(Ἀντίοχος), king of SYRIA, surnamed THEOS (*Qeo/s), and on coins Epiphanes Dionysus
(Ἐπιφανής Διόνυσος), was the son of Alexander Balas,
king of Syria [see p. 114b.], and remained in Arabia after his father's death in B. C. 146. Two years afterwards (B. C. 144),
while he was still a youth, he was brought forward as a claimant to the crown against
Demetrius Nicator by Tryphon, or Diodotus, who had been one of his father's chief ministers.
Tryphon met with great success; Jonathan and Simon, the leaders of the Jews, joined his party;
and Antiochus was acknowledged as king by the greater part of Syria. But Tryphon, who had all
along intended to secure the royal power for himself, and had brought forward Antiochus only
for this purpose, now put the young prince to death and ascended the throne, B. C. 142. (1 Maccab. xi., &c.; J. AJ 13.6, &c.; Strab. xvi.
p.752; Justin, 36.1; Liv. Epit.
55.) The reverse of the annexed coin represents the Dioscuri riding on
horseback, and has upon it the year O P, that is, the 170th year of the Seleucidae. (Eckhel,
iii. p. 231, &c.)