Alexander Janneus

Alexander Janneus, known as Yannai in Hebrew, became the second Hasmonean to claim the title of king of Judaea, ruling from 103 to 76 BCE. He inherited the throne after the short reign of his brother Aristobulus I and married Aristobulus’ widow, Queen Salome Alexandra, who upon her husband’s death released his imprisoned brothers and placed Alexander Janneus on the throne. According to Josephus, Janneus had the strongest claim to the throne and appeared at the time to be moderate. Yet when he came to power, Alexander killed another of his brothers who aspired to the throne. Josephus goes on to depict a brutal, deeply unpopular, and tyrannical ruler engaged in substantial territorial expansion.

The episode involving Demetrius III makes an appearance in Pesher Nahum, a commentary on the biblical book of Nahum found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran (see “Romans as the Last Oppressors of the Jews”).