person · P0437
Shimon HaMakabi שמעון התרסי
Last surviving son of Mattityahu of Modiin and founder of Hasmonean rule: under him "the yoke of the nations was lifted from Israel," documents were dated by his years, and the great assembly made him leader and high priest forever — until a faithful prophet should arise. He was murdered at a banquet in the Dok fortress by his own son-in-law.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- שמעון התרסי
- Also known as
- Simon Thassi, Simon Maccabeus, Shimon ben Mattityahu
- Era
- second-temple
- Children
- Yochanan Hyrcanus
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3590–3625 AM (ruled 3618–3625)
- Academic
- ruled 142–135 BCE; murdered February 135 BCE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈35 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the 170th year of the Seleucid era the yoke of the nations was lifted from Israel, and the people began to write in their documents and contracts: "In the first year of Shimon, great high priest, commander, and leader of the Jews."
I Maccabees is Second Temple literature outside Tanakh — the dynasty's own near-contemporary chronicle.
|
external | ★★★★☆ | |
| The great assembly of priests, people, and elders decreed that Shimon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a faithful prophet should arise — the charter of the Hasmonean high priesthood. | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| Ptolemy ben Chavuv, his son-in-law and commander of the Jericho plain, received Shimon and two of his sons at the little fortress of Dok, and when they had drunk, his men rose and killed them — the founder murdered at his own family's table. | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| AM placement (ruled 3618–3625) is schematic: conventional Josephus- based dates mapped onto the atlas timeline at AM ≈ 3760 − BCE / 3760 + CE, consistent with the Second Temple's destruction at 3828 AM. The lifespan band is widened around the attested career. | reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |