Phasael

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Phasael Φασάηλος Phasáēlos (born around 77 BC, probably in Marissa ; died 40 BC ) was city ​​commander ( Strategos ) of Jerusalem under the ethnarch and high priest Hyrcanus II .

Life

Phasael was the eldest son of Antipater and Cypros, who belonged to the Idumaean upper class; Herod was his younger brother. Antipater, who was in charge of government for Hyrcanus II, commissioned Phasael in 47 BC. With the military administration of Jerusalem and the surrounding area.

In 40 BC Under the leadership of Prince Pakoros and Quintus Labienus , the Parthians crossed the Euphrates and advanced into Syria. Antigonus Mattathias saw this as a chance to disempower his uncle Hyrcanus II with Parthian help and to replace him as king and high priest. In many places the population sided with Antigonus. On the occasion of the festival of Sukkot , Jerusalem was full of pilgrims, the majority of whom were prophistically minded. Phasael and Herod withdrew to the Hasmonean palace, which they defended against the militarily inexperienced crowd. Nevertheless, their situation seemed hopeless, and Phasael decided to negotiate peace with the Parthians. Herod, on the other hand, insisted on leaving the city secretly and making his way to Idumea.

Phasael was ready to accompany Hyrcanus as an embassy to the Parthian camp in Galilee. The Parthian satrap Barzaphranes took the two prisoners and handed them over to Antigonus Mattathias . This had Hyrcanus II mutilated so that he could no longer exercise the office of high priest. Phasael was about to be executed. However, he anticipated this fate by suicide:

“Because he could not lay hands on himself because of the shackles, he smashed his head on a boulder and killed himself in this most honorable way in his desperate situation, since he deprived the enemy of the opportunity to do it at their will kill."

- Flavius ​​Josephus : Jewish antiquities 14,367 (transl. Clementz)

So the portrayal of Josephus; historically we can only record that Phasael died in Parthian captivity, Hyrcanus II survived with a mutilation of his ears and was deported to the Parthian Empire - and Herod was able to get to safety. Deviating from this, Julius Africanus offers the version that Phasael fell in battle.

Phasael had a son of the same name who married a daughter of Herod from his marriage to Mariamne , Salampsio.

Herod named one of three apartment towers that he had built in Jerusalem after his brother Phasael; a remnant of this structure may still be preserved in the Citadel of David . In addition, Herod named the place he founded Phasaelis after his brother.

literature

  • Irina Wandrey: Art. Phasael . In: Der Neue Pauly , Volume 9 (2000), p. 755.
  • Richard Gottheil, Samuel Krauss: Art. Phasael . In: Jewish Encyclopedia, Volume 6, pp. 666f.
  • Abraham Schalit : Herod. The man and his work. 2nd Edition. De Gruyter, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-11-017036-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Abraham Schalit: Herod. The man and his work , Berlin 2001, p. 74.
  2. ↑ Abraham Schalit: Herod. The man and his work , Berlin 2001, p. 76.
  3. ↑ Abraham Schalit: Herod. The man and his work , Berlin 2001, p. 80.
  4. ^ Heinrich Gelzer : Sextus Iulius Africanus and the Byzantine Chronography , Leipzig 1898, p. 264.
personal data
SURNAME Phasael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Phasáēlos; Φασάηλος (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION City Commander of Jerusalem
DATE OF BIRTH around 77 BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH unsure: Marissa
DATE OF DEATH 40 BC Chr.