Demetrius, King Of Syria
DEMETRIUS, KING OF SYRIA (d. 150 B.C.), surnamed Soter, the first of three Kings of Syria by the name of Demetrius, was sent to Rome as a hostage during the reign of his father, Seleucus IV. Philopator, but after his father's death in 175 B.C. he escaped from confinement, and established himself on the Syrian throne (162 B.C.) after overthrowing and murdering King Antiochus V. Eupator. He acquired his surname of Soter, or Saviour, from the Babylonians, whom he delivered from the tyranny of the Median satrap, Timarchus, and is. famous in Jewish history for his contests with the Maccabees. Hated for his vices, Demetrius fell in battle against the usurper, Alexander Balas, in 150 B.C.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
