The son of Simeon the Hasmonean, he served as nasi (prince) of Judea and high priest from 135 to 104 BCE. He freed Judea from Syrian suzerainty and expanded its borders by extensive reconquests. His forces destroyed the Hellenistic city on the site of ancient Samaria and the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. It was his policy to settle Judeans in the areas he conquered and to convert indigenous populations to Judaism. The Idumeans (see Edomites), from whom Herod the Great descended, were thus converted after John reconquered southern Judea and the northern Negev. During the early years of his rule, he was admired by the masses and the rabbinic leadership, and was even credited with prophecy (TB. Sot. 33a; Jos., Wars 1:68–69); eventually, however, he drew nearer to the Sadducees and broke with the Pharisees. His last years marked the beginning of the Hellenistic trend in the Hasmonean dynasty.
