Salome Alexandra (* 140 v.Chr.) was van 76 v.Chr. tot haar dood in 67 v.Chr. koningin van de Joodse Hasmoneese staat. Salome/Salomé was haar Hebreeuwse naam, Alexandra haar Griekse. Wanneer haar naam niet voluit wordt geschreven, wordt meestal alleen haar Griekse naam vermeld. Ook op munten uit haar regeringsperiode staat alleen haar Griekse naam vermeld.
Voorgeschiedenis
Salome Alexandra's eerste huwelijk was met Aristobulus I, die aan het begin van zijn regering drie van zijn broers gevangen liet zetten omdat hij vreesde dat zij zijn koningschap niet zouden accepteren. Toen Aristobulus in 103 v.Chr. stierf, liet Alexandra de broers vrij. Zij hertrouwde met de oudste van hen, Alexander Janneüs en riep hem uit tot koning.
In 76 v.Chr. overleed Alexander Janneüs tijdens een beleg bij het bolwerk Ragaba. Salome Alexandra wachtte echter met het bekendmaken van zijn dood, totdat korte tijd later het bolwerk was ingenomen. Overeenkomstig Alexanders wens volgde Alexandra hem op als koningin over de Joodse staat.
Hogepriesterschap
Eerdere Hasmoneese heersers waren behalve koning ook hogepriester geweest, maar omdat Alexandra een vrouw was, was dit voor haar niet mogelijk. Daarom stelde zij een van haar zonen Hyrcanus II aan als hogepriester. Vermoedelijk verkoos zij hem boven zijn broer Aristobulus II, omdat hij een minder sterke persoonlijkheid had en Alexandra via Hyrcanus gemakkelijker zelf de touwtjes in handen kon houden.
Farizeeën
Alexander Janneüs ondervond tijdens zijn regering grote problemen van de kant van de Farizeeën, die niet alleen de combinatie van koningschap en priesterschap in één persoon afwezen, maar ook afwijzend stonden tegenover de omarming van hellenistische invloeden. De invloed van de Farizeeën op de publieke opinie was echter zeer groot. Daarom gaf Alexander volgens de overlevering op zijn sterfbed aan zijn vrouw de raad zich met de Farizeeën te verzoenen. Salome Alexandra, die zelf afkomstig was uit een Farizeese familie, volgde dit advies op en gaf de Farizeeën een plaats in het Sanhedrin. Hierdoor nam de invloed van de Farizeeën op het maatschappelijk leven alleen nog maar verder toe, ten koste van de Sadduceeën. Dat ook Hyrcanus II Farizeese sympathieën had, droeg alleen nog maar meer bij aan hun rehabilitatie. De Sadduceeën waren hier uiteraard niet gelukkig mee, maar konden Alexandra's besluit niet tegenhouden. De Farizeeën stonden positief tegenover de ontwikkelingen en hielden ook in later tijd Alexandra in ere. Zo werd Alexandra het eerste Hasmoneese staatshoofd die goede banden met de Farizeeën onderhield.
Levenseinde en opvolging
Salome Alexandra's regering heeft negen jaar geduurd. Zij overleed volgens Flavius Josephus op 73-jarige leeftijd in 67 v.Chr.. Tijdens haar leven had haar zoon Aristobulus geaccepteerd dat hij niet veel politieke invloed had, maar toen zij op sterven lag riep hij legers samen om de troonopvolging op te eisen. Dit leidde tot een burgeroorlog tussen de beide broers, die voortduurde totdat de Romeinen in 63 v.Chr. Jeruzalem innamen.
Salome Alexandra or Alexandra of Jerusalem (14167 BCE),[1] (Hebrew: ??????????????? ????????, Shelomtzion or Shlom Tzion) was the only Jewish regnant queen (from 76 to 67 B.C.E.), with the exception of her own husband's mother whom he had prevented from ruling as his dying father had wished, and of the much earlier usurper Athaliah. The wife of Aristobulus I, and afterward of Alexander Jannaeus,[2] she was the last woman ruler of Judaea, and the last ruler of ancient Judaea to die as the ruler of an independent kingdom.
Family
Her personal genealogy is not given by Josephus. Rabbinical sources designate the Sage Simeon b. Shetah as her brother.[3] If this is meant literally and true, she was the daughter of Setah Bar Yossei Rabbi and granddaughter of Yossei Bar Yochanan.[4] Salome Alexandra's oldest son by Alexander Jannaeus was Hyrcanus II who fought his younger brother Aristobulus II in the 60's BC over the Jewish High Priesthood. Hyrcanus II was eventually successful after enlisting the help of the Nabataean king, Aretas III; bribing Roman officials, including Scaurus; and gaining the favour of Pompey the Great who defeated his brother and took him away to Rome.[5]
Consort
On Aristobulus' death (103 BCE), Aristobulus' wife liberated his brother Alexander Jannaeus, who had been held in prison. During the reign of Alexander, who (according to the historian Josephus) apparently married her shortly after his accession,[6] Alexandra seemed to have wielded only slight political influence, as evidenced by the hostile attitude of the king to the Pharisees.
Regent
Alexandra received the reins of government (76 or 75 BCE) at Jannaeus' camp before Ragaba, and concealed the king's death until the fortress had fallen, in order that the rigor of the siege might be maintained. She succeeded for a time in quieting the vexatious internal dissensions of the kingdom that existed at the time of Alexander's death; and she did this peacefully and without detriment to the political relations of the Jewish state to the outside world. Alexandra managed to secure assent to a Hasmonean monarchy from the Pharisees, who had suffered intense misery under Alexander and became Judea's ruling class.
Political ability
The frequent visits to the palace of the chief of the Pharisaic party, Simeon ben Shetach, who was said to be the queen's brother must have occurred in the early years of Alexander's reign, before Alexander had openly broken with the Pharisees. Alexandra does not seem to have been able to prevent the cruel persecution of that sect by her husband. Nevertheless, the married life of the royal pair seems to have ended cordially; on his deathbed Alexander entrusted the government, not to his sons, but to his wife.
Her next concern was to open negotiations with the leaders of the Pharisees, whose places of concealment she knew. Having been given assurances as to her future policy, they declared themselves ready to give Alexander's remains the obsequies due to a monarch. By this step she avoided any public affront to the dead king, which, owing to the embitterment of the people, would certainly have found expression at the interment. This might have been attended with dangerous results to the Hasmonean dynasty.
Reestablishment of the Sanhedrin
The Pharisees, who had suffered intense misery under Alexander, now became not only a tolerated section of the community, but actually the ruling class. Alexandra installed as high priest her eldest son, Hyrcanus II a man wholly after the heart of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin was reorganized according to their wishes. This body had hitherto been, as it were, a "house of lords," the members of which belonged to the highest rabbinical court. From this time it became a "supreme court" for the administration of justice and religious matters, the guidance of which was placed in the hands of the Pharisees.
Internal and external policy
Hasmonean Kingdom under Salome Alexandra
The Sadducees were moved to petition the queen for protection against the ruling party. Alexandra, who desired to avoid all party conflict, removed the Sadducees from Jerusalem, assigning certain fortified towns for their residence.
Alexandra increased the size of the army and carefully provisioned the numerous fortified places so that neighbouring monarchs were duly impressed by the number of protected towns and castles which bordered the Judean frontier. As well, she did not abstain from actual warfare; she sent her son Aristobulus with an army to besiege Damascus, then beleaguered by Ptolemy Menneus. The expedition was reportedly without result. Nevertheless the last days of her reign were tumultuous. Her son Aristobulus endeavored to seize the government, and succeeded her after her death.
Prosperity
Rabbinical sources still further magnify the prosperity which Judea enjoyed under Alexandra. The Haggadah (Ta'anit, 23a; Sifra, ?u??at, i. 110) relates that during her rule, as a reward for her piety, rain fell only on Sabbath (Friday) nights; so that the working class suffered no loss of pay through the rain falling during their work-time. The fertility of the soil was so great that the grains of wheat grew as large as kidney-beans; oats as large as olives; and lentils as large as gold denarii. The sages collected specimens of these grains and preserved them to show future generations the reward of obedience to the Law, and what piety can achieve.
Name
"Shlomtzion" (????????), derived from the queen's name, is sometimes used as a female first name in contemporary Israel. Among others, the well-known Israeli writer Amos Kenan bestowed that name on his daughter.
In the 1977 Knesset elections Ariel Sharon accepted the advice of Kenan to give the name "Shlomtzion" to a new political party which Sharon was forming at the time (it later merged with the Likud).
In medieval sources
According to some versions of the Toledoth Yeshu, a medieval anti-Christian life of Jesus, Salome is connected with Jesus of Nazareth, placing the death of Jesus 150 years earlier.[7]
(1) Zij is getrouwd met Alexander Janeüs van Judea.
Zij zijn getrouwdBron 1
Kind(eren):
(2) Zij is getrouwd met (Niet openbaar).
Zij zijn getrouwdBron 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Salome