Lysias (Syrian chancellor)
Encyclopedia
Lysias, or Lusias was a 2nd century Seleucid General
and governor
of Syria
under the Seleucid Empire
.
He was described as, "A noble man, and one of the blood royal". Antiochus IV Epiphanes
(circa 166 BC) left him with the government of Southern Syria
and the guardianship of his son, while Antiochus went in person into Persia to collect the revenues which were not coming in satisfactorily.
According to Josephus
, the instructions of Lysias were "to conquer Judea
, enslave its inhabitants, utterly destroy Jerusalem and abolish the whole nation." Lysias, accordingly, armed against Judas Maccabeus
a large force under Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, Nicanor
and Gorgias. Of this force Judas defeated the two divisions under Nicanor and Gorgias near Emmaus
(166 BC), and in the following year Lysias himself at Beth-zur (Bethsura)
, after which he proceeded to the purification of the temple.
In the narration of these campaigns there are considerable differences between the writers of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees which scholars have not found easy to explain. Antiochus died at Babylon
on his Persian expedition (164 BC), and Lysias assumed the office of regent
during the minority of his son, who was yet a child. He collected another army at Antioch
, and after the re-capture of Beth-zur was besieging Jerusalem when he learned of the approach of Philip to whom Antiochus, on his deathbed, had entrusted the guardianship of the prince. He defeated Philip in 163 BC and was supported at Rome
, but in the following year he fell with his ward Antiochus into the hands of Demetrius I, who put both of them to death.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
under the Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
.
He was described as, "A noble man, and one of the blood royal". Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne....
(circa 166 BC) left him with the government of Southern Syria
Coele-Syria
Coele-Syria , or Cœle-Syria or Celesyria, traditionally given the meaning 'hollow' Syria, was the region of southern Syria disputed between the Seleucid dynasty and the Ptolemaic dynasty. Rather than limiting the Greek term to the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, it is often used to cover the entire area...
and the guardianship of his son, while Antiochus went in person into Persia to collect the revenues which were not coming in satisfactorily.
According to Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, the instructions of Lysias were "to conquer Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
, enslave its inhabitants, utterly destroy Jerusalem and abolish the whole nation." Lysias, accordingly, armed against Judas Maccabeus
Judas Maccabeus
Judah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias...
a large force under Ptolemy, son of Dorymenes, Nicanor
Nicanor (Syrian general)
Nicanor Nicanor Nicanor (born ??? BC - died 161 BC; pronounced ni-ka'-nor, ni'-ka-nor (Nikanor) was a Syrian-Seleucid General under Antiochus Epiphanes and Demetrius Soter.-Early Military career:...
and Gorgias. Of this force Judas defeated the two divisions under Nicanor and Gorgias near Emmaus
Emmaus
Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately northwest of present day Jerusalem...
(166 BC), and in the following year Lysias himself at Beth-zur (Bethsura)
Beth-zur
Beth-Zur is a biblical site of historic and archaeological importance in the southern West Bank. Beth Zur is mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible and the writings of the Roman Jewish historian Josephus...
, after which he proceeded to the purification of the temple.
In the narration of these campaigns there are considerable differences between the writers of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees which scholars have not found easy to explain. Antiochus died at Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
on his Persian expedition (164 BC), and Lysias assumed the office of regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during the minority of his son, who was yet a child. He collected another army at Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, and after the re-capture of Beth-zur was besieging Jerusalem when he learned of the approach of Philip to whom Antiochus, on his deathbed, had entrusted the guardianship of the prince. He defeated Philip in 163 BC and was supported at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, but in the following year he fell with his ward Antiochus into the hands of Demetrius I, who put both of them to death.