Editing Alexander Jannaeus (section)

==Family==
Alexander Jannaeus was the third son of John Hyrcanus by his second wife. When Aristobulus&nbsp;I, Hyrcanus' son by his first wife, became king, he deemed it necessary for his own security to imprison his half-brother. Aristobulus died after a reign of one year. Upon his death, his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]] had Alexander and his brothers released from prison. One of these brothers is said to have unsuccessfully sought the throne.

Alexander, as the oldest living brother, had the right not only to the throne, but also to Salome, [[Yibbum|the widow of his deceased brother, who had died childless]]. Although she was thirteen years older than him, he married her in accordance with the Jewish law of [[levirate marriage]]. By her he had two sons: the eldest, [[Hyrcanus II]], became [[High Priest of Israel|high priest]] in 62&nbsp;BCE; and [[Aristobulus II]], who was high priest from 66 – 62&nbsp;BCE and started a bloody civil war with his brother, ending in his capture by [[Pompey|Pompey the Great]].

Like his brother, Alexander was an avid supporter of the aristocratic priestly faction known as the [[Sadducees]]. His wife Salome came from a [[Pharisees|Pharisaic]] family. Her brother was [[Simeon ben Shetach]], a famous [[Pharisee]] leader. Salome was more sympathetic to their cause, and protected them throughout his turbulent reign.

Like his father, Alexander served as high priest. This raised the ire of the Pharisees, who insisted that these two offices should not be combined. According to the [[Talmud]], Alexander was a questionable desecrated priest, rumour had it that his mother was captured in [[Modi'in (ancient city)|Modi'in]] and violated, and, in the opinion of the Pharisees, was not allowed to serve in the [[Second Temple|temple]]. This infuriated the king and he sided with the Sadducees who defended him. This incident led the king to turn against the Pharisees, and he persecuted them until his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1144-alexander-jannaeus-jonathan|title=ALEXANDER JANNÆUS (Jonathan) - JewishEncyclopedia.com|website=jewishencyclopedia.com|access-date=21 March 2020}}</ref>