ACRA (Akra: Gr. "Ἀκρά" = fortress). - A city built by the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes inside Jerusalem around 168 B.C. to station a security garrison there.
Its precise location has been much debated. Generally, scholars, relying on the data provided by Flavius Josephus (Bell. Jud., I, 1, 4; 2, 2; V, 4, 1; Ant. Jud., 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 also believe that it was destroyed by Simon Maccabeus. Recently, however, Fr. Vincent, re-examining Josephus' texts both in comparison with the data from 1 Maccabees (1, 33-38; 4, 37-61; 12, 35-37; 13, 52; 14, 36-37) and based on topographical requirements, has placed it on the north-eastern promontory of the high western hill. From there (and not from the too low Ophel) it could dominate the Temple hill to the east and the new quarter extending to the north-west. The A. remained in Syrian hands for a quarter of a century. After futile attempts by the first two Maccabees, Judas (1 Macc. 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 hated Seleucid yoke. And since we also know from Josephus (Ant. Jud. XX, 8, 11) that the palace of the Hasmonean princes arose in that very 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).