Jonathan on his side against Demetrius, who had been their enemy. Among these proposals, one was this,-That he should be constituted and maintained the governor and the high priest of the Jews, and be called the king's friend. 1 Macc. x. 18--20.

Note. I think Josephus supposes Judas to have been made high priest before his death; but Dr. Prideaux does not seem to follow him in this matter; nor doth the book of Maccabees give any account of it. Though upon Judas's restoring the Jewish worship in the temple, there must be some person to officiate as high priest upon some occasions. And Onias being fled into Egypt, whether Judas himself did it occasionally, or deputed one of the other priests to do it, is not certain: perhaps Judas might do the duty, as being of the chief family of the priest. hood, though he did not assume the title.

44 Q. Did Jonathan accept of these proposals?

A. There being no other high priest in view, he accepted it, by the consent of all the people; and at the feast of tabernacles he put on the holy robe. Being thus dignified, he joined with Alexander, who still grew stronger, and slew his rival Demetrius in battle.

Note here, That from this time forward the high priesthood continued in this family of the Asmoneans, or Maccabees, till the time of Herod, who changed it from an office of inheritance, to an arbitrary appointment.-It may be proper to observe here, that the family whence the Maccabees came, are called Asmoneans; for Mattathias, their father, was the son of John, the son of Simon, the son of Asmoneus.

45 Q. But was Jonathan of the eldest family of Aaron, to whom the priesthood belonged?

A. Whether the Maccabees or Asmoneans were of the race of Josedek the high priest, is uncertain, Ezrá iii. 2, but it is certain they were of the course of Joarib, which was of the first class of the sons of Aaron. 1 Macc. ii. 1. 1 Chron. xxiv. 7. And therefore, on the failure of the former family of priests, and none appearing there with a better title, he had the first right to succeed; besides that he was chosen to it in a vacancy by all the people.

46 Q.

Where was Onias all this while ?

A. Having fled into Egypt, he gained such an interest in Ptolemy Philometer the king, as to build a Jewish temple in Egypt, exactly like that at Jerusalem, adorned with the same furniture of vessels and altars for incense and sacrifice; and to have himself and his family established the high priests of it, where they performed the same religious service as was done at Jerusalem.

47 Q. In what part of Egypt did he build this temple?

A. In the place where Heliopolis, or the city of the sun stood; and there he built a city also, and called it Onian, after his own name.

48. But how did he persuade the Jews to perform such worship at this temple?

19.

A. By citing the words of Isaiah, chap. xix. ver. 18, In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan :-In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, &c. Which is truly to be interpreted concerning the future state of the Gospel in that country in the days of the Messiah; but Onias applied it to his own temple and altar.

49 Q. How long did this temple continue ?

A. Till after the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem, which was above two hundred years; and then the city Onian, and the temple, were both destroyed by the command of Vespasian the emperor of Rome.

50 Q. Did Jonathan go on to secure the Jews of Judea in their possessions and their religion?

A. By making leagues with the princes and states that favoured him, and by assisting sometimes one and sometimes another, as the interest and powers of princes were often changing, he defended and governed his own nation.

51 Q. What became of him at last ?

A. By the treachery of one Tryphon, who sought the kingdom of Syria, he was seized, and shut up close prisoner in Ptolemais, 1 Macc. xi. and xii, and afterwards was slain with his two sons. chap. xiii.

52 Q. Who succeeded Jonathan in the high priesthood and government?

A. Simon his brother, by the request of all the people?

53 Q. What were some of the first enterprises of Simon?

A. After an honourable burial of his brother at Modin, the city of his fathers, and the noble and lofty monument, and seven pyramids which he set up for his parents, his four brethren and himself, he fortified the cities of Judea, made a league with young Demetrius, the son of Demetrius, took the city of Gaza, cleansed the houses from idols, and built himself a house there.

54 Q. Did the garrison in the tower of Acra, near the temple, continue to annoy the Jews in their worship. A. Notwithstanding all the attempts of Judas and Jonathan, these enemies remained still till the days of Simon, who shut them up so closely, that after great numbers perished with famine, the rest yielded up the tower to Simon: immediately he cleansed it from its pollutions, and entered into it with harps and songs, and great triumph.

55 Q. What precautions did Simon take against the like annoyance for the time to come?

A. By consent and assistance of the people, he pulled down the tower, and reduced the mountain itself so low, that there might be no possibility of any future annoyance to the worship of the temple from that place.

56 Q. What further success had Simon in his government?

A. He established Jerusalem and Judea in great peace and plenty; he sought out the law, and made it to be obeyed; he beautified the sanctuary, multiplied the vessels of the temple, and maintained their eligion in the divine institutions of it.

57 Q. What peculiar honour was done him by the

Jews?

4. In a general assembly of the priests and elders, and the people of the Jews, met together at Jerusalem, he was constituted their prince as well as their high

priest; and these dignities and offices were settled upon his posterity forever. This was engraven on tables of brass, together with the good deeds of himself and his family, which had merited such an honour; and these tables were hung up in the sanctuary.

58 Q. What regard was paid to him among the heathen nations ?

A. Several princes and people, the Lacedemonians, the Romans, and Antiochus, surnamed Sidetes, the son of Demetrius, king of Syria, all sought his friendship, made leagues and covenants with him, and conferred on him special honours. 1 Macc. xiv. and xv.

59 Q. Did Antiochus keep his covenant with Simon? A. By no means; for when he had vanquished Tryphon, his rival, he brake his league with Simon, and invaded some part of Judea; but his general, Cendebeus, was routed by Simon, and his two eldest sons Judas and John, whose surname was Hyrcanus.

60 Q. What was the fate of Simon at last?

A. When Simon was visiting the cities, and giving orders for their welfare, one Ptolemeus, who was his sonin-law, invited him and his sons to a banquet at Jericho, and slew Simon with two of his sons, in order to get the government of the country into his own hands; and sent privately to kill John also.

61 Q Did Ptolemeus succeed in this his treachery and murderous enterprise ?

A. John having got timely notice of it slew the assassins, and was invested with the high priesthood, and the government after his father.

Note. Here ends that excellent history, the first book of the Maccabees. The following part of this account of the Jews is borrowed chiefly from Josephus, who usually calls John by the surname of Hyrcanus.

SECT. VII. Of the Jewish Affairs under the Conduct of the Posterity and Successors of Simon the Maccabee; and of the several Sects among the Jews, namely, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, Karaites.

1 Q. Did John Hyrcanus enjoy his office in peace? A. Antiochus Sidetes being informed of the death of Simon, and being invited by Ptolemeus, invaded Judea again, besieged Jerusalem, and reduced Hyrcanus and the Jews to the last extremity by famine; but when they sued for peace, he granted it, upon condition of paying certain tributes to the king, and demolishing the fortifications of Jerusalem.

Note. About this time Jesus, the son of Syrach, a Jew of Jerusalem, coming into Egypt, translated the book of Ecclesiasticus, written by Jesus his grandfather, out of Hebrew into Greek, for the use of the Hellenistic Jews there. The ancients called it Panareton, or the treasury of all virtue.

2 Q. How did the affairs of the Jew's succeed under Hyrcanus ?

A. A few years afterwards he took advantage of the vast confusions that ensued among the nations, upon the death of Antiochus, to enlarge his borders, by seizing some neighbouring towns on several sides of Judea, and to renounce all his dependence upon the kings of Syria.

3 Q. Was he supported therein by any foreign pow

ers?

A. He renewed the league of friendship which his father Simon had made with the Romans, who were then growing to their grandeur; and they ordered that he should be freed from the late imposed tribute, and that the Syrians should make reparation for the damages they had done him.

4Q In what manner did Hyrcanus deal with the Edomites, or Idumeans, who were on the south of Judea ?

A. He constrained them to embrace the Jewish religion, or to leave their country; whereupon they chose to forsake their idolatry, and became proselytes to Juda