Is it true that Simeon ben Shetach was summoned to a diplomatic meeting between Parthians and King Alexander Jannaeus by Queen Salome Alexandra?

Question

There is a story on wikipedia for Simeon ben Shetach at this link.. After the civil war between the Pharisees and King Alexander Jannaeus the Judeans are meeting with Parthians. The Parthians asked why Simeon wasn't at the meeting, and in response Queen Salome invited Simeon back to Jerusalem. When Simeon returns he sits between the King and Queen and is reported to have said, "The wisdom which I serve grants me equal rank with kings." Wikipedia cites Yerushalmi Nazir, 54b and Berakhot, 48a. However, the story in the Berakhot only resembles the wikipedia story and makes no reference to parthians. And furthermore Yerushalmi Nazir, 54b seems completely unrelated to the life of Simeon ben Shetach. Is there a better source for this story? Or is this only a poor paraphrasing of the story in Berakhot, 48a?

Answer 1

This is from Palestinian Talmud Nazir 5.3 (54b in the Venice edition) "[A rumor was spread that Simeon ben Shetaḥ had tricked King Yanni. King Yannai heard about it and got angry.] Simeon ben Shetaḥ heard and fled. After some time, important people from the Persian empire (Aramaic is just general kingdom- מַּלְכוּתָא, not Persia or Parthia specifically as far as I can tell) came to king Yannai. They said to him: We remember that there was an old man [Simeon b. Shetah] who gave us a rabbinic discourse. They said to him, send and bring him! [King Yanni] sent and gave him his word; he came and sat between king and queen. [King Yanni] said to him, why did you trick me?, [Simeon b. Shetah] said, I did not trick you; you with your money and I with my learning, as it is written (Eccl. 7:12) “In the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money.” He said to him, why did you disappear? He said to him, I heard that my lord [King Yanni] was angry with me and I wanted to fulfill the verse (Is. 26:20) “Hide a little bit until the rage passes;” he used about himself (Eccl. 7:12): “Knowledge is an advantage, wisdom lets its possessor live.” He said to him, why did you sit between king and queen? He said to him, it is written in the book of Ben Sirach: “Esteem it and it will raise you and seat you among princes.” (Heinrich W. Guggenheimer Translation)