coast, he succeeded at last in relieving his family, who were besieged at
Masada. Idumea and Galilee were then brought into subjection, and after
two years of fighting he won an important battle at Isana, a little north
of Bethel, which gave him possession of all of Judea except Jerusalem. The
final contest for the capital city continued through several months, for
Antigonus and his followers realized that they could expect little mercy
from Herod and the Romans. Thousands of Jews were slaughtered, but at last
the temple itself was captured, and Herod was in fact as well as in name
King of the Jews. Antigonus pled in vain for mercy. Departing from their
usual policy of clemency toward native rulers, the Romans caused him first
to be scourged as a common criminal and then ignominiously beheaded. Thus
the Maccabean dynasty, which had risen in glory, went down in shame, a
signal illustration of the eternal principle that selfish ambitions and
unrestrained passions in an individual or family sooner or later bring
disgrace and destruction. While the siege of Jerusalem was still
in progress, Herod went north to Samaria and there consummated his
long-delayed marriage with Mariamne, the daughter of Hyrcanus, thus in
part attracting to himself the loyalty which the Jews had bestowed so
lavishly and disastrously upon the unworthy sons of Alexander Janneus.



Section CXVIII. HEROD'S POLICY AND REIGN

[Sidenote: Jos. Jew. War, I, 19:1, 2a]
Now when the war about Actium broke out, Herod prepared to come to the
assistance of Antony, but he was treacherously hindered from sharing the
dangers of Antony by Cleopatra, for she persuaded Antony to intrust the
war against the Arabians to Herod. This plan, however, proved of advantage
to Herod, for he defeated the army of the Arabians, although it offered