138

his. But when he had fled for refuge to a fortress called Alexandrion, he ordered him to come to him. But he, since his friends urged him not to make war on the Romans, came down, and after defending himself, returned again from where he had come. But when Pompey ordered him to hand over the fortresses and to write with his own hand to the garrison commanders—for it was forbidden for them to withdraw otherwise—he obeyed, but withdrew resentfully 1.347 to Jerusalem and prepared to make war. But to Pompey, as he was marching against him, the death of Mithridates was announced, having been brought about by Pharnaces his son. When he was near Jericho, where the balsam is grown, the finest of ointments, which gushes out like sap when the shrubs are cut with a sharp stone, Aristobulus approached him and begged him to cease the war, offering money and receiving him into Jerusalem, so that he might do what he wished. And he, having forgiven him, sent Gabinius for the money and the city. But when the soldiers of Aristobulus did not allow the agreements to be fulfilled, Gabinius returned unsuccessful. Pompey therefore came to the city, having imprisoned Aristobulus. But those within were not of one mind. For some thought it best to receive Pompey, but Aristobulus' party thought the opposite; they also, having seized the temple, prepared for a siege. The others handed over the city to Pompey, and the palace. And he, having encamped inside, besieged the temple. When it was captured around the third month, the enemy, rushing in, slaughtered those in it; but they were no less performing sacred rites and offering sacrifices. Everything was filled with slaughter; for some of the Jews were slaughtered by the Romans, others by one another, or even threw themselves from cliffs. Pompey and some of those with him passed into the inner part of the temple, the inaccessible place, and saw what was unseen by all others except the high priests. However, he touched none of the votive offerings or the money in it, out of piety. On the next day, having ordered the temple to be cleansed and sacrifices to be offered according to the law, he handed over the high priesthood to Hyrcanus, after having executed with an axe the men responsible for the war and making 1.348 Jerusalem tributary to the Romans. Pompey, departing for Rome, led away Aristobulus in chains and his children. He had two daughters and as many sons, of whom the elder, Alexander, escaped and later overran Judea, since Hyrcanus was unable to oppose him. When Gabinius came to Syria, he sent Mark Antony with an army against Alexander. And when a battle occurred, the Romans killed about three thousand of the enemy and took no fewer captive. And when Alexander fled to a fortress called Alexandrion, he besieged it. Alexander therefore sent an embassy to Gabinius asking for pardon, and handed over the fortresses he held. And the high priest Hyrcanus was brought to Jerusalem by Gabinius. Aristobulus, however, having escaped from Rome and come to Judea, attempted to fortify Alexandrion, which had just been demolished. But Gabinius sent men to prevent him or to arrest him. And many of the Jews flocked to Aristobulus, the majority of whom happened to be unarmed. Aristobulus therefore dismissed these, but kept with him the armed men, who were about eight thousand. And when a battle was joined between them and the Romans, the Jews were defeated and fled; and some were killed, while the rest were scattered. But Aristobulus with a thousand men fled together to Machaerus, with his son Antigonus who had escaped from Rome with him. After two days, having been wounded, he was captured, and with his son 1.349 Antigonus he was brought as a prisoner to Gabinius, and was sent back again to Rome, and being bound was kept there, having reigned and served as high priest for three years. And Gabinius departed for Egypt. But upon returning from there, he found Alexander, the son of Aristobulus, attacking the country with a great army and killing all the Romans he encountered. Joining battle with him, therefore, near Mount Itabyrion

138

αὐτοῦ. συμπεφευγότος δ' εἰς ερυμα καλούμενον ̓Αλεξάνδριον, ἐκέλευε πρὸς αὐτὸν ηκειν. ὁ δὲ τῶν φίλων μὴ πολεμεῖν ̔Ρωμαίοις ἀξιούντων κάτεισι, καὶ δικαιολογησάμενος πάλιν οθεν ηκεν ὑπέστρεψε. κελεύοντος δὲ Πομπηίου παραδιδόναι τὰ ἐρύματα καὶ αὐτοχείρως ἐπιστεῖλαι τοῖς φρουράρχοις, ἀπείρητο γὰρ αλλως τούτων ἀφίστασθαι, πείθεται μέν, δυσανασχετῶν δὲ ἀνεχώρησεν 1.347 εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα καὶ πολεμεῖν ἡτοιμάζετο. Πομπηίῳ δὲ στρατεύοντι ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἡ Μιθριδάτου μεμήνυτο τελευτὴ ἐκ Φαρνάκου τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ γενομένη. περὶ ̔Ιεριχοῦντα δὲ γεγονότι, ου τὸ ὀποβάλσαμον τρέφεται τῶν μύρων τὸ ἀκρότατον, ο τῶν θάμνων τεμνομένων ὀξεῖ λίθῳ ἀναπιδύει ωσπερ ὀπός, πρόσεισιν ὁ ̓Αριστόβουλος αὐτῷ καὶ ἱκέτευε παύσασθαι τοῦ πολέμου, χρήματά τε διδοὺς καὶ εἰς τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα αὐτὸν εἰσδεχόμενος, ωστε πράττειν ο βούλεται. ὁ δὲ συγγνοὺς αὐτῷ πέμπει Γαβήνιον ἐπὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τὴν πόλιν. τῶν δὲ ̓Αριστοβούλου στρατιωτῶν οὐκ ἐώντων τὰς συνθήκας πληρωθῆναι, απρακτος ἐπανῆλθεν ὁ Γαβήνιος. ηκει γοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν Πομπήιος καθείρξας τὸν ̓Αριστόβουλον. οἱ δ' ενδον οὐχ ὡμονόουν. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐδόκει δέχεσθαι τὸν Πομπήιον, τοῖς δ' ̓Αριστοβούλου τοὐναντίον· οι καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν κατειληφότες εἰς πολιορκίαν παρεσκευάζοντο. οἱ δ' αλλοι τὴν πόλιν ἐγχειρίζουσι Πομπηίῳ καὶ τὰ βασίλεια. ὁ δὲ ἐντὸς στρατοπεδευσάμενος ἐπολιόρκει τὸ ἱερόν. ἁλόντος δὲ περὶ τρίτον μῆνα, ἐπεισφρήσαντες οἱ πολέμιοι εσφαζον τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ· οἱ δὲ οὐδὲν ηττον ησαν ἱερουργοῦντες καὶ θύοντες. φόνου δὲ πάντα μεμέστωτο· οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων, οἱ δ' ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ἐσφάττοντο η καὶ ἑαυτοὺς κατεκρήμνιζον. παρῆλθε δὲ εἰς τὸ ἐντὸς τοῦ ναοῦ τὸ αβατον ὁ Πομπήιος καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτόν τινες, καὶ ειδον οσα τοῖς αλλοις πλὴν τῶν ἀρχιερέων ησαν ἀθέατα. οὐδενὸς μέντοι τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀναθημάτων η τῶν χρημάτων ηψατο δι' εὐσέβειαν. τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ καθᾶραι παραγγείλας τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ θύειν νομίμως, τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην παρέδωκεν ̔Υρκανῷ, τοὺς αἰτίους τοῦ πολέμου πελέκει διαχρησάμενος καὶ τὰ 1.348 ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ποιήσας ̔Ρωμαίοις ὑπόφορα. Πομπήιος δὲ ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην ἀπιὼν ἐπήγετο τὸν ̓Αριστόβουλον δεδεμένον καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ. ησαν δὲ αὐτῷ δύο θυγατέρες καὶ τοσοῦτοι υἱοί, ων ὁ πρεσβύτερος ̓Αλέξανδρος ἀπέδρα καὶ τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν κατέτρεχεν υστερον, μὴ δυναμένου τοῦ ̔Υρκανοῦ αὐτῷ ἀντικαθίστασθαι. ̔Ως δὲ Γαβήνιος εἰς Συρίαν ηκε, πέμπει πρὸς τὸν ̓Αλέξανδρον ̓Αντώνιον Μάρκον μετὰ στρατεύματος. καὶ γενομένης μάχης κτείνουσιν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τῶν πολεμίων περὶ τρισχιλίους καὶ οὐκ ἐλάττους ζωγροῦσι. καταφυγόντος δὲ τοῦ ̓Αλεξάνδρου ἐπί τι ερυμα λεγόμενον ̓Αλεξάνδριον, ἐπολιόρκει τοῦτο. διαπρεσβεύεται ουν πρὸς Γαβήνιον ὁ ̓Αλέξανδρος συγγνώμην αἰτῶν, καὶ παραδίδωσιν α κατεῖχεν ἐρύματα. ὁ δὲ ἀρχιερεὺς ̔Υρκανὸς εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα κατήχθη παρὰ τοῦ Γαβηνίου. ὁ μέντοι ̓Αριστόβουλος διαδρὰς ἐκ ̔Ρώμηςκαὶ εἰς τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ἐλθὼν τειχίζειν ἐπειρᾶτο τὸ ̓Αλεξάνδριον αρτι κατεσκαμμένον. ὁ δὲ Γαβήνιος στέλλει τοὺς κωλύσοντας αὐτὸν η καὶ συλληψομένους. πολλοὶ δὲ τῷ ̓Αριστοβούλῳ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων προσέρρεον, ων οἱ πλείους ἐτύγχανον αοπλοι. τούτους μὲν ουν ἀπέλυσεν ̓Αριστόβουλος, τοὺς δ' ὡπλισμένους οντας περὶ ὀκτακισχιλίους ειχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ. καὶ μάχης αὐτοῖς πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους συγκροτηθείσης ἡττῶνται ̓Ιουδαῖοι καὶ φεύγουσι· καὶ οἱ μὲν κτείνονται, σκεδάννυνται δὲ οἱ λοιποί. ̓Αριστόβουλος δὲ μετὰ χιλίων εἰς Μαχαιροῦντα συνέφυγε μετὰ τοῦ παιδὸς ̓Αντιγόνου συναποδράντος ἐκ ̔Ρώμης αὐτῷ. μετὰ δὲ δύο ἡμέρας τραυματισθεὶς ἑάλω, καὶ σὺν τῷ υἱῷ 1.349 ̓Αντιγόνῳ αἰχμάλωτος πρὸς Γαβήνιον αγεται, καὶ ἀναπέμπεται αυθις εἰς ̔Ρώμην, καὶ δεθεὶς κατείχετο, βασιλεύσας καὶ ἀρχιερατεύσας ετη τρία. Γαβήνιος δὲ ἀπῄει εἰς Αιγυπτον. ἐπανελθὼν δ' ἐκεῖθεν ευρε τὸν ̓Αριστοβούλου παῖδα Ἀλέξανδρον στρατεύματι μεγάλῳ τὴν χώραν ἐπιόντα καὶ οσοις ἐντύχοι τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων πάντας κτιννύοντα. συμβαλὼν ουν τούτῳ περὶ τὸ ̓Ιταβύριον ορος