ACRA (Akra: Greek 'Ἄκρα' 'fortress'). - A citadel built by order of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king of Syria, in the interior of Jerusalem, around 168 B.C., to station a security garrison there.
Its precise location has been much debated. Generally scholars, believing they are basing themselves on the data 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 crest of the Ophel hill, west of the Gihon spring, and also think that it was destroyed by Simon Maccabeus. Recently, however, Fr. Vincent, having re-examined the texts of Josephus both in comparison with the data of I Mach. (1, 33-38; 4, 37-61; 12, 35-37; 13, 32; 14, 36-37) and on the basis of topographical requirements, has placed it on the northeast promontory of the western high hill. From there (and not from the too-low Ophel) it could dominate the Temple hill to the east, and the new quarter that extended to the northwest. 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 hated Seleucid yoke. And since we also know from Josephus (Ant. Iud. XX, 8, 11) that the palace of the Hasmonean 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).
Bibliography2 works
Gaetano M. Perrella