Then there came to him all the renegade and godless men of Israel; they were led by Alcimus, who wanted to be high priest.

He sent him, and with him he sent the ungodly Alcimus, whom he made high priest, and he commanded him to take vengeance on the Israelites.

Alcimus struggled to maintain his high priesthood,

Jonathan Becomes High Priest

“King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greetings.

And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king’s Friend, and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us.” He also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown.

I release also my control of the citadel in Jerusalem and give it to the high priest, so that he may station in it men of his own choice to guard it.

“As for the three districts that have been added to Judea from the country of Samaria, let them be annexed to Judea so that they may be considered to be under one ruler and obey no other authority than the high priest.

And Demetrius appointed Apollonius the governor of Coelesyria, and he assembled a large force and encamped against Jamnia. Then he sent the following message to the high priest Jonathan:

He confirmed him in the high priesthood and in as many other honors as he had formerly had and caused him to be reckoned among his First Friends.

Then the young Antiochus wrote to Jonathan, saying, “I confirm you in the high priesthood and set you over the four districts and make you one of the king’s Friends.”

So they went to Rome and entered the senate chamber and said, “The high priest Jonathan and the Jewish nation have sent us to renew the former friendship and alliance with them.”

“The high priest Jonathan, the council of the nation, the priests, and the rest of the Jewish people to their brothers the Spartans, greetings.

Already in time past a letter was sent to the high priest Onias from Arius, who was king among you, stating that you are our brothers, as the appended copy shows.

“King Arius of the Spartans, to the high priest Onias, greetings.

“King Demetrius to Simon, the high priest and friend of kings, and to the elders and nation of the Jews, greetings.

and the people began to write in their documents and contracts, “In the first year of Simon the great high priest and commander and leader of the Jews.”

When they heard that his brother Simon had become high priest in his stead and that he was ruling over the country and the towns in it,

This is a copy of the letter that the Spartans sent: “The rulers and the city of the Spartans to the high priest Simon and to the elders and the priests and the rest of the Jewish people, our brothers, greetings.

It has pleased our people to receive these men with honor and to put a copy of their words in the public archives, so that the people of the Spartans may have a record of them. And they have sent a copy of this to the high priest Simon.’ ”

So they made a record on bronze tablets and put it on pillars on Mount Zion. This is a copy of what they wrote: “On the eighteenth day of Elul, in the one hundred seventy-second year, which is the third year of the great high priest Simon,

Jonathan rallied the nation, became their high priest, and was gathered to his people.

“The people saw Simon’s faithfulness and the glory that he had resolved to win for his nation, and they made him their leader and high priest because he had done all these things and because of the justice and loyalty that he had maintained toward his nation. He sought in every way to exalt his people.

“In view of these things King Demetrius confirmed him in the high priesthood,

“The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise,

So Simon accepted and agreed to be high priest, to be commander and ethnarch of the Jews and priests, and to be protector of them all.

its contents were as follows: “King Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the Jews, greetings.

The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent by the high priest Simon and by the Jewish people

Therefore if any scoundrels have fled to you from their country, hand them over to the high priest Simon, so that he may punish them according to their law.”

They also sent a copy of these things to the high priest Simon.

for he was son-in-law of the high priest.

are written in the annals of his high priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his father.