John Hyrcanus II

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Hyrcanus II. From "Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum"

John Hyrcanus II († 30 BC ) was high priest of Israel from 76 to approx. 40 BC. And ruler ( ethnarch ) in Judea from 63 BC. until approx. 40 BC He was the eldest son of the Hasmonean Alexander Jannäus , king of Judea in 103 BC. up to 76 BC And that of Salome Alexandra , Queen of Judea from 76 BC. up to 67 BC BC, brother of Aristobulus II and father of Alexandra .

After King Aristobulus I had combined the office of high priest and the dignity of a king, there was a split in the Jewish population: the disputes between the Sadducees loyal to the king from the aristocratic and priestly class on the one hand and the common people and the Pharisees representing ancient Jewish anti-monarchical movements on the other hand determined power politics from this point on.

Hyrcanus' father Alexander Jannaios, the successor of Aristobulus I, under whom the Hasmonean empire had reached its greatest extent, sought an open confrontation with the Pharisees . 94 BC There was a civil war in which the power of the king was put to the test. After the death of Alexander Jannaios his wife Salome Alexandra took over the government. They managed to de-escalate the situation and secured the borders of the Hasmonean state.

After her death in 67 BC John Hyrcanus was supposed to become king, but his younger brother Aristobulus led to a controversy for the throne because he claimed the throne for himself. Hyrcanus was driven out of Jerusalem by his brother and sought support from the Nabataeans . When Hyrcanus stood with an army before Jerusalem, the two brothers asked the nearby Romans under the command of Pompey for help. This initially helped Aristobulus II to secure power, but decreed, when the unrest could not be ended, that Hyrcanus and Aristobulus should accompany him on the Roman campaign. After Aristobulus fled to the mountains and Pompey had received the order to end the Asian campaign as quickly as possible and to attack Jerusalem, Hyrcanus allied himself with the Romans. After the three-month siege of the temple precinct, in which Aristobulus had holed up with his followers, there was a bloodbath in which over 12,000 Jews were killed. Aristobulus was captured and imprisoned. 63 BC In BC Pompey installed Hyrcanus as high priest and ethnarch in Judea. Judea had thus become tributary to Rome.

After Caesar had stabilized the situation in Judea through the release of Aristobulus and the confirmation of John Hyrcanus in the priesthood, things escalated when the Parthians 40 BC. BC Judea conquered. John Hyrcanus surrendered, and his ears were cut off to withdraw the office of high priest or to make him unfit for it. John Hyrcanus II spent the evening of his life in a Jewish community in Mesopotamia , where he continued to be greatly respected. In the year 30 BC He was executed under Herod on charges of conspiracy with the Nabataeans.

See also

literature

predecessor Office successor
Aristobulus II Ethnarch of Judea
63–40 BC Chr. 		Antigonus Mattathias
personal data
SURNAME John Hyrcanus II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johannes Hyrcanus; John Hyrcanus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION High priest and ruler in Israel
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC BC or 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 30 BC Chr.