and of the entire kingdom; and paid that respect to the deceased, as not to introduce Marcus, who had been at variance with him, into his kingdom. But he determined in the first place to send orders to Fadus, that he should chastise the inhabitants of Cæsarea and Sebaste, for those abuses they had offered to him that was deceased, and their madness towards his daughters that were still alive; and that he should remove that body of soldiers that were at Cæsarea and Sebaste, with the five regiments, into Pontus, that they might do their military duty there; and that he should choose an equal number of soldiers out of the Roman legions that were in Syria, to supply their place. Yet were not those that had such orders actually removed: for by sending ambassadors to Claudius, they mollified him, and got leave to abide in Judea still. And these were the very men that became the source of great calamities to the Jews in after times, and sowed the seed of that war which began under Florus. Whence it was that when Vespasian had subdued the country, he removed them out of his province.

OF A SEDITION OF THE PHILADELPHIANS AGAINST THE JEWS; AND OF THE VESTMENTS OF THE HIGH-PRIEST.

UPON the death of king Agrippa, which we have related in the foregoing book, Claudius Cæsar sent Cassius Longinus as successor to Marcus, out of regard to the memory of king Agrippa; who had often desired of him by letters, while he was alive, that he would not suffer Marcus to be any longer president of Syria. But Fadus, as soon as he was come procurator into Judea, found quarrelsome doings between the Jews that dwelt in Perea, and the people of Philadelphia, about their borders at a village called Mia, that was filled with mer of a warlike temper: for the Jews of Perea had taken up arms without the consent of their principal men, and had destroyed many of the Philadelphians. When Fadus was informed of this procedure, it provoked him very much, that they had not left the determination of the matter to him, if they thought that the Philadelphians had done them any wrong: but had rashly taken up arms against them. So he seized upon three of their principal

men, who were also the causes of this sedition, and ordered them to be bound; and afterward had one of them slain, whose name was Hannibal; and he banished the other two, Amram and Eleazar. Tholomy also, a noted robber, was after some time, brought to him bound, and slain; but not till he had done much mischief to Idumea and the Arabians: and, indeed, from that time Judea was cleared of robberies, by the care and providence of Fadus. He also at this time sent for the high-priests, and the principal citizens of Jerusalem, and this at the command of the emperor; and admonished them, that they should lay up the long garment, and the sacred vestment, which it is customary for nobody but the high-priest to wear, in the tower of Antonia; that it might be under the power of the Romans, as it had been formerly. Now the Jews durst not contradict what he said; but they desired Fadus, and Longinus, (which last was come to Jerusalem, and had brought a great army with him out of fear that the rigid injunctions of Fadus should force the Jews to rebel,) that they might, in the first place, have leave to send ambassadors to Cæsar; to petition him that the holy vestments might remain under their own power; and that, in the next place, they would tarry till they knew what answer Claudius would give to that request. So they replied, that they would give them leave to send their ambassadors, provided they would give them their sons as pledges for their peaceable behaviour.* And when they had agreed so to do, and had given them the pledges they desired, the ambassadors were sent accordingly. But when, upon their coming to Rome, Agrippa junior, the son of the deceased, understood the reason why they came, (for he dwelt with Claudius Cæsar, as twe said before,) he besought Cæsar to grant the Jews their request, and to send a message to Fadus accordingly.

Hereupon Claudius called for the ambassadors, and told them, that he granted their request; and bade them return

* The detention of persons as hostages to secure to one party the good conduct of the other, has been a general practice. In proportion to the importance of the occasion, and the existence of jealousy, or the fear of treachery, has always been the care with which they were selected or approved. B.

+ Book XIX. chap. 9.

their thanks to Agrippa for this favour, which had been bestowed on them upon his entreaty; and besides these answers, he sent the following letter by them :

"Claudius Cæsar, Germanicus, tribune of the people the fifth time, designed consul the fourth time, and imperator the tenth time, the father of his country; to the magistrates, senate, and people, and the whole nation of the Jews, sendeth greeting. Upon the presentation of your ambassadors to me by my friend Agrippa, whom I have brought up, and have now with me, and who is a person of very great piety; who are come to give me thanks for the care I have taken of your nation, and to entreat me, in an earnest and obliging manner, that they may have the holy vestments, with the crown belonging to them, under their power; I grant their request; as that excellent person Vitellius, who is very dear to me, had done before. And I have complied with your desire, in the first place out of regard to that piety which I profess, and because I would have every one worship God according to the laws of their own country. And this I do also, because I shall hereby highly gratify king Herod and Agrippa junior, whose sacred regards to me, and earnest good will to you, I am well acquainted with; and with whom I have the greatest friendship, and whom I highly esteem, and look on as persons of the best character. Now I have written about these affairs to Cuspius Fadus my procurator. The names of those that brought me your letter are Cornelius, the son of Cero; Trypho, the son of Theudio; Dorotheus, the son of Nathaniel; and John, the son of John. This letter is dated before the fourth of the calends of July, when Rufus and Pompeius Sylvanus are consuls."

Herod also, the brother of the deceased Agrippa, who was then possessed of the royal authority over Chalcis, petitioned Claudius Cæsar for the authority over the temple, and the money of the sacred treasure, and the choice of the high-priests; and obtained all that he petitioned for. So that after that time, this authority continued *among his descendants till the end of

* Here is some error in the copies, or mistake in Josephus. For the power of appointing high-priests, after Herod, king of Chalcis, was dead, and Agrippa,

the war.

Accordingly Herod removed the last high-priest, called Cantheras, and bestowed that dignity on his successor, Joseph, the son of Camus.

CHAP. II.

OF THE CONVERSION OF HELENA, QUEEN OF ADIABENE, AND HER SON IZATES, TO THE JEWISH RELIGION; AND OF HELENA's BENEVOLENCE TO THE POOR, WHEN THERE WAS A GREAT FAMINE AT JERUSALEM.

ABOUT this time *Helena, queen of Adiabene, and her son Izates, changed their course of life, and embraced the Jewish customs: and this on the following occasion: Monobazus, king of Adiabene, who had also the name of Bazeus, fell in love with his sister Helena, and took her to be his wife; and as he was in bed with her one night, he fell asleep, and seemed to hear a voice, which told him, that the infant with which she was pregnant should, by God's providence, be safely born, and have a happy end. This voice put him into disorder: so he awaked immediately, and told the story to his wife and when his son was born, he called him Izates. He had, indeed, Monobazus, his elder son, by Helena also, as he had other sons by other wives: yet did he openly place all his affections on this his fonly begotten son Izates: which was the origin of that envy which his other brethren, by the same father, bore to him; while on this

jun. was made king of Chalcis in his room, belonged to him; and he exercised the same all along till Jerusalem was destroyed, as Josephus elsewhere informs us, chap. VIII.

* Concerning Monobazus and Helena, and their son Izates, and the contents of this and of the two next chapters, see Moses Chorenensis, page 132–141. and Authentic Records, Part II. page 954-961. and page 1083-1123. Only this I shall now add, that Orosius confirms my determination, that Helena, queen of Adiabene, was not converted to the Jewish, but to the Christian religion; and thence sent supplies to the Christians in Judea, during the famine under Claudius Cæsar, L. VII. c. 6. The Talmud also has a full account of this Helena and Monobazus; and of their great favours to the Jews; as Hudson and Reland observe upon these chapters.

+ Josephus here uses the word μovoyɛvn, an only begotten son, for no other than one best beloved; as do both the Old and New Testament; I mean where there were one or more sons besides. Gen. xxii. 2. Heb. xi. 17.