Simon II (High Priest)

The records of High Priests during the Ptolemaic and early Seleucid eras of Judea are sparse – the main source that gives a list of them is Josephus's Jewish Antiquities Book XII.

It concludes in Chapter 50 with Simon as the most recent such leader, praising him effusively in a hymn of Hebrew parallel verse: The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people was the high priest, Simon son of Onias, who in his life repaired the house, and in his time fortified the temple.

Like the morning star upon the clouds, like the full moon at the festal season, like the sun shining on the temple of the Most High, like the rainbow gleaming in splendid clouds..." The chapter goes on to describe a festival led by the High Priest Simon II and the celebrations of the people of Jerusalem.

This scene takes place after the Battle of Raphia (217 BCE), suggesting that Simon may have been High Priest then as well.

The main cause for concern is that 3 Maccabees is not generally considered a particularly reliable source for information, with much of its narrative seemingly closer to historical fiction or Greek romances.