CHAPTER XIX. 509 21. Q. Nowwe are speaking of the several sects of theJews, let us know also what were the Herodians ? A. This sect arose not till the time of Herod the great, the king of .Judea : And it is plain they had peculiar evil tenets as well as the other sects, sinèe our Saviour' warned his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod. Indeed they opposed the Pharisees, and very justly in one point ; for the Pharisees scarce thought it lawful to pay taxes directly to heathens, though they acquired the sovereign power, and particularly to Caesar in that clay : But their special error, which Christ calls their leaven, seems to be this, that it was lawful when constrained by superiors, to comply with idolatry, and with a false religion. Herod seems to have framed this sect on purpose to justify himself in this prac- tice ; who being an Idumean by nation, was indeed half a Jew and half a heathen ; and affected a conformity to the Gentiles in some things, to please the Rooters, who made him king, while at the same time he professed Judaism. Note, The Sadducees generally carne into this complaisant opinion ; and the same persons which are called Herodians in Mark viii. 15. are called Sadducees in Mat. xvi. 6. But this sect died in a little time, for we hear no more of them after the days of our Saviour. 22. Q. Having done with the several sects of the Jews, let us return now, and enquire who succeeded Hyrcanus at his death? A. Aristobulus, his eldest son, took the office of the high-priest, and governor of the country and he was the first, since the captivity of Babylon, who put a diadem upon his head, and assumed the title of king. 23. Q. What is recorded of him ? A. He put his own mother to death, because she made some pretence to the govern- ment ; he sent all his brothers, save one, to prison ; then he at- tacked and subdued the Itureans, who live on the north-east of the land of Galilee, and forced them to be circumcised and re- ceive the Jewish religion. At last he was persuaded to put his favourite brother to death, upon an unjust suspicion ; and then he died himself, vomiting blood, and in great horror for his crimes. 24. Q. Who succeeded him ? A. His next brother Alex- ander, surnamed Jannæus, took the kingdom, who also put another of the brothers to death, because of some attempt to supplant him. 25. 'Q. What success had Alexander in his government ? A. He having settled his affairs at home, attacked some of his neighbours, and dealt very deceitfully with Ptolemy Lathyrus, the héir to the crown of Egypt, who came to their assistance : Whereupon there ensued a bloodybattle between them, near the river Jordan, in Galilee, wherein Alexander's army was utterly defeated, and he lost thirty thousand men. xk3
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