Mithridates, king of Pontus, and against Tigranes, king of Armenia. Rome's
policy was to conquer all of southwestern Asia as far as the Euphrates.
Ignoring the peril of the situation, both Aristobulus and Hyrcanus
appealed to Pompey's lieutenant, Scaurus. As a result the Arabians were
ordered to withdraw, and Aristobulus for a brief time was left master of
the situation. In the spring of 63 B.C., however, when Pompey came to
Damascus, there appeared before him three embassies, one representing the
cause of Aristobulus, another that of Hyrcanus, and still a third
presented the request of the Pharisees that Rome assume political control
of Palestine and leave them free to devote themselves to the study and
application of the their law. The fall of Aristobulus hastened what was
now inevitable. Although he was held a prisoner by Pompey, his followers
remained intrenched on the temple hill and were conquered only after a
protracted siege and the loss of many lives. Aristobulus and his family
were carried off captives to Rome to grace Pompey's triumph, and the
request of the Pharisees was granted: Rome henceforth held Palestine under
its direct control. Thus after a little more than a century (165-63 B.C.)
the Jews again lost their independence, and the Maccabean kingdom became
only a memory, never to be revived save for a brief moment.

VI. Causes of the Fall of the Jewish Kingdom. The Jewish kingdom fell as
the result of causes which can be clearly recognized. It was primarily
because the ideals and ambitions of the Maccabean leaders themselves
became material and selfish. They proved unable to resist the temptations
of success. Greed for power quenched their early patriotism. The material
spirit of their age obscured the nobler ideals of their spiritual
teachers. The result was a tyranny and corruption that made the later
kings misleaders rather than true leaders of their nation. Parallel to the
bitter struggle between the kings and their subjects was the bitter feud
between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Normal party rivalry grew into