High priest and ruler; founder of the Hasmonean dynasty
Simon
The last of the brothers, he was proclaimed high priest and ruler 'forever' around 140 BCE. He captured Gezer and resettled it with Jews.
What the sources say
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3 statements
By around 140 BCE, according to 1 Maccabees, the Maccabees had secured their hold on Judea. Simon was proclaimed the Jews' high priest and ruler 'forever', which turned the family into a dynasty: the Hasmoneans, a name possibly taken from the family's place of origin.
Contested interpretation
It is unclear when to date the end of the revolt: to 161 BCE, where 2 Maccabees ends the story, or to the late 140s BCE, when Simon obtained from Demetrius II Nicator exemption from tribute and confirmation as high priest.
Even after the Seleucids returned the Jews' right to their laws, the Hasmonean campaign continued: Simon captured Gezer, drove out its non-Jewish population and resettled it with Jews.