1.96
However, the rest of the [Jewish] multitude did not lay aside their
quarrels with him, when the [foreign] auxiliaries were gone; but they had
a perpetual war with Alexander, until he had slain the greatest part of
them, and driven the rest into the city Berneselis; and when he had demolished
that city, he carried the captives to Jerusalem. Nay, his rage was grown
so extravagant, that his barbarity proceeded to the degree of impiety;
for when he had ordered eight hundred to be hung upon crosses in the midst
of the city, he had the throats of their wives and children cut before
their eyes; and these executions he saw as he was drinking and lying down
with his concubines. Upon which so deep a surprise seized on the people,
that eight thousand of his opposers fled away the very next night, out
of all Judea, whose flight was only terminated by Alexander's death; so
at last, though not till late, and with great difficulty, he, by such actions,
procured quiet to his kingdom, and left off fighting any more.
1.99
Yet did that Antiochus, who was also called Dionysius, become an
origin of troubles again. This man was the brother of Demetrius, and the
last of the race of the Seleucidse. note
Alexander was afraid of him, when he was marching against the Arabians;
so he cut a deep trench between Antipatris, which was near the mountains,
and the shores of Joppa; he also erected a high wall before the trench,
and built wooden towers, in order to hinder any sudden approaches. But
still he was not able to exclude Antiochus, for he burnt the towers, and
filled up the trenches, and marched on with his army. And as he looked
upon taking his revenge on Alexander, for endeavoring to stop him, as a
thing of less consequence, he marched directly against the Arabians, whose
king retired into such parts of the country as were fittest for engaging
the enemy, and then on the sudden made his horse turn back, which were
in number ten thousand, and fell upon Antiochus's army while they were
in disorder, and a terrible battle ensued. Antiochus's troops, so long
as he was alive, fought it out, although a mighty slaughter was made among
them by the Arabians; but when he fell, for he was in the forefront, in
the utmost danger, in rallying his troops, they all gave ground, and the
greatest part of his army were destroyed, either in the action or the flight;
and for the rest, who fled to the village of Cana, it happened that they
were all consumed by want of necessaries, a few only excepted.
1.103
About this time it was that the people of Damascus, out of their
hatred to Ptolemy, the son of Menhens, invited Aretas [to take the government],
and made him king of Celesyria. This man also made an expedition against
Judea, and beat Alexander in battle; but afterwards retired by mutual agreement.
But Alexander, when he had taken Pella, marched to Gerasa again, out of
the covetous desire he had of Theodorus's possessions; and when he had
built a triple wall about the garrison, he took the place by force. He
also demolished Golan, and Seleucia, and what was called the Valley of
Antiochus; besides which, he took the strong fortress of Gamala, and stripped
Demetrius, who was governor therein, of what he had, on account of the
many crimes laid to his charge, and then returned into Judea, after he
had been three whole years in this expedition. And now he was kindly received
of the nation, because of the good success he had. So when he was at rest
from war, he fell into a distemper; for he was afflicted with a quartan
ague, and supposed that, by exercising himself again in martial affairs,
he should get rid of this distemper; but by making such expeditions at
unseasonable times, and forcing his body to undergo greater hardships than
it was able to bear, he brought himself to his end. He died, therefore,
in the midst of his troubles, after he had reigned seven and twenty years.
note
1.107
NOW Alexander left the kingdom to Alexandra his wife, and depended
upon it that the Jews would now very readily submit to her, because she
had been very averse to such cruelty as he had treated them with, and had
opposed his violation of their laws, and had thereby got the good-will
of the people. Nor was he mistaken as to his expectations; for this woman
kept the dominion, by the opinion that the people had of her piety; for
she chiefly studied the ancient customs of her country, and cast those
men out of the government that offended against their holy laws. And as
she had two sons by Alexander, she made Hyrcanus the elder high priest,
on account of his age, as also, besides that, on account of his inactive
temper, no way disposing him to disturb the public. But she retained the
younger, Aristobulus, with her as a private person, by reason of the warmth
of his temper.
