asked Hyrcanus which party was best fitted to govern. Hyrcanus replied
that Herod and his party were the best fitted. Therefore Antony appointed
the brothers tetrarchs, and intrusted to them the rulership of Judea.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 13:1a, Jos. Ant. XIV, 13:10]
Now two years after, when Barzaphanes, a Parthian governor, and Pacorus,
the king's son, had captured Syria, they were persuaded by the promise of
a thousand talents and five hundred women to bring back Antigonus to his
kingdom and to turn Hyrcanus out of it. Thus Antigonus was brought back
into Judea by the king of the Parthians, and received Hyrcanus and
Phasaelus as prisoners. Being afraid that Hyrcanus, who was under the guard
of the Parthians, might have his kingdom restored to him by the multitude,
Antigonus cut off his ears and thereby guarded against the possibility
that the high priesthood would ever come to him again, inasmuch as he was
maimed, and the law required that this dignity should belong to none but
those who had all their members intact. Phasaelus, perceiving that he was
to be put to death, dashed his head against a great stone and thereby took
away his own life.

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 13:7, 8c, 14:1b, 2]
Herod, however, went off by night, taking those nearest related to him. As
soon as the Parthians perceived it, they pursued after him, but when at
every assault he had slain a great many of them, he came to the stronghold
of Masada, and there he left eight hundred of his men to guard the women,
and provisions sufficient for a siege; but he himself hastened to Petra in
Arabia. He was not able, however, to find any friendship among the
Arabians, for their king sent to him and commanded him to turn back
immediately from the country. So when Herod found that the Arabians were
his enemies, he turned back to Egypt. And when he came to Pelusium, he
could not obtain passage from those who lay with the fleet. Therefore he