History essay

Miaojing Zhang

Professor Ali Olomi

Hist 102

April 28th, 2021

I was the son of the high priest Simeon II and a brother of Onias III. Josephus records that my name, before I hellenised it, was originally Jesus. According to Josephus, I was also the brother of Menelaus, but it is almost certain, in the light of II Maccabees, that this is inaccurate.

One event destroyed my standing in the Seleucid court during the end of last high priest. I exploited the ascent of Antiochus IV to the throne and my need of money to have my brother deposed and to obtain the high priesthood for myself, against the promise of large sums of money. I became high priest in 175 BCE after the accession of Antiochus IV Epiphanes to the throne of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus also authorized me to establish a Hellenistic metropolis in Jerusalem, whose residents were selected and registered by Jason himself. With this authority, I established a city-state in Jerusalem called Antiochia, I elected its citizens from the Hellenistic nobility in Jerusalem, and established a gymnasium in the capital. My actions led to the strengthening of Greek culture in the city, weakening the traditional way of life and religious worship. With the creation of Antioch, I gave up the decree issued under Antiochus III the Great, which stipulated the Jewish government under Torah. This policy of me and my supporters was the main reason for the subsequent Hasmonian uprising, which eventually freed Jew from the rule of Seleucid and gave birth to the Hasmonian dynasty .

During the three years of my administration the influences of Hellenism in Judea reached their climax. In my desire to pass for a Hellene, I went so far as to send representatives to a duplication of the Olympian games celebrated in the presence of Antiochus at Tyre, and presented 300 drachmasfor a sacrifice to Hercules, to whom the games were dedicated. My period as high priest came to an abrupt end in 171 BC, when I sent Menelaus, the brother of Simon the Benjamit, to donate to Antiochus. Menelaus took this opportunity to make me "beat" myself, so that Antiochus confirmed Menelaus as high priest.

However, I did not consider himself defeated; profiting by the absence of Antiochus Epiphanes, then engaged in a war with Egypt, and backed by the majority of the inhabitants, I rendered myself master of the city, and compelled his adversary to seek refuge in the fortress. My triumph was short-lived. Antiochus, forced by the Romans to abandon his campaign against Egypt, seized the opportunity afforded by my uprising to march against Jerusalem.

I fled Jerusalem and took refuge in the land of the Yamon. When visiting Jerusalem in 174 BC, I also welcomed Antiochus. However, three years later, I was fired by the king as high priest, Menelaus replaced Antiochus, and I provided a large sum of money to Antiochus. A few years later, in 168 BC, a rumor spread that Antiochus was dead and I tried to return to Jerusalem and seize power. However, I was unsuccessful and was forced to leave the city after slaughtering the residents. For a while, I was imprisoned by the Arab King Aretas. I fled again to Amon, then continued to Egypt, and finally to Sparta, where I died and was buried.

Citation

Jason, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jason.

“Jason (High Priest).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_(High_Priest).

“JewishEncyclopedia.com.” JASON - JewishEncyclopedia.com, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8527-jason.