John Hyrcanus

And remember, we talked about those who bless Israel are blessed and those who curse it are cursed, so they're not on the right side of this.

In 126 BC, they were subdued by John Hyrcanus of the Maccabees, and they were absorbed into the Jewish state.

But around 63 BC, the Herods were placed in control of Judah by the Romans.

Now, Herod the Great was an Edomite, uh, also called an Idumean.

But say thou wert possessed of David's throne by free consent of all, none opposite, Samaritan or Jew.

How couldst thou hope long to enjoy it quiet and secure between two such enclosing enemies, Roman and Parthian? Therefore one of these thou must make sure thy own, The Parthian first, by my advice, as nearer, and of late found able by invasion to annoy thy country, and captive, lead away our kings, Antigonus and old Hyrcanus bound, Moger the Roman.

It shall be my task to render thee the Parthian at dispose.

Choose which thou wilt, by conquest or by league.

The Parables he assigns to a time not earlier than Herod the Great.

Beer thinks that the dream-visions chapters, eighty-three through ninety, belong to the time of John Hyrcanus, one thirty-five to one hundred and five BC, and he includes under the pre-Maccabean portions only ninety-one, twelve through seventeen, ninety-two, ninety-three, one through fourteen, and holds that the rest of the book was written before sixty-four BC.

Dallman maintains that it cannot be proved that the important sections, thirty-seven through seventy-one, the Similitudes, is the product of the pre-Christian period, though he fully recognizes its Jewish character.

Burkitt regards the writer as almost contemporary with the philosopher Posidonius, one thirty-five to fifty-one BC.

At the Feast of Tabernacles of that year, a treaty was signed which rather gave the advantage to the Syrians, and Antiochus returned to his own land after having sent a costly sacrifice to the temple at Jerusalem as a sop to Jewish pride.

Antiochus did not hold his scepter long, for in the year 130 B.C. he fell in battle with the Parthians, and his ill-starred brother, Demetrius, came out of captivity to succeed him, reigning a little over four years and being himself slain 126 B.C. John Hyrcanus renewed the league with the Romans in order to strengthen himself against the Syrians, whom he attacked in several cities with varying loss and gain, in the main successful however.

He introduced a new policy, too often followed since, alas, even by what professes to be the Church, namely, compelling the conquered peoples to abjure their systems of worship and conform to Judaism by becoming circumcised, and thus be added to the Jewish people, or giving them the alternative of a violent death.

But forcible proselytizing could only result in disaster.

The other produces careless, pleasure-loving, broad churchmen-like professors who are indifferent to all that is vital in religion, content to have a form of godliness while denying its power.

Such were the opposite characteristics of the two great parties that for years had been forming among the Jews, and which had in the times of Hyrcanus become definitely separated and designated as the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Maccabees were ever of the former company, until now, when John Hyrcanus made it manifest that he had decided leanings toward the more liberal Sadducees.

For a time he remained nominally a Pharisee, until at a certain feast a leader of the most straitest sect demanded of him that he resign the priesthood which had been held by the Asmoneans since Jonathan, in plain disobedience to the letter of the law.

And so a group of Hasideans and, uh, and Levites rose up to fight the Seleucids.

And this is, uh, John Hyrcanus or, uh, uh, his dad was Judas Maccabee, literally hammer.

That's onomatopoeia, Maccabee.

And they fought a guerrilla war against the Seleucids and, and gained independence for Israel.

Simon took the high priesthood and the civil rule in 142.

John Hyrcanus, 134-104, conquered Idumaea and forcibly circumcised its people and destroyed the Samaritan temple.

Astrobolus I called himself king in 104.

Alexander Janais, 103-176, fought a six-year civil war against the Pharisees and Josephus.

The Parables he assigns to a time not earlier than Herod the Great.

Beer thinks that the dream visions chapters eighty-three through ninety belong to the time of John Hyrcanus, one thirty-five to one hundred and five BC, and he includes under the pre-Maccabean portions only ninety-one, twelve through seventeen, ninety-two, ninety-three, one through fourteen, and holds that the rest of the book was written before sixty-four BC.

Dallman maintains that it cannot be proved that the important sections thirty-seven through seventy-one, the Similitudes, is the product of the pre-Christian period, though he fully recognizes its Jewish character.

Burkitt regards the writer as almost contemporary with the philosopher Posidonius, one thirty-five to fifty-one BC.

They're the same people group, same, same thing.

So, but in the first BC, these Idumean cities, known as Marissa and Dora, they were conquered by John Hyrcanus, and John Hyrcanus was the leader of the Maccabean Revolt.

Well, when he conquered this land, he gave the Idumeans an ultimatum.

He said, "You either convert to Judaism or you leave Judea." Well, they loved the land of Judea, so they converted to Judaism.