Aristobulus I

Aristobulus I. ( Hebrew name Yehudah well, יהודה, Greek Ἀριστόβουλος ) was King of Judea 104-103 BC

After the death of his father, the high priest John Hyrcanus I, Aristobulus was succeeded in the year 104 BC. As the first Judean rulers since the Babylonian exile, he took the title of king and ruled officially as King and High Priest.

All information about Aristobulus I. originate from the works of Flavius ​​Josephus. This is especially interested in the intra- family disputes at the king's court. So Aristobulus is said to have imprisoned his mother, because she had received before the death of Hyrcanus I. of this command over the kingdom, and therefore competes with him. She died in captivity. Also problematic is the ratio designed to his four brothers. The three younger he had to capture. Of them, namely only the future King Alexander Jannaeus is known of the 103 BC took the throne and killed a brother while the other withdrew into private life. The older brother Aristobulus, Antigonus treated initially seem friendly. After Antigonus had the diseased Aristobulus, however, represented as High Priest in an official purpose and also achieved military success, Aristobulus had him. Aristobulus to this fact, so much regretted, according to Josephus, that he died not long afterwards.

Despite only one year reign Josephus has some information on political decisions of Aristobulus. In addition to the adoption of the title of king, he mentions as a title of Aristobulus Philhellene ( " Greeks friend "). Other oriental kings called themselves Philhellene; so that was expressed no personal attitude to Hellenic culture, but a diplomatic assignment to the Hellenistic world of states of the time. Furthermore, Josephus tells of the conquest and " Judaization " of the occupied parts of the Ituräern Galilee. He is said to have forced the inhabitants to accept circumcision and the rest of the Judean laws or to leave the country, as well as John Hyrcanus I is said to have called in the conquest of Idumea. Research has here but partially developed other hypotheses, since it can be assumed that a large part of the inhabitants of Galilee was circumcised anyway.