Josephus on Queen Salome
Jewish Antiquities 13.320
When Aristobulus died, his wife Salome, who was called Alexandra by the Greeks, let his brothers out of prison—for Aristobulus had kept them in bonds, as we have said already—and made Alexander Janneus king, as he was the superior in age and in moderation.
Jewish Antiquities 13.399–432
Janneus’ Deathbed Wisdom
But when his queen [Shelamzion] saw that he was on the verge of death, and no longer showed any hope of surviving, she came to him weeping and beating her breast and bitterly lamented the desolation about to affect both herself and her children, and she said to him, “To whom do you thus leave both me and my children, who are destitute of all other supports, knowing how ill disposed the nation feels toward you?” Yet he advised her to follow what he would suggest to her for maintaining the kingdom securely for herself and her children: That she should conceal his death from the soldiers until she should have taken that fortified place. After this, upon returning to Jerusalem as from a brilliant victory, she should hand over some of her authority to the Pharisees; for if they commended her in return for the honor she had shown them, they would reconcile the nation to her. He told her they had great authority among the Jews, both to do harm to those they hated and to bring advantages to those to whom they were friendly; for they were altogether trusted by the multitude when they spoke severely against anyone, even if it was merely out of envy. And he said that it was through them that he had incurred the displeasure of the nation, whom indeed he had injured. “Therefore,” he said, “when you come to Jerusalem, send for the leading men among them, and show them my body. With great appearance of sincerity, permit them leave to use it as they themselves please, whether they will dishonor the dead body by refusing it burial, as having severely suffered by my means, or whether in their anger they will offer any other injury to that body. Promise them also that you will do nothing without them regarding the affairs of the kingdom. If you speak to them in this way, I shall have the honor of a more glorious burial from them than you could have made for me. When it is in their power to abuse my dead body, they will do it no injury at all, and you will rule in safety.” So after advising his wife regarding these matters, he died, having reigned for twenty-seven years and having lived one year shy of fifty.
Salome Befriends the Pharisees
So Alexandra, when she had taken the fortress, entered into discussion with the Pharisees on the advice of her husband, and by placing all matters into their power, both as to the dead body and as to the affairs of the kingdom, she thereby pacified their anger against Alexander and made them bearers of goodwill and friends. They then came forward among the multitude and made speeches to them, and they described to them the acts of Alexander and told them that they had lost a righteous king. By the commendation they gave him, they brought them to grieve and lament over him, so that he had a funeral more splendid than had any of the kings before him. Alexander left behind him two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but committed the kingdom to Alexandra. Now, as to these two sons, Hyrcanus was indeed unable to manage public affairs and delighted rather in a quiet life; but the younger, Aristobulus, was an active and bold man. And as for this woman herself, Alexandra, she was loved by the multitude because she seemed displeased at the offenses of which her husband had been guilty.
Conflicts Arise
So she appointed Hyrcanus high priest, partly on account of his greater age, but much more so because of his steering clear of politics. She gave the Pharisees license to do everything they wished; she also commanded the multitude to be obedient to their authority. She also restored again those practices that the Pharisees had introduced, according to their ancestral traditions, and which her father-in-law, Hyrcanus, had abrogated. Thus, while she herself held the title of queen, it was the Pharisees who wielded power; for it was they who would bring back those who had been exiled and would liberate prisoners, and they differed in no respect from absolute rulers. The queen, however, also showed care for the affairs of the kingdom, organized a great body of mercenary soldiers, increased her own army to such a degree that she became a terror to the neighboring tyrants, and took hostages from them. The country was entirely at peace, except for the Pharisees. They disturbed the queen and desired that she kill those who persuaded Alexander to slay the eight hundred men, after which they cut the throat of one of them, Diogenes. After him, they did the same to several, one after another, until the most able-bodied men entered the palace. Aristobulus was with them, for he seemed to be displeased at what was done; and it appeared openly that if he had an opportunity, he would not permit his mother to go on so. They [the leading citizens and Aristobulus] reminded the queen of all they had accomplished amid such great dangers, whereby they had demonstrated their steadfast loyalty to their master and in return for which they were esteemed worthy of the highest honor. They begged her not to entirely crush their hopes, for it happened that when they had escaped the hazards that arose from their enemies abroad, they were now being slaughtered at home by their domestic foes [the Pharisees], like brute beasts, without any help whatsoever. They also said that if their adversaries were to be satisfied with those who had been slain already, they would accept what had been done with equanimity, on account of their natural love for their governors, but if they must expect the same in the future also, they begged her for release from her service. For they could not bear to think of attempting any method for their deliverance apart from her but would rather die willingly before the palace gate in case she would not forgive them. It would be a great shame, both for themselves and for the queen, that when they were neglected by her they should come under the lash of her husband’s enemies; for Aretas, the Arabian king, and the monarchs, would give any reward, if they could get such men as foreign auxiliaries, to whom their very names, before their voices be heard, may perhaps be terrifying. But if they could not obtain this, their second request, and if she had determined to prefer the Pharisees above all, they still insisted that she would place each of them in one of her fortresses; for if some fatal demon had a constant spite against Alexander’s house, they would be willing to bear their part and to live in a private station there.
Aristobulus Reproaches Salome
After speaking such things at great length and invoking the departed spirit of Alexander for compassion upon those who had been slain, and those in danger of it, all the bystanders burst into tears. But Aristobulus made his sentiments abundantly clear by casting reproach upon his mother. But they themselves were the authors of their own misfortunes by permitting a woman to reign over them—one who contrary to reason was mad with love of power—when her sons were in the prime of their years. So Alexandra, not knowing what to do [that would be] consistent with her dignity, committed the fortresses to them, all but Hyrcania, and Alexandrium, and Machaerus, where her principal treasures were. After a little while also, she sent her son Aristobulus with an army to Damascus against Ptolemy, who was called Menneus [tetrarch of Ituraea and Chalcis, ca. 85–40 BCE], who was such a bad neighbor to the city; but he [Aristobulus II] did nothing considerable there and so returned home.
Salome’s Diplomacy
About this time, news was reported that Tigranes, the king of Armenia, had made an incursion into Syria with an army of three hundred thousand men and was coming against Judaea. This news, as may well be supposed, terrified the queen and the nation. Accordingly, they sent him many valuable gifts, as well as ambassadors, as he was besieging Ptolemais. For Queen Selene, who was also called Cleopatra [Cleopatra II Selene, r. 82–69 BCE], was at the time ruling over Syria, and she had persuaded its inhabitants to close off their gates to Tigranes. So the Jewish ambassadors interceded and entreated him to consent to favorable conditions concerning their queen and nation. He commended them for the respect they paid him at so great a distance and suggested to them hopes for his favor. But as soon as Ptolemais had been captured, news came to Tigranes that Lucullus, in his pursuit of Mithridates, had failed to apprehend him, as he had fled into Iberia, and he [Mithridates] was thus laying waste to Armenia and besieging its cities. Now when Tigranes learned of this, he returned home.
Aristobulus Prepares to Seize Power
After this, when the queen had fallen victim to a severe illness, Aristobulus resolved to attempt to seize the government. He withdrew secretly by night, with only one of his servants, and went to the fortresses where his father’s friends were stationed. For despite how long he had been disturbed by his mother’s conduct, he was now much more afraid that, upon her death, their whole family might come under the power of the Pharisees; for he saw the inability of his brother [Hyrcanus II], who was due to succeed to the rule of government. No one knew what he [Aristobulus II] was doing other than his wife, whom he left at Jerusalem with their children. He first came to Agaba, where Galestes was, one of the powerful men previously mentioned, and was received favorably by him. When it was day, the queen perceived that Aristobulus had fled, and for some time she supposed that his departure was not in order to bring about any revolution. But when messengers came, one after another, with the news that he had overtaken the first fortress, then the second, and eventually all of them—for as soon as one had begun, they all submitted to his purpose—it was then that the queen and the nation were in the greatest trouble. For they were aware that it would not be long before Aristobulus would be able to settle himself firmly in the government. What they were principally afraid of was this: that he would inflict punishment upon them for the ill-treatment his house had suffered from them. So they resolved to take his wife and children into custody and keep them in the fortress that was over the Temple. Now there was a mighty gathering of people that came to Aristobulus from all parts, inasmuch as he had a kind of royal train surrounding him; for in little more than fifteen days he had conquered twenty-two strongholds, which gave him the opportunity of raising an army from Lebanon, Trachonitis, and the local princes. For men are easily drawn to the stronger side and easily submit to it. And besides this, they also believed that by affording him their assistance when he could not expect it, they, as well as he, should have the advantages that would come by his being king because they had been the cause of his gaining the kingdom. Now the elders of the Jews—and Hyrcanus with them—entered before the queen and requested that she offer them her judgment about the current state of affairs. For they said that Aristobulus was in effect lord of nearly all the kingdom, due to his overtaking so many strongholds, and that it would be out of place for them to take any counsel on their own, however severe her illness might be, while she was alive, and that it would not be long before the danger would be upon them. But she bid them do whatever they deemed proper, that they had many circumstances in their favor still remaining: a nation in good heart, an army, and money in their several treasuries. She had little concern about public affairs, now that the strength of her body had already failed her.
The Death of Salome Alexandra
A short time after she had spoken these words to them, she died, having reigned for nine years and lived altogether for seventy-three. She was a woman who was subject to no signs of the weakness of her sex, for she was sagacious to the greatest degree in her ambition to govern and proved by her deeds that her mind was fit for action and, at the same time, that sometimes men themselves show the lack of understanding they have by the frequent mistakes they make in point of government. She always preferred the present to the future, and placing all matters secondary to ruling with a strong hand, [she] had no regard to what was good or what was right. However, she brought the affairs of her house to such an unfortunate condition that she was the occasion, not long afterward, of the removal from it of the authority that she had obtained through a vast number of hazards and hardships, because of her desire for things not becoming a woman, and because she complied in her sentiments to those who bore ill will toward her family, and because she left the kingdom destitute of those [qualified] to take care of it. As a result of her administration of government while she was alive, after her death she made the place full of misfortunes and disorder. Despite governing in this manner, she maintained the nation in a state of peace. So then, this marks the conclusion of the affairs of Alexandra.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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The Accession of Salome
When her husband Aristobulus I died, Queen Salome Alexandra—also known simply as just Alexandra or Salina, Shelamzion in Hebrew—married his brother Alexander Janneus (Yannai), whom she released from prison and elevated to be king. After his reign of twenty-seven years, Janneus died following a protracted illness and left the kingdom to her. She ruled from 76 to 67 BCE and thereby postponed a succession struggle between their sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, until after her death. She was the last queen of Judea and the last ruler of ancient Judea to die as the ruler of an independent kingdom.
Most of what we know about Salome Alexandra is from the writings of Josephus, but she is also mentioned in rabbinic literature and is alluded to in the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to Josephus, on his deathbed Janneus advised his wife to cede limited power to his adversaries the Pharisees, given their popularity, and thus win over the masses. In this way, she became queen but remained a pawn of the Pharisees.
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After the Hasmonean Revolt, Jonathan and Simon establish a short-lived independent Judean kingdom, eventually brought down by a succession crisis and Roman intervention.