Aristobulus (IV)

IV. ARISTOBULUS, was the second Son of Alexander Jannæus, and younger Bro ­ther to the High Priest Hircanus. He de­ clared openly, that he disapproved of his Mother Alexandra’s conduct towards some of the King his Father’s old servants, who were imprisoned and put to death by her order, to gratify the Pharisees¹; one day the friends and partisans of the late King waited on the Queen with Aristobulus at their head, and laid before her the services which they had done the late King, and their adherence to him in the course of all his wars; that it was very hard to make every thing at present criminal which they had performed for him; that they humbly intreated for permission to retire out of the Country, or at least to be disposed in places where she had Garrisons, that so they might be secured from the persecution of their enemies. The Queen, moved with their complaints, but unable to perform for them all that she could have wished, allowed them to retreat into those Castles where she had Garrisons.

Some time after she sent the Prince Aristobulus her Son² against Ptolemy the Son of Mennæus King of Chalcis, whose abode was at the foot of Mount Libanus, and who extremely incommoded his neigh­ bours, particularly the inhabitants of Da­ mascus. Aristobulus marched with his troops towards Damascus, entred the City, and returned without having done any thing very considerable in this expedition. His great ambition was, to engage the troops in his interests, in order to make himself Master of the Kingdom, at his Mother’s death.

In the year of the World 3935.As he saw his Mother Alexandra in a very low condition of health, he³ stole privately out of Jerusalem, and visited the several Castles which were in the cus­tody of his Father’s friends, by whom he was very well received. He made him­self Master of fifteen Fortresses in two and twenty days; which put the Queen and leading Men among the Jews into great consternation. In this extremity they seiz­ed Aristobulus’s Wife and Children, and lodg’d them in the Fort which was adjoin­ing to the Temple of Jerusalem; think­ing by this means to put a stop to Aristo­bulus’s undertakings. But he continued to gather troops, and possess himself of all the most advantageous posts in the Coun­try; so that nothing more was wanting besides the name of King.

In the year of the World 3938.Queen Alexandra was carried off very soon after, by the violence of her disease. She gave the Kingdom to her eldest Son Hircanus, and left the care of the govern­ ment to the Jews of greatest quality. But Aristobulus every day grew stronger, and made new progresses. So that three years after the death of Alexandra⁴, the two Brothers engaging in the plains of Je­richo⁵, Aristobulus remained Conqueror, and Hircanus was obliged to fly for safety to Jerusalem, and shut himself up in the Fortress where the Wife and Children of Aristobulus were kept prisoners. Here in a short time he was besieged, and Hirca­nus’s troops not being in a condition to maintain the siege, an agreement or treaty of peace was concluded between the two Brothers, whereby it was stipulated, that Hircanus should live as a private person, enjoying his fortune and estate; and that Aristobulus should have the title of King, and the honour of the High Priesthood. This Treaty was ratified in the Temple by the oaths both of Hircanus and Aristobu­lus; and after they had mutually embraced one another, Aristobulus took up his lodg­ing in the Royal Palace, and Hircanus re­ tired to the house which had been inhabited by his Brother Aristobulus.

The last of these enjoyed the Crown and the High Priesthood for three years and three months⁶; and had enjoyed it for a much longer time, had it not been for Antipater the Idumæan, Father of Herod the Great, who persuaded Hircanus to retire to Aretas King of Arabia, and afterwards prevailed with Aretas to make war against In the Year of the World 3939, before J. C. 61, before the vulgar Æra 65. In the same year.Aristobulus. Aretas obtained a great victory over him, and besieged him with an Army of fifty thousand men in the Temple of Jerusalem⁷, where Aristobulus defended himself, with the Priests who were of his party. Some months after, Scaurus, being sent by Pompey into Syria, came to Damascus, where he received Embassies from the two Brothers Hircanus and Aristobulus⁸; who made him great offers, with hopes of engaging him each in his interests. Aristobulus offered him three hundred talents; and Scaurus declared for him. He accordingly sent word to Aretas, that he expected he would raise the siege, otherwise he should be proclaimed an Enemy to the Roman People.

Thus Aristobulus was set at liberty. But Pompey himself coming to Damascus about the end of the same year, Aristobulus sent him a present of a vine wrought in gold, valued at five hundred talents. Some time after, Ambassadors came to Damascus,In the Year of the World 3940. before J. C. 60. before the vulg. Æra 64. both from Hircanus and Aristobulus. Those from Aristobulus accused Gabinius and Scaurus with receiving money, Gabinius three hundred talents, and Scaurus four hundred; which made these two Romans his enemies, who might have procured Pompey’s favour for him. But as Pompey could make no certain judgment upon the reports of two Ambassadors, he commanded Hircanus and Aristobulus to appear personally before him, to make good their several pretensions. Hircanus complained of the violence which he had suffered from Aristobulus, who had unjustly robb’d him of his Crown. Aristobulus, on the contrary, maintained, that Hircanus had forfeited this dignity by his own negligence and want of courage. On the other side, the Jews complained of both the Brothers, and desired that they might be no longer subject to Kings, but to Priests, according to the ancient custom of their nation.

Pompey, after having heard them, blam’d the violence of Aristobulus, and dismissed them both in peace, saying that he would reconcile them as soon as he had regulated the affairs of the Nabathæans. Accordingly, he came into Judæa, towards the end of the year, and sent for Aristobulus, who was then in the Castle of Alexandrium.⁹ Aristobulus waited on him, and Pompey permitted him to return two or three times. But at last having commanded him to give up his Fortresses, and write to those who held them by his authority to surrender them; Aristobulus obeyed, but with a great deal of regret; so that he retired immediately to Jerusalem, with an intention to prepare for war. Pompey followed him so close that he had not time to execute his design. He was at Jericho, upon his march against Jerusalem with his Army, when Aristobulus, fearing the consequences of a war, met Pompey, and desired him not to push things to an extremity, promising to put the City into his hands, and to give him a large sum of money. Pompey consented to these proposals, and sent Gabinius to Jerusalem to receive the money which had been stipulated. But Aristobulus’s soldiers refused to open the gates, and he was obliged to return without doing any thing.

Pompey, provok’d by this refusal, detained Aristobulus as his prisoner, and laid siege to Jerusalem. The City was taken after three months, and Hircanus was confirmed in the dignity of Prince and High Priest of the Jews, exclusive of Aristobulus, who was carried prisoner to Rome, with his two Sons Antigonus and Alexander, and his two Daughters¹⁰. Alexander escaped from his guards, and returned into Judæa; but Antigonus was carried to Rome, with his two Sisters, and Aristobulus their Father. There he continued eight years; after Till the year of the World 3948. before J. C. 52. before the vulgar Æra 56.which he made his escape, with his Son Antigonus, and returned into Judæa¹¹. There he got some troops together, with which he was resolved to fortify himself in the Castle of Alexandrium. But Gabinius Governour of Syria sent some forces against him, which prevented him. He endeavoured afterwards to make himself Master of Macharus, with a design of fortifying himself in it; but the leisure necessary for this was not allowed him; the place was invested, and after a siege of two days he surrendred, all covered with wounds, with his Son Antigonus, and was carried as a Captive to Gabinius, by whose order he was once more conducted to Rome.

When he arrived there, the Senate decreed, that Aristobulus should be continued in fetters, but that his Sons should be sent back into Judæa; because Gabinius in a letter had informed them, that he had made this promise to their Mother, and that it was only upon this condition that she had put those places of the country into his hands, which were in her possession¹².

He remained at Rome seven or eight years, from the year of the world 3948 to 3955, when Julius Cæsar set him at liberty, and propos’d to send him into Palestine, there to undertake something against Pompey¹³. He appointed two Legions to be under his command, that by their assistance he might secure the Province: but those of Pompey’s party poisoned him, before he could get out of Rome, and they who were in Cæsar’s interests paid him the honours of a Funeral, in the year of the world 3955, before J. C. 45, before the vulgar Æra 49. His body remained a long time at Rome inbalmed in honey, till Mark Antony procured it to be carried back into Judæa, to be interr’d in the sepulchre of the Kings.

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