| Judean Civil War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Pharisee–Sadducee conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sadducees | Pharisees : Seleucid Empire (89-88 BCE) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alexander Jannaeus | Joshua ben Perachiah Simeon ben Shetach Demetrius III Eucaerus | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 800 executed | ||||||
The Judean Civil War was a conflict between King Alexander Jannaeus and the Pharisees, the dominant political party in the Great Sanhedrin at the time. Alexander was supported by the minority Sadducees, while the Pharisees under Nasi Joshua ben Perachiah were briefly backed by the Seleucid Empire.
The civil war began after a decade of expansionist military campaigns by Alexander, whose dual role as both King of Judea and High Priest of the Jewish Temple resulted in a dereliction of his religious responsibilities in Jerusalem, which became the root of criticism by the Pharisees. After suffering a defeat by the Arab Nabateans in the Battle of Gadara in 93 BCE, Alexander returned to Jerusalem to officiate the festival of Sukkot. He demonstrated his displeasure against the Pharisees by refusing to perform the water libation ceremony properly; instead of pouring it on the altar, he poured it on his feet. The crowd was shocked at his mockery and showed their displeasure by pelting him with etrogim (citrons). Outraged, he ordered soldiers to kill those who insulted him, which led to the massacre of six thousand people in the temple courtyard. With further frustration, Alexander had wooden barriers built around the temple and the court with the sacrificial altar, to which only priests had access. This incident during the Feast of Tabernacles was a major factor leading up to the Judean Civil War by igniting popular opposition against Alexander. [1]
After Alexander succeeded early in the war, the rebels relocated to Sepphoris, in the heavily pro-Pharisee region of Galilee, and appealed for Seleucid assistance. Judean insurgents joined forces with Demetrius III Eucaerus to fight against Alexander. Alexander had gathered six thousand two hundred mercenaries and twenty thousand Jews for battle, while Demetrius had forty thousand soldiers and three thousand horses. There were attempts from both sides to persuade each other to abandon their positions, but they were unsuccessful. The Seleucid forces defeated Alexander at Shechem, and all of Alexander's mercenaries were killed in battle. This defeat forced Alexander to take refuge in the mountains. In sympathy for Alexander, six thousand Judean rebels ultimately returned to him. Demetrius withdrew in fear upon hearing this news. Nevertheless, the war between Alexander and the rebels who returned to him continued. They fought until Alexander achieved victory. Most of the rebels died in battle, while the remaining rebels fled to the city of Bethoma until they were defeated. [2]
Alexander brought the surviving rebels back to Jerusalem, where he had eight hundred Jews, primarily Pharisees, crucified. Before their deaths, Alexander had the rebels' wives and children executed before their eyes as he ate with his concubines. Alexander later returned the land he had seized from the Nabateans to have them end their support for the Jewish rebels. The remaining rebels, who numbered eight thousand, fled by night in fear of Alexander. [3]
However, Alexander's military victory failed to translate into a political one. In 87 BCE, Alexander's queen, Salome Alexandra, was the sister of deputy Pharisee leader Simeon ben Shetach, and she ordered Simeon's return from exile in Egypt. In a soft coup, Simeon and Alexandra forced Alexander to relinquish most of his power, and by 80 BCE, the Pharisees had retaken control of the Great Sanhedrin, with Simeon as Nasi (literally "President," but equivalent to modern "Prime Minister"), while the King served mainly as head of the Judean army. Alexander Jannaeus died in 76 BCE, making Salome Alexandra Queen Regnant of Judea, and assassinations of Sadducee leaders who had served in the civil war became common. These retributions would later contribute to the Hasmonean Civil War.
Archaeological excavations at the modern-day Russian Compound in Jerusalem uncovered a sealed water cistern containing the remains of at least 124 people, including men, women, children, and fetuses. Many of the skeletons exhibited signs of decapitation and sharp-force trauma, with no evidence of resistance. [4] The assemblage was dated to the late second or early first century BCE, within the reign of Alexander Jannaeus. The excavators have interpreted the findings as evidence of an organized massacre, possibly carried out by Jannaeus during the civil war against the Pharisees. The demographic profile and nature of the trauma suggest deliberate execution of civilians. [4]
Two sectarian texts from Qumran, the biblical commentaries Pesher Nahum (4Q169) and Pesher Hosea (4Q167), preserve a sectarian memory of the violent conflict between Alexander Jannaeus and his Pharisaic opponents. Pesher Nahum offers an interpretation of Nahum 2:12–13, referring to a figure called the "Lion of Wrath" who hangs the "Seekers-after-smooth-things" (דורשי החלקות), a term widely understood to refer to the Pharisees. This act is presented as punishment for their appeal to “Demetrius king of Greece,” identified as Demetrius III. [5] Pesher Hosea offers a related interpretation of Hosea 5:14, identifying "Ephraim" as the Pharisees and "Judah" as the Qumran sect itself. In this text, Jannaeus is once again likened to a lion, and his actions against the Pharisees are condemned as "prey actions." [6] Both pesharim (commentaries) are commonly viewed as sectarian responses to the Judean civil war and support the portrayal of Jannaeus as a ruler who violently repressed internal opposition. [6]