29. Ptolemy IX Soter II, Lathyrus, and his Kingdom, Egypt.

29.  -Daniel Chapter 11, Verse 9.

           Ptolemy IX Soter II, Lathyrus,

             and his Kingdom, Egypt. BC 107-81. 

We will continue now a little further in the story of Ptolemy IX Lathyrus, with verse 9. This verse is really part of verse 8 and is taking us back to the Egyptian throne of the South and its continuing story and how it too will eventually fall to the Roman dragon. Daniel 11:9. "SO THE KING OF THE SOUTH SHALL COME INTO HIS KINGDOM, AND SHALL RETURN INTO HIS OWN LAND". The King of the South remains as Egypt and Ptolemy "Lathyrus".

We left off in verse 8 where Ptolemy IX Lathyrus had gone back to his "estate" in Egypt with captives and much prey from the land of Palestine, where he had left off his destruction of that land. Hoping also that he would overwhelm his mother Cleopatra III and her army, who were still at Ptolemais besieging that city.

Ptolemy Lathyrus was received well by the Egyptians, though Cleopatra's army now divided in two, was sent into Egypt to remove him. The army was led by a Jewish general who died driving this campaign.

Lathyrus was eventually driven out of Egypt again and he abode during the wintertime at Gaza. Then once more he crossed over into Cyprus and there remained entrenched until Cleopatra's death in 101 BC.

Cleopatra III had returned to Egypt from her campaigns in the North and had ruled jointly with her favourite son Alexander I, until her death. Though the people of the city of Alexandria hated Ptolemy Alexander I and believed that he assassinated his mother therefore drove him out.

Meanwhile, both Alexander I and Ptolemy Lathyrus became reconciled to each other, though Alexander I remained ruler of Egypt at that time. Ptolemy Lathyrus gave his daughter Berenice to his brother, as his queen.

Now we come to these lines of Daniel's in Daniel 11:9. "SO THE KING OF THE SOUTH SHALL COME INTO HIS KINGDOM, AND SHALL RETURN INTO HIS OWN LAND".

This is exactly what happened because in 88 BC Ptolemy Lathyrus, along with the people of Alexandria, for the second time drove Alexander I and his Queen out of Egypt. They expelled him this time because he had plundered the tomb of Alexander the Great, in order to pay his army.

It is said, Ptolemy Alexander I died at sea attempting to raid the coast of Asia Minor. Others say he was murdered by his brother Ptolemy Lathyrus!

Lathyrus took up the reigns of Kingship once more in the land of the South, Egypt and at last he came into "his Kingdom" again, with no one to call his ruling into question, nor his right to rule the kingdom. He had spent 20 years or more in exile in Cyprus, apart from his warring in Syrian and Palestinian territories. So, Ptolemy IX Soter II, "Lathyrus", resumed his title and his "estate" as sole ruler over all Egypt and "returned into his own land" after so many years frustrated as Daniel proclaims written as in Verse 9. His daughter Berenice who had been expelled from Egypt along with her husband Ptolemy Alexander I, her father Lathyrus, now recalled her back to Egypt marrying his own daughter, who became Berenice III.

(The incestuous relationships of these Ptolemies never fail to astound me)! During 88 BC Lathyrus was faced with a serious rebellion around the city of Thebes in Upper Egypt, which caused a massive upheaval in Egypt when that war lasted for 3 years. Thebes was to capitulate to Lathyrus and he had the city sacked and the people punished in retribution. Thus, did they know he "was" indeed King of Egypt! To the North of Egypt at that time also, the Romans were fighting the kingdom of Pontus in Asia Minor, to which Lathyrus refused to give any aid to the Romans. He was always very careful as a rule to take a neutral stand, as far as Rome or others were concerned. Nevertheless, when Athens was sacked by the Romans, these rulers of Egypt helped to rebuild that city, who were honoured by Athens with the erection of statues of both Lathyrus and Berenice III.

Rome's power and muscle was growing and its continual quarrels with the Parthians -or- Pontus under its king Mithridates, called for much caution as far as Lathyrus was concerned. Mainly no doubt, because his 2 young sons had been taken prisoner by Mithridates, when he captured the Island of Cos. It was said that Mithridates took great care of the princes and even educated them. Ptolemy Alexander I Lathyrus's brother also had a son, he to being a prisoner of Mithridates from Cos, he was to escape however to Rome later on.

Ptolemy Lathyrus annexed Cyprus to Egypt after returning to his Kingdom, where he was to rule until his death in 81/80 BC. Leaving his daughter and widow Berenice III to rule Egypt, as his successor. The "Kingdom" of Egypt which "Lathyrus" wanted so badly all his life and which "estate" was given into his hand, would not be taken from him even after his death, because that throne would be given also to his son and heir Ptolemy XII Aleuts.

Lathyrus's granddaughter, the famous Cleopatra VII also would rule Egypt until the Kingdom fell to the Romans. To explain how his son Aleuts eventually came to the throne after being taken prisoner under Mithridates of Pontus, is a good way to end this short chapter on this "King of the South". That of Lathyrus and the impact he made in Daniel's prophecies.

When Ptolemy IX Lathyrus died in 81 BC and his daughter Berenice III ruled Egypt in his stead, the Roman dictator Lucius Sulla sent Ptolemy Alexander I son back to Egypt, after he had been in Rome a few years. Without consulting Queen Berenice or the Egyptian people, the Roman Sulla sent the prince to marry Berenice and to rule Egypt. To which Berenice refused to share her ruling power of Egypt. So, after 19 days of so-called joint rule this Ptolemy, - known as Ptolemy XI Alexander II,- murdered Berenice. But he didn't last very long however, because the infuriated people of Alexandria killed him in revenge for Berenice's death.

During the year 81 BC there were many unsuccessful claimants who came and went, to the throne of the south. Then the people of Alexandria invited one of Lathyrus's sons to be ruler, known as "Aleuts" (meaning flute player) who now seems to be conveniently in Egypt and no longer prisoners of Mithridates.

History calls Aleuts a quasi-legitimate king, because his mother is not known, though Ptolemy IX Lathyrus was his father. "Aleuts" relied much upon Rome to support his "right" to the Egyptian throne, after the violent deaths of its former rulers. He spent many years and large amounts of money in Rome, seeking support for his status, especially paying Julius Caesar 6,000 talents in return for acknowledging his kingship. Ptolemy XII Aleuts became the father of 2 sons - Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV and 2 daughters Cleopatra VII, also Arsinoe, whose lives and deaths were also violent. So ends the involved life and reign of the King of Egypt called Ptolemy IX Soter II Lathyrus whose tale has straddled Daniel's chapter 11, for 3 verses, namely Daniel 11:7-9, covering history of the Seleucids and its demise and the rise of a Kingdom in Palestine. It also emphasised the Kingdom of Egypt to remain for more years than the others. Now verse 10 will begin the demise of that Palestinian Kingdom of the North of Egypt also.