Alexander Jannäus
Alexander Jannäus (different spelling: Jannaios , real name probably Jonathan ; * around 126 BC; † 76 BC in Ragaba) was the Hasmonean king of Judah and high priest (103–76 BC), son of John Hyrcanus I and brother of Aristobulus I (104-103 BC). After the death of Aristobulus I, his wife Salome Alexandra determined him as his successor and married him, from which John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II were born as sons and later rulers. Coin finds indicate that his real name was Jonathan and that he used the name Alexander according to the customs of the time.
His restorative expansion policy succeeded above all in conquering large parts of the East Bank , including (after a ten-month siege) Gadara (today: Umm Qais) and, without resistance, the largest fortress in the East Bank at the time, Amathous . Then there was the Golan. Under Alexander there were internal Jewish conflicts with the Pharisees , who resisted the increasing Hellenization among the late Hasmoneans. This civil war lasted six years and was fought with great brutality by Alexander, as testified by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus ( Antiquitates XIII, 12-15; Bellum I, 4). After the death of Alexander Jannäus his wife, Salome Alexandra, took over the rule (76-67 BC).
literature
- Abraham Schalit : The scene of the last battle between the rebellious Pharisees and Alexander Jannäus. In: Otto Betz (Ed.): Josephus Studies. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1974, ISBN 3-525-53553-8 , pp. 300-318.
- Menahem Stern : Judaea and her neighbors in the days of Alexander Jannaeus. In: The Jerusalem Cathedra. Studies in the history, archeology, geography of the land of Israel. Volume 1, 1981, ISSN 0333-7618 , pp. 22-46.
- James C. VanderKam : From Joshua to Caiaphas. High priests after the exile. Fortress Press, Minneapolis MN 2004, ISBN 0-8006-2617-6 .
- Charles Peter Mason: Alexander, Jannaeus . In: William Smith (Ed.): Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . tape 1 : Abaeus – Dysponteus . Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1870, p. 117 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
- Ulrich Wilcken : Alexandros 24 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Sp. 1439-1441.
- Louis Ginzberg : Alexander Jannæus (Jonathan). In: Isidore Singer (Ed.): Jewish Encyclopedia . Funk and Wagnalls, New York 1901-1906.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Klaus Bringmann: History of the Jews in antiquity . Klett-Cotta, 2005, ISBN 3-89129-800-5 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ Flavius Josephus : Ant. Jud. XIII. 12-15 (English).
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Aristobulus I. |
King of Judea 103–76 BC Chr. |
Salome Alexandra |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alexander Jannäus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alexandros Iannaios; Alexander Jannaios; Jonathan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hasmonean king of Judah and high priest |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 126 BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 76 BC Chr. |
| Place of death | Ragaba |