Individual Details
Esther (Elizabeth) of Jerusalem Hasmonean Princess Alexandra II
(Ca 63 BC - )
Elizabeth of Jerusalem - The Mother of Heli (Prince Alexandra Helios III) Queen Alexandra II à Alexander Helios III (Biblical “Heli”)
With this ancestral connection known, Jesus’ great-grandmother, Princess Elizabeth of Jerusalem, later known by her regnal name, Queen Alexandra II was remarried to King Alexander II, the 8th Maccabee king, who was executed in 49 BCE. They had two children; Prince Aristobulus III (Jesus’ great-great step uncle), who became the 58th High Priest as a Maccabee, and Princess Mariamme I. She became the Maccabee Princess that married King Herod the Great, as his 2nd wife. As the dynastic heiress of the Maccabee Dynasty, she gave King Herod, to his beliefs and not Torah law, the royal “right” to the Hasmonean throne of Judea.
We now know, that the Hasmonean, now Herodian Queen Mariamme I may be now be recognized as Jesus’ great-great step aunt and the Hasmonean High Priest Aristobulus III, was the great-great step uncle. It was in the year of 29 BCE, that Queen Mariamme I was murdered by the royal orders of Herod the Great. This was the year of Joseph’s, Jesus’ father’s birth.
Yet, Queen Alexander II married a 3rd time, this time to King Antigonus, who was the last Maccabee king. Together they had one daughter, Princess Antigone, who later married the son of Herod the Great, by his 1st wife, Doris of Jerusalem, the Herodian Prince Antipater. Just before the death of King Herod, he decided against living his throne to either of his two oldest sons; Aristobulus and Antipater. He instead, executed both of them; Aristobulus in 7 BCE, the supposed year of Yehoshua’s birth, and Antipater in 4 BCE, just before Herod’s own death. This fact so riled Caesar Augustus, that he made a joke that “it was preferable to be Herod's pig (hus) than his son (huios)”, a remark of extreme insult to any Jew.
Alexandra (d. 26 B.C.E.). We know more about this woman, as well as her name, because she lived much of her life in the Herodian court. Nicolaus of Damascus, Herod’s court historian, who usually documented Herodian women’s names, documented her actions. She was the daughter of Hyrcanus II, the Hasmonean who chose to ally himself with Rome. Yet in 55 B.C.E. she married her cousin, Alexander son of Aristobulus, who was a mortal enemy of Rome all his life. They had two children, Aristobulus III and Mariamme, Herod’s wife. In 49 B.C.E. she was widowed when her husband was executed by the Romans. This brought her directly into the Herodian court. In 37 B.C.E. her daughter married Herod.
In 36 B.C.E. Alexandra’s 17-year-old son, just nominated High Priest, drowned in mysterious circumstance in the winter palace at Jericho (Ant. 15:50-6). Nicolaus describes Alexandra’s attempts to accuse Herod of murder in these circumstances as a woman’s political network. She wrote to Cleopatra in Egypt about her suspicions and Cleopatra persuaded her lover Mark Anthony to summon Herod to explain the event (Ant. 15:62–64). Herod, however, succeeded in persuading Anthony of his innocence. Yet Nicolaus continues to describe Alexandra as an incessant intriguant. She attempted to escape to Egypt, fleeing Herod’s surveillance (Ant. 15:42–47). She persuaded her father to ally himself with the Nabatean king against Herod (Ant. 15:166–168). She persuaded her daughter to escape to the Roman legions when Herod was away and out of favor (Ant. 15:71–73). Thus she was, at least according to Nicolaus, responsible for Mariamme’s fall from favor with Herod. In order to further enhance the description of her vile nature, Nicolaus described her betrayal of her daughter when the latter was led to her execution, cursing her and reviling her on her way (Ant. 15:232–234).
However, Alexandra too, like all other Hasmoneans (male or female) in Herod’s court, found her death at the hands of Herod. After Mariamme’s execution, she once again attempted to gain control of the army and lead an insurrection against Herod. The plot was discovered and Alexandra executed, just one year after her daughter (Ant. 15:247–251).
With this ancestral connection known, Jesus’ great-grandmother, Princess Elizabeth of Jerusalem, later known by her regnal name, Queen Alexandra II was remarried to King Alexander II, the 8th Maccabee king, who was executed in 49 BCE. They had two children; Prince Aristobulus III (Jesus’ great-great step uncle), who became the 58th High Priest as a Maccabee, and Princess Mariamme I. She became the Maccabee Princess that married King Herod the Great, as his 2nd wife. As the dynastic heiress of the Maccabee Dynasty, she gave King Herod, to his beliefs and not Torah law, the royal “right” to the Hasmonean throne of Judea.
We now know, that the Hasmonean, now Herodian Queen Mariamme I may be now be recognized as Jesus’ great-great step aunt and the Hasmonean High Priest Aristobulus III, was the great-great step uncle. It was in the year of 29 BCE, that Queen Mariamme I was murdered by the royal orders of Herod the Great. This was the year of Joseph’s, Jesus’ father’s birth.
Yet, Queen Alexander II married a 3rd time, this time to King Antigonus, who was the last Maccabee king. Together they had one daughter, Princess Antigone, who later married the son of Herod the Great, by his 1st wife, Doris of Jerusalem, the Herodian Prince Antipater. Just before the death of King Herod, he decided against living his throne to either of his two oldest sons; Aristobulus and Antipater. He instead, executed both of them; Aristobulus in 7 BCE, the supposed year of Yehoshua’s birth, and Antipater in 4 BCE, just before Herod’s own death. This fact so riled Caesar Augustus, that he made a joke that “it was preferable to be Herod's pig (hus) than his son (huios)”, a remark of extreme insult to any Jew.
Alexandra (d. 26 B.C.E.). We know more about this woman, as well as her name, because she lived much of her life in the Herodian court. Nicolaus of Damascus, Herod’s court historian, who usually documented Herodian women’s names, documented her actions. She was the daughter of Hyrcanus II, the Hasmonean who chose to ally himself with Rome. Yet in 55 B.C.E. she married her cousin, Alexander son of Aristobulus, who was a mortal enemy of Rome all his life. They had two children, Aristobulus III and Mariamme, Herod’s wife. In 49 B.C.E. she was widowed when her husband was executed by the Romans. This brought her directly into the Herodian court. In 37 B.C.E. her daughter married Herod.
In 36 B.C.E. Alexandra’s 17-year-old son, just nominated High Priest, drowned in mysterious circumstance in the winter palace at Jericho (Ant. 15:50-6). Nicolaus describes Alexandra’s attempts to accuse Herod of murder in these circumstances as a woman’s political network. She wrote to Cleopatra in Egypt about her suspicions and Cleopatra persuaded her lover Mark Anthony to summon Herod to explain the event (Ant. 15:62–64). Herod, however, succeeded in persuading Anthony of his innocence. Yet Nicolaus continues to describe Alexandra as an incessant intriguant. She attempted to escape to Egypt, fleeing Herod’s surveillance (Ant. 15:42–47). She persuaded her father to ally himself with the Nabatean king against Herod (Ant. 15:166–168). She persuaded her daughter to escape to the Roman legions when Herod was away and out of favor (Ant. 15:71–73). Thus she was, at least according to Nicolaus, responsible for Mariamme’s fall from favor with Herod. In order to further enhance the description of her vile nature, Nicolaus described her betrayal of her daughter when the latter was led to her execution, cursing her and reviling her on her way (Ant. 15:232–234).
However, Alexandra too, like all other Hasmoneans (male or female) in Herod’s court, found her death at the hands of Herod. After Mariamme’s execution, she once again attempted to gain control of the army and lead an insurrection against Herod. The plot was discovered and Alexandra executed, just one year after her daughter (Ant. 15:247–251).
Events
| Birth | Ca 63 BC |
Families
| Spouse | Alexander II Maccabaeus Hasmonean High Priest ( - ) |
| Child | Mariamne I princess of Judaea ( - -29) |
| Father | Hyrcanus II Maccabaeus Hasmoen, High Priest & King (-100 - ) |