2.15 The Rise and Ruin of the Maccabeans

History in the Bible

Garry Stevens

History, Christianity, Judaism, Bible, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 693 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2018

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

The Maccabeans reach their apogee under John Hyrcanus I, and his sons Aristobulus and Alexander Jannaeus. Alexander's widow, Alexandra Salome, became known as a ruler of wisdom and moderation. Her incompetent children and successors John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II blew it all in a fratricidal civil war. The Romans stepped in, ditched the Maccabean ditzes, and installed more reliable bureaucrats: Antipater, and his son Herod.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Gide. I'm Gary Stevens.
0:08.0	And welcome to the second series of the History in the Bible podcast.
0:13.1	More of the history in more of the books in all the Bibles.
0:20.0	Episode 2.15, The Maccabeean Century.
0:25.4	In the last two episodes, I dove into some of the important works produced in the Maccabeean period.
0:34.4	It's time to get back to the historical action.
0:38.4	At the end of episode 2.12, I left Jonathan the Maccabee and his family dead by the hands of the Seleucids in 142 BC.
0:50.7	Jonathan had begun his career as the leader of an insurgency, and finished it as the head of
0:57.5	Judea's political establishment, the high priest.
1:01.7	His mantle passed to his brother Simon, last surviving son of Matathias, dead a quarter of
1:09.0	a century. Josephus describes Simon as very old, but that could mean
1:15.8	he was in his 60s. Simon finally achieved the goal of Judean autonomy, at least in internal affairs.
1:25.6	The Seleucid kingdom was falling apart in civil war, again.
1:30.9	In return for promising not to cause trouble, for one of the beleaguered Seleucid claimants,
1:37.1	Simon was made Ethnarch of Judah, the rough equivalent of Prince, and confirmed as high priest.
1:45.4	Now that last outraged many Jews.
1:49.5	They could tolerate Greek foreigners imposing a civil ruler,
1:54.2	but not their highest religious authority.
1:57.7	When the latest salucid civil war was over, the new king accepted Judah's autonomy,
2:04.1	but installed a military governor by the name of Tolley, no relation to the Egyptian
2:10.5	Talmys, just to keep an eye on things.
2:14.3	To cement the amity of Judeans and Seleucats, Toulmie even married Simon's daughter.
	...

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