Antigonus Mattathias: Between Parthia, Rome, and Herod the Great
Antigonus Mattathias: Between Parthia, Rome, and Herod the Great

Summary/Abstract: The portrayal of Antigonus Mattathias’s reign, the last king of the Hasmonean dynasty (40–37 BCE) we owe exclusively to Josephus, who devoted him a considerable place in both of his works. Despite family ties with the Hasmoneans and favorable inclinations towards them, Josephus depicted the last king as a warmonger who would not hesitate to seek help from the Parthians and corrupt Roman commanders. The battles fought by Antigonus with Herod caused unrest and chaos affecting the people of Jerusalem, Judea and their neighboring territories.The explanation for this unfavorable assessment of Antigonus should be sought in the fact that Josephus was inspired by the works of Nicolaus of Damascus on Herod, who would be inclined to put Herod’s rival Antigonus in a bad light.It seems that Josephus’s assessment is a justified one. On other hand other available sources such as coinage of Antigonus, even the works of Josephus himself as well as those of other authors presenting the political reality in Judaea and the Middle East in Antigonus’s time allow us to evaluate the last Hasmonean ruler differently and much more favorably. This evidence proves that his actions had a strictly defined political agenda. He also skillfully used external circumstances to consolidate his power, and most importantly, enjoyed considerable support among the people of Judea.

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