of
Syria, but the internal government was administered by the
high-priests. After the return from exile Joshua, Joachim, and Eliashib
successively filled the pontifical office. The government thus was not
unlike that of the popes, abating their claims to universal spiritual
dominion, although the office of high-priest was hereditary. Jehoiada,
son of Eliashib, reigned from 413 to 373, and he was succeeded by his
son Johanan, under whose administration important changes took place
during the reign of Artaxerxes III., called Ochus, the last but two of
the Persian monarchs before the conquest of Persia by Alexander.

The Persians had in the mean time greatly degenerated in their religious
faith and observances. Magian rites became mingled with the purer
religion of Zoroaster, and even the worship of Venus was not uncommon.
Under Cyrus and Darius there was nothing peculiarly offensive to the
Jews in the theism of Ormuzd, which was the old religion of the
Persians; but when images of ancient divinities were set up by royal
authority in Persepolis, Susa, Babylon, and Damascus, the allegiance of
the Jews was weakened, and repugnance took the place of sympathy.
Moreover, a creature of Artaxerxes III., by the name of Bagoses, became
Satrap of Syria, and presumed to appoint as the high-priest at Jerusalem
Joshua, another son of Jehoiada, and severely taxed the Jews, and even
forced his way into the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the
Temple,--a sacrilege hard to be endured. This Bagoses poisoned his
master, and in the year 338 B.C. elevated to the throne of Persia his
son Arses, who had a brief reign, being dethroned and murdered by his
father. In 336 Darius III. became king, under whom the Persian monarchy
collapsed before the victories of Alexander.

Judaea now came under the dominion of this great conqueror, who favored
the Jews, and on his death, 323 B.C., it fell to the possession of
Laomedon, one of his generals; while Egypt was assigned to Ptolemy
Soter, son of Lagus. Between these princes a war soon broke out, and
Laomedon was defeated by Nicanor, one of Ptolemy's generals; and
Palestine refusing to submit to the king of Egypt, Ptolemy invaded
Judaea, besieged Jerusalem, and took it by assault on the Sabbath, when
the Jews refused to fight. A large number of Jews were sent to
Alexandria, and the Jewish colony ultimately formed no small part of the
population of the new capital. Some eighty thousand Jews, it i