Doig's Biblical Chronology  . Exact Dating of the Exodus and Birth and Crucifixion of Jesus

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Index to Josephus

Antiquities of the Jews - Book XVIII

CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF THIRTY-TWO YEARS
FROM THE BANISHMENT OF ARCHELUS TO THE DEPARTURE FROM BABYLON

CHAPTER 1

HOW CYRENIUS WAS SENT BY CAESAR TO MAKE A TAXATION OF SYRIA AND JUDEA; AND HOW
COPONIUS WAS SENT TO BE PROCURATOR OF JUDEA; CONCERNING JUDAS OF GALILEE AND
CONCERNING THE SECTS THAT WERE AMONG THE JEWS

1. NOW Cyrenius, a Roman senator, and one who had gone through other magistracies, and had passed through
them till he had been consul, and one who, on other accounts, was of great dignity, came at this time into Syria, with
a few others, being sent by Caesar to he a judge of that nation, and to take an account of their substance. Coponius
also, a man of the equestrian order, was sent together with him, to have the supreme power over the Jews.
Moreover, Cyrenius came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of
their substance, and to dispose of Archelaus's money; but the Jews, although at the beginning they took the report
of a taxation heinously, yet did they leave off any further opposition to it, by the persuasion of Joazar, who was the
son of Beethus, and high priest; so they, being over-pesuaded by Joazar's words, gave an account of their estates,
without any dispute about it. Yet was there one Judas, a Gaulonite, (1) of a city whose name was Gamala, who,
taking with him Sadduc, (2) a Pharisee, became zealous to draw them to a revolt, who both said that this taxation
was no better than an introduction to slavery, and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty; as if they could
procure them happiness and security for what they possessed, and an assured enjoyment of a still greater good,
which was that of the honor and glory they would thereby acquire for magnanimity. They also said that God would
not otherwise be assisting to them, than upon their joining with one another in such councils as might be successful,
and for their own advantage; and this especially, if they would set about great exploits, and not grow weary in
executing the same; so men received what they said with pleasure, and this bold attempt proceeded to a great
height. All sorts of misfortunes also sprang from these men, and the nation was infected with this doctrine to an
incredible degree; one violent war came upon us after another, and we lost our friends which used to alleviate our
pains; there were also very great robberies and murder of our principal men. This was done in pretense indeed for
the public welfare, but in reality for the hopes of gain to themselves; whence arose seditions, and from them
murders of men, which sometimes fell on those of their own people, (by the madness of these men towards one
another, while their desire was that none of the adverse party might be left,) and sometimes on their enemies; a
famine also coming upon us, reduced us to the last degree of despair, as did also the taking and demolishing of
cities; nay, the sedition at last increased so high, that the very temple of God was burnt down by their enemies' fire.
Such were the consequences of this, that the customs of our fathers were altered, and such a change was made, as
added a mighty weight toward bringing all to destruction, which these men occasioned by their thus conspiring
together; for Judas and Sadduc, who excited a fourth philosophic sect among us, and had a great many followers
therein, filled our civil government with tumults at present, and laid the foundations of our future miseries, by this
system of philosophy, which we were before unacquainted withal, concerning which I will discourse a little, and this
the rather because the infection which spread thence among the younger sort, who were zealous for it, brought the
public to destruction.

2. The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and
the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees; of which sects, although
I have already spoken in the second book of the Jewish War, yet will I a little touch upon them now.

3. Now, for the Pharisees, they live meanly, and despise delicacies in diet; and they follow the conduct of reason;
and what that prescribes to them as good for them they do; and they think they ought earnestly to strive to observe
reason's dictates for practice. They also pay a respect to such as are in years; nor are they so bold as to contradict
them in any thing which they have introduced; and when they determine that all things are done by fate, they do not
take away the freedom from men of acting as they think fit; since their notion is, that it hath pleased God to make a
temperament, whereby what he wills is done, but so that the will of man can act virtuously or viciously. They also
believe that souls have an immortal rigor in them, and that under the earth there will be rewards or punishments,
according as they have lived virtuously or viciously in this life; and the latter are to be detained in an everlasting
prison, but that the former shall have power to revive and live again; on account of which doctrines they are able
greatly to persuade the body of the people; and whatsoever they do about Divine worship, prayers, and sacrifices,
they perform them according to their direction; insomuch that the cities give great attestations to them on account
of their entire virtuous conduct, both in the actions of their lives and their discourses also.

4. But the doctrine of the Sadducees is this: That souls die with the bodies; nor do they regard the observation of
any thing besides what the law enjoins them; for they think it an instance of virtue to dispute with those teachers of
philosophy whom they frequent: but this doctrine is received but by a few, yet by those still of the greatest dignity.
But they are able to do almost nothing of themselves; for when they become magistrates, as they are unwillingly
and by force sometimes obliged to be, they addict themselves to the notions of the Pharisees, because the multitude
would not otherwise bear them.

5. The doctrine of the Essens is this: That all things are best ascribed to God. They teach the immortality of souls,
and esteem that the rewards of righteousness are to be earnestly striven for; and when they send what they have
dedicated to God into the temple, they do not offer sacrifices (3) because they have more pure lustrations of their
own; on which account they are excluded from the common court of the temple, but offer their sacrifices
themselves; yet is their course of life better than that of other men; and they entirely addict themselves to
husbandry. It also deserves our admiration, how much they exceed all other men that addict themselves to virtue,
and this in righteousness; and indeed to such a degree, that as it hath never appeared among any other men,
neither Greeks nor barbarians, no, not for a little time, so hath it endured a long while among them. This is
demonstrated by that institution of theirs, which will not suffer any thing to hinder them from having all things in
common; so that a rich man enjoys no more of his own wealth than he who hath nothing at all. There are about four
thousand men that live in this way, and neither marry wives, nor are desirous to keep servants; as thinking the
latter tempts men to be unjust, and the former gives the handle to domestic quarrels; but as they live by
themselves, they minister one to another. They also appoint certain stewards to receive the incomes of their
revenues, and of the fruits of the ground; such as are good men and priests, who are to get their corn and their food
ready for them. They none of them differ from others of the Essens in their way of living, but do the most resemble
those Dacae who are called Polistae (4) [dwellers in cities].

6. But of the fourth sect of Jewish philosophy, Judas the Galilean was the author. These men agree in all other
things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their
only Ruler and Lord. They also do not value dying any kinds of death, nor indeed do they heed the deaths of their
relations and friends, nor can any such fear make them call any man lord. And since this immovable resolution of
theirs is well known to a great many, I shall speak no further about that matter; nor am I afraid that any thing I
have said of them should be disbelieved, but rather fear, that what I have said is beneath the resolution they show
when they undergo pain. And it was in Gessius Florus's time that the nation began to grow mad with this distemper,
who was our procurator, and who occasioned the Jews to go wild with it by the abuse of his authority, and to make
them revolt from the Romans. And these are the sects of Jewish philosophy.

1. WHEN Cyrenius had now disposed of Archelaus's money, and when the taxings were come to a conclusion,
which were made in the thirty-seventh year of Caesar's victory over Antony at Actium, he deprived Joazar of the
high priesthood, which dignity had been conferred on him by the multitude, and he appointed Ananus, the son of
Seth, to be high priest; while Herod and Philip had each of them received their own tetrarchy, and settled the affairs
thereof. Herod also built a wall about Sepphoris, (which is the security of all Galilee,) and made it the metropolis of
the country. He also built a wall round Betharamphtha, which was itself a city also, and called it Julias, from the
name of the emperor's wife. When Philip also had built Paneas, a city at the fountains of Jordan, he named it
Cesarea. He also advanced the village Bethsaids, situate at the lake of Gennesareth, unto the dignity of a city,
both by the number of inhabitants it contained, and its other grandeur, and called it by the name of Julias, the same
name with Caesar's daughter.

2. As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was exercising his office of procurator, and
governing Judea, the following accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened bread,
which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to open the temple-gates just after midnight. When,
therefore, those gates were first opened, some of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem, and threw about
dead men's bodies, in the cloisters; on which account the Jews afterward excluded them out of the temple, which
they had not used to do at such festivals; and on other accounts also they watched the temple more carefully than
they had formerly done. A little after which accident Coponius returned to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be
his successor in that government; under whom Salome, the sister of king Herod, died, and left to Julia, [Caesar's
wife,] Jamnia, all its toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, where is a great plantation of palm trees,
and their fruit is excellent in its kind. After him came Annius Rufus, under whom died Caesar, the second emperor
of the Romans, the duration of whose reign was fifty-seven years, besides six months and two days (of which time
Antonius ruled together with him fourteen years; but the duration of his life was seventy-seven years); upon whose
death Tiberius Nero, his wife Julia's son, succeeded. He was now the third emperor; and he sent Valerius Gratus to
be procurator of Judea, and to succeed Annius Rufus. This man deprived Ananus of the high priesthood, and
appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi, to be high priest. He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the
son of Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest; which office, when he had held for a year, Gratus
deprived him of it, and gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and when he had possessed that
dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he
went back to Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate came as his successor.

3. And now Herod the tetrarch, who was in great favor with Tiberius, built a city of the same name with him, and
called it Tiberias. He built it in the best part of Galilee, at the lake of Gennesareth. There are warm baths at a little
distance from it, in a village named Emmaus. Strangers came and inhabited this city; a great number of the
inhabitants were Galileans also; and many were necessitated by Herod to come thither out of the country belonging
to him, and were by force compelled to be its inhabitants; some of them were persons of condition. He also admitted
poor people, such as those that were collected from all parts, to dwell in it. Nay, some of them were not quite
free-men, and these he was benefactor to, and made them free in great numbers; but obliged them not to forsake
the city, by building them very good houses at his own expenses, and by giving them land also; for he was sensible,
that to make this place a habitation was to transgress the Jewish ancient laws, because many sepulchers were to be
here taken away, in order to make room for the city Tiberias (5) whereas our laws pronounce that such inhabitants
are unclean for seven days. (6)

4. About this time died Phraates, king of the Parthians, by the treachery of Phraataces his son, upon the occasion
following: When Phraates had had legitimate sons of his own, he had also an Italian maid-servant, whose name was
Thermusa, who had been formerly sent to him by Julius Caesar, among other presents. He first made her his
concubine; but he being a great admirer of her beauty, in process of time having a son by her, whose name was
Phraataces, he made her his legitimate wife, and had a great respect for her. Now she was able to persuade him to
do any thing that she said, and was earnest in procuring the government of Parthia for her son; but still she saw that
her endeavors would not succeed, unless she could contrive how to remove Phraates's legitimate sons [out of the
kingdom;] so she persuaded him to send those his sons as pledges of his fidelity to Rome; and they were sent to
Rome accordingly, because it was not easy for him to contradict her commands. Now while Phraataces was alone
brought up in order to succeed in the government, he thought it very tedious to expect that government by his
father's donation [as his successor]; he therefore formed a treacherous design against his father, by his mother's
assistance, with whom, as the report went, he had criminal conversation also. So he was hated for both these vices,
while his subjects esteemed this [wicked] love of his mother to be no way inferior to his parricide; and he was by
them, in a sedition, expelled out of the country before he grew too great, and died. But as the best sort of Parthians
agreed together that it was impossible they should be governed without a king, while also it was their constant
practice to choose one of the family of Arsaces, [nor did their law allow of any others; and they thought this
kingdom had been sufficiently injured already by the marriage with an Italian concubine, and by her issue,] they
sent ambassadors, and called Orodes [to take the crown]; for the multitude would not otherwise have borne them;
and though he was accused of very great cruelty, and was of an untractable temper, and prone to wrath, yet still he
was one of the family of Arsaces. However, they made a conspiracy against him, and slew him, and that, as some
say, at a festival, and among their sacrifices; (for it is the universal custom there to carry their swords with them;)
but, as the more general report is, they slew him when they had drawn him out a hunting. So they sent ambassadors
to Rome, and desired they would send one of those that were there as pledges to be their king. Accordingly,
Vonones was preferred before the rest, and sent to them (for he seemed capable of such great fortune, which two of
the greatest kingdoms under the sun now offered him, his own and a foreign one). However, the barbarians soon
changed their minds, they being naturally of a mutable disposition, upon the supposal that this man was not worthy
to be their governor; for they could not think of obeying the commands of one that had been a slave, (for so they
called those that had been hostages,) nor could they bear the ignominy of that name; and this was the more
intolerable, because then the Parthians must have such a king set over them, not by right of war, but in time of
peace. So they presently invited Artabanus, king of Media, to be their king, he being also of the race of Arsaces.
Artabanus complied with the offer that was made him, and came to them with an army. So Vonones met him; and at
first the multitude of the Parthians stood on this side, and he put his army in array; but Artabanus was beaten, and
fled to the mountains of Media. Yet did he a little after gather a great army together, and fought with Vonones, and
beat him; whereupon Vonones fled away on horseback, with a few of his attendants about him, to Seleucia [upon
Tigris]. So when Artabanus had slain a great number, and this after he had gotten the victory by reason of the very
great dismay the barbarians were in, he retired to Ctesiphon with a great number of his people; and so he now
reigned over the Parthians. But Vonones fled away to Armenia; and as soon as he came thither, he had an
inclination to have the government of the country given him, and sent ambassadors to Rome [for that purpose]. But
because Tiberius refused it him, and because he wanted courage, and because the Parthian king threatened him,
and sent ambassadors to him to denounce war against him if he proceeded, and because he had no way to take to
regain any other kingdom, (for the people of authority among the Armenians about Niphates joined themselves to
Artabanus,) he delivered up himself to Silanus, the president of Syria, who, out of regard to his education at Rome,
kept him in Syria, while Artabanus gave Armenia to Orodes, one of his own sons.

5. At this time died Antiochus, the king of Commagene; whereupon the multitude contended with the nobility, and
both sent ambassadors to [Rome]; for the men of power were desirous that their form of government might be
changed into that of a [Roman] province; as were the multitude desirous to be under kings, as their fathers had
been. So the senate made a decree that Germanicus should be sent to settle the affairs of the East, fortune hereby
taking a proper opportunity for depriving him of his life; for when he had been in the East, and settled all affairs
there, his life was taken away by the poison which Piso gave him, as hath been related elsewhere. (7)

1. BUT now Pilate, the procurator of Judea, removed the army from Cesarea to Jerusalem, to take their winter
quarters there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws. So he introduced Caesar's effigies, which were upon the
ensigns, and brought them into the city; whereas our law forbids us the very making of images; on which account
the former procurators were wont to make their entry into the city with such ensigns as had not those ornaments.
Pilate was the first who brought those images to Jerusalem, and set them up there; which was done without the
knowledge of the people, because it was done in the night time; but as soon as they knew it, they came in
multitudes to Cesarea, and interceded with Pilate many days that he would remove the images; and when he would
not grant their requests, because it would tend to the injury of Caesar, while yet they persevered in their request,
on the sixth day he ordered his soldiers to have their weapons privately, while he came and sat upon his
judgment-seat, which seat was so prepared in the open place of the city, that it concealed the army that lay ready to
oppress them; and when the Jews petitioned him again, he gave a signal to the soldiers to encompass them routed,
and threatened that their punishment should be no less than immediate death, unless they would leave off
disturbing him, and go their ways home. But they threw themselves upon the ground, and laid their necks bare, and
said they would take their death very willingly, rather than the wisdom of their laws should be transgressed; upon
which Pilate was deeply affected with their firm resolution to keep their laws inviolable, and presently commanded
the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Cesarea.

2. But Pilate undertook to bring a current of water to Jerusalem, and did it with the sacred money, and derived the
origin of the stream from the distance of two hundred furlongs. However, the Jews (8) were not pleased with what
had been done about this water; and many ten thousands of the people got together, and made a clamor against
him, and insisted that he should leave off that design. Some of them also used reproaches, and abused the man, as
crowds of such people usually do. So he habited a great number of his soldiers in their habit, who carried daggers
under their garments, and sent them to a place where they might surround them. So he bid the Jews himself go
away; but they boldly casting reproaches upon him, he gave the soldiers that signal which had been beforehand
agreed on; who laid upon them much greater blows than Pilate had commanded them, and equally punished those
that were tumultuous, and those that were not; nor did they spare them in the least: and since the people were
unarmed, and were caught by men prepared for what they were about, there were a great number of them slain by
this means, and others of them ran away wounded. And thus an end was put to this sedition.

3. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful
works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and
many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had
condemned him to the cross, (9) those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive
again the third day; (10) as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things
concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.

4. About the same time also another sad calamity put the Jews into disorder, and certain shameful practices
happened about the temple of Isis that was at Rome. I will now first take notice of the wicked attempt about the
temple of Isis, and will then give an account of the Jewish affairs. There was at Rome a woman whose name was
Paulina; one who, on account of the dignity of her ancestors, and by the regular conduct of a virtuous life, had a
great reputation: she was also very rich; and although she was of a beautiful countenance, and in that flower of her
age wherein women are the most gay, yet did she lead a life of great modesty. She was married to Saturninus, one
that was every way answerable to her in an excellent character. Decius Mundus fell in love with this woman, who
was a man very high in the equestrian order; and as she was of too great dignity to be caught by presents, and had
already rejected them, though they had been sent in great abundance, he was still more inflamed with love to her,
insomuch that he promised to give her two hundred thousand Attic drachmae for one night's lodging; and when this
would not prevail upon her, and he was not able to bear this misfortune in his amours, he thought it the best way to
famish himself to death for want of food, on account of Paulina's sad refusal; and he determined with himself to die
after such a manner, and he went on with his purpose accordingly. Now Mundus had a freed-woman, who had been
made free by his father, whose name was Ide, one skillful in all sorts of mischief. This woman was very much
grieved at the young man's resolution to kill himself, (for he did not conceal his intentions to destroy himself from
others,) and came to him, and encouraged him by her discourse, and made him to hope, by some promises she gave
him, that he might obtain a night's lodging with Paulina; and when he joyfully hearkened to her entreaty, she said
she wanted no more than fifty thousand drachmae for the entrapping of the woman. So when she had encouraged
the young man, and gotten as much money as she required, she did not take the same methods as had been taken
before, because she perceived that the woman was by no means to be tempted by money; but as she knew that she
was very much given to the worship of the goddess Isis, she devised the following stratagem: She went to some of
Isis's priests, and upon the strongest assurances [of concealment], she persuaded them by words, but chiefly by the
offer of money, of twenty-five thousand drachmae in hand, and as much more when the thing had taken effect; and
told them the passion of the young man, and persuaded them to use all means possible to beguile the woman. So
they were drawn in to promise so to do, by that large sum of gold they were to have. Accordingly, the oldest of them
went immediately to Paulina; and upon his admittance, he desired to speak with her by herself. When that was
granted him, he told her that he was sent by the god Anubis, who was fallen in love with her, and enjoined her to
come to him. Upon this she took the message very kindly, and valued herself greatly upon this condescension of
Anubis, and told her husband that she had a message sent her, and was to sup and lie with Anubis; so he agreed to
her acceptance of the offer, as fully satisfied with the chastity of his wife. Accordingly, she went to the temple, and
after she had supped there, and it was the hour to go to sleep, the priest shut the doors of the temple, when, in the
holy part of it, the lights were also put out. Then did Mundus leap out, (for he was hidden therein,) and did not fail
of enjoying her, who was at his service all the night long, as supposing he was the god; and when he was gone away,
which was before those priests who knew nothing of this stratagem were stirring, Paulina came early to her
husband, and told him how the god Anubis had appeared to her. Among her friends, also, she declared how great a
value she put upon this favor, who partly disbelieved the thing, when they reflected on its nature, and partly were
amazed at it, as having no pretense for not believing it, when they considered the modesty and the dignity of the
person. But now, on the third day after what had been done, Mundus met Paulina, and said, "Nay, Paulina, thou
hast saved me two hundred thousand drachmae, which sum thou sightest have added to thy own family; yet hast
thou not failed to be at my service in the manner I invited thee. As for the reproaches thou hast laid upon Mundus,
I value not the business of names; but I rejoice in the pleasure I reaped by what I did, while I took to myself the
name of Anubis." When he had said this, he went his way. But now she began to come to the sense of the grossness
of what she had done, and rent her garments, and told her husband of the horrid nature of this wicked contrivance,
and prayed him not to neglect to assist her in this case. So he discovered the fact to the emperor; whereupon
Tiberius inquired into the matter thoroughly by examining the priests about it, and ordered them to be crucified, as
well as Ide, who was the occasion of their perdition, and who had contrived the whole matter, which was so injurious
to the woman. He also demolished the temple of Isis, and gave order that her statue should be thrown into the river
Tiber; while he only banished Mundus, but did no more to him, because he supposed that what crime he had
committed was done out of the passion of love. And these were the circumstances which concerned the temple of
Isis, and the injuries occasioned by her priests. I now return to the relation of what happened about this time to the
Jews at Rome, as I formerly told you I would.

5. There was a man who was a Jew, but had been driven away from his own country by an accusation laid against
him for transgressing their laws, and by the fear he was under of punishment for the same; but in all respects a
wicked man. He, then living at Rome, professed to instruct men in the wisdom of the laws of Moses. He procured
also three other men, entirely of the same character with himself, to be his partners. These men persuaded Fulvia,
a woman of great dignity, and one that had embraced the Jewish religion, to send purple and gold to the temple at
Jerusalem; and when they had gotten them, they employed them for their own uses, and spent the money
themselves, on which account it was that they at first required it of her. Whereupon Tiberius, who had been
informed of the thing by Saturninus, the husband of Fulvia, who desired inquiry might be made about it, ordered all
the Jews to be banished out of Rome; at which time the consuls listed four thousand men out of them, and sent
them to the island Sardinia; but punished a greater number of them, who were unwilling to become soldiers, on
account of keeping the laws of their forefathers. (11) Thus were these Jews banished out of the city by the
wickedness of four men.

1. BUT the nation of the Samaritans did not escape without tumults. The man who excited them to it was one who
thought lying a thing of little consequence, and who contrived every thing so that the multitude might be pleased; so
he bid them to get together upon Mount Gerizzim, which is by them looked upon as the most holy of all mountains,
and assured them, that when they were come thither, he would show them those sacred vessels which were laid
under that place, because Moses put them there (12) So they came thither armed, and thought the discourse of the
man probable; and as they abode at a certain village, which was called Tirathaba, they got the rest together to
them, and desired to go up the mountain in a great multitude together; but Pilate prevented their going up, by
seizing upon file roads with a great band of horsemen and foot-men, who fell upon those that were gotten together
in the village; and when it came to an action, some of them they slew, and others of them they put to flight, and took
a great many alive, the principal of which, and also the most potent of those that fled away, Pilate ordered to be
slain.

2. But when this tumult was appeased, the Samaritan senate sent an embassy to Vitellius, a man that had been
consul, and who was now president of Syria, and accused Pilate of the murder of those that were killed; for that
they did not go to Tirathaba in order to revolt from the Romans, but to escape the violence of Pilate. So Vitellius
sent Marcellus, a friend of his, to take care of the affairs of Judea, and ordered Pilate to go to Rome, to answer
before the emperor to the accusations of the Jews. So Pilate, when he had tarried ten years in Judea, made haste to
Rome, and this in obedience to the orders of Vitellius, which he durst not contradict; but before he could get to
Rome Tiberius was dead.

3. But Vitellius came into Judea, and went up to Jerusalem; it was at the time of that festival which is called the
Passover. Vitellius was there magnificently received, and released the inhabitants of Jerusalem from all the taxes
upon the fruits that were bought and sold, and gave them leave to have the care of the high priest's vestments, with
all their ornaments, and to have them under the custody of the priests in the temple, which power they used to have
formerly, although at this time they were laid up in the tower of Antonia, the citadel so called, and that on the
occasion following: There was one of the [high] priests, named Hyrcanus; and as there were many of that name, he
was the first of them; this man built a tower near the temple, and when he had so done, he generally dwelt in it, and
had these vestments with him, because it was lawful for him alone to put them on, and he had them there reposited
when he went down into the city, and took his ordinary garments; the same things were continued to be done by his
sons, and by their sons after them. But when Herod came to be king, he rebuilt this tower, which was very
conveniently situated, in a magnificent manner; and because he was a friend to Antonius, he called it by the name
of Antonia. And as he found these vestments lying there, he retained them in the same place, as believing, that
while he had them in his custody, the people would make no innovations against him. The like to what Herod did
was done by his son Archelaus, who was made king after him; after whom the Romans, when they entered on the
government, took possession of these vestments of the high priest, and had them reposited in a stone-chamber,
under the seal of the priests, and of the keepers of the temple, the captain of the guard lighting a lamp there every
day; and seven days before a festival (13) they were delivered to them by the captain of the guard, when the high
priest having purified them, and made use of them, laid them up again in the same chamber where they had been
laid up before, and this the very next day after the feast was over. This was the practice at the three yearly
festivals, and on the fast day; but Vitellius put those garments into our own power, as in the days of our forefathers,
and ordered the captain of the guard not to trouble himself to inquire where they were laid, or when they were to be
used; and this he did as an act of kindness, to oblige the nation to him. Besides which, he also deprived Joseph, who
was also called Caiaphas, of the high priesthood, and appointed Jonathan the son of Ananus, the former high priest,
to succeed him. After which, he took his journey back to Antioch.

4. Moreover, Tiberius sent a letter to Vitellius, and commanded him to make a league of friendship with Artabanus,
the king of Parthia; for while he was his enemy, he terrified him, because he had taken Armenia away from him,
lest he should proceed further, and told him he should no otherwise trust him than upon his giving him hostages, and
especially his son Artabanus. Upon Tiberius's writing thus to Vitellius, by the offer of great presents of money, he
persuaded both the king of Iberia and the king of Albania to make no delay, but to fight against Artabanus; and
although they would not do it themselves, yet did they give the Scythians a passage through their country, and
opened the Caspian gates to them, and brought them upon Artabanus. So Armenia was again taken from the
Parthians, and the country of Parthis was filled with war, and the principal of their men were slain, and all things
were in disorder among them: the king's son also himself fell in these wars, together with. many ten thousands of
his army. Vitellius had also sent such great sums of money to Artabanus's father's kinsmen and friends, that he had
almost procured him to be slain by the means of those bribes which they had taken. And when Artabanus perceived
that the plot laid against him was not to be avoided, because it was laid by the principal men, and those a great
many in number, and that it would certainly take effect, — when he had estimated the number of those that were
truly faithful to him, as also of those who were already corrupted, but were deceitful in the kindness they professed
to him, and were likely, upon trial, to go over to his enemies, he made his escape to the upper provinces, where he
afterwards raised a great army out of the Dahae and Sacre, and fought with his enemies, and retained his
principality.

5. When Tiberius had heard of these things, he desired to have a league of friendship made between him and
Artabanus; and when, upon this invitation, he received the proposal kindly, Artabanus and Vitellius went to
Euphrates, and as a bridge was laid over the river, they each of them came with their guards about them, and met
one another on the midst of the bridge. And when they had agreed upon the terms of peace Herod, the tetrarch
erected a rich tent on the midst of the passage, and made them a feast there. Artabanus also, not long afterward,
sent his son Darius as an hostage, with many presents, among which there was a man seven cubits tall, a Jew he
was by birth, and his name was Eleazar, who, for his tallness, was called a giant. After which Vitellius went to
Antioch, and Artabanus to Babylon; but Herod [the tetrarch] being desirous to give Caesar the first information
that they had obtained hostages, sent posts with letters, wherein he had accurately described all the particulars,
and had left nothing for the consular Vitellius to inform him of. But when Vitellius's letters were sent, and Caesar
had let him know that he was acquainted with the affairs already, because Herod had given him an account of them
before, Vitellius was very much troubled at it; and supposing that he had been thereby a greater sufferer than he
really was, he kept up a secret anger upon this occasion, till he could be revenged on him, which he was after Caius
had taken the government.

6. About this time it was that Philip, Herod's ' brother, departed this life, in the twentieth year of the reign of
Tiberius, (14) after he had been tetrarch of Trachonitis and Gaulanitis, and of the nation of the Bataneans also,
thirty-seven years. He had showed himself a person of moderation and quietness in the conduct of his life and
government; he constantly lived in that country which was subject to him; he used to make his progress with a few
chosen friends; his tribunal also, on which he sat in judgment, followed him in his progress; and when any one met
him who wanted his assistance, he made no delay, but had his tribunal set down immediately, wheresoever he
happened to be, and sat down upon it, and heard his complaint: he there ordered the guilty that were convicted to
be punished, and absolved those that had been accused unjustly. He died at Julias; and when he was carried to that
monument which he had already erected for himself beforehand, he was buried with great pomp. His principality
Tiberius took, (for he left no sons behind him,) and added it to the province of Syria, but gave order that the
tributes which arose from it should be collected, and laid up in his tetrachy.

1. ABOUT this time Aretas (the king of Arabia Petres) and Herod had a quarrel on the account following: Herod
the tetrarch had, married the daughter of Aretas, and had lived with her a great while; but when he was once at
Rome, he lodged with Herod, (15) who was his brother indeed, but not by the same mother; for this Herod was the
son of the high priest Sireoh's daughter. However, he fell in love with Herodias, this last Herod's wife, who was the
daughter of Aristobulus their brother, and the sister of Agrippa the Great. This man ventured to talk to her about a
marriage between them; which address, when she admitted, an agreement was made for her to change her
habitation, and come to him as soon as he should return from Rome: one article of this marriage also was this, that
he should divorce Aretas's daughter. So Antipus, when he had made this agreement, sailed to Rome; but when he
had done there the business he went about, and was returned again, his wife having discovered the agreement he
had made with Herodias, and having learned it before he had notice of her knowledge of the whole design, she
desired him to send her to Macherus, which is a place in the borders of the dominions of Aretas and Herod, without
informing him of any of her intentions. Accordingly Herod sent her thither, as thinking his wife had not perceived
any thing; now she had sent a good while before to Macherus, which was subject to her father and so all things
necessary for her journey were made ready for her by the general of Aretas's army; and by that means she soon
came into Arabia, under the conduct of the several generals, who carried her from one to another successively; and
she soon came to her father, and told him of Herod's intentions. So Aretas made this the first occasion of his enmity
between him and Herod, who had also some quarrel with him about their limits at the country of Gamalitis. So they
raised armies on both sides, and prepared for war, and sent their generals to fight instead of themselves; and when
they had joined battle, all Herod's army was destroyed by the treachery of some fugitives, who, though they were of
the tetrarchy of Philip, joined with Aretas's army.. So Herod wrote about these affairs to Tiberius, who being very
angry at the attempt made by Aretas, wrote to Vitellius to make war upon him, and either to take him alive, and
bring him to him in bonds, or to kill him, and send him his head. This was the charge that Tiberius gave to the
president of Syria.

2. Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a
punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and
commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and
so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in
order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still
that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about
him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence
John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to
do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and
not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late.
Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned,
and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment
upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.

3. So Vitellius prepared to make war with Aretas, having with him two legions of armed men; he also took with him
all those of light armature, and of the horsemen which belonged to them, and were drawn out of those kingdoms
which were under the Romans, and made haste for Petra, and came to Ptolemais. But as he was marching very
busily, and leading his army through Judea, the principal men met him, and desired that he would not thus march
through their land; for that the laws of their country would not permit them to overlook those images which were
brought into it, of which there were a great many in their ensigns; so he was persuaded by what they said, and
changed that resolution of his which he had before taken in this matter. Whereupon he ordered the army to march
along

the great plain, while he himself, with Herod the tetrarch and his friends, went up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to
God, an ancient festival of the Jews being then just approaching; and when he had been there, and been honorably
entertained by the multitude of the Jews, he made a stay there for three days, within which time he deprived
Jonathan of the high priesthood, and gave it to his brother Theophilus. But when on the fourth day letters came to
him, which informed him of the death of Tiberius, he obliged the multitude to take an oath of fidelity to Caius; he
also recalled his army, and made them every one go home, and take their winter quarters there, since, upon the
devolution of the empire upon Caius, he had not the like authority of making this war which he had before. It was
also reported, that when Aretas heard of the coming of Vitellius to fight him, he said, upon his consulting the
diviners, that it was impossible that this army of Vitellius's could enter Petra; for that one of the rulers would die,
either he that gave orders for the war, or he that was marching at the other's desire, in order to be subservient to
his will, or else he against whom this army is prepared. So Vitellius truly retired to Antioch; but Agrippa, the son of
Aristobulus, went up to Rome, a year before the death of Tiberius, in order to treat of some affairs with the
emperor, if he might be permitted so to do. I have now a mind to describe Herod and his family, how it fared with
them, partly because it is suitable to this history to speak of that matter, and partly because this thing is a
demonstration of the interposition of Providence, how a multitude of children is of no advantage, no more than any
other strength that mankind set their hearts upon, besides those acts of piety which are done towards God; for it
happened, that, within the revolution of a hundred years, the posterity of Herod, which were a great many in
number, were, excepting a few, utterly destroyed. (16) One may well apply this for the instruction of mankind, and
learn thence how unhappy they were: it will also show us the history of Agrippa, who, as he was a person most
worthy of admiration, so was he from a private man, beyond all the expectation of those that knew him, advanced to
great power and authority. I have said something of them formerly, but I shall now also speak accurately about
them.

4. Herod the Great had two daughters by Mariamne, the [grand] daughter of Hyrcanus; the one was Salampsio,
who was married to Phasaelus, her first cousin, who was himself the son of Phasaelus, Herod's brother, her father
making the match; the other was Cypros, who was herself married also to her first cousin Antipater, the son of
Salome, Herod's sister. Phasaelus had five children by Salampsio; Antipater, Herod, and Alexander, and two
daughters, Alexandra and Cypros; which last Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, married; and Timius of Cyprus
married Alexandra; he was a man of note, but had by her no children. Agrippa had by Cypros two sons and three
daughters, which daughters were named Bernice, Mariarune, and Drusius; but the names of the sons were Agrippa
and Drusus, of which Drusus died before he came to the years of puberty; but their father, Agrippa, was brought up
with his other brethren, Herod and Aristobulus, for these were also the sons of the son of Herod the Great by
Bernice; but Bernice was the daughter of Costobarus and of Salome, who was Herod's sister. Aristobulus left these
infants when he was slain by his father, together with his brother Alexander, as we have already related. But when
they were arrived at years of puberty, this Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married Mariamne, the daughter of
Olympias, who was the daughter of Herod the king, and of Joseph, the son of Joseph, who was brother to Herod the
king, and had by her a son, Aristobulus; but Aristobulus, the third brother of Agrippa, married Jotape, the daughter
of Sampsigeramus, king of Emesa; they had a daughter who was deaf, whose name also was Jotape; and these
hitherto were the children of the male line. But Herodias, their sister, was married to Herod [Philip], the son of
Herod the Great, who was born of Mariamne, the daughter of Simon the high priest, who had a daughter, Salome;
after whose birth Herodias took upon her to confound the laws of our country, and divorced herself from her
husband while he was alive, and was married to Herod [Antipas], her husband's brother by the father's side, he was
tetrarch of Galilee; but her daughter Salome was married to Philip, the son of Herod, and tetrarch of Trachonitis;
and as he died childless, Aristobulus, the son of Herod, the brother of Agrippa, married her; they had three sons,
Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus; and this was the posterity of Phasaelus and Salampsio. But the daughter of
Antipater by Cypros was Cypros, whom Alexas Selcias, the son of Alexas, married; they had a daughter, Cypros;
but Herod and Alexander, who, as we told you, were the brothers of Antipater, died childless. As to Alexander, the
son of Herod the king, who was slain by his father, he had two sons, Alexander and Tigranes, by the daughter of
Archelaus, king of Cappadocia. Tigranes, who was king of Armenia, was accused at Rome, and died childless;
Alexander had ason of the same name with his brother Tigranes, and was sent to take possession of the kingdom of
Armenia by Nero; he had a son, Alexander, who married Jotape, (17) the daughter of Antiochus, the king of
Commagena; Vespasian made him king of an island in Cilicia. But these descendants of Alexander, soon after their
birth, deserted the Jewish religion, and went over to that of the Greeks. But for the rest of the daughters of Herod
the king, it happened that they died childless. And as these descendants of Herod, whom we have enumerated,
were in being at the same time that Agrippa the Great took the kingdom, and I have now given an account of them,
it now remains that I relate the several hard fortunes which befell Agrippa, and how he got clear of them, and was
advanced to the greatest height of dignity and power.

1. A LITTLE before the death of Herod the king, Agrippa lived at Rome, and was generally brought up and
conversed with Drusus, the emperor Tiberius's son, and contracted a friendship with Antonia, the wife of Drusus
the Great, who had his mother Bernice in great esteem, and was very desirous of advancing her son. Now as
Agrippa was by nature magnanimous and generous in the presents he made, while his mother was alive, this
inclination of his mind did not appear, that he might be able to avoid her anger for such his extravagance; but when
Bernice was dead, and he was left to his own conduct, he spent a great deal extravagantly in his daily way of living,
and a great deal in the immoderate presents he made, and those chiefly among Caesar's freed-men, in order to gain
their assistance, insomuch that he was, in a little time, reduced to poverty, and could not live at Rome any longer.
Tiberius also forbade the friends of his deceased son to come into his sight, because on seeing them he should be
put in mind of his son, and his grief would thereby be revived.

2. For these reasons he went away from Rome, and sailed to Judea, but in evil circumstances, being dejected with
the loss of that money which he once had, and because he had not wherewithal to pay his creditors, who were many
in number, and such as gave him no room for escaping them. Whereupon he knew not what to do; so, for shame of
his present condition, he retired to a certain tower, at Malatha, in Idumea, and had thoughts of killing himself; but
his wife Cypros perceived his intentions, and tried all sorts of methods to divert him from his taking such a course;
so she sent a letter to his sister Herodias, who was now the wife of Herod the tetrarch, and let her know Agrippa's
present design, and what necessity it was which drove him thereto, and desired her, as a kinswoman of his, to give
him her help, and to engage her husband to do the same, since she saw how she alleviated these her husband's
troubles all she could, although she had not the like wealth to do it withal. So they sent for him, and allotted him
Tiberias for his habitation, and appointed him some income of money for his maintenance, and made him a
magistrate of that city, by way of honor to him. Yet did not Herod long continue in that resolution of supporting him,
though even that support was not sufficient for him; for as once they were at a feast at Tyre, and in their cups, and
reproaches were cast upon one another, Agrippa thought that was not to be borne, while Herod hit him in the teeth
with his poverty, and with his owing his necessary food to him. So he went to Flaccus, one that had been consul, and
had been a very great friend to him at Rome formerly, and was now president of Syria.

3. Hereupon Flaccus received him kindly, and he lived with him. Flaccus had also with him there Aristobulus, who
was indeed Agrippa's brother, but was at variance with him; yet did not their enmity to one another hinder the
friendship of Flaccus to them both, but still they were honorably treated by him. However, Aristobulus did not abate
of his ill-will to Agrippa, till at length he brought him into ill terms with Flaccus; the occasion of bringing on which
estrangement was this: The Damascens were at difference with the Sidonians about their limits, and when Flaccus
was about to hear the cause between them, they understood that Agrippa had a mighty influence upon him; so they
desired that he would be of their side, and for that favor promised him a great deal of money; so he was zealous in
assisting the Damascens as far as he was able. Now Aristobulus had gotten intelligence of this promise of money to
him, and accused him to Flaccus of the same; and when, upon a thorough examination of the matter, it appeared
plainly so to be, he rejected Agrippa out of the number of his friends. So he was reduced to the utmost necessity,
and came to Ptolemais; and because he knew not where else to get a livelihood, he thought to sail to Italy; but as he
was restrained from so doing by want of money, he desired Marsyas, who was his freed-man, to find some method
for procuring him so much as he wanted for that purpose, by borrowing such a sum of some person or other. So
Marsyas desired of Peter, who was the freed-man of Bernice, Agrippa's mother, and by the right of her testament
was bequeathed to Antonia, to lend so much upon Agrippa's own bond and security; but he accused Agrippa of
having defrauded him of certain sums of money, and so obliged Marsyas, when he made the bond of twenty
thousand Attic drachmae, to accept of twenty-five hundred drachma as (18) less than what he desired, which the
other allowed of, because he could not help it. Upon the receipt of this money, Agrippa came to Anthedon, and took
shipping, and was going to set sail; but Herennius Capito, who was the procurator of Jamhis, sent a band of soldiers
to demand of him three hundred thousand drachmae of silver, which were by him owing to Caesar's treasury while
he was at Rome, and so forced him to stay. He then pretended that he would do as he bid him; but when night came
on, he cut his cables, and went off, and sailed to Alexandria, where he desired Alexander the alabarch (19) to lend
him two hundred thousand drachmae; but he said he would not lend it to him, but would not refuse it to Cypros, as
greatly astonished at her affection to her husband, and at the other instances of her virtue; so she undertook to
repay it. Accordingly, Alexander paid them five talents at Alexandria, and promised to pay them the rest of that
sum at Dicearchia [Puteoli]; and this he did out of the fear he was in that Agrippa would soon spend it. So this
Cypros set her husband free, and dismissed him to go on with his navigation to Italy, while she and her children
departed for Judea.

4. And now Agrippa was come to Puteoli, whence he wrote a letter to Tiberius Caesar, who then lived at Capreae,
and told him that he was come so far in order to wait on him, and to pay him a visit; and desired that he would give
him leave to come over to Caprein: so Tiberius made no difficulty, but wrote to him in an obliging way in other
respects; and withal told him he was glad of his safe return, and desired him to come to Capreae; and when he was
come, he did not fail to treat him as kindly as he had promised him in his letter to do. But the next day came a letter
to Caesar from Herennius Capito, to inform him that Agrippa had borrowed three hundred thousand drachmae, and
not pad it at the time appointed; but when it was demanded of him, he ran away like a fugitive, out of the places
under his government, and put it out of his power to get the money of him. When Caesar had read this letter, he
was much troubled at it, and gave order that Agrippa should be excluded from his presence until he had paid that
debt: upon which he was no way daunted at Caesar's anger, but entreated Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, and
of Claudius, who was afterward Caesar himself, to lend him those three hundred thousand drachmae, that he might
not be deprived of Tiberius's friendship; so, out of regard to the memory of Bernice his mother, (for those two
women were very familiar with one another,) and out of regard to his and Claudius's education together, she lent
him the money; and, upon the payment of this debt, there was nothing to hinder Tiberius's friendship to him. After
this, Tiberius Caesar recommended to him his grandson, (20) and ordered that he should always accompany him
when he went abroad. But upon Agrippa's kind reception by Antonia, he betook him to pay his respects to Caius,
who was her grandson, and in very high reputation by reason of the good-will they bare his father. Now there was
one Thallus, a freed-man of Caesar, of whom he borrowed a million of drachmae, and thence repaid Antonia the
debt he owed her; and by sending the overplus in paying his court to Caius, became a person of great authority with
him.

5. Now as the friendship which Agrippa had for Caius was come to a great height, there happened some words to
pass between them, as they once were in a chariot together, concerning Tiberius; Agrippa praying [to God] (for
they two sat by themselves) that Tiberius might soon go off the stage, and leave the government to Caius, who was
in every respect more worthy of it. Now Eutychus, who was Agrippa's freed-man, and drove his chariot, heard these
words, and at that time said nothing of them; but when Agrippa accused him of stealing some garments of his,
(which was certainly true,) he ran away from him; but when he was caught, and brought before Piso, who was
governor of the city, and the man was asked why he ran away, be replied, that he had somewhat to say to Caesar,
that tended to his security and preservation: so Piso bound him, and sent him to Capreae. But Tiberius, according
to his usual custom, kept him still in bonds, being a delayer of affairs, if ever there was any other king or tyrant that
was so; for he did not admit ambassadors quickly, and no successors were despatched away to governors or
procurators of the provinces that had been formerly sent, unless they were dead; whence it was that he was so
negligent in hearing the causes of prisoners; insomuch that when he was asked by his friends what was the reason
of his delay in such cases, he said that he delayed to hear ambassadors, lest, upon their quick dismission, other
ambassadors should be appointed, and return upon him; and so he should bring trouble upon himself in their public
reception and dismission: that he permitted those governors who had been sent once to their government [to stay
there a long while], out of regard to the subjects that were under them; for that all governors are naturally disposed
to get as much as they can; and that those who are not to fix there, but to stay a short time, and that at an
uncertainty when they shall be turned out, do the more severely hurry themselves on to fleece the people; but that
if their government be long continued to them; they are at last satiated with the spoils, as having gotten a vast deal,
and so become at length less sharp in their pillaging; but that if successors are sent quickly, the poor subjects, who
are exposed to them as a prey, will not be able to bear the new ones, while they shall not have the same time
allowed them wherein their predecessors had filled themselves, and so grew more unconcerned about getting more;
and this because they are removed before they have had time [for their oppressions]. He gave them an example to
show his meaning: A great number of flies came about the sore places of a man that had been wounded; upon which
one of the standers-by pitied the man's misfortune, and thinking he was not able to drive those flies away himself,
was going to drive them away for him; but he prayed him to let them alone: the other, by way of reply, asked him
the reason of such a preposterous proceeding, in preventing relief from his present misery; to which he answered,
"If thou drivest these flies away, thou wilt hurt me worse; for as these are already full of my blood, they do not
crowd about me, nor pain me so much as before, but are somewhat more remiss, while the fresh ones that come
almost famished, and find me quite tired down already, will be my destruction. For this cause, therefore, it is that I
am myself careful not to send such new governors perpetually to those my subjects, who are already sufficiently
harassed by many oppressions, as may, like these flies, further distress them; and so, besides their natural desire
of gain, may have this additional incitement to it, that they expect to be suddenly deprived of that pleasure which
they take in it." And, as a further attestation to what I say of the dilatory nature of Tiberius, I appeal to this his
practice itself; for although he was emperor twenty-two years, he sent in all but two procurators to govern the
nation of the Jews, Gratus, and his successor in the government, Pilate. Nor was he in one way of acting with
respect to the Jews, and in another with respect to the rest of his subjects. He further informed them, that even in
the hearing of the causes of prisoners, he made such delays, because immediate death to those that must be
condemned to die would be an alleviation of their present miseries, while those wicked wretches have not deserved
any such favor; "but I do it, that, by being harassed with the present calamity, they may undergo greater misery."

6. On this account it was that Eutychus could not obtain a bearing, but was kept still in prison. However, some time
afterward, Tiberius came from Capreae to Tusculanum, which is about a hundred furlongs from Rome. Agrippa
then desired of Antonia that she would procure a hearing for Eutychus, let the matter whereof he accused him
prove what it would. Now Antonia was greatly esteemed by Tiberius on all accounts, from the dignity of her relation
to him, who had been his brother Drusus's wife, and from her eminent chastity; (21) for though she was still a young
woman, she continued in her widowhood, and refused all other matches, although Augustus had enjoined her to be
married to somebody else; yet did she all along preserve her reputation free from reproach. She had also been the
greatest benefactress to Tiberius, when there was a very dangerous plot laid against him by Sejanus, a man who
had been her husband's friend, and wire had the greatest authority, because he was general of the army, and when
many members of the senate and many of the freed-men joined with him, and the soldiery was corrupted, and the
plot was come to a great height. Now Sejanus had certainly gained his point, had not Antonia's boldness been more
wisely conducted than Sejanus's malice; for when she had discovered his designs against Tiberius, she wrote him an
exact account of the whole, and gave the letter to Pallas, the most faithful of her servants, and sent him to Caprere
to Tiberius, who, when he understood it, slew Sejanus and his confederates; so that Tiberius, who had her in great
esteem before, now looked upon her with still greater respect, and depended upon her in all things. So when
Tiberius was desired by this Antonia to examine Eutychus, he answered, "If indeed Eutychus hath falsely accused
Agrippa in what he hath said of him, he hath had sufficient punishment by what I have done to him already; but if,
upon examination, the accusation appears to be true, let Agrippa have a care, lest, out of desire of punishing his
freed-man, he do not rather bring a punishment upon himself." Now when Antonia told Agrippa of this, he was still
much more pressing that the matter might be examined into; so Antonia, upon Agrippa's lying hard at her
continually to beg this favor, took the following opportunity: As Tiberius lay once at his ease upon his sedan, and
was carried about, and Caius, her grandson, and Agrippa, were before him after dinner she walked by the sedan,
and desired him to call Eutychus, and have him examined; to which he replied, "O Antonia! the gods are my
witnesses that I am induced to do what I am going to do, not by my own inclination, but because I am forced to it by
thy prayers." When he had said this, he ordered Macro, who succeeded Sejanus, to bring Eutychus to him;
accordingly, without any delay, he was brought. Then Tiberius asked him what he had to say against a man who had
given him his liberty. Upon which he said, "O my lord! this Caius, and Agrippa with him, were once riding in a
chariot, when I sat at their feet, and, among other discourses that passed, Agrippa said to Caius, Oh that the day
would once come when this old fellow will dies and name thee for the governor of the habitable earth! for then this
Tiberius, his grandson, would be no hinderance, but would be taken off by thee, and that earth would be happy, and
I happy also." Now Tiberius took these to be truly Agrippa's words, and bearing a grudge withal at Agrippa,
because, when he had commanded him to pay his respects to Tiberius, his grandson, and the son of Drusus,
Agrippa had not paid him that respect, but had disobeyed his commands, and transferred all his regard to Caius; he
said to Macro, "Bind this man." But Macro, not distinctly knowing which of them it was whom he bid him bind, and
not expecting that he would have any such thing done to Agrippa, he forbore, and came to ask more distinctly what
it was that he said. But when Caesar had gone round the hippodrome, he found Agrippa standing: "For certain,"
said he, "Macro, this is the man I meant to have bound;" and when he still asked, "Which of these is to be
bound?" he said "Agrippa." Upon which Agrippa betook himself to make supplication for himself, putting him in
mind of his son, with whom he was brought up, and of Tiberius [his grandson] whom he had educated; but all to no
purpose; for they led him about bound even in his purple garments. It was also very hot weather, and they had but
little wine to their meal, so that he was very thirsty; he was also in a sort of agony, and took this treatment of him
heinously: as he therefore saw one of Caius's slaves, whose name was Thaumastus, carrying some water in a
vessel, he desired that he would let him drink; so the servant gave him some water to drink, and he drank heartily,
and said, "O thou boy! this service of thine to me will be for thy advantage; for if I once get clear of these my
bonds, I will soon procure thee thy freedom of Caius who has not been wanting to minister to me now I am in bonds,
in the same manner as when I was in my former state and dignity." Nor did he deceive him in what he promised
him, but made him amends for what he had now done; for when afterward Agrippa was come to the kingdom, he
took particular care of Thaumastus, and got him his liberty from Caius, and made him the steward over his own
estate; and when he died, he left him to Agrippa his son, and to Bernice his daughter, to minister to them in the
same capacity. The man also grew old in that honorable post, and therein died. But all this happened a good while
later.

7. Now Agrippa stood in his bonds before the royal palace, and leaned on a certain tree for grief, with many others,.
who were in bonds also; and as a certain bird sat upon the tree on which Agrippa leaned, (the Romans call this bird
bubo,) [an owl,] one of those that were bound, a German by nation, saw him, and asked a soldier who that man in
purple was; and when he was informed that his name was Agrippa, and that he was by nation a Jew, and one of the
principal men of that nation, he asked leave of the soldier to whom he was bound, (22) to let him come nearer to
him, to speak with him; for that he had a mind to inquire of him about some things relating to his country; which
liberty, when he had obtained, and as he stood near him, he said thus to him by an interpreter: "This sudden change
of thy condition, O young man! is grievous to thee, as bringing on thee a manifold and very great adversity; nor wilt
thou believe me, when I foretell how thou wilt get clear of this misery which thou art now under, and how Divine
Providence will provide for thee. Know therefore (and I appeal to my own country gods, as well as to the gods of
this place, who have awarded these bonds to us) that all I am going to say about thy concerns shall neither be said
for favor nor bribery, nor out of an endeavor to make thee cheerful without cause; for such predictions, when they
come to fail, make the grief at last, and in earnest, more bitter than if the party had never heard of any such thing.
However, though I run the hazard of my own self, I think it fit to declare to thee the prediction of the gods. It cannot
be that thou shouldst long continue in these bonds; but thou wilt soon be delivered from them, and wilt be promoted
to the highest dignity and power, and thou wilt be envied by all those who now pity thy hard fortune; and thou wilt be
happy till thy death, and wilt leave thine happiness to the children whom thou shalt have. But do thou remember,
when thou seest this bird again, that thou wilt then live but five days longer. This event will be brought to pass by
that God who hath sent this bird hither to be a sign unto thee. And I cannot but think it unjust to conceal from thee
what I foreknow concerning thee, that, by thy knowing beforehand what happiness is coming upon thee, thou mayst
not regard thy present misfortunes. But when this happiness shall actually befall thee, do not forget what misery I
am in myself, but endeavor to deliver me." So when the German had said this, he made Agrippa laugh at him as
much as he afterwards appeared worthy of admiration. But now Antonia took Agrippa's misfortune to heart:
however, to speak to Tiberius on his behalf, she took to be a very difficult thing, and indeed quite impracticable, as
to any hope of success; yet did she procure of Macro, that the soldiers that kept him should be of a gentle nature,
and that the centurion who was over them and was to diet with him, should be of the same disposition, and that he
might have leave to bathe himself every day, and that his freed-men and friends might come to him, and that other
things that tended to ease him might be indulged him. So his friend Silas came in to him, and two of his freed-men,
Marsyas and Stechus, brought him such sorts of food as he was fond of, and indeed took great care of him; they
,also brought him garments, under pretense of selling them; and when night came on, they laid them under him; and
the soldiers assisted them, as Macro had given them order to do beforehand. And this was Agrippa's condition for
six months' time, and in this case were his affairs.

8. But for Tiberius, upon his return to Caprein, he fell sick. At first his distemper was but gentle; but as that
distemper increased upon him, he had small or no hopes of recovery. Hereupon he bid Euodus, who was that
freed-man whom he most of all respected, to bring the children (23) to him, for that he wanted to talk to them before
he died. Now he had at present no sons of his own alive for Drusus, who was his only son, was dead; but Drusus's
son Tiberius was still living, whose additional name was Gemellus: there was also living Caius, the son of
Germanicus, who was the son (24) of his brother [Drusus]. He was now grown up, and had a liberal education, and
was well improved by it, and was in esteem and favor with the people, on account of the excellent character of his
father Germanicus, who had attained the highest honor among the multitude, by the firmness of his virtuous
behavior, by the easiness and agreeableness of his conversing with the multitude, and because the dignity he was in
did not hinder his familiarity with them all, as if they were his equals; by which behavior he was not only greatly
esteemed by the people and the senate, but by every one of those nations that were subject to the Romans; some
of which were affected when they came to him with the gracefulness of their reception by him, and others were
affected in the same manner by the report of the others that had been with him; and, upon his death, there was a
lamentation made by all men; not such a one as was to be made in way of flattery to their rulers, while they did but
counterfeit sorrow, but such as was real; while every body grieved at his death, as if they had lost one that was near
to them. And truly such had been his easy conversation with men, that it turned greatly to the advantage of his son
among all; and, among others, the soldiery were so peculiarly affected to him, that they reckoned it an eligible
thing, if need were, to die themselves, if he might but attain to the government.

9. But when Tiberius had given order to Euodus to bring the children to him the next day in the morning, he prayed
to his country gods to show him a manifest signal which of those children should come to the government; being
very desirous to leave it to his son's son, but still depending upon what God should foreshow concerning them more
than upon his own opinion and inclination; so he made this to be the omen, that the government should be left to him
who should come to him first the next day. When he had thus resolved within himself, he sent to his grandson's
tutor, and ordered him to bring the child to him early in the morning, as supposing that God would permit him to be
made emperor. But God proved opposite to his designation; for while Tiberius was thus contriving matters, and as
soon as it was at all day, he bid Euodus to call in that child which should be there ready. So he went out, and found
Caius before the door, for Tiberius was not yet come, but staid waiting for his breakfast; for Euodus knew nothing
of what his lord intended; so he said to Caius, "Thy father calls thee," and then brought him in. As soon as Tiberius
saw Caius, and not before, he reflected on the power of God, and how the ability of bestowing the government on
whom he would was entirely taken from him; and thence he was not able to establish what he had intended. So he
greatly lamented that his power of establishing what he had before contrived was taken from him, and that his
grandson Tiberius was not only to lose the Roman empire by his fatality, but his own safety also, because his
preservation would now depend upon such as would be more potent than himself, who would think it a thing not to
be borne, that a kinsman should live with them, and so his relation would not be able to protect him; but he would be
feared and bated by him who had the supreme authority, partly on account of his being next to the empire, and
partly on account of his perpetually contriving to get the government, both in order to preserve himself, and to be at
the head of affairs also. Now Tiberius had been very much given to astrology, (25) and the calculation of nativities,
and had spent his life in the esteem of what predictions had proved true, more than those whose profession it was.
Accordingly, when he once saw Galba coming in to him, he said to his most intimate friends, that there came in a
man that would one day have the dignity of the Roman empire. So that this Tiberius was more addicted to all such
sorts of diviners than any other of the Roman emperors, because he had found them to have told him truth in his
own affairs. And indeed he was now in great distress upon this accident that had befallen him, and was very much
grieved at the destruction of his son's son, which he foresaw, and complained of himself, that he should have made
use of such a method of divination beforehand, while it was in his power to have died without grief by this
knowledge of futurity; whereas he was now tormented by his foreknowledge of the misfortune of such as were
dearest to him, and must die under that torment. Now although he was disordered at this unexpected revolution of
the government to those for whom he did not intend it, he spake thus to Caius, though unwillingly, and against his
own inclination: "O child! although Tiberius be nearer related to me than thou art, I, by my own determination, and
the conspiring suffrage of the gods, do give and put into thy hand the Roman empire; and I desire thee never to be
unmindful when thou comest to it, either of my kindness to thee, who set thee in so high a dignity, or of thy relation
to Tiberius. But as thou knowest that I am, together with and after the gods, the procurer of so great happiness to
thee; so I desire that thou wilt make me a return for my readiness to assist thee, and wilt take care of Tiberius
because of his near relation to thee. Besides which, thou art to know, that while Tiberius is alive, he will be a
security to thee, both as to empire and as to thy own preservation; but if he die, that will be but a prelude to thy own
misfortunes; for to be alone under the weight of such vast affairs is very dangerous; nor will the gods suffer those
actions which are unjustly done, contrary to that law which directs men to act otherwise, to go off unpunished." This
was the speech which Tiberius made, which did not persuade Caius to act accordingly, although he promised so to
do; but when he was settled in the government, he took off this Tiberius, as was predicted by the other Tiberius; as
he was also himself, in no long time afterward, slain by a secret plot laid against him.

10. So when Tiberius had at this time appointed Caius to be his successor, he outlived but a few days, and then
died, after he had held the government twenty-two years five months and three days. Now Caius was the fourth
emperor. But when the Romans understood that Tiberius was dead, they rejoiced at the good news, but had not
courage to believe it; not because they were unwilling it should be true, for they would have given huge sums of
money that it might be so, but because they were afraid, that if they had showed their joy when the news proved
false, their joy should be openly known, and they should be accused for it, and be thereby undone. For this Tiberius
had brought a vast number of miseries on the best families of the Romans, since he was easily inflamed with
passion in all cases, and was of such a temper as rendered his anger irrevocable, till he had executed the same,
although he had taken a hatred against men without reason; for he was by nature fierce in all the sentences he
gave, and made death the penalty for the lightest offenses; insomuch that when the Romans heard the rumor about
his death gladly, they were restrained from the enjoyment of that pleasure by the dread of such miseries as they
foresaw would follow, if their hopes proved ill-grounded. Now Marsyas, Agrippa's freed-man, as soon as he heard
of Tiberius's death, came running to tell Agrippa the news; and finding him going out to the bath, he gave him a nod,
and said, in the Hebrew tongue, "The lion (26) is dead;" who, understanding his meaning, and being ovejoyed at the
news, "Nay," said he, "but all sorts of thanks and happiness attend thee for this news of thine; only I wish that
what thou sayest may prove true." Now the centurion who was set to keep Agrippa, when he saw with what haste
Marsyas came, and what joy Agrippa had from what he said, he had a suspicion that his words implied some great
innovation of affairs, and he asked them about what was said. They at first diverted the discourse; but upon his
further pressing, Agrippa, without more ado, told him, for he was already become his friend; so he joined with him in
that pleasure which this news occasioned, because it would be fortunate to Agrippa, and made him a supper. But as
they were feasting, and the cups went about, there came one who said that Tiberius was still alive, and would return
to the city ill a few days. At which news the centurion was exceedingly troubled, because he had done what might
cost him his life, to have treated so joyfully a prisoner, and this upon the news of the death of Caesar; so he thrust
Agrippa from the couch whereon he lay, and said, "Dost thou think to cheat me by a lie about the emperor without
punishment? and shalt not thou pay for this thy malicious report at the price of thine head?" When he had so said,
he ordered Agrippa to be bound again, (for he had loosed him before,) and kept a severer guard over him than
formerly, and in that evil condition was Agrippa that night; but the next day the rumor increased in the city, and
confirmed the news that Tiberius was certainly dead; insomuch that men durst now openly and freely talk about it;
nay, some offered sacrifices on that account. Several letters also came from Caius; one of them to the senate,
which informed them of the death of Tiberius, and of his own entrance on the government; another to Piso, the
governor of the city, which told him the same thing. He also gave order that Agrippa should be removed out of the
camp, and go to that house where he lived before he was put in prison; so that he was now out of fear as to his own
affairs; for although he was still in custody, yet it was now with ease to his own affairs. Now, as soon as Caius was
come to Rome, and had brought Tiberius's dead body with him, and had made a sumptuous funeral for him,
according to the laws of his country, he was much disposed to set Agrippa at liberty that very day; but Antonia
hindered him, not out of any ill-will to the prisoner, but out of regard to decency in Caius, lest that should make men
believe that he received the death of Tiberius with pleasure, when he loosed one whom he had bound immediately.
However, there did not many days pass ere he sent for him to his house, and had him shaved, and made him change
his raiment; after which he put a diadem upon his head, and appointed him to be king of the tetrarchy of Philip. He
also gave him the tetrarchy of Lysanias, (27) and changed his iron chain for a golden one of equal weight. He also
sent Marullus to be procurator of Judea.

11. Now, in the second year of the reign of Caius Caesar, Agrippa desired leave to be given him to sail home, and
settle the affairs of his government; and he promised to return again, when he had put the rest in order, as it ought
to be put. So, upon the emperor's permission, he came into his own country, and appeared to them all unexpectedly
as asking, and thereby demonstrated to the men that saw him the power of fortune, when they compared his former
poverty with his present happy affluence; so some called him a happy man, and others could not well believe that
things were so much changed with him for the better.

1. BUT Herodias, Agrippa's sister, who now lived as wife to that Herod who was tetrarch of Galilee and Peres, took
this authority of her brother in an envious manner, particularly when she saw that he had a greater dignity
bestowed on him than her husband had; since, when he ran away, it was because he was not able to pay his debts;
and now he was come back, he was in a way of dignity, and of great good fortune. She was therefore grieved and
much displeased at so great a mutation of his affairs; and chiefly when she saw him marching among the multitude
with the usual ensigns of royal authority, she was not able to conceal how miserable she was, by reason of the envy
she had towards him; but she excited her husband, and desired him that he would sail to Rome, to court honors
equal to his; for she said that she could not bear to live any longer, while Agrippa, the son of that Aristobulus who
was condemned to die by his father, one that came to her husband in such extreme poverty, that the necessaries of
life were forced to be entirely supplied him day by day; and when he fled away from his creditors by sea, he now
returned a king; while he was himself the son of a king, and while the near relation he bare to royal authority called
upon him to gain the like dignity, he sat still, and was contented with a privater life. "But then, Herod, although
thou wast formerly not concerned to be in a lower condition than thy father from whom thou wast derived had been,
yet do thou now seek after the dignity which thy kinsman hath attained to; and do not thou bear this contempt, that
a man who admired thy riches should he in greater honor than thyself, nor suffer his poverty to show itself able to
purchase greater things than our abundance; nor do thou esteem it other than a shameful thing to be inferior to one
who, the other day, lived upon thy charity. But let us go to Rome, and let us spare no pains nor expenses, either of
silver or gold, since they cannot be kept for any better use than for the obtaining of a kingdom."

2. But for Herod, he opposed her request at this time, out of the love of ease, and having a suspicion of the trouble
he should have at Rome; so he tried to instruct her better. But the more she saw him draw back, the more she
pressed him to it, and desired him to leave no stone unturned in order to be king; and at last she left not off till she
engaged him, whether he would or not, to be of her sentiments, because he could no otherwise avoid her
importunity. So he got all things ready, after as sumptuous a manner as he was able, and spared for nothing, and
went up to Rome, and took Herodias along with him. But Agrippa, when he was made sensible of their intentions
and preparations, he also prepared to go thither; and as soon as he heard they set sail, he sent Fortunatus, one of
his freed-men, to Rome, to carry presents to the emperor, and letters against Herod, and to give Caius a particular
account of those matters, if he should have any opportunity. This man followed Herod so quick, and had so
prosperous a voyage, and came so little after Herod, that while Herod was with Caius, he came himself, and
delivered his letters; for they both sailed to Dicearchia, and found Caius at Bairn, which is itself a little city of
Campania, at the distance of about five furlongs from Dicearchia. There are in that place royal palaces, with
sumptuous apartments, every emperor still endeavoring to outdo his predecessor's magnificence; the place ,also
affords warm baths, that spring out of the ground of their own accord, which are of advantage for the recovery of
the health of those that make use of them; and, besides, they minister to men's luxury also. Now Caius saluted
Herod, for he first met with him, and then looked upon the letters which Agrippa had sent him, and which were
written in order to accuse Herod; wherein he accused him, that he had been in confederacy with Sejanus against
Tiberius's and that he was now confederate with Artabanus, the king of Parthia, in opposition to the government of
Caius; as a demonstration of which he alleged, that he had armor sufficient for seventy thousand men ready in his
armory. Caius was moved at this information, and asked Herod whether what was said about the armor was true;
and when he confessed there was such armor there, for he could not deny the same, the truth of it being too
notorious, Caius took that to be a sufficient proof of the accusation, that he intended to revolt. So he took away
from him his tetrarchy, and gave it by way of addition to Agrippa's kingdom; he also gave Herod's money to
Agrippa, and, by way of punishment, awarded him a perpetual banishment, and appointed Lyons, a city of Gaul, to
be his place of habitation. But when he was informed that Herodias was Agrippa's sister, he made her a present of
what money was her own, and told her that it was her brother who prevented her being put under the same calamity
with her husband. But she made this reply: "Thou, indeed, O emperor! actest after a magnificent manner, and as
becomes thyself in what thou offerest me; but the kindness which I have for my husband hinders me from partaking
of the favor of thy gift; for it is not just that I, who have been made a partner in his prosperity, should forsake him
in his misfortunes." Hereupon Caius was angry at her, and sent her with Herod into banishment, and gave her
estate to Agrippa. And thus did God punish Herodias for her envy at her brother, and Herod also for giving ear to
the vain discourses of a woman. Now Caius managed public affairs with great magnanimity during the first and
second year of his reign, and behaved himself with such moderation, that he gained the good-will of the Romans
themselves, and of his other subjects. But, in process of time, he went beyond the bounds of human nature in his
conceit of himself, and by reason of the vastness of his dominions made himself a god, and took upon himself to act
in all things to the reproach of the Deity itself.

1. THERE was now a tumult arisen at Alexandria, between the Jewish inhabitants and the Greeks; and three
ambassadors were chosen out of each party that were at variance, who came to Caius. Now one of these
ambassadors from the people of Alexandria was Apion, (29) who uttered many blasphemies against the Jews; and,
among other things that he said, he charged them with neglecting the honors that belonged to Caesar; for that while
all who were subject to the Roman empire built altars and temples to Caius, and in other regards universally
received him as they received the gods, these Jews alone thought it a dishonorable thing for them to erect statues
in honor of him, as well as to swear by his name. Many of these severe things were said by Apion, by which he
hoped to provoke Caius to anger at the Jews, as he was likely to be. But Philo, the principal of the Jewish
embassage, a man eminent on all accounts, brother to Alexander the alabarch, (30) and one not unskillful in
philosophy, was ready to betake himself to make his defense against those accusations; but Caius prohibited him,
and bid him begone; he was also in such a rage, that it openly appeared he was about to do them some very great
mischief. So Philo being thus affronted, went out, and said to those Jews who were about him, that they should be of
good courage, since Caius's words indeed showed anger at them, but in reality had already set God against himself.

2. Hereupon Caius, taking it very heinously that he should be thus despised by the Jews alone, sent Petronius to be
president of Syria, and successor in the government to Vitellius, and gave him order to make an invasion into
Judea, with a great body of troops; and if they would admit of his statue willingly, to erect it in the temple of God;
but if they were obstinate, to conquer them by war, and then to do it. Accordingly, Petronius took the government of
Syria, and made haste to obey Caesar's epistle. He got together as great a number of auxiliaries as he possibly
could, and took with him two legions of the Roman army, and came to Ptolemais, and there wintered, as intending to
set about the war in the spring. He also wrote word to Caius what he had resolved to do, who commended him for
his alacrity, and ordered him to go on, and to make war with them, in case they would not obey his commands. But
there came many ten thousands of the Jews to Petronius, to Ptolemais, to offer their petitions to him, that he would
not compel them to transgress and violate the law of their forefathers; "but if," said they, "thou art entirely
resolved to bring this statue, and erect it, do thou first kill us, and then do what thou hast resolved on; for while we
are alive we cannot permit such things as are forbidden us to be done by the authority of our legislator, and by our
forefathers' determination that such prohibitions are instances of virtue." But Petronius was angry at them, and
said, "If indeed I were myself emperor, and were at liberty to follow my own inclination, and then had designed to
act thus, these your words would be justly spoken to me; but now Caesar hath sent to me, I am under the necessity
of being subservient to his decrees, because a disobedience to them will bring upon me inevitable destruction."
Then the Jews replied, "Since, therefore, thou art so disposed, O Petronius! that thou wilt not disobey Caius's
epistles, neither will we transgress the commands of our law; and as we depend upon the excellency of our laws,
and, by the labors of our ancestors, have continued hitherto without suffering them to be transgressed, we dare not
by any means suffer ourselves to be so timorous as to transgress those laws out of the fear of death, which God
hath determined are for our advantage; and if we fall into misfortunes, we will bear them, in order to preserve our
laws, as knowing that those who expose themselves to dangers have good hope of escaping them, because God will
stand on our side, when, out of regard to him, we undergo afflictions, and sustain the uncertain turns of fortune. But
if we should submit to thee, we should be greatly reproached for our cowardice, as thereby showing ourselves ready
to transgress our law; and we should incur the great anger of God also, who, even thyself being judge, is superior to
Caius."

3. When Petronius saw by their words that their determination was hard to be removed, and that, without a war, he
should not be able to be subservient to Caius in the dedication of his statue, and that there must be a great deal of
bloodshed, he took his friends, and the servants that were about him, and hasted to Tiberias, as wanting to know in
what posture the affairs of the Jews were; and many ten thousands of the Jews met Petronius again, when he was
come to Tiberias. These thought they must run a mighty hazard if they should have a war with the Romans, but
judged that the transgression of the law was of much greater consequence, and made supplication to him, that he
would by no means reduce them to such distresses, nor defile their city with the dedication of the statue. Then
Petronius said to them, "Will you then make war with Caesar, without considering his great preparations for war,
and your own weakness?" They replied, "We will not by any means make war with him, but still we will die before
we see our laws transgressed." So they threw themselves down upon their faces, and stretched out their throats,
and said they were ready to be slain; and this they did for forty days together, and in the mean time left off the
tilling of their ground, and that while the season of the year required them to sow it. (31) Thus they continued firm
in their resolution, and proposed to themselves to die willingly, rather than to see the dedication of the statue.

4. When matters were in this state, Aristobulus, king Agrippa's brother, and Heleias the Great, and the other
principal men of that family with them, went in unto Petronius, and besought him, that since he saw the resolution of
the multitude, he would not make any alteration, and thereby drive them to despair; but would write to Caius, that
the Jews had an insuperable aversion to the reception of the statue, and how they continued with him, and left of
the tillage off their ground: that they were not willing to go to war with him, because they were not able to do it, but
were ready to die with pleasure, rather than suffer their laws to be transgressed: and how, upon the land's
continuing unsown, robberies would grow up, on the inability they would be under of paying their tributes; and that
Caius might be thereby moved to pity, and not order any barbarous action to be done to them, nor think of
destroying the nation: that if he continues inflexible in his former opinion to bring a war upon them, he may then set
about it himself. And thus did Aristobulus, and the rest with him, supplicate Petronius. So Petronius, (32) partly on
account of the pressing instances which Aristobulus and the rest with him made, and because of the great
consequence of what they desired, and the earnestness wherewith they made their supplication, — partly on
account of the firmness of the opposition made by the Jews, which he saw, while he thought it a terrible thing for
him to be such a slave to the madness of Caius, as to slay so many ten thousand men, only because of their
religious disposition towards God, and after that to pass his life in expectation of punishment; Petronius, I say,
thought it much better to send to Caius, and to let him know how intolerable it was to him to bear the anger he
might have against him for not serving him sooner, in obedience to his epistle, for that perhaps he might persuade
him; and that if this mad resolution continued, he might then begin the war against them; nay, that in case he should
turn his hatred against himself, it was fit for virtuous persons even to die for the sake of such vast multitudes of
men. Accordingly, he determined to hearken to the petitioners in this matter.

5. He then called the Jews together to Tiberias, who came many ten thousands in number; he also placed that army
he now had with him opposite to them; but did not discover his own meaning, but the commands of the emperor, and
told them that his wrath would, without delay, be executed on such as had the courage to disobey what he had
commanded, and this immediately; and that it was fit for him, who had obtained so great a dignity by his grant, not
to contradict him in any thing: — “yet," said he, "I do not think it just to have such a regard to my own safety and
honor, as to refuse to sacrifice them for your preservation, who are so many in number, and endeavor to preserve
the regard that is due to your law; which as it hath come down to you from your forefathers, so do you esteem it
worthy of your utmost contention to preserve it: nor, with the supreme assistance and power of God, will I be so
hardy as to suffer your temple to fall into contempt by the means of the imperial authority. I will, therefore, send to
Caius, and let him know what your resolutions are, and will assist your suit as far as I am able, that you may not be
exposed to suffer on account of the honest designs you have proposed to yourselves; and may God be your
assistant, for his authority is beyond all the contrivance and power of men; and may he procure you the
preservation of your ancient laws, and may not he be deprived, though without your consent, of his accustomed
honors. But if Caius be irritated, and turn the violence of his rage upon me, I will rather undergo all that danger and
that affliction that may come either on my body or my soul, than see so many of you to perish, while you are acting
in so excellent a manner. Do you, therefore, every one of you, go your way about your own occupations, and fall to
the cultivation of your ground; I will myself send to Rome, and will not refuse to serve you in all things, both by
myself and by my friends."

6. When Petronius had said this, and had dismissed rite assembly of the Jews, he desired the principal of them to
take care of their husbandry, and to speak kindly to the people, and encourage them to have good hope of their
affairs. Thus did he readily bring the multitude to be cheerful again. And now did God show his presence to
Petronius, and signify to him that he would afford him his assistance in his whole design; for he had no sooner
finished the speech that he made to the Jews, but God sent down great showers of rain, contrary to human
expectation; (33) for that day was a clear day, and gave no sign, by the appearance of the sky, of any rain; nay, the
whole year had been subject to a great drought, and made men despair of any water from above, even when at any
time they saw the heavens overcast with clouds; insomuch that when such a great quantity of rain came, and that in
an unusual manner, and without any other expectation of it, the Jews hoped that Petronius would by no means fail in
his petition for them. But as to Petronius, he was mightily surprised when he perceived that God evidently took
care of the Jews, and gave very plain signs of his appearance, and this to such a degree, that those that were in
earnest much inclined to the contrary had no power left to contradict it. This was also among those other particulars
which he wrote to Caius, which all tended to dissuade him, and by all means to entreat him not to make so many ten
thousands of these men go distracted; whom, if he should slay, (for without war they would by no means suffer the
laws of their worship to be set aside,) he would lose the revenue they paid him, and would be publicly cursed by
them for all future ages. Moreover, that God, who was their Governor, had shown his power most evidently on their
account, and that such a power of his as left no room for doubt about it. And this was the business that Petronius
was now engaged in.

7. But king Agrippa, who now lived at Rome, was more and more in the favor of Caius; and when he had once made
him a supper, and was careful to exceed all others, both in expenses and in such preparations as might contribute
most to his pleasure; nay, it was so far from the ability of others, that Caius himself could never equal, much less
exceed it (such care had he taken beforehand to exceed all men, and particularly. to make all agreeable to Caesar);
hereupon Caius admired his understanding and magnificence, that he should force himself to do all to please him,
even beyond such expenses as he could bear, and was desirous not to be behind Agrippa in that generosity which
he exerted in order to please him. So Caius, when he had drank wine plentifully, and was merrier than ordinary,
said thus during the feast, when Agrippa had drunk to him: "I knew before now how great a respect thou hast had
for me, and how great kindness thou hast shown me, though with those hazards to thyself, which thou underwentest
under Tiberius on that account; nor hast thou omitted any thing to show thy good-will towards us, even beyond thy
ability; whence it would be a base thing for me to be conquered by thy affection. I am therefore desirous to make
thee amends for every thing in which I have been formerly deficient; for all that I have bestowed on thee, that may
be called my gifts, is but little. Everything that may contribute to thy happiness shall be at thy service, and that
cheerfully, and so far as my ability will reach." (34) And this was what Caius said to Agrippa, thinking be would ask
for some large country, or the revenues of certain cities. But although he had prepared beforehand what he would
ask, yet had he not discovered his intentions, but made this answer to Caius immediately: That it was not out of any
expectation of gain that he formerly paid his respects to him, contrary to the commands of Tiberius, nor did he now
do any thing relating to him out of regard to his own advantage, and in order to receive any thing from him; that the
gifts he had already bestowed upon him were great, and beyond the hopes of even a craving man; for although they
may be beneath thy power, [who art the donor,] yet are they greater than my inclination and dignity, who am the
receiver. And as Caius was astonished at Agrippa's inclinations, and still the more pressed him to make his request
for somewhat which he might gratify him with, Agrippa replied, "Since thou, O my lord! declarest such is thy
readiness to grant, that I am worthy of thy gifts, I will ask nothing relating to my own felicity; for what thou hast
already bestowed on me has made me excel therein; but I desire somewhat which may make thee glorious for piety,
and render the Divinity assistant to thy designs, and may be for an honor to me among those that inquire about it,
as showing that I never once fail of obtaining what I desire of thee; for my petition is this, that thou wilt no longer
think of the dedication of that statue which thou hast ordered to be set up in the Jewish temple by Petronius."

8. And thus did Agrippa venture to cast the die upon this occasion, so great was the affair in his opinion, and in
reality, though he knew how dangerous a thing it was so to speak; for had not Caius approved of it, it had tended to
no less than the loss of his life. So Caius, who was mightily taken with Agrippa's obliging behavior, and on other
accounts thinking it a dishonorable thing to be guilty of falsehood before so many witnesses, in points wherein he
had with such alacrity forced Agrippa to become a petitioner, and that it would look as if he had already repented of
what he had said, and because he greatly admired Agrippa's virtue, in not desiring him at all to augment his own
dominions, either with larger revenues, or other authority, but took care of the public tranquillity, of the laws, and of
the Divinity itself, he granted him what he had requested. He also wrote thus to Petronius, commending him for his
assembling his army, and then consulting him about these affairs. "If therefore," said' he," thou hast already
erected my statue, let it stand; but if thou hast not yet dedicated it, do not trouble thyself further about it, but
dismiss thy army, go back, and take care of those affairs which I sent thee about at first, for I have now no occasion
for the erection of that statue. This I have granted as a favor to Agrippa, a man whom I honor so very greatly, that
I am not able to contradict what he would have, or what he desired me to do for him." And this was what Caius
wrote to Petronius, which was before he received his letter, informing him that the Jews were very ready to revolt
about the statue, and that they seemed resolved to threaten war against the Romans, and nothing else. When
therefore Caius was much displeased that any attempt should be made against his government as he was a slave to
base and vicious actions on all occasions, and had no regard to What was virtuous and honorable, and against
whomsoever he resolved to show his anger, and that for any cause whatsoever, he suffered not himself to be
restrained by any admonition, but thought the indulging his anger to be a real pleasure, he wrote thus to Petronius:
"Seeing thou esteemest the presents made thee by the Jews to be of greater value than my commands, and art
grown insolent enough to be subservient to their pleasure, I charge thee to become thy own judge, and to consider
what thou art to do, now thou art under my displeasure; for I will make thee an example to the present and to all
future ages, that they. may not dare to contradict the commands of their emperor."

9. This was the epistle which Caius wrote to. Petronius; but Petronius did not receive it while Caius was alive, that
ship which carried it sailing so slow, that other letters came to Petronius before this, by which he understood that
Caius was dead; for God would not forget the dangers Petronius had undertaken on account of the Jews, and of his
own honor. But when he had taken Caius away, out of his indignation of what he had so insolently attempted in
assuming to himself divine worship, both Rome and all that dominion conspired with Petronius, especially those that
were of the senatorian order, to give Caius his due reward, because he had been unmercifully severe to them; for
he died not long after he had written to Petronius that epistle which threatened him with death. But as for the
occasion of his death, and the nature of the plot against him, I shall relate them in the progress of this narration.
Now that epistle which informed Petronius of Caius's death came first, and a little afterward came that which
commanded him to kill himself with his own hands. Whereupon he rejoiced at this coincidence as to the death of
Caius, and admired God's providence, who, without the least delay, and immediately, gave him a reward for the
regard he had to the temple, and the assistance he afforded the Jews for avoiding the dangers they were in. And by
this means Petronius escaped that danger of death, which he could not foresee.

1. A VERY sad calamity now befell the Jews that were in Mesopotamia, and especially those that dwelt in
Babylonia. Inferior it was to none of the calamities which had gone before, and came together with a great
slaughter of them, and that greater than any upon record before; concerning all which I shall speak accurately, and
shall explain the occasions whence these miseries came upon them. There was a city of Babylonia called Neerda;
not only a ver populous one, but one that had a good and a large territory about it, and, besides its other
advantages, full of men also. It was, besides, not easily to be assaulted by enemies, from the river Euphrates
encompassing it all round, and from the wails that were built about it. There was also the city Nisibis, situate on the
same current of the river. For which reason the Jews, depending on the natural strength of these places, deposited
in them that half shekel which every one, by the custom of our country, offers unto God, as well as they did other
things devoted to him; for they made use of these cities as a treasury, whence, at a proper time, they were
transmitted to Jerusalem; and many ten thousand men undertook the carriage of those donations, out of fear of the
ravages of the Parthians, to whom the Babylonians were then subject. Now there were two men, Asineus and
Anileus, of the city Neerda by birth, and brethren to one another. They were destitute of a father, and their mother
put them to learn the art of weaving curtains, it not being esteemed ,disgrace among them for men to be weavers of
cloth. Now he that taught them that art, and was set over them, complained that they came too late to their work,
and punished them with stripes; but they took this just punishment as an affront, and carried off all the weapons
which were kept in that house, which were not a few, and went into a certain place where was a partition of the
rivers, and was a place naturally very fit for the feeding of cattle, and for preserving such fruits as were usually laid
up against winter. The poorest sort of the young men also resorted to them, whom they armed with the weapons
they had gotten, and became their captains; and nothing hindered them from being their leaders into mischief; for
as soon as they were become invincible, and had built them a citadel, they sent to such as fed cattle, and ordered
them to pay them so much tribute out of them as might be sufficient for their maintenance, proposing also that they
would be their friends, if they would submit to them, and that they would defend them from all their other enemies
on every side, but that they would kill the cattle of those that refused to obey them. So they hearkened to their
proposals, (for they could do nothing else,) and sent them as many sheep as were required of them; whereby their
forces grew greater, and they became lords over all they pleased, because they marched suddenly, and did them a
mischief, insomuch that every body who had to do with them chose to pay them respect; and they became
formidable to such as came to assault them, till the report about them came to the ears of the king of Parthia
himself.

2. But when the governor of Babylonia understood this, and had a mind to put a stop to them before they grew
greater, and before greater mischiefs should arise from them, he got together as great an army as he could, both of
Parthians and Babylonians, and marched against them, thinking to attack them and destroy them before any one
should carry them the news that he had got an army together. He then encamped at a lake, and lay still; but on the
next day (it was the sabbath, which is among the Jews a day of rest from all sorts of work) he supposed that the
enemy would not dare to fight him thereon, but that he would take them and carry them away prisoners, without
fighting. He therefore proceeded gradually, and thought to fall upon them on the sudden. Now Asineus was sitting
with the rest, and their weapons lay by them; upon which he said, "Sirs, I hear a neighing of horses; not of such as
are feeding, but such as have men on their backs; I also hear such a noise of their bridles, that I am afraid that
some enemies are coming upon us to encompass us round. However, let somebody go to look about, and make
report of what reality there is in the present state of things; and may what I have said prove a false alarm." And
when he had said this, some of them went out to spy out what was the matter; and they came again immediately,
and said to him, that "neither hast thou been mistaken in telling us what our enemies were doing, nor will those
enemies permit us to be injurious to people any longer. We are caught by their intrigues like brute beasts, and
there is a large body of cavalry marching upon us, while we are destitute of hands to defend ourselves withal,
because we are restrained from doing it by the prohibition of our law, which obliges us to rest [on this day]." But
Asiueus did not by any means agree with the opinion of his spy as to what was to be done, but thought it more
agreeable to the law to pluck up their spirits in this necessity they were fallen into, and break their law by avenging