THE REST OF THE (CONTROVERSIAL) HASMONEANS The story of the Hasmoneans is a bit like a bad soap opera. Here are the next one hundred years, briefly! Jonathan After the rededication of the Jerusalem temple in 164 BCE and Judas’s death, the struggle to secure Israel’s independence continues, now under the leadership of Judas’s brother Jonathan (1 Macc. 9:23–12:53). But military action is no longer the key test of faithfulness. Increasingly political diplomacy comes to the fore as Jonathan works with,