Hyrcanus II

John Hyrcanus II (, Yohanan Hurqanos; died 30 BCE), a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was the High Priest of Israel in the 1st century BCE. He was also briefly king of Judea (67–66 BCE) and then the ethnarch of Judea, probably over the period 47–40 BCE.

Accession Hyrcanus was the elder of two sons born to Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Salome Alexandra. After Alexander died in 76 BCE, his widow succeeded to the throne as queen of Judea. She installed Hyrcanus as High Priest in 73 BCE. When Salome died in 67 BCE, she named Hyrcanus as her successor as ruler of Judea as well, but soon he and his younger brother, Aristobulus II, began fighting over who had the right to the throne.

Alexander had numerous conflicts with the Pharisees. However, Hyrcanus was supported by the Pharisees, especially later in his tenure.

Deposition

Hyrcanus had scarcely reigned three months when Aristobulus II rose in rebellion. Hyrcanus advanced against Aristobulus at the head of his forces. When the brothers met in battle near Jericho, many of Hyrcanus' soldiers defected, joining forces with Aristobulus, thereby giving the latter the victory. Hyrcanus took refuge in the citadel of Jerusalem; but Aristobulus' capture of the Temple compelled Hyrcanus to surrender. A peace was then concluded, according to the terms of which Hyrcanus was to renounce the throne and the office of High Priest, but was to enjoy the revenues of the latter office.

This agreement did not last for long, as Antipater the Idumaean convinced Hyrcanus that Aristobulus was planning his death and to take refuge with Aretas III, King of the Nabataeans. The Nabataeans advanced toward Jerusalem with an army of 50,000 men and besieged the city for several months during the rebellion.

Alliance with the Nabataeans This agreement did not last. Hyrcanus feared that Aristobulus was planning his death. Such fears were furthered by Hyrcanus' adviser, Antipater. According to Josephus, Antipater sought to control Judea by putting the weak Hyrcanus back onto the throne.

Roman intervention

During the Roman civil war, general Pompey defeated armies of the kingdoms of Pontus and the Seleucids. He sent his deputy Marcus Aemilius Scaurus to take possession of Seleucid Syria.

As the Hasmoneans were allies of the Romans, both brothers appealed to Scaurus, each endeavouring through gifts and promises to win him over to his side. Scaurus, moved by a gift of 400 talents, decided in favour of Aristobulus and ordered Aretas to withdraw his army. During his retreat, the Nabateans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus. Scaurus returned to Damascus.

When Pompey arrived in Syria in 63 BCE, both brothers and a third party that desired the removal of the entire dynasty (according to some sources, these may have been the representatives of the Pharisees), sent their delegates to Pompey, who delayed making a decision. He favoured Hyrcanus over Aristobulus, deeming the elder, weaker brother a more reliable ally of the Roman Republic.

Aristobulus, suspicious of Pompey's intentions, entrenched himself in the fortress of Alexandrium, but when the Roman army approached Judea, he surrendered and undertook to deliver Jerusalem over to them. However, since many of his followers were unwilling to open the gates, the Romans besieged and captured the city by force, badly damaging the city and the temple. Aristobulus was taken to Rome a prisoner and Hyrcanus restored as high priest in Jerusalem.

Restoration By around 63 BCE, Hyrcanus had been restored to his position as High Priest but not to the Kingship. Political authority rested with the Romans whose interests were represented by Antipater, who primarily promoted the interests of his own house. In 47 BCE, Julius Caesar restored some political authority to Hyrcanus by appointing him ethnarch. This however had little practical effect, since Hyrcanus yielded to Antipater in everything. According to Doudna, Hyrcanus II’s sectarian orientation is now generally understood to have been Sadducee.

Ancestry