Twelve thousand people died on the Temple Mount that day, cut down by the Roman general who was called in to settle a succession dispute between two brothers.
Let’s back up a couple centuries to get the full story.
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When Alexander marched through Jerusalem (approx. 329 BC) the Jews surrendered peacefully. Alexander treated them with respect, and all was well – until the empire was split when he died.
Seleucus ruled the north from Damascus, Ptolemy the south from Alexandria. The disputed boundary ran through Israel and, for 130 years, the Jews played a tenuous balancing act, trying to keep peace in their land.
Then the Seleucids sent their army in to take control. They outlawed the practice of Judaism. The dam broke open when a contingent of the Seleucid army set up a statue to Zeus in a town about 12 miles northwest of Jerusalem. They then asked for a Jewish volunteer to sacrifice a pig to the idol. A priest by the name of Matthais killed the volunteer on his way to the altar and the Hasmonean (or Maccabean) war began.
For nearly ten years, Matthais and his five sons led a campaign of guerilla warfare against the Seleucid army. When they finally gained their independence, his son Simon was the only one of the six still living. The people asked him to lead the new, independent nation. He established the Hasmonean dynasty and ruled as both priest and king. One hundred years, four generations, five kings and one queen later, a succession dispute broke out between two brothers.
They battled amongst themselves for a few years. Then, a new Roman general by the name of Pompey moved into the neighborhood. He set up camp in Damascus, one of the few cities in the area not ruled by the Hasmoneans. Both brothers and one of the religious sects each sent a delegation to Pompey asking him to support their cause.
Pompey answered the call but did not support any of the factions. Instead, 63 BC, he marched to Jerusalem with his army. The elder brother surrendered. The younger brother was captured and sent to Rome, but 12,000 of his supporters retreated to the well-fortified Temple Mount. For two months, Pompey laid siege to the Temple area. When he broke through the defenses, he slaughtered all the men who were defending the temple.
After the massacre, Pompey let the elder brother to remain as High Priest and allowed him to call himself king but set up a Roman governor as the true ruler.
This hop, skip, and jump through the intertestamental period is brought to you by Anna, the prophetess introduced to us in Luke 2. At 84 years old when Jesus was born, she would have been in her early 20s when Pompey marched to town. Did her husband die in that battle or the earlier skirmishes? We don’t know, but it could make a good story.
I used as my reference JewishHistory.org. You can read the series of articles on the Hasmonean Dynasty here: https://www.jewishhistory.org/category/crash-course/page/9/.
Other resources:
These sources may not be fully vetted. Proceed with wisdom and enjoy learning with me.
Timeline of the Intertestamental Period
https://bible-history.com/resource/timeline-with-notes-on-judaism-165-64-bc
Pompey takes Jerusalem
Josephus, Antiquities 14.4.3 (14.64); 14.16.4 (14.487). The capture of the city is said to have happened in the "third month, on the fast day." The third month, counting from Nisan, is Sivan. The editor of Josephus thinks this fast to have been "on the 23rd of Sivan, the annual fast for the defection and idolatry of Jeroboam, 'who made Israel to sin.'..." This fast day is mentioned in the Shulhan Arukh (Orach Chaim 580:2). It may have also been another fast day of that same month. (June 67 BCE)
Antiquities of the Jews on Perseus
Overview of the Dynasty
Hasmonean coins
Hasmonean Coin Chronologies: Two Notes
Picture Credit: Machabeusze (Maccabees) Wojciech Stattler via WikiMedia
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