Brief History of the Maccabeans their Kings were Hamonean as well as their Priests. Notice Antipater in the last part of this history. For Herod the Great to kill 2 year old boys and younger and to kill his rightful heir in the same time period shows that he believed Yahoshua to be the son of his first born son the rightful heir and a high priest which was called the son of Elohim or YHWH (God), because Herod the Great knew of his second marriage of his son to a Hasmonean princess. Around this time Herod the Great had his son killed also.

This Antipater is the Gran father of Antipater the son of Herod the Great, Antipater was named after his grandfather Antipater.

But there were some who "knew their God," that He was able to deliver, and so they were made "strong," and did "exploits." This refers to Mattathias, an aged Priest, and his sons, known as the Maccabees, who, from BC 166 to BC 47, fought to restore the national life of Israel. Mattathias, driven to desperation by the outrages of Antiochus, raised a revolt against him, and fled to the mountains with a number of followers, zealous for the faith of Israel. Two years later he died and was succeeded by his third son, Judas, known as "The Hammer," who by avoiding pitched battles, and by guerrilla warfare, defeated and routed every Syrian army sent against him, and in BC 165 retook Jerusalem, purified the Temple, and restored the daily sacrifice. He fell in battle in BC 160, and was succeeded by his younger brother Jonathan, a High Priest. During the leadership of Jonathan the Syrians were engaged in civil war, so Judea was left in peace, and Jonathan strengthened his position by making a treaty with the Romans and the Spartans. He was treacherously slain by a Syrian general in BC 143, and was succeeded by his bother Simon, the last remaining son of Mattathias. Simon and two of his sons were treacherously slain by his son-in-law in BC 135. His son John, known as John Hycanus, who escaped, succeeded him and had a long and prosperous reign. Others in the same line followed, with varying success, until the Maccabeans, falling into disfavor, were succeeded by the Idumaen, Antipater, in BC 47. After the murder of Antipater, BC 43, Marc Anthony visited Syria, and appointed two of Antipater's sons, Phasaelus and Herod, afterward known as "Herod the Great" (BC 37 to BC 4) to look after the jewish people. Herod the Great was King when Christ was born in BC 4. Matthew 2:1-15. From this we see that the Maccabees bridged the greater part of the period from Antiochus Epiphanes to the Birth of Christ. - copied