ACRA (AKRA: gr. 'Ἄγξα' «fortress»). – Citadel built by the king of Syria, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, within Jerusalem around 168 B.C., to house a security garrison.
Its precise location has been much debated. Generally, scholars, believing that they could base themselves on the evidence of Flavius Josephus (Bell. Iud., I, 1, 4; 2, 2; V, 4, 1; Ant. Iud., XII, 5, 4; 7, 6; 9, 3; 10, 5; XIII, 1, 3; 6, 7), place the A. south of the Temple, on the ridge of the Ophel hill, west of the Gihon spring, and likewise think that it was destroyed by Simon Maccabee. Recently, however, Fr. Vincent, having re-examined Josephus’s texts both in comparison with data from I Mach. (1, 33-38; 4, 37-61; 12, 35-37; 13, 32; 14, 36-37) and on the basis of topographical requirements, placed it on the north-eastern promontory of the high western hill. From there (and not from the excessively low Ophel) it could dominate the Temple hill to the east, as well as the new quarter extending to the north-west. The A. remained in the hands of the Syrians for a quarter of a century. After various attempts by the first two Maccabees, Judas (I Mach. 6, 19) and Jonathan (ibid. 11, 20-22; 41; 12, 35-37), only Simon succeeded in occupying it in 142 (ibid. 13, 49-52), thus crowning the Maccabean work of liberation from the detested Seleucid yoke. And since we also learn from Josephus (Ant. Iud. XX, 8, 11) that the palace of the Ammonite princes arose in that same place, it is easy to conclude that it was none other than the A., not destroyed by Simon but transformed, probably under Alexander Jannaeus (103-76) or Alexandra (76-67).
#### ACRABATANE: V. ACAB.