the Hasmoneans, a.k.a. the Maccabees
The correct family-name of the House of Maccabee was the Hasmoneans, who took their name from their ancestor, namely:
(a) Hasmoneus (Asmonaeus) (Chasmon), who founded their particular branch of the Levite family-tree, was the 35th generation in male-line descent from AARON, the 1st High-Priest, who is counted the first generation. He was the father of
(b) Simeon, or John, the father of
(c) John, or Simeon, the father of
(d) Mattathias (d167BC), a priest, the father of five adult sons, led an uprising of the Jews against the Syrians who occupied the country. in 167BC. He did not long survive the rigors of active service and died shortly after starting the rebellion. He was survived by five very gifted sons, begotten of his wife, [name], daughter of Judas, a priest, son of High-Priest Onais II, who were: (1) Judas Maccabeus, (2) Jonathan I [Apphus], (3) Simon III [Thassi], (4) Eleazar [Avaran], & (5) Johanan [Gaddis].
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see
http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/high-priests.wps.htm for ancestry(26) Seraiah (Sareas), 31st H-P, last H-P in First Temple, executed 587/586BC, begot three sons, namely:
(27a) Jozadak (Josedech) (Jehozadak) carried captive to Babylonia, served in the first synagogue, ancestor of post-exilic high-priests
(27b)
Jachin (below), ancestor of the Hasmoneans, a.k.a. the Maccabees(27c) Eniachim, ancestor of a secondary-line that produced several high-priests; among whom were Alcimus, 47th H-P, father of Theophilus, father of Matthias I, 61st H-P
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(b)
Jachin (above)(28) Joarib
(29) Idaiah
30-34: five generations, names unknown
35/01. [H]Asmoneaus, descendants called Hasmoneans and/or the Maccabees
02. Johanan/or Simon
03. Simon/or Johanan
05. Mattathias (d167BC)
issue:
(6a) Judas "Maccabeus", 1st Ethnarch [governor] of Judea, founds "commonwealth"
(6b) Jonathan I [Apphus]
(6c) Simon III [Thassi]
(6d) Eleazar [Avaran] (d163)
(6e) Johanan [Gaddis] (d161)
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01. JUDAS "MACCABEUS", 1st Ethnarch [governor] of Judea 165-162BC (d161)
took over the leadership of the Jewish "freedom-fighters" or Jewish "patriots" after his father’s demise. Judas, called "Maccabeus" or "The Hammer", defeated one Syrian army after another earning him his nick-name. He drove the Syrians out of the country winning Judea independence from foreign rule, Year 165BC. And, Judea, thus, after so long a time, again became an independent country.
Judas "Maccabeus" revived the Jewish state with himself as its ruler in 167BC. He took the title "ethnarch" ["ruler of the people"] and "high-priest", thus, uniting in himself both religious and civil authorities, and founded the line of the Maccabean priest-rulers who for the next hundred years was to govern Judea. The success of the struggle of the Maccabees to free the Jews from Syria is still commemorated in the holiday of Hanukkah, which is based on an incident when the Temple was re-consecrated at the time of the country’s liberation, there was only one day’s oil available for the temple-altar however the altar’s flame burned miraculously for eight days until more oil became available. Judas "Maccabeus" was deposed by political opponents in 162BC; and, the next year (161BC) was killed in battle in a counter-offensive by the Syrians. He died childless, and was succeeded in office by his brother, Jonathan (Apphus), of whom later. The Maccabees were popular priest-governors; but generations later became unpopular for their arrogance in appropriating the royal office to themselves. The assumption of the royal title by the Maccabees in 129BC establishing themselves as a new dynasty on Israel’s Throne sparked civil war. Most of the general Jewish population were repudiated by the assumption of the royal title by the Maccabees grounding their opposition on the outlook that the Jewish Crown was reserve for the House of David only! The Maccabees themselves attempted to legitimate their position by arguing that the Davidic line was tainted due to the “gentile” status of some of King David’s descendants, that is, the “foreign-wives”, and appealing to their own accomplishments, or as the author of “1 Mac” puts it, “by God’s accomplishments through them”. The purpose of the apocryphal literature of “First Maccabees” was to legitimatize the Maccabee Dynasty; and, the reference to the divine-right of King David’s House in verse 1 Mac 2:57 is doubtless a later addition to the text made by a scribe whose political persuasion was towards the “Davidic Dynasty Tradition”. The civil war ended in stalemate and compromise, whereby the Maccabees were allowed to remain on the throne however the whole conduct of internal affairs was handed over to the Pharisees who then completely ruled the public life of the nation. The party of the Pharisees arose in the Sanhedrin during the reign of the Maccabee Dynasty to promote the hope for the restoration of the Davidic Dynasty and carry-on the Davidic Dynasty Tradition. The Pharisees were a party of priests and scribes who were the self-appointed guardians of Jewish heritage and culture. The Pharisees were opposed to anyone on the throne who was not a descendant of the ancient Jewish Davidic royal house. The Pharisees cultivated the development of the “Davidic Dynasty Tradition” in Judaism, which was itself still developing as a religion. There is indication that during this period the Jews began to envision a final Davidic ruler, who would actually rule for all time to come, thus obviating the need for the continuation of the dynastic line. It was the hope for the restoration of the Davidic Dynasty and the expectation of one great king, called “Messiah”, who would be God-incarnate, for the prophet Micah wrote (5:2):”...thou, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth who is to be King of Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” In Isaiah 55:3b the promise/covenant to David was transferred to his “greater son”, that is, descendant, called “Messiah”!
02. JONATHAN I [APPHUS], 2nd Ethnarch & 48th H-P 153-142BC (ex), bro, ethnarch 161-143, accountable to a new Syrian governor following an unsuccessful campaign, was arrested and executed by the Syrian governor 142.
03. SIMON III [THASSI], 3rd Ethnarch & 49th H-P 142-135BC, bro, ethnarch 143-135, succeeded in negotiating a peace treaty with the Syrian king, by which the on and off again wars with Syria supposedly ends; he was murdered in family intrigue, and was survived by three sons and a daughter, namely: (a) Jude, mur 135; (b) Mattathias, mur 135; (c) Hyrcanus I John; & (d) daughter, wife of Ptolemaeus.
issue:
(a) Simon[us], mur 135
(b) Psellus, mur 135, father of Mathius
(c) Hyrcanus I [John], 4th Ethnarch 135-105BC & 50th High-Priest
(e) dau, wife of Ptolemaeus
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04. HYRCANUS I [JOHN], 4th Ethnarch 135-105BC & 50th High-Priest; changed style from "ethnarch" to "king", 129BC, 1st Maccabee King
declared himself “king” in 129BC; conquered Idumaea in the south; and, in the north, occupied Samaria, destroyed its capital-city in 107BC, and likewise destroyed the Sarmaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. The Maccabee Priest-King Hyrcanus I, in an effort to make the Maccabees more acceptable to the general public, had his children and grandchildren take their wives and husbands from the old Davidic royal house. Hyrcanus I, who had proclaimed himself king in 129BC, died in 105/4BC, and was survived by three sons, namely:
(a) Aristobulus I, 2nd Maccabee King 105-104/103BC, & 51st High-Priest
(b) Antigonus [I];
(c) Alexander I Jannaeus, 3rd Maccabee King & 52nd H-P 104/103-76BC
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05. ARISTOBULUS I, 2nd King of Maccabee Dynasty 105-104/103BC, & 51st High-Priest,
added Galilee to the Jewish state. He starved his mother to death in prison, and murdered two of his brothers. Aristobulus, of his wife, Alexandra [Salome], had a single child, a daughter, Salome, who, earlier was a political pawn in her grandfather’s hands, had married thrice, each time to a Davidic prince. She was the mother of three half-brothers, namely, Mattias "Nasi" by 1st marriage, Matthat (Mattathiah) "Nasi" by 2nd marriage; and, Matthan "Nasi" by 3rd marriage, who each represented a separate Davidic Dynasty descent-line [or lineage]. The priest-king Aristobulus I reigned for one year, and died in 104/3BC. He was survived by a single daughter, (a) Salome, who married thrice, each to a Davidic prince, and begot three sons, the half-brothers: (a) Mattias, (b) Matthan, and (c) Matthat. His widow, Queen Alexandra [I], married her late husband's brother and successor, Alexander Jannaeuswho, by wife, Alexandra I, Queen 76-67BC, begot
(a) Salome (daughter), whom her father married to in turn the heirs of major Davidic Dynasty descent-lines for political purpose
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06. ANTIGONUS I, 3rd King 104-103BC
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07. ALEXANDER I JANNAEUS, 3rd King & 52nd H-P 103-76BC
For six years opposition against him was led by the Davidic prince, [25] Jude (Judah) "Nasi" [son of "Nasi" Simon II, # 24, above], who was sponsored by the Pharisees as a rival claimant for the throne, which developed into a civil war that Alexander Jannaeus crushed, and imprisoned the royal Davidic prince. He went on to conqueror and Judaize Gilead, Jordan [Edom, Ammon, & Moab], and "the south country as far as the border of Egypt" [the Sinai Peninsula], which were annexed to the Jewish state. His first wife was Shelzion, sister of Simon [II], the "Nasi", the daughter and son of Shetach, the son of the earlier "Nasi" Yossei (above). He divorced her upon his succession and married his brother’s [King Aristobulus I’s] widow, Queen Alexandra [Salome], as his second wife; which may have sparked her nephew's rebellion. His 2nd wife, Alexandra, was the mother of his two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. In 88BC the Pharisees again sponsored another Davidic prince, Jesus Bar-Panther, who and his followers drove Alexander Jannaeus from Jerusalem, but the Maccabee usurper recovered his throne and worked bloody revenge against the Pharisees; and Jesus Bar-Panther fled to Egypt where he remained in exile for several years. He later returned to Jerusalem; led the Jews against the conquering Romans; but was defeated, captured, and executed by crucifixion in 63BC. Alexander I died in 76BC, and was survived by two sons: (a) Hyrcanus II and (b) Aristobulus II. His widow, Alexandra, took over affairs of state and reigned as queen in association with their eldest son, Hyrcanus.
who, by his brother's widow, Queen Alexandra I, begot
(a) Hyrcanus II, twice king & high-priest
(b) Aristobulus II
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08. ALEXANDRA I, Queen 76-67BC
she made peace with the Pharisees, much to the displeasure of the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. Queen Alexandra I came to terms with the Pharisees, ending the second on-and-off again civil war. The reign of Queen Alexandra I was a period of close cooperation between the royal court and the Pharisees. Her death in 67BC saw a struggle for power between her sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus.
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09. HYRCANUS II, King 76-67 [1st time], 53rd H-P (below)
issue: (11) Alexandra II, Queen
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10. ARISTOBULUS II, King 67-63 & 54th H-P;
wrestled power from Hyrcanus II whom he deposed and succeeded on the throne. This sparked civil war between the two brothers. The struggle for the throne among the Maccabees led to intervention by the Romans. Aristobulus shut himself up in Jerusalem, and after a siege of three months, Pompey "The Great" entered Jerusalem with a Roman Army in 63BC, deposed the Maccabee King Aristobulus II who and his family were carried-off to Rome to feature in Pompey’s "triumph". He had two sons, (a) Alexander II & (b) Antigonus [II]. The Romans under Pompey "The Great" occupied Jerusalem in 63BC. The country yields, and Judea became a Roman province. The Romans occupied the country and later placed the Herodians, another dynasty, on the Jewish throne.
mur 49BC while a Roman captive
issue:
(a) Alexander II
(b) Antigonus, King 40-37 & 55th H-P (ex), father of (a) Antigone (daughter)
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(09) HYRCANUS II, King 63-49 [2nd time] (ex 30BC)
was restored to the throne by the Romans under Pompey "The Great" in 63BC. He appointed Antipater, heir of the Idumaean royal house, as governor of the province of Idumaea, who persuaded him to go to the camp of Pompey "The Great", and appeal to the Roman general, who had just conquered Syria and deposed the last Seleucid king. After the death of Pompey "the Great" in 48BC, Hyrcanus II of Judaea, Antipater, Governor of Idumaea, and the Nabataean king Aretas II [cap. at Petra], were able to render Julius Caesar material aid at Alexandria, thus winning his favor. He made Antipater a Roman citizen and the office of procurator of Judea. Hyrcanus II was restored as High-Priest but not as king. His brother Aristobulus II was deposed and carried a prisoner to Rome with his two sons Alexander and Antigonus. The throne was left vacant, and the civil administration of the country was put by Julius Caesar into the hands of a Roman governor, Antipater “The Idumaean". The ex-king Aristobulus II was murdered during his exile in Rome by Cassius and Brutus in 49/8BC. His eldest son Alexander escaped captivity in Rome and made his way back to Palestine where he then proclaimed himself king. Meantime, the defeat of the Roman Governor Phasel left Hyrcanus II without support, and he was deposed by Antigonus who then took over and proclaimed himself king. The ex-king Hyrcanus II was executed 30BC.
issue: (11) Alexandra II, Queen
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11. ALEXANDER II, king, executed 49BC, rival-king 49BC, was married to his cousin, Alexandra, his uncle’s [Hyrcanus II’s] daughter. He led an uprising to drive the Romans out of the country. The Romans under Metellus Scipio defeated the Jewish King Alexander II in battle, and he was executed by Pompey "The Great" in 49BC, who restored Hyrcanus II to the throne. His younger brother, Antigonus, whom the Romans had earlier released from prison, raised an army and fought a civil war with his uncle, Hyrcanus II, who had been restored to the throne.
issue:
(a) Aristobulus III, 58th H-P 36BC, deposed & executed
(b) Mariamne [I] (ex 29BC), 2nd wife of King HEROD The Great
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12. ALEXANDRA II, Queen 49-40/37 (ex 28BC), daughter of Priest-King Hyrcanus II, reigned in her own right.
=1 Mattathias "Nasi", Prince [his 1st =; & her 1st =]; =2 Alexander II, King [cousin]; =3 Antigonus, King [cousin]
issue of 1:
(a) Alexander [III] "Helios"
issue of 2:
(b) Aristobulus III, 58th H-P 36BC dep & ex
(c) Mariamme [I] (ex 29BC), 2nd wife of HEROD "THE GREAT"
issue of 3:
(d) Antigone (dau), wife of Antipater [III], son of HEROD "THE GREAT" & 1st wife Doris "of Jerusalem, the Davidide heiress
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13. ANTIGONUS, King 40-37 (ex), who, with the aid of the Parthians, took Jerusalem, in 40BC, and established himself as king. He married his brother’s [Alexander II’s] widow, Queen Alexandra II, which was her 3rd marriage. In the third year of his reign he was defeated in battle by the Romans under Sosius, who sent him to Mark Anthony, who had Antigonus put to death, in 37BC, which left his widow, Queen Alexandra II, as sole ruler in Jerusalem for six months.
Meantime, Herod "The Idumaean" traveled to Rome, and the Roman Emperor Augustus made him king of Judea, and sent him back to conquer his kingdom, which he did after Mark Anthony could spare some troops, who was then engaged against the Parthians.
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(12) ALEXANDRA II, Queen 37BC [six months]
Her forces were defeated by the Roman Governor Herod "The Great", who with a Roman army captured Jerusalem following a siege of five months. Queen Alexandra II, the last Maccabee monarch, was deposed by Herod "The Idumaean", the Roman Governor, who usurped the throne founding the Herodian Dynasty. So, ends the Maccabees, and begins the Herodians. King Herod imprisoned the ex-queen, Alexandra, and she was later executed in 28BC.
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The Maccabee Dynasty was overthrown in the 1st Century BC by the Romans under the Roman Governor of Idumaea, the Herodian Dynasty, which usurped the Judean throne. Similarly, the Essenes, arose to challenge the Herodian Dynasty and wrote the Qumran Literature. The Qumran Literature speaks of the hope of an ideal future king, the "Messiah", who comes from the Davidic Dynasty, who restores the Jewish kingdom, and, under Him, the Jews go on to world-domination. In the "Shemoneh Esreh" ["Eighteen Benedictions"], which came to be a standard Jewish prayer before the end of the 1st Century AD, we find a petition [the 14th Benediction] that the Throne of David be re-established speedily in Jerusalem, and another petition [the 15th Benediction] that the off-spring of King David be exalted and caused to flourish.
The fall of Jerusalem to the Romans made the Maccabee Kings the vassals of the Roman Emperors, and subject to the Roman Governors. The Romans appointed the a family of Bedouin sheiks [the Herodians] as the country's governors, who eventually succeeded the Maccabees on the throne.
see http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_deo/herodians.wps.htm
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David Hughes, 2005, RdavidH218@AOL.com
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