Onias (אני) II HP42

'ungodly and stupid'

See also wiki page; Onias II was the 12th HP after the rebuilding of the Temple. Onias III and Onias IV also have wiki entries.

SSM JTB pp59-63: In the 20yr war that followed AlexGrt's d. in 323 BC, Jerusalem changed hands (between Syria and Egypt) 6 times! She was ruled by Antigonus 'One Eye' for 15yrs, til he was k. 301 (at Battle of Ipsus, after which AlexGrt's kingdom was parceled out 4 ways) and Ptolemy arrived outside Jerusalem's walls to claim the city. Ptolemy [I] was AlexGrt's cousin, and a veteran general who'd fought his way to Pakistan and cmded the Macedonian fleet on the Indus River. He'd kidnapped AlexGrt's sarcophagus for display in Alexandria (thus bolstering his own claim to supremacy). He was a warlord whose 'strong chin and blunt nose' belied his subtlety and common sense. He seized Jerusalem by claiming to want to enter for Sabbath to sacrifice to their God. But by dawn (after their Sabbath prohibition on fighting ended) they fought back, prompting Ptolemy's army to rampage thru the city, killing many. He deported 1000s to Alexandria, the kernel of the later Greek-speaking (and Hellenized) Jewish colony there. He became known as Ptolemy I 'Soter' or savior. He made Alexandria 'opulent and sophisticated', founding its Museum and Library and commissioning the great Pharos lighthouse (1 of 7waw), believing its culture would bolster his own legitimacy and greatness. His dynasty endured for 3 centuries to Cleopatra VII. He lived into his 80s and wrote a history of AlexGrt. His son Ptolemy II Philadelphos favored the Jews and even commissioned the famous (Hebrew -> Greek) Septuagint. SSM says this document changed the history of Jerusalem and later made possible the spread of Christianity (60). Thx to AlexGrt, Greek was now the international language. Jerusalem remained a semi-indep statelet w/in Ptolemy's empire and even issued its own coins, inscribed 'Yehud'. The ruling (elite) Oniad priests claimed descent from Zadok and amassed fortunes and power. But in the 240s BC [400sy says 227 BC], HP42 Onias II foolishly tried to hold back the 20 silver talents he owed to Ptolemy III Euergetes, creating an opportunity for a well-connected young Jew who decided to outbid him for not just Jerusalem but all of Judea as well as Samaria, Phoenicia and Coele-Syria. This was Joseph the Tobiad, Onias II's own nephew [so Tobias was Onias II's bro or bro-in-law], a family of mixed origin, perhaps descended from Tobiah the Ammonite who'd opposed Nehemiah. Joseph's father Tobia[h/s] was a magnate close to Ptolemy II i.e. records of a royal official named Zenon shows him trading w/king and ruling huge estates in Amnon in today's Jordan. So Joseph headed to Alexandria and managed to win the bidding by charm and chutzpah. He returned to Jerusalem w/2k Egyptian soldiers. En route, when Ashkelon balked at paying, he murdered 20 leading citizens to bring them around. He fell in love w/an actress in Alexandria (1st wife?), but was tricked into m. (2nd wife) his niece and had w/her Hyrcanus, as much of a rogue as Joseph. Joseph lived grandly, ruled severely and taxed exhorbitantly and was 'the 1st publican', tho Josephus calls him 'a good man w/great magnanimity, admired for his gravity, wisdom and justice [?!] ... brought the Jews out of poverty and meanness and raised them to a more splendid level' (61, hmmm). Joseph was important to the Ptolemies in their struggle against the Seleucids, and c241 Ptolemy III visited Jerusalem. But Antiochus III 'the Great' upset this balance by defeating Egypt and claiming Judea. As Ant 3 repeatedly attacked Jerusalem, the Ptolemies for a time held out w/Joseph's help, but then his son Hyrcanus betrayed him and attacked the city. Shortly before his death [in 205 BC, says 400sy], Joseph managed to defeat his son, who then formed his own principality in today's Jordan (arch. remains?). When Ant 3 finally conquered Jerusalem, he was at first hailed as a good overlord i.e. Simon the Just was HP, but things got ugly later.

Moved here from ahnen-sg: Onias II HP42 ?-c220 BC, father of Simon II, Aaronic line, KRGG p76; 400sy says he was 'ungodly and stupid' and had a bro Tobias whose son Joseph became 'the 1st publican' by bribing the Egyptian Pharoah [Ptolemy III Euergetes] into giving him a 'tax farming' contract in Judea. Joseph had 2 wives and 8 sons; 7 w/1st and 1 [Hyrcanus] w/2nd. Hyrcanus later upped the bribe and caused a 'national scandal', 2 bros k., Joseph d. shortly after, led to split of Tobiad and Oniad parties, loosely aligned to proto-Pharisee [Tobiad] and proto-Sadducee [Oniad]. 400sy says these 2 major parties were forming at this time i.e. the 'heathen' Sadducee majority, 2nd the 'narrow and nationalist' Pharisees, w/smaller Essene, pro-Syria (later led by HP Alcimus) and pro-Egypt parties.

Hmmm, SSM JTB p66 says the Syrian king allowed HP46 Menelaus 'to arrange the murder of ex-HP[44] Onias [III]. p66 says Antiochus IV Epiphanes 'the Madman' conquered Egypt in 170 BC, but the Jerusalemites under HP45 Jason rebelled. So the Syrian king marched back across the Sinai and stormed Jerusalem, deporting 10k Jews and, accompanied by his henchman Menelaus, infamously debauched the Temple. Jason had fled to his patron Hyrcanus the Tobiad prince, who'd ruled much of Jordan for 40yrs [since 210], remaining an ally of the Ptolemies even when they lost Jerusalem [in 198 BC]. He'd fought campaigns against the Arabs and built a luxurious fortress at Araq e-Emir. But when Epiphanes conquered Egypt and retook Jerusalem, Hyrcanus ran out of options and [the last of the Tobiads] committed suicide. The ruins of his palace are today a tourist site in Jordan.

400sy: HP44 Onias III was the last legitimate HP. HP45 Jason (Greek name, aka Joshua), tho the son of Simon the Just, was an evil man and got his power by bribing Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His younger bro Onias (HP46 d163 BC aka Menelaus) outbid HIM and ruled for a time. HP47 Onias IV ruled (how long?) til Judas the Hammer named HP48 Alcimus. Hmmm, 400sy says Alcimus was 'named by Ant. Eupater and was 'as vile as Menelaus'. He was ldr of the Syrian party, and broke w/Rome and also later w/Syria. The 'Oniads' were the proto-Sadducees and the 'Tobiads' the proto-Pharisees. It was a terrible 'family' feud, that unfortunately made foreign intervention easier (hmmm, chk wiki for an Onias who d63 BC).

400sy: Onias III was the last to inherit the high-priesthood i.e. last legitimate HP, and was eventually deposed by Antiochus Epiphanes, who installed (due to bribes) first Jason, then Menelaus. Joseph the Tobiad had 2 wives; 7 sons with one, 1 (Hyrcanus) with the other. Hyrcanus (being greedy, cunning like his father) bribed the king of Egypt for further tax-collecting rights. This enraged his father and brothers, who sought to kill him. He survived, but 2 brothers were killed. Joseph died shortly after [205 BC, he'd ruled 22yrs from 227 BC when he'd bribed the king]. This event became a national scandal, with some (including HP43 Simon II) supporting the 5 remaining [Tobiad] brothers and others Hyrcanus (who 7 yrs later [198 BC (but 170 BC above, hmmm), soon after Syria had conquered Egypt, the Tobiad ally] committed suicide, fearing Epiphanes). Before he died, Hyrcanus managed to obtain the favor of HP44 Onias III (HP 195-176 BC d171, son of HP43 Simon II), and his ill-gotten treasure was placed in the temple and Onias [returning the favor] described Hyrcanus as 'a man of great dignity'. But the governor of the Temple was Simon (Hyrcanus' eldest brother?), who of course objected to this action [since he wanted it HIMSELF!]. In 176 BC, this Simon appealed to Apollonius (regional head under 'raiser of taxes' Seleucus Philopater), who informed his king, who sent Heliodorus to steal the riches (apparently Simon figured if HE couldn't have it, he may as well use it to gain favor w/the king). The story goes that as he tried to do the deed, he was divinely foiled by angels on horseback (2 Macc. 3:5-40). But [Tobiad] Simon accused [Oniad] Onias of trickery, fomenting bitterness and strife, and after several assassinations, Onias sought the intervention of king Seleucus. Before he could arrive, the king died, replaced by his brother Antiochus Epiphanes (the illustrious). He is called "a contemptible person" (Dan. 11:21, also the persecuting "King of the North" in Dan. 11:21-35, known by many as "the Antichrist of the OT") and his own courtiers dubbed him Epimanes (altering one Greek letter, changing the meaning to the madman).

He at first flattered the Jews to gain their confidence, then became a bitter persecutor and temple profaner. Before Onias could talk with him, Joshua (Onias' brother) bribed the king to make himself high-priest [HP45], offering to Hellenize the Jews. The king agreed. Onias was deposed [176 BC], Joshua changed his name to the Greek Jason (after the hero), referred to Jews as Antiochians, even sent money to Tyre for offerings to Melcarth, the Phoenician Hercules, for the games in his honor (2 Macc. 4:18-20). "Thus was the rationalistic pre-Sadducean party completely in power, and it seemed as though both the national[ist] [pre-Pharisees] and the spiritual [pre-Essenes] parties were thoroughly crushed" (37).

After 4 years [172 BC], Jason sent a younger brother Onias [Menelaus] to Antioch with tribute for Antiochus. Surprise ("you reap what you sow"), this Onias bribed the king to replace Jason with himself! The other brothers ("sons of Tobias") supported the ploy, but Jason resisted them. Onias [Menelaus] returned to the king, offering to out-Hellenize Jason, renaming himself [HP46] Menelaus, and the king sent him back with a royal escort. Jason fled in terror. [HP44] Onias III (the last legitimate high-priest) still lived, and finally spoke out harshly when Menelaus robbed the temple for tribute money. At this, Menelaus appointed Andronicus to assassinate Onias III, which he did [171 BC]. But this upset so many loyal Jews that Antiochus was obliged to have Andronicus put to death, though Menelaus escaped, getting morally worse with age, making a mockery of his high-priestly office. Finally, when Menelaus tried to again rob the temple, the loyalists took up arms against Menelaus and his 3k-strong army, led by his brother Lysimachus. The army was defeated, Lysimachus killed. Menelaus appealed to the king, offering ample gold, and the king "acquitted the high-priest and slew his accusers" (39).

Shortly after Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Egypt in 171 BC, a (false) rumor reached Jerusalem that he had been killed. Understandably, this caused great rejoicing among the Jews, and encouraged pro-Jason partisans (who mustered a 1000-man army) to rise up against Menelaus, trapping him in his castle. But then 'a sudden turn of affairs' (40, probably realizing the rumor was false!) forced Jason into exile, where he died 'detested by all'. Furthering the Jews' troubles, Antiochus was enraged by these events, and led his army in a 'scorched earth' type assault through Palestine, killing over 40K Jews in 3 days and taking at least that many as captives. With Menelaus, Antiochus then debauched the Temple.

But these impious acts of Antiochus became a signal for the revival of the ancient spirit in a remnant, according to Daniel 11:32 ... sparking the Maccabean revolt and the great Jewish war of independence. Then it was that the following verses, 33-5, were literally fulfilled (concluding the past history of the Jews in Daniel 11. Verse 36, which has not yet come to pass, refers to the days of Antichrist, see author's [H A Ironside] Lectures on Daniel).

As Daniel prophesied, the temple pollution continued for 2,300 days (about 6 1/2 years), followed by cleansing and re-institution of divine service (by order of Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC). But the intervening 6.5 years were grim times for the Jews. In 169 BC, Antiochus again besieged Egypt successfully until the Roman senate delivered an ultimatum (when Antiochus tried to stall, the ambassador Popillius drew a circle around him in the sand, demanding his answer before he stepped out of it). Alarmed, Antiochus backed down, but took his humiliated wrath out on Palestine, sending "an army under Apollonius to destroy the already ruined city of Jerusalem, the name of which signifies 'Foundation of peace,' but which has known more sieges and bloodshed than any other existing city - having been sacked 27 times already, and God's word clearly predicts two fearful sieges for the future. Apollonius fell upon the defenceless people in a manner worthy of the madman he served" (42-3, see 1 Macc. 1:39). Further, the Act of Uniformity required the Jews to worship only Antiochus' gods, and Athenaeus was sent to Jerusalem to set up a temple to Jupiter Olympus. "Israel had been made to know the tender mercies of the heathen, whose culture and brilliancy had been so attractive to the rationalizers among them" (43). There was no mercy for the faithful (by age, sex, status, wealth). Josephus' account of this remarkably parallels the account of earlier saints' treatment in Hebrews 11:35-8 (e.g. awful story of torture/murder of a faithful woman [the Maccabean Salome] and her 7 sons in 2 Macc. 7).

'[Roman historians] Pictor, Cato, [Greek] Polybius [b. c200 BC] and their contemporaries looked back from [c200 BC to compile Roman history], but their vision was limited [to family stories and myths] ... When [later], under Augustus, Dionysius wrote 'Roman Antiquities' to end [roughly] where Polybius began [264 BC] ... and Livy [also under Augustus 27 BC - AD 14] wrote his total history of Rome 'From the Foundation of the City' [much loved/read by the later Machiavelli] ... [these latter 2 historians] had to engage in a completely different enterprise [than collecting stories/myths], the rationalization of a set of memories organized around powerful social myths' (Rome p38).

By the time of Pyrrhus' raid in 280 BC, Rome had [somehow, kind of mysterious how?] joined a small group of leading cities e.g. Carthage over other Punic cities, Sparta in the Peloponnese, Athens on the mainland, [Greek] Marseilles in S Gaul, [Greek] Syracuse in Sicily, and Tarentum in S Italy (Rome p40).

Tho expansion of Roman influence within Italy had been a slow process, during the 150yrs that followed Pyrrhus' [280 BC] invasion, Roman hegemony mushroomed out to cover the entire Mediterranean world ... GW quotes Greek historian (and Roman 'honored prisoner') Polybius as expressing amazement that 'almost the entire civilized world has in less than 53yrs been brot under the sole rule of Rome; these events are unprecedented' (Rome p63, referring to the start of the 2nd Punic War in 218 BC lasting til the defeat of Macedon in 167 BC). Its main rivals were Carthage (defeated Zama 202) and the post-AlexGrt Greek monarchies - 'big 3' (64) Antigonid Macedon (defeated Pydna 168), Seleucid Syria (Pompey reorg 63 BC) and Ptolemaic Egypt (Actium 31 BC).

cf ahnen-sg and br-400sy.

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