Alexander I Balas

ALEXANDER I BALAS. - King of Syria (150-145 B.C.), whose history is narrated in 1 Macc. 10:1 - 11:17. He was called a son of Antiochus IV, but was probably nothing more than an impostor from Smyrna. Set in opposition to Demetrius I Soter (162-150 B.C.) by the coalition led by the king of Pergamum, he was recognized by the Romans as king under the name of A. and soon began the conquest of the kingdom. A. and his rival Demetrius both strove to win over Jonathan Maccabeus, who governed Judea. The latter declared in favor of A., who had appointed him high priest and had offered him a golden crown, and he succeeded in routing Demetrius. To strengthen his throne, A. married Cleopatra Thea, daughter of Ptolemy VI Philometor, king of Egypt. Jonathan attended the wedding ceremony, to great acclaim. Since A. had abandoned the government to his ministers in order to devote himself to pleasures, Demetrius Nicator, son of Demetrius I, took advantage of popular discontent and landed in Syria, but was defeated by Jonathan. Ptolemy VI dealt the death blow to his son-in-law by occupying his kingdom and allying himself with Demetrius, to whom he gave A.'s wife. Forced to flee to Arabia, A. was betrayed by the emir who was his host, who sent his head to the dying Ptolemy. The Jews remained faithful to the memory of A. and supported his son Antiochus VI.

Salvatore Garofalo