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(d. 135 bc), successor and brother of Jonathan, second son of Mattathias. In 142 bc he negotiated a treaty with Syria by which Judea was recognized as politically independent. All Syrians were expelled from the citadel at Jerusalem. In 141 bc a great congregation of the Jewish people and priests chose Simon to be high priest and civil governor, and the two offices were made hereditary in Simon's family. After six years of prosperous rule, Simon was assassinated by his son-in-law and chief rival for power.
(d. 104 bc), son and successor of Simon, ruler from 134 to 104 bc. The youngest son of Simon, he succeeded to his father's offices before his rivals could effectively claim them. John freed Judea from all Syrian influence and, in a series of military actions, expanded his domains to include the provinces of Idumaea and Samaria, parts of Galilee, and territories east of the Jordan River. He subsequently colonized these regions and converted large parts of the local populations to Judaism. John never proclaimed himself king, but he ruled over a court, designated himself high priest and leader of the Jewish commonwealth, and had coins struck with his name on them. He also was sympathetic to certain Greek ideas, even changing his sons' Hebrew names to Greek names. His departure from the purer ideals of the earlier Hasmonaeans antagonized the popular faction later known as the Pharisees, and thus he precipitated the factional religious strife that came to dominate the history of the Judean period. Nevertheless, the Jewish commonwealth attained its greatest prosperity during his reign.
called Judah, king of Judea, the son and successor of John Hyrcanus.
(d. 76 bc), brother and successor of Aristobulus I, king from 103 to 76 bc. He became king and high priest through marriage to Aristobulus's widow, and he followed the policies of John Hyrcanus in conquering and Judaizing surrounding territories, eventually extending the boundaries of the Hasmonaean kingdom to their farthest extent. Reportedly, however, he was dictatorial and ruthless, and his reign was marked by intrigues and internal strife. He was killed during a siege of a Greek city.
(d. 67 bc), queen of Judea from 76 to 67 bc, the wife of Aristobulus I and, after his death, the wife of Alexander Jannaeus. Salome (her Hebrew name) supported the Pharisees and made their leaders her principal advisers on internal policy. Her life and reign ended just before the outbreak of civil war between her sons Hyrcanus II (who was supported by the Pharisees) and Aristobulus II.
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