Aristobulus III
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Aristobulus III (sources)
- LIST OF SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Aristobulus III (subject)
Aristobulus III was a member of the Hasmonean dinasty who served as High Priest, in 35 BCE, under Herod the Great.
Overview
Aristobulus III was the son of Alexander of Judaea and Alexandra the Hasmonean and the brother of Herod the Great's wife Mariamne. As his parents were cousins, he was the grandson of both John Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II.
Aristobulus III's appointment was sponsored by both his mother and sister, who considered the presence of Ananel as High Priest as an "unendurable insult." They sought on this matter the intercession of Cleopatra and Antony. What could indeed seal the reconciliation between the Hasmonean and the Herodian family, after the marriage between Herod the Great and Mariamne, simply worsened their rivalry. Herod's mother Cyprus and sister Salome immediately saw the danger that Aristobulus III and his descendants could once again claim the kingship.
When a jubilant crowd manifested its support to Aristobulus III at the Feast of the Tabernacles, Herod concluded that he could indeed become a threat to his power. He caused him to be drowned in a swimming pool at the royal place in Jericho, simulating an incident. It was only the first of a long series of political assassinations with which Herod eliminated, one after the other, all his Hasmonean rivals (and in-laws), including John Hyrcanus II, Alexandra, Mariamne and her sons.