years they had looked to this newly risen power in the East as a possible source of support, and the strong Jewish colonies in Babylonia must have kept their more westerly brethren informed of the Parthian successes. As the Greeks of Mesopotamia directed their appeals for aid to the rulers of Seleucid Syria, so the Palestinian Jews turned their eyes toward Parthia for deliverance from oppression.
Perhaps in the time of Antiochus Sidetes (139/38–129 b.c.) an agreement for co-ordinated action had been reached between the Jews and the Parthians.[1] Certainly either during the ill-fated Parthian expedition or immediately afterward John Hyrcanus had made attacks on Syrian cities.[2] A passage of about that date in the Talmud seems to mention an attack by the Jews on Antioch.[3] In the time of Alexander Jannaeus (103–78 b.c.) a Parthian embassy of good will is mentioned as having been feasted at Jerusalem. During the celebration they inquired for the old man Simeon, then in exile, who had entertained them previously.[4] It is noteworthy that during the reign of Alexander no mention is made of Jewish embassies to Rome such as had commonly been sent by his
- ↑ A late writer, Josippon, chap. 28, says that John Hyrcanus received an embassy which proposed such an agreement.
- ↑ Josephus Ant. xiii. 254 and Bell. 1. 62.
- ↑ Sotah 33a. "Antioch" is by many emended to "Antiochus"; see J. Klausner, Israelitic History [in Hebrew], II (Jerusalem, 1924), 74.
- ↑ Yerushalmi, Berakoth 7. 2 (Krotoschin ed., reproduced by L. Lamm [Berlin, 1920], I, 11b) and Nazir 5. 5 (ibid., II, 54b).
