Encyclopedia of The Bible – Cendebaeus, Cendebeus
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Cendebaeus, Cendebeus

CENDEBAEUS, CENDEBEUS sĕn’ də be’ əs (Gr. Κενδεβαὶ̀ος) a general of the Hel. King Antiochus VII who was put in charge of the coast lands of Syria-Palestine (c. 138 b.c.). He fortified Kedron, a city on the coastal plain mid-way between Joppa and Ashkelon, the modern Qâtra. From this defensive position he raided the hill country until Simon sent his son John Hyrcanus and Judas against him with 20,000 soldiers. They came upon the Syrians at Modin NW of Jerusalem, modern el’-’Arab ’în. There the Jews were victorious although Judas was wounded. They pursued Cendebeus and his army to Kedron and then returned to Jerusalem. The narrative is told in 1 Maccabees 15:37ff.; 16:8, 9.