From Dynasty to Desolation: The Tumultuous Reign of Herod

In 37 BCE, the reign over Jerusalem was finally delivered into Herod's hands, while Hyrcanus, son of King Yannai, stood beside him. The cunning Herod held complete control over the elderly Hyrcanus. He manipulated him into approving Herod's marriage to Hyrcanus's granddaughter, Mariamne, the last woman of the Hasmonean line, to legitimize his hold on power through this union.

Herod appointed Hananel the Babylonian as High Priest, sidelining his brother-in-law, Aristobulus, the last Hasmonean fit for the priesthood. However, Aristobulus's mother, Alexandra, intervened using her connections with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, arranging a meeting with Mark Antony. Alarmed by the potential Hasmonean-Roman alliance, Herod swiftly installed Aristobulus as High Priest at just seventeen, temporarily calming matters.

During Sukkot of 36 BCE, 106 years before the fall, Jerusalem's residents joyfully celebrated the festival. After enduring difficult years of wars and uprisings, they imagined peace and tranquility. They were deeply moved watching Aristobulus the Hasmonean performing the holiday rituals, pouring water upon the altar; the joy of the Simchat Beit HaShoeva reached new heights. Herod watched from the sidelines, horrified. Could it be that the stubborn Jews want to make Aristobulus king and depose him?

Immediately after the festival, Herod hosted a feast for his extended family at his palace in Jericho. His mother-in-law, Alexandra, prepared a royal feast. Everyone drank merrily, and during the celebration, Herod's servants suggested bathing in the pool. Under Herod's orders, the servants drowned him in the pool's waters, disguised as an accident. However, Aristobulus's mother, Alexandra, quickly understood her son-in-law's malevolent actions, and his wife, Mariamne, realized her husband's lack of humanity, always willing to commit any crime for his benefit. Both began to plot how to rid themselves of him.

Herod, aware of the impending danger, falsely accused his father-in-law, the elderly Hyrcanus ben Yannai, and executed him. He placed Alexandra under surveillance. Alexandra plotted to escape the palace under the protection of her friend Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. She prepared two coffins for herself and her servant, Sabian, planning to smuggle themselves out in them. Herod discovered the plot. At that moment, to avoid straining relations with Cleopatra, he refrained from acting, but it was clear Alexandra's days were numbered, and eventually, Herod had her killed.

Soon after, Herod's wife Mariamne faced a false accusation of attempting to poison him, leading to her execution. Herod, inconsistent as ever, fell into depression after murdering his beloved wife. Before her death, she declared, "The Hasmonean dynasty is ended; anyone claiming Hasmonean descent is a slave." Herod embalmed her body in honey and secluded himself in his room, bordering on madness, yet persisted in his wicked ways. Only two descendants of the Hasmonean line remained in the world: Herod and Mariamne's sons, Alexander and Aristobulus IV.