Balas
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ALEXANDER BALAS

Alexander ba'-las (Alexandros ho Balas legomenos): He contended against Demetrius I of Syria for the throne and succeeded in obtaining it. He was a youth of mean origin, but he was put forth by the enemies of Demetrius as being Alexander, the son and heir of Antiochus Epiphanes. He received the support of the Roman Senate and of Ptolemy VI of Egypt, and on account of the tyranny of Demetrius, was favored by many of the Syrians. The country was thrown into civil war and Demetrius was defeated by Alexander II took up the cause of his father and in 147 B.C., Alexander fled from his kingdom and was soon after assassinated.

Our chief interest in Alexander is his connection with the Maccabees. Jonathan was the leader of the Maccabean forces and both Alexander and Demetrius sought his aid. Demetrius granted Jonathan the right to raise and maintain an army. Alexander, not to be outdone, appointed Jonathan high priest, and as a token of his new office sent him a purple robe and a diadem (Ant., XIII, ii, 2). This was an important step in the rise of the Maccabean house, for it insured them the support of the Chasidim. In 153 B.C., Jonathan officiated as high priest at the altar (1 Maccabees 10:1-14; Ant, XIII, ii, 1). This made him the legal head of Judea and thus the movement of the Maccabees became closely identified with Judaism. In 1 Maccabees 10:1, he is called Alexander Epiphanes.

A. W. Fortune

Strong's Hebrew
1103. balas -- to gather figs
... 1102, 1103. balas. 1104 . to gather figs. Transliteration: balas Phonetic Spelling:
(baw-las') Short Definition: figs. ... 1102, 1103. balas. 1104 . ...
/hebrew/1103.htm - 5k
Library

The Maccabees.
... Antiochus Eupator was dethroned and murdered by his cousin Demetrius; but shortly
after, a man named Balas came forward, calling himself the son of Antiochus ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xviii the maccabees.htm

How Alexander Honored Jonathan after an Extraordinary Manner; and ...
... departed this life. Now Alexander, who was called Balas, reigned over Asia
five years, as we have elsewhere related. 9. But when ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how alexander honored.htm

Book 13 Footnotes
... [17] That this Antiochus, the son of Alexander Balas, was called "The God," is evident
from his coins, which Spanheim assures us bear this inscription, "King ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 13 footnotes.htm

Appendix iv. An Abstract of Jewish History from the Reign of ...
... He took the side of the new monarch, Alexander Balas, who sent him a crown of gold
and a purple mantle, and appointed him High-Priest, a dignity which Jonathan ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix iv an abstract of.htm

On Daniel. Ii. The Interpretation by Hippolytus, (Bishop) of Rome ...
... stirpis). So Hippolytus calls him here, "a certain Alexander" (tina). He
had also other surnames, eg, Euergetes, Balas, etc. [1329 ...
/.../on daniel ii the interpretation.htm

Thesaurus
Balas
... ALEXANDER BALAS. Alexander ba'-las (Alexandros ho Balas legomenos): He contended
against Demetrius I of Syria for the throne and succeeded in obtaining it. ...
/b/balas.htm - 7k

Demetrius (3 Occurrences)
... xxxii.20) and his own people, and ALEXANDER BALAS (which see) was put forward as
a claimant to the throne, his supporters maintaining that he was the son of ...
/d/demetrius.htm - 17k

Tryphon
... TRYPHON. tri'-fon (Truphon): The surname of Diodotus, a usurper of the Syrian throne.
He was a native of Apamea, and had been in the service of Alexander Balas. ...
/t/tryphon.htm - 9k

Asmoneans
... The events of the year 153 BC however changed the entire aspect of affairs. Demetrius
saw his throne menaced by Alexander Balas, a Roman favorite. ...
/a/asmoneans.htm - 27k

Ptolemy
... his province. Philometor was later drawn into Syrian politics in the conflict
between Alexander Balas and Demetrius. The Egyptian ...
/p/ptolemy.htm - 17k

Alexander (5 Occurrences)
... ALEXANDER BALAS. Alexander ba'-las (Alexandros ho Balas legomenos): He contended
against Demetrius I of Syria for the throne and succeeded in obtaining it. ...
/a/alexander.htm - 32k

Maccabees
... the real facts as regards Alexander's partition of his kingdom; and other misstatements
of fact due to the same cause occur in 10:1; (Alexander (Balas), son of ...
/m/maccabees.htm - 52k

Zabdiel (2 Occurrences)
... (2) An overseer of the priests (Nehemiah 11:14). (3) An Arabian who beheaded
Alexander Balas and sent his head to Ptolemy (1 Maccabees 11:17). ...
/z/zabdiel.htm - 7k

Lasthenes
... king when he made his first descent upon the coast, and rendered him ultimately
successful in wresting the throne of Syria from Alexander Balas (1 Maccabees 10 ...
/l/lasthenes.htm - 7k

Imalcue
... IMALCUE. i-mal-ku'-e (Imalkoue; the King James Version Simalcue): An Arabian prince
to whom Alexander Balas entrusted the upbringing of his young son Antiochus. ...
/i/imalcue.htm - 6k

Subtopics

Balas

Related Terms

Demetrius (3 Occurrences)

Tryphon

Asmoneans

Ptolemy

Alexander (5 Occurrences)

Maccabees

Zabdiel (2 Occurrences)

Lasthenes

Imalcue

Friends (152 Occurrences)

Ekron (20 Occurrences)

Ekronite (1 Occurrence)

Buckle

Balasamus

Balancings (1 Occurrence)

Cleopatra

Chief (696 Occurrences)

Precious (128 Occurrences)

Stones (244 Occurrences)

Antiochus

Books (16 Occurrences)

Taxing (3 Occurrences)

Tax (43 Occurrences)

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