The Hasmoneans, with their political and religious status, were often the subject of criticism by those demanding that they step down from some of their titles. Some texts composed in the second half of the 2nd century and first half of the 1st century BCE are thought to be critical toward the Hasmoneans, and for this reason it is worth presenting them here, if only as a brief review, what was the substance of the criticism and the form in which it was expressed.

At the core of all anti-Hasmonean attitudes was opposition to the vastness of power they combined in their hands. The Pharisees were the first to venture to voice publicly their opinion on the matter. Their criticism, though veiled (the ostensible pretext given for suggestions that John Hyrcanus submit a resignation from high priesthood were rumors of his impure lineage), proved pregnant with consequences. First, a crisis ensued in relations between the ruler and the Pharisees, as a result of which they lost their influence, and soon afterward, under Alexander Jannaeus, the crisis escalated into a full-scale conflict. Criticism so expressed proved ineffectual, what with the lack of any desired outcome and with repressions they suffered. The behavior of the Pharisees after Alexander Jannaeus' death also implies that, despite their declared anti-Hasmonean attitudes, they were willing to collaborate with them under certain circumstances.