sefi;g:v. - A Kabbalist walks into a bar, and the

SELEUCIDLE SELEUCIDLE
Antiochus carried all before him, and made himself
master of Phcenicia‘and the territory on both sides of
the Jordan (Pol. 568f.), and wintered in Ptoleniais. In
the following year, however, he was utterly defeated at
Raphia, the most southerly Syrian city (217 B.c.), and
compelled to cede to Egypt all Ccelesyria and Phcenicia.
In the meantime Achaeus had raised the standard of
revolt in Asia Minor, and it cost a two years’ warfare
round Sardis to overcome him (Pol. 7 155 ).
Then followed an expedition to the east, in which
Parthia and Bactria were invaded ; these successes
gained the king his surname (209 B.C. ). When Ptolemy
Philopator died and Ptolemy V. Epiphanes ascended the
throne (204 B.c.), Antiochus 111. combined with Philip
V. king of Macedonia, for the partition of the Egyptian
kingdom (Livy, 31 14 ; Pol. 1520). In pursuance of the
scheme Antiochus invaded Ccelesyria and Phcenicia,
and overran Palestine (Jos. Ant. xii. 33) ; and though a
diversion caused by Attalus of Pergamum enabled the
Egyptians to reoccupy Palestine, they were defeated
(198 B. c. ) by Antiochus himself near the sources of the
Jordan, and driven out of the country. Jerusalem itself
fell into the hands of Antiochus (Pol. 1639). A peace
was concluded in which it was agreed that Epiphanes
should marry Antiochus’ daughter, Cleopatra, who
should receive Ccelesyria, Phcenicia, and Palestine
as her dowry (on this peace, see Holm, 09. cit.4339,
and note on p. 368). Antiochus then commenced
operations in Asia Minor, with a view of recovering the
Greek cities there as a whole, and more especially those
of the S. and W. coasts, which had long been reckoned
to belong to Egypt, but had recently been occupied by
Philip under the terms of the secret alliance with Syria
above-mentioned.’ The defeat of Philip by the Romans
at Cynoscephalz brought Antiochus also face to face
with the power of Rome (197 B.c.).
Antiochus claimed not only sovereignty over the
cities of Asia, but the throne of Thrace also, in virtue
of the victory of Seleucus over Lysimachus a century
before him. The tension between him and Rome was
increased when Hannibal, a fugitive from Carthage,
sought asylum at the Syrian court (App. Syr. 4).
After long negotiations war was declared between the
two powers in 191 B.C. The decisive battle took place
in the autumn of 190 B.C. at Magnesia on the Hernius,
and the motley host of Antiochus vas utterly defeated ;
the Roman legions were never actually called upon, and
the victory which gave them a third continent cost but
24 horsemen and 300 light infantry (Momms. Hist. of
Rome, ET, 1881, 22705).~ Allusion is made to
these events in Dan. 11 IO, and I Macc. 110 S6f: (see
ANTIOCHUS, I ). Antiochus was compelled to renounce
all his conquests N. of the Taurus range, which had in
fact always been the boundary of effective Syrian power
in this direction (Pol. 21 17 ; Diod. Sic. 29 IO ; Livy, 37 45).
In consequence of this defeat and loss of prestige
Armenia fell away from the Syrian empire (Strabo.
528). In 187 B.C. Antiochus himself, marching into
Elymais, at the head of the Persian Gulf, in order to
plunder a temple of Bel to replenish his treasury ex-
hausted by the enormous war indemnity, was slain by
the natives. of the district (Strabo, 744).
Seleucus IV., Philopator (187-175 B.C.), son and
successor of Antiochus the Great, came to the throne in
when Armenia had
8. Seleucus Iv. difficult times,
i187-175 B.C.). already revolted and the prestige of his
country was dimmed. The Dower of
Rome also overshadowed the East, and freedom of
policy was almost impossible. Thus he was compelled
1 It was probably at this period, or perhaps earlier, that
Antiochus sent 2000 Jewish families from Mesopotamia into the
cities of Lydia and Phrygia, securing their loyalty by grants of
land and immunity from taxation.
2 ‘With the day of Magnesia Asia was erased &om the list of
great states; and never perhaps did a great power fall so
rapidly, so thoroughly, and so ignominiously as the kingdom of
the Seleucida: under this Antiochus the Great ’ (Mommsen, Z.C.).
4351
See Jos. Ant. xii.8 4.
to forego the oppprtunity of interfering beyond \It.
Taurus, in assisting 1’h;irn;iues of I’oritus against Eunicnes
of Perganiiim (171) B.c., see hod. Sic. 2924). Yet he
coiicluded a treaty uf alliance with Perseus of \Iacedonia.
\Vith Egypt he lived outw