Jews in Judah After Antigonus Mattathias

 Nadene Goldfoot     IRAN'S ANCESTOR, PARTHIA                         

 The Persians were an ancient southwestern Iranian ethnic group native to the region of Fars (Persia), famous for founding the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, while the Parthians were an eastern Iranian people who originated as a nomadic tribe (the Parni) from northeastern Iran and later ruled the Parthian Empire from 247 BCE to 224 CE

I left the period  from the time of Darius I in 486 BCE to Antigonus Mattathias ruling in Judah in 40 BCE, in which Judeans were living in Judah under the Parthians  for the past 526 years. 

Greeks entered and took control of Judah in 332 BCE when Alexander the Great led his Macedonian and Greek forces to conquer the Persian Empire, bringing Judea under Greek rule. 332 BCE: Alexander the Great sweeps through the eastern Mediterranean, defeating Persia/Parthia and taking control of Judah (Judea) without major resistance.

323 BCE: Alexander the Great dies, and his empire splits among his generals into rival Hellenistic kingdoms.
3rd Century BCE: Judah is ruled largely by the Ptolemaic Kingdom (Egypt), bringing Greek culture, language, and administration.The Ptolemaic Kingdom was connected to the Greeks through its Macedonian-Greek royal family, its Hellenistic culture, and its political and economic roots in the empire of Alexander the Great.  The dynasty was founded in 305 BCE by Ptolemy I Soter, a trusted Macedonian general and companion of Alexander the Great. Greek Ruling Elite: The government, military, and upper classes were dominated by Macedonian and Greek immigrants who held key administrative posts and used Greek as the official language
200 BCE: The Seleucid Empire (based in Syria) gains permanent control over Judah.



168–167 BCE: The Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrates the Temple and bans Jewish practices, sparking the Maccabean Revolt and temporary Jewish independence. The Seleucid Empire ruled Judah for about 58 years (from 200 BCE to 142 BCE).   Conquest: King Antiochus III the Great won Judah from the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt at the Battle of Panium in 200 BCE. Initial Governance: At first, the Seleucids allowed local Jewish self-rule, lowered taxes, and let people practice their religion freely. Forced Hellenization: Under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes (beginning around 175–167 BCE), policy changed. He banned the Torah, made Jerusalem a Greek city called Antioch in Judaea, and turned the Second Temple into a shrine for Zeus. 

                   Judas Maccabeus:  Judah was the third son of Mattathias, the Hasmonean, a Jewish priest from the village of Modi'in. In 167 BCE, Mattathias, together with his sons Judah, Eleazar, Simon, John, and Jonathan, started a revolt against the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who since 169/8 BC had issued decrees that forbade Jewish religious practices. After Mattathias died in 166 BC, Judah assumed leadership of the revolt per the deathbed disposition of his father. The First Book of Maccabees praises Judah's valor and military talent, suggesting that those qualities made Judah a natural choice for the new commander.
The Maccabean Revolt: The extreme religious oppression led to a Jewish guerrilla rebellion (167–142 BCE) led by the Hasmonean (Maccabee) family.  End of Rule: Judas Maccabeus and his brothers fought off the Seleucid armies, recaptured the Jerusalem Temple (celebrated as Hanukkah), and won full autonomy and independence by 142 BCE                             

Antigonus II was High Priest of Israel, and also the last Hasmonean king of Judea. He was the son of King Aristobulus II.  Antigonus II Mattathias ruled Judea for 3 years (from 40 BCE to 37 BCE).  He was  proclaimed king and high priest in 40 BCE with the help of the Parthians.  He had to fight  approximately 3 years of continuous war against Roman forces and Herod the Great. Then he was  captured and executed in 37 BCE, which ended the Hasmonean dynasty.

                        The Siege of Jerusalem (37 BCE)              

• The Forces: After the Roman Senate declared Herod "King of the Jews" in 40 BCE, he returned to Judea with Roman legions led by Sosius, the governor of Syria. 
• The Assault: Herod and the Roman forces surrounded the city, amassing a massive army. The siege lasted 4 to 5 months of brutal, bitter fighting.  Starvation was happening as they had no food.  People were desperate.  
• The Breach: Roman forces breached the city walls, resulting in a massacre of the inhabitants. Herod famously had to step in and pay the Roman soldiers out of his own pocket to stop them from completely pillaging the city and desecrating the Holy of Holies. 
• The Execution: King Antigonus Mattathias surrendered to Sosius and was sent in chains to Mark Antony, who had him beheaded. This brought a definitive end to the century-long Hasmonean dynasty.