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1. About this time it was that Philip, king of Macedon, was
treacherously assaulted and slain at Egae by Pausanias, the son
of Cerastes, who was derived from the family of Oreste, and his
son Alexander succeeded him in the kingdom; who, passing over the
Hellespont, overcame the generals of Darius's army in a battle
fought at Granicum. So he marched over Lydia, and subdued Ionia,
and overran Caria, and fell upon the places of Pamphylia, as has
been related elsewhere.
2. But the elders of Jerusalem being very uneasy that the brother
of Jaddua the high priest, though married to a foreigner, should
be a partner with him in the high priesthood, quarreled with him;
for they esteemed this man's marriage a step to such as should be
desirous of transgressing about the marriage of [strange] wives,
and that this would be the beginning of a mutual society with
foreigners, although the offense of some about marriages, and
their having married wives that were not of their own country,
had been an occasion of their former captivity, and of the
miseries they then underwent; so they commanded Manasseh to
divorce his wife, or not to approach the altar, the high priest
himself joining with the people in their indignation against his
brother, and driving him away from the altar. Whereupon Manasseh
came to his father-in-law, Sanballat, and told him, that although
he loved his daughter Nicaso, yet was he not willing to be
deprived of his sacerdotal dignity on her account, which was the
principal dignity in their nation, and always continued in the
same family. And then Sanballat promised him not only to preserve
to him the honor of his priesthood, but to procure for him the
power and dignity of a high priest, and would make him governor
of all the places he himself now ruled, if he would keep his
daughter for his wife. He also told him further, that he would
build him a temple like that at Jerusalem, upon Mount Gerizzini,
which is the highest of all the mountains that are in Samaria;
and he promised that he would do this with the approbation of
Darius the king. Manasseh was elevated with these promises, and
staid with Sanballat, upon a supposal that he should gain a high
priesthood, as bestowed on him by Darius, for it happened that
Sanballat was then in years. But there was now a great
disturbance among the people of Jerusalem, because many of those
priests and Levites were entangled in such matches; for they all
revolted to Manasseh, and Sanballat afforded them money, and
divided among them land for tillage, and habitations also, and
all this in order every way to gratify his son-in-law.
3. About this time it was that Darius heard how Alexander had
passed over the Hellespont, and had beaten his lieutenants in the
battle at Granicum, and was proceeding further; whereupon he
gathered together an army of horse and foot, and determined that
he would meet the Macedonians before they should assault and
conquer all Asia. So he passed over the river Euphrates, and came
over Taurus, the Cilician mountain, and at Issus of Cilicia he
waited for the enemy, as ready there to give him battle. Upon
which Sanballat was glad that Darius was come down; and told
Manasseh that he would suddenly perform his promises to him, and
this as soon as ever Darius should come back, after he had beaten
his enemies; for not he only, but all those that were in Asia
also, were persuaded that the Macedonians would not so much as
come to a battle with the Persians, on account of their
multitude. But the event proved otherwise than they expected; for
the king joined battle with the Macedonians, and was beaten, and
lost a great part of his army. His mother also, and his wife and
children, were taken captives, and he fled into Persia. So
Alexander came into Syria, and took Damascus; and when he had
obtained Sidon, he besieged Tyre, when he sent all epistle to the
Jewish high priest, to send him some auxiliaries, and to supply
his army with provisions; and that what presents he formerly sent
to Darius, he would now send to him, and choose the friendship of
the Macedonians, and that he should never repent of so doing. But
the high priest answered the messengers, that he had given his
oath to Darius not to bear arms against him; and he said that he
would not transgress this while Darius was in the land of the
living. Upon hearing this answer, Alexander was very angry; and
though he determined not to leave Tyre, which was just ready to
be taken, yet as soon as he had taken it, he threatened that he
would make an expedition against the Jewish high priest, and
through him teach all men to whom they must keep their oaths. So
when he had, with a good deal of pains during the siege, taken
Tyre, and had settled its affairs, he came to the city of Gaza,
and besieged both the city and him that was governor of the
garrison, whose name was Babemeses.
4. But Sanballat thought he had now gotten a proper opportunity
to make his attempt, so he renounced Darius, and taking with him
seven thousand of his own subjects, he came to Alexander; and
finding him beginning the siege of Tyre, he said to him, that he
delivered up to him these men, who came out of places under his
dominion, and did gladly accept of him for his lord instead of
Darius. So when Alexander had received him kindly, Sanballat
thereupon took courage, and spake to him about his present
affair. He told him that he had a son-in-law, Manasseh, who was
brother to the high priest Jaddua; and that there were many
others of his own nation, now with him, that were desirous to
have a temple in the places subject to him; that it would be for
the king's advantage to have the strength of the Jews divided
into two parts, lest when the nation is of one mind, and united,
upon any attempt for innovation, it prove troublesome to kings,
as it had formerly proved to the kings of Assyria. Whereupon
Alexander gave Sanballat leave so to do, who used the utmost
diligence, and built the temple, and made Manasseh the priest,
and deemed it a great reward that his daughter's children should
have that dignity; but when the seven months of the siege of Tyre
were over, and the two months of the siege of Gaza, Sanballat
died. Now Alexander, when he had taken Gaza, made haste to go up
to Jerusalem; and Jaddua the high priest, when he heard that, was
in an agony, and under terror, as not knowing how he should meet
the Macedonians, since the king was displeased at his foregoing
disobedience. He therefore ordained that the people should make
supplications, and should join with him in offering sacrifice to
God, whom he besought to protect that nation, and to deliver them
from the perils that were coming upon them; whereupon God warned
him in a dream, which came upon him after he had offered
sacrifice, that he should take courage, and adorn the city, and
open the gates; that the rest should appear in white garments,
but that he and the priests should meet the king in the habits
proper to their order, without the dread of any ill consequences,
which the providence of God would prevent. Upon which, when he
rose from his sleep, he greatly rejoiced, and declared to all the
warning he had received from God. According to which dream he
acted entirely, and so waited for the coming of the king.
5. And when he understood that he was not far from the city, he
went out in procession, with the priests and the multitude of the
citizens. The procession was venerable, and the manner of it
different from that of other nations. It reached to a place
called Sapha, which name, translated into Greek, signifies a
prospect, for you have thence a prospect both of Jerusalem and of
the temple. And when the Phoenicians and the Chaldeans that
followed him thought they should have liberty to plunder the
city, and torment the high priest to death, which the king's
displeasure fairly promised them, the very reverse of it
happened; for Alexander, when he saw the multitude at a distance,
in white garments, while the priests stood clothed with fine
linen, and the high priest in purple and scarlet clothing, with
his mitre on his head, having the golden plate whereon the name
of God was engraved, he approached by himself, and adored that
name, and first saluted the high priest. The Jews also did all
together, with one voice, salute Alexander, and encompass him
about; whereupon the kings of Syria and the rest were surprised
at what Alexander had done, and supposed him disordered in his
mind. However, Parmenio alone went up to him, and asked him how
it came to pass that, when all others adored him, he should adore
the high priest of the Jews? To whom he replied, "I did not adore
him, but that God who hath honored him with his high priesthood;
for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I
was at Dios in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself
how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no
delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would
conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the
Persians; whence it is that, having seen no other in that habit,
and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision,
and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I
bring this army under the Divine conduct, and shall therewith
conquer Darius, and destroy the power of the Persians, and that
all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind." And
when he had said this to Parmenio, and had given the high priest
his right hand, the priests ran along by him, and he came into
the city. And when he went up into the temple, he offered
sacrifice to God, according to the high priest's direction, and
magnificently treated both the high priest and the priests. And
when the Book of Daniel was showed him wherein Daniel
declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the
Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended. And
as he was then glad, he dismissed the multitude for the present;
but the next day he called them to him, and bid them ask what
favors they pleased of him; whereupon the high priest desired
that they might enjoy the laws of their forefathers, and might
pay no tribute on the seventh year. He granted all they desired.
And when they entreared him that he would permit the Jews in
Babylon and Media to enjoy their own laws also, he willingly
promised to do hereafter what they desired. And when he said to
the multitude, that if any of them would enlist themselves in his
army, on this condition, that they should continue under the laws
of their forefathers, and live according to them, he was willing
to take them with him, many were ready to accompany him in his
wars.
6. So when Alexander had thus settled matters at Jerusalem, he
led his army into the neighboring cities; and when all the
inhabitants to whom he came received him with great kindness, the
Samaritans, who had then Shechem for their metropolis, (a city
situate at Mount Gerizzim, and inhabited by apostates of the
Jewish nation,) seeing that Alexander had so greatly honored the
Jews, determined to profess themselves Jews; for such is the
disposition of the Samaritans, as we have already elsewhere
declared, that when the Jews are in adversity, they deny that
they are of kin to them, and then they confess the truth; but
when they perceive that some good fortune hath befallen them,
they immediately pretend to have communion with them, saying that
they belong to them, and derive their genealogy from the
posterity of Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Accordingly, they
made their address to the king with splendor, and showed great
alacrity in meeting him at a little distance from Jerusalem. And
when Alexander had commended them, the Shechemites approached to
him, taking with them the troops that Sanballat had sent him, and
they desired that he would come to their city, and do honor to
their temple also; to whom he promised, that when he returned he
would come to them. And when they petitioned that he would remit
the tribute of the seventh year to them, because they did but sow
thereon, he asked who they were that made such a petition; and
when they said that they were Hebrews, but had the name of
Sidonians, living at Shechem, he asked them again whether they
were Jews; and when they said they were not Jews, "It was to the
Jews," said he, "that I granted that privilege; however, when I
return, and am thoroughly informed by you of this matter, I will
do what I shall think proper." And in this manner he took leave
of the Shechenlites; but ordered that the troops of Sanballat
should follow him into Egypt, because there he designed to give
them lands, which he did a little after in Thebais, when he
ordered them to guard that country.
7. Now when Alexander was dead, the government was parted among
his successors, but the temple upon Mount Gerizzim remained. And
if any one were accused by those of Jerusalem of having eaten
things common [Missing Note] or of having broken the sabbath, or of any
other crime of the like nature, he fled away to the Shechemites,
and said that he was accused unjustly. About this time it was
that Jaddua the high priest died, and Onias his son took the high
priesthood. This was the state of the affairs of the people of
Jerusalem at this time.
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