Alexandra

14.351

Herod [ . . . ] heard of the arrest of his brother from others, and on the advice of the daughter of Hyrcanus, to whose daughter he had been betrothed, he became yet further suspicious of the Parthians. So while other people did not pay attention to her, he himself believed her to be a very prudent woman.

15.23–38

Alexandra, the daughter of Hyrcanus and the wife of Alexander, son of King Aristobulus, simply could not endure such abusive treatment. She had borne Alexander two children: a very handsome son named Aristobulus and her daughter, Mariamme, who was married to Herod and likewise distinguished for her beauty. Now Alexandra was quite troubled and took this dishonoring of her son quite badly, that while he was yet alive anyone else should be summoned to have the dignity of the high priesthood conferred on him. Accordingly, she wrote to Cleopatra—a musician assisting her in the carriage of her letters—asking that she request Antony’s intervention in securing the high priesthood for her son.

Although Antony was slow in responding to this request, when his friend Dellius came to Judaea on some business affairs and saw Aristobulus, he stood in admiration of the tall stature and fine looks of the child, and no less of Mariamme, the king’s wife, and was open in his praise of Alexandra as the mother of beautiful children. When they spoke, he persuaded her to have pictures drawn of both [children] and send them to Antony, for once he saw them, he would deny her nothing that she asked. Alexandra was delighted by these words and sent the pictures to Antony. Dellius also spoke [of them to Antony] hyperbolically, saying that the children seemed born not of men but of some god or other. His intent in doing so was to entice Antony into [sexual] pleasures with them. But Antony was ashamed to send for the girl, since she was married to Herod and he wished to avoid any reproach that might be aimed at Cleopatra on account of such an affair. He enjoined him, however, to send the young man, making the request seem as decent as possible and adding, “if it would not be too much trouble.” When this letter was brought to Herod, he determined that it would be unsafe to send Aristobulus away, since he was very handsome and in the prime of his youth—just sixteen years old and from such a noble family—particularly to Antony, who was more powerful than any other Roman at the time and was prepared to make use of the boy in erotic engagements, and who was able to procure his pleasures openly on account of his power. Herod therefore wrote back to him that if the boy left the country, all would be in a state of war and uproar, because the Jews were hoping for a change in government and wanted a new king.

When Herod declined Antony’s invitation through these excuses, he resolved not to allow either the child or Alexandra to be entirely deprived of their dignity. But his wife Mariamme kept insisting on having the high priesthood restored to her brother, and he judged it was to his advantage to do so, since once he held that office, it would not be possible for him to go abroad. So he called his friends together and made a fierce accusation against Alexandra, claiming that she had conspired secretly against his royal authority and was attempting to deprive him of his rule through Cleopatra, while ensuring through Antony that the youth would succeed him in the governing of public affairs.

He stated that she was planning these things unjustly, since she would both deprive her daughter of the honor she currently had and bring disturbances to the kingdom for which he had worked so hard and which he had acquired through extraordinary dangers. He said, however, that while he remembered her wicked actions well, he would not stop doing what was right but would even now grant the high priesthood to the youth, and that he had previously appointed Ananelus because Aristobulus was merely a child at the time. When [Herod] said these things—not off-handedly but deliberately, in order to deceive both women as well as the friends who had been invited along for consultation—Alexandra, both because of her joy from his unexpected promise and out of fear of his distrust, was in tears as she began to defend herself. She maintained that she had done everything possible to procure the high priesthood for the boy because of the disgrace he had suffered, but she was making no attempts on the kingdom, and if it were offered to her [for her son], she would not accept it but would be satisfied with her son’s dignity while [Herod] held the civil government, which would give her the security that came from his exceptional ability in governing as compared to any other members of her family. And now, overcome by his generosity, she would gratefully accept the honor that he showed her son and hereafter show obedience in every respect. She further entreated his forgiveness if, through concern for her family and through her bold speech, she had acted in any way rashly or imprudently in response to the unworthy treatment she had endured. Such was the manner in which they addressed one another. They even offered one another assurances, having come to an apparent agreement and put an end to their distrust.

15.42–67, 87

At that point, Herod appeared to have healed the divisions affecting his household. Yet by no means was he, as one would expect, without suspicion concerning those who appeared to be reconciled to one another, for he feared, given what Alexandra had already attempted, that she would pursue a political overthrow if she received a timely opportunity. He therefore issued a command that she pass her time in the royal palace and that she accomplish nothing by way of her own authority. Her guards took special caution that nothing she pursued in her daily life escaped his notice.

All these conditions, little by little, came to infuriate her and began nurturing her hatred for him. For she was quite full of the pride that is typical of women and filled with indignation over the watch that he was keeping over her because of his distrust, and she was willing to undergo anything rather than be deprived of her freedom of action and live in a state of slavery and terror under the pretense of having an honorable position. She therefore sent a message to Cleopatra in which she made a long, outspoken complaint about the circumstances she found herself in and entreated her to do as much as possible to help her. Cleopatra advised her to take her son and come to her in Egypt immediately. [Alexandra] was pleased with the idea and came up with the following plan: she had two coffins prepared, as if they were to carry away two dead bodies, and she placed herself in one and her son in the other, issuing orders to her servants, who were aware of her plan, to carry them away at night. From there, they would have a road to the sea, where a ship was ready to sail straight to Egypt.

When her servant Aesop ran into Sabion, one of her friends, he carelessly reported these plans to him, thinking that he knew about the situation. Sabion had formerly been an enemy of Herod, because he was alleged to have been among those who had plotted the poisoning of Antipater, and he thought that playing the informant would change Herod’s hatred to good will, so he told the king all about Alexandra’s plot. Herod allowed her to continue as far as the very undertaking of the plan, and he apprehended her in the act of running away. But he let the offense pass, not daring to punish her severely—even if he very much wanted to—for he knew that Cleopatra, as a result of her hatred for him, would not have permitted her to be accused, and he made it seem as if he was forgiving them out of his great magnanimity and moderation. He was still fully invested in getting the young man out of the way, but he thought he would more likely escape detection if he did not act immediately after what had taken place.

15.166–170

But Alexandra was fond of strife, maintaining ardent hopes for a political change. She kept talking about the matter with her father, that he should not endure indefinitely the injurious treatment of their family by Herod but instead should anticipate anew their future hopes, albeit with caution. So she began entreating him to write about these matters to Malchus, who was then governor of Arabia, that he might receive them and afford them security. For by going away, if the affairs of Herod should proceed as expected by virtue of Caesar’s enmity toward him, they would be the only people who could take control of the government, both on account of their family line and on account of the goodwill of the masses toward them. Although she continued trying to persuade him, Hyrcanus dismissed her arguments. But having exhibited her contentious female disposition, not desisting either night or day but always arguing with him about these matters and about Herod’s treacherous plots against them, she at last prevailed on him to entrust Dositheus, one of his friends, with a letter declaring his resolution. He requested that the Arabian governor send him some horsemen to receive him and conduct him to Lake Asphaltites [the Dead Sea], which is three hundred stades [34 mi, or 55 km] from the boundaries of Jerusalem. He put his trust in Dositheus because he attended loyally to both him and Alexandra and had no good reason for enmity toward Herod. For he was related to a certain Joseph, whom Herod had slain, and he was a brother of those who had formerly been slain at Tyre by Antony. Yet these motives by no means influenced Dositheus to act as a loyal servant to Hyrcanus. Having staked in the present king greater hopes than those he had in Hyrcanus, he offered up the letter to Herod. [ . . . ]

15.183–186

[ . . . ] Now Herod, as soon as he had put Hyrcanus out of the way, made haste to Caesar. Because he could not hope for any kindness from him on account of his friendship with Antony, he began holding Alexandra in suspicion, lest she should exploit this opportunity to bring the masses into revolt and throw the affairs of the kingdom into confusion. So he committed the care of everything to his brother Pheroras and placed his mother Cypros, his sister [Salome], and the whole family at Masada, ordering Pheroras, if he should hear any sad news about him, to assume control of the government. But as for Mariamme his wife, because of the misunderstanding between her, his sister, and his sister’s mother—which made it impossible for them to live together—he placed her at Alexandrium with her mother, Alexandra. He left his treasurer, Joseph, and Soemus of Iturea to take care of that fortress, since they had been very loyal to him from the beginning, and now left them to guard the women under the pretense of showing them honor. They were also instructed, should he meet with any difficulties, to kill both women, and, as far as they were able, to preserve the kingdom for his sons and his brother Pheroras.

15.247–251

Now Alexandra was then passing her time in Jerusalem, and having learned what condition Herod was in, she endeavored to gain possession of the fortified places that were around the city. There were two, one belonging to the city itself and the other belonging to the Temple. Those who could get them into their possession had the whole nation under their power, for without control over them, [the people] could not offer their sacrifices, and forgoing these sacrifices is impossible for Jews, who are more prepared to lose their lives than to neglect the worship they are accustomed to paying God. Alexandra, therefore, made her case before those who had control over these strongholds, saying that they ought to hand them over to her and the sons of Herod, since if he died, someone else might take control of the government, whereas even if he lived, no one could watch over them more safely than members of his own family. They did not receive these arguments favorably, and since they had previously been faithful [to Herod], they resolved to continue to be so more than ever, both because they hated Alexandra and because they considered it an impiety to despair of Herod’s recovery while he was still alive. For they had been his old friends, and one of them, whose name was Achiabus, was in fact the king’s cousin. Therefore, they immediately sent messengers informing him of Alexandra’s designs, and he gave orders to have her slain without delay. Yet he was still in distress, after enduring great pain and barely getting over his illness.

Translated by William Whiston, adapted byAaron Samuels.