us in the mountains? Now, therefore, if thou trustest in thine own strength, come down to us into the plain field, and there let us try the matter together; for with me

Or the city of the sun. Prid. ii. 316. ; where see many curious particulars relating to the erection of this temple, and its name. See Jos. ii. 271.

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§ Prid. ii. 315-318. "On, therefore, was Heliopolis, the chief city of the canton of that name, called by Ptolemy, Onium, distant about twenty miles from Memphis, the metropolis. Un. Hist. i. 453. note U.

is the power of the cities. Ask and learn who I am, and the rest that take our part; and they shall tell thee that thy foot is not able to stand before our face: for thy fathers have been twice put to flight in their own land. Wherefore, now, thou shalt not be able to abide the horsemen and so great a power in the plain, where is neither stone nor flint, nor place to flee unto.* Jonathan immediately marched out of Jerusalém with ten thousand men, and took Joppa in the face of the Syrian army; and then, having defeated Apollonius in a pitched battle, pursued him to Azotus, and burned that town, with its temple of Dagon, to the ground, killing and destroying more than eight thousand men. Having reduced several other cities in the neighbourhood, he returned to Jerusalem, laden with great spoils; upon which Alexander sent him a buckle of gold, and gave him the city of Ecron, with its territories, for a possession.†

Ptolemy Philometer having marched into Palestine, at the instance of Alexander, was received into all the cities of that country as a friend, and was met at Joppa by Jonathan, whom he received with great kindness, notwithstanding many complaints were made against him by his enemies; and Jonathan accordingly accompanied him as far as the river Eleutherus. Ammonius, the prime minister of Alexander, having formed a design against the life of Ptolemy,‡ which that monarch had discovered, but in vain demanded him to be delivered up by Alexander, he marched on to Antioch; when the inhabitants having, in the absence of Alexander, slain Ammonius, and opened their gates to Ptolemy, he advised them to declare for Demetrius; which they did, and

* 1 Macc. x. 70-73.

+ Prid. ii. 322. He suspected that the real object of the Egyptian was to possess himself of the Syrian monarchy, rather than to serve Alexander.

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