Antigonus  

Executed by Herod, 37 B.C.  

King and High Priest, 40-37 B.C.  

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The short rule of Antigonus brought the end of the Hasmonean rule. With the  increasing power exercised by Antipater and his sons, Phasael and Herod, the Jewish  aristocracy began to press Hyrcanus to remove Phasael and Herod from their offices. With a  weakened position for Hyrcanus, his brother, Aristobulus, the deposed previous king, had  Antipater killed. This encouraged Antigonus to seek the support of the  Parthians in a revolt against Roman control. During this time of Roman distraction  with Egypt, the Parthians succeeded in occupying Syria, including Judea. Taking  Judea, they installed Antigonus as king and high priest.  

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It was a short tenure. When the Parthians took Jerusalem they captured  Phasael, who committed suicide, but Herod escaped to Rome. When he returned, he  came back with revenge in his heart and the Roman power of Marc Antony at his  command. He captured Antigonus in Jerusalem and delivered him to the Roman  authorities in Antioch to be beheaded. Antigonus was executed in 37 B.C.  

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Anael  

High Priest, 37-?? B.C.  

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 Upon his capture of Jerusalem and banishment of Antigonus, Herod appointed  Anael as high priest. Anael had served as an advisor to Hyrcanus II, the high priest  before the Parthian conquest. With Anael, the high priest’s office ceased to be  hereditary. We know little about him, except that his reign was unpopular because  he was not a Hasmonean. He would be replaced by a Hasmonean, Aristobulus, the  brother of Herod’s favorite wife, Mariamne.  ​

Aristobulus III  

High Priest, ?-35 BCE  

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Aristobulus III, the brother of Herod’s beloved wife, Mariamne, was popular  with the people and promoted in Antony’s court by his mother, Alexandra. To  prevent Astrobulus from leaving the country to visit Rome, Herod deposed Anael as  high priest and installed Aristobulus. Moreover, Cleopatra supported the ambitions of  Aristobulus in opposition to Herod and held too much sway with Antony for Herod to  directly challenge the young Hasmonean. Instead, he invited the seventeen-year-old  high priest to Jericho, where he died in a “swimming accident” of very suspicious  conditions.