holding at bay the Syrian armies that were sent
to relieve the besieged. The conquered inhabitants were sold as slaves,
and the city was left for a time in complete ruins. The conquest of
Scythopolis, the ancient Bethshean, extended the bounds of John's kingdom
to the southern hills of Galilee. Thus he became master of a small empire
extending out toward the desert on the east, to the South Country on the
south, touching the sea at Joppa, and including the entire territory of
ancient Samaria on the north. While not as large as the kingdom of David,
it was a more perfect political unit, and offered superior opportunities
for commerce and internal development.

IV. The Break with the Pharisees. The successes of John Hyrcanus
blinded the majority of the nation to the real issues at stake. But a
powerful group, which during the Maccabean period appeared for the first
time under the name of Pharisees, began to withdraw their allegiance and
silently, at least, to protest against a high priest whose chief ambition
was conquest. The story which Josephus tells to explain the defection
of the Pharisees may be simply a popular tradition, but it is indicative
of that division within Judaism which ultimately wrecked the Maccabean
state. From the days of John Hyrcanus, the Maccabean rulers, with only one
exception, were compelled to meet the silent but strong opposition of the
Pharisees. As a result they turned to the rising party of the Sadducees
which henceforth identified itself with the interests of the reigning
family. Thus in the year of its greatest triumph the Jewish state became a
house divided against itself. Estranged from the better-minded religious
leaders of the nation, John Hyrcanus and his successors followed an
increasingly secular, selfish policy until they completely forgot the
noble ideals for which their fathers had striven.

V. The Reign of Aristobulus. The accession of Aristobulus marks a
triumph of that Hellenism against which Judas and Simon had unsheathed
the sword. Like many an Oriental monarch, he established his position on
the throne by the murder of all members of his family who might contest
his power. His inhuman cruelty to his mother and the suspicions which led
him to murder his brother reveal a barbarous spirit that can only be
explained as a result of the wrong ambitions that had already taken
possession of Israel's rulers. Aristobulus's brief reign of one year is
marked by two significant acts.