for the future; and afford them room for repentance for what they had done. And Felix was prevailed upon to do so. tents of this epistle by the Syrians, they were more disorderly than before; till a war was kindled. Upon Festus's coming into Judea, it happened that the country was afflicted by the robbers; while all the villages were set on fire, and plundered by them. And then it was that the Sicarii, as they were called, who were robbers, grew numerous. They made use of small swords, not much different in About this time *king Agrippa gave the high-priesthood to Ismael, who was the son of Fabi. And now arose a sedition between the † high-priests, and the principal men of the multitude of Jerusalem; each of which assembled a company of the boldest sort of men, and of those that loved innovations, and became leaders to them. And when they strug-length from the Persian acinacæ, but somegled together, they did it by casting reproach. ful words against one another; and by throwing stones also. And there was nobody to reprove them but these disorders were done after a licentious manner in the city, as if it had no government over it. And such was the impudence and boldness that had seized on the high-priests, that they had the hardiness to send their servants into the threshingfloors, to take away those tithes that were due to the priests. Insomuch that the poorest sort of the priests died for want. To this degree did the violence of the seditious prevail over all right and justice. Now when Porcius Festus was sent § as successor to Felix by Nero, the principal of the Jewish inhabitants of Cæsarea went up to Rome, to accuse Felix. And he had certainly been brought to punishment, unless Nero had yielded to the importunate solicitations of his brother Pallas, who was at that time held in the greatest honor by bim. Two of the principal Syrians in Cæsarea persuaded Burrus, who was Nero's tutor, and secretary for his Greek epistles, by giving him a great sum of money, to disannul that equality of the Jewish privileges of citizens which they hitherto enjoyed. So Burrus, by his solicitations, obtained leave of the emperor, that an epistle should be written to that purpose. This epistle became the occasion of the following miseries that befell our nation. For when the Jews of Cæsarea were informed of the con what crooked, and like the Roman sicæ, or sickles. And from those weapons these robbers got their denomination; and with them they slew a great many. For they mingled themselves among the multitude at their festivals, when they were come up in crowds from all parts to the city to worship God; and easily slew those that they had a mind to slay. They also came frequently upon the villages belonging to their enemies, with their weapons, and plundered them, and set them on fire. So Festus sent forces, both horsemen and footmen, to fall upon those that had been seduced by a certain impostor, who promised them deliverance from the miseries they were under, if they would but follow him as far as the wilderness. Accordingly those forces that were sent destroyed both the seducer and those that were his followers. About the same time king || Agrippa built himself a very large dining-room in the royal palace at Jerusalem, near to the portico. Now this palace had been originally erected by the children of Asmoneus, and was situate upon an elevation, and afforded a most delightful prospect to those that had a mind to take a view of the city. This prospect was desired by the king: as he could there lie down, and eat, and thence observe what was done in the temple. But the chief men of Jerusalem were very much displeased at it. For it was not agreeable to the institutions of our country or law, that what was done in the temple dinary; that the high-priests should so oppress their brethren the priests as to starve the poorest of them to death. See the like, chap. 9. Such fatal crimes are covetousness and tyranny in the clergy, as well as in the laity in all ages! § A. D. 58. should be viewed by others; especially what belonged to the sacrifices.* They, therefore, erected a wall upon the uppermost building which belonged to the inner court of the temple towards the west. Which wall, when it was built, did not only intercept the prospect of the dining-room in the palace, but also of the western cloisters that belonged to the outer court of the temple also, where it was that the Romans kept guards for the temple at the festivals. At these doings, both king Agrippa, and Festus the procurator, were much displeased. And Festus ordered them to pull the wall down again. But the Jews petitioned him to give them leave to send an ambassage about this matter to Nero. For they said, they could not endure to live if any part of the temple should be demolished. And when Festus had given them permission so to do, they sent ten of their principal men to Nero; as also Ismael the high-priest, and Helcias the keeper of the sacred treasure. And when Nero had heard what they had to say, he not only † forgave them what they had already done; but also gave them leave to let the wall they had built stand. This was granted in order to gratify Poppea, Nero's wife; who was a religious woman, and had requested these favors of Nero: and who gave order to the ten ambassadors to return home; but retained Helcias and Ismael as hostages with herself. As soon as the king heard this news, he gave the high-priesthood to Joseph, who was called Cabi, the son of Simon, formerly high-priest. CONCERNING ALBINUS, UNDER WHOSE PROCURATORSHIP JAMES WAS SLAIN: ALSO OF THE EDIFICES BUILT BY AGRIPPA. NOW Caesar, upon hearing of the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high-priesthood; and bestowed the succession of that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now it is reported, that this eldest Anahus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons, who had all performed the office of high-priest to God; and he had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly which had never happened to any other of our high-priests. But this young Ananus, who took the highpriesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent. He was also of the sect of the Sadducees; who are very rigid in judging offenders above all the rest of the Jews: as we have already observed. When, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had a proper opportunity to exercise his authority. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road. So he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some of his companions. And when he had laid an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned. But as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done. They also sent to king Agrippa, desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so The Jews had the highest sense of the sanctity of privately a Jewish proselyte; and so were not owing enthe temple and its service, and were remarkably tenaci-tirely to Nero's own goodness. ous of every legal ceremony. This disposition they retained long after they had departed from the purity of the truth revealed to them, and of which the ordinances of the sanctuary were to be the depositories. B. + We have here one eminent example of Nero's mildness in his government towards the Jews, during the first five years of his reign, so famous in antiquity. We have perhaps another in Josephus's own Life. However, both these generous acts of kindness were obtained of Nero, by his queen Poppea; who was a religious lady, and perhaps It hence evidently appears, that Sadducees might be high-priests in the days of Josephus; and that these Sadducees were usually very severe and inexorable judges; while the Pharisees were much milder and more merciful: as appears by Reland's instances in his note on this place; and on Josephus's Life, and those taken from the New Testament; from Josephus himself; and from the Rabbins. Nor do we meet with any Sadducees later than this highpriest in all Josephus. § Book XIII. Chap. 10. no more for that what he had already done was not to be justified. Nay some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria; and informed him, that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without his consent. Hereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus; and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done. On which account king Agrippa took the high-priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months: and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, highpriest. that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died for want of food. But now the Sicarii went into the city by night, just before a festival, which was at hand, and took the scribe belonging to the governor of the temple, whose name was Eleazar, who was the son of Ananias the highpriest, and bound him, and carried him away with them. They then sent to Ananias, and said, they would send the scribe to him if he would persuade Albinus to release ten of those prisoners which he had caught of their party. So Ananias was forced to persuade Albinus, and gained his request of him. This was the beginning of greater calamities. For the robbers perpetually contrived to catch some of Ananias's servants: and when they had taken them alive, they would not let them go, till they thereby recovered some of their own Sicarii. And as they were again become numercus, they grew bold, and were a great affliction to the whole country. Now as soon as Albinus was come to the † city Jerusalem, he used all his endeavors and care that the country might be kept in peace: and this by destroying many of the Sicarii. But as for the high-priest Ananias, he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree; and had obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner. For he was a great hoarder up of money. He therefore cultivated the friendship of Albinus, and of the high-priest Jesus, by making them presents. He had also servants who were very wicked; who joined themselves to the boldest sort of the people, and went to the threshing-floors, and took away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence: and did not refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the other high-statues of his own donation; and with original priest acted in the like manner, as did those his servants, without any one's being able to prohibit them. So that some of the priests, About this time king Agrippa built Cæsarea Philippi larger than it was before; and in honor of Nero named it Neronias. And when he had built a theatre at Berytus, with vast expense, he bestowed on them shows, to be exhibited every year; and spent therein many thousand drachmæ. He also gave the people a largess of corn, § and distributed oil among them, and adorned the entire city with images made by ancient hands. Nay, he almost transferred all that was most ornamental in his own kingdom thither. This made him 17th, Matthias; and the 5th was the 24th, Ananus. Nor ought we to pass slightly over what Josephus here says of this Annas or Ananias, that he was high-priest a long time before his children were so. He was the son of Seth, and is set down first for high-priest in the preceding ca talogue, under number 9. He was made by Quirinius, and continued till Ismael, the 10th in number, for about 23 years. Which long duration of his high-priesthood, joined to the successions of his son-in-law, and five children of his own, made him a sort of perpetual highpriest: and was perhaps the occasion that former highpriests kept their titles ever afterwards. For I believe it hardly met with before him. This Ananias was not the son of Nebedeus, as I take it, but he who was called Annas or Ananus the elder, the ninth in the catalogue, and who had been esteemed high-is priest, for a long time; and, besides, Caiaphas, his sonin-law, had five of his own sons high-priests after him, (which were those of numbers 11, 14, 15, 17, 24, in the foregoing catalogue.) They were these: 1. was the 11th in the catalogue, Eleazer; the 2d was the 14th, Jonathan; the 3d was the 15th, Theophilus; the 4th was the By the distribution of largesses many important advantages have occasionally been secured. So much are men devoted to their personal interest, that they will not only sacrifice the benefit of others to it, but even their own future good, for present gratification. B. more more than ordinarily hated by his subjects; because he took those things away that belonged to them, to adorn a foreign city. And now Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, became the successor of Jesus, the son of Damneus, in the high-priesthood; which the king had taken from the other. On this account a sedition arose between the high-priests, with regard to one another: for they got together bodies of the boldest sort of the people; and frequently came from reproaches to throwing of stones at each other. But Ananias was too hard for the rest, by his riches: which enabled him to gain those that were most ready to receive. Costobarus also, and Saulus, got together a multitude of wicked wretches; and this because they were of the royal family; and so they obtained favor among them, because of their kindred to Agrippa. But still they used violence with the people; and were very ready to plunder those that were weaker than themselves. And from that time it principally came to pass, that our city was greatly disordered; and that all things grew worse and worse among us. But when Albinus heard that Gessius Florus was coming to succeed him, he was desirous to appear to do somewhat that might be grateful to the people of Jerusalem.* So he brought out all those prisoners who seemed to him to be the most worthy of death, and ordered them to be put to death accordingly. But as to those who had been put into prison, on some trifling occasions, he took money of them, and dismissed them: by which means the prisons were emptied, but the country was filled with robbers. Now as many of the † Levites as were singers of hymns, persuaded the king to assemble a sanhedrim, and to give them leave to wear linen garments, as well as the priests. For they said that this would be a work worthy of his government; that he might have a memorial of such novelty, as being his doing. Nor did they fail of obtaining their desire. For the king, with the suffrages of those that * A. D. 63. + This insolent petition of some of the Levites to wear the sacerdotal garments, when they sung hymns to God in the temple, was very probably owing to the great depression and contempt the haughty high-priests had now came into the sanhedrim, granted the singers of hymns this privilege, that they might lay aside their former garments, and wear such a linen one as they desired. And as a part of this tribe ministered in the temple, he also permitted them to learn those hymns as they had besought him for. Now all this was contrary to the laws of our country; which, whenever they have been transgressed, we have never been able to avoid the punishment of such transgressions. And now it was that the temple was finished. So when the people saw that the workmen, who were above eighteen thousand, were unemployed, and that they, receiving no wages, were in want, because they had earned their bread by their labors about the temple: and while they were unwilling to keep by them the treasures that were there deposited, out of fear of their being carried away by the Romans and while they had regard to making provision for the workmen; they had a mind to expend those treasures upon them. For if any one of them did but labor for a single hour, he received his pay immediately. So they persuaded him to rebuild the eastern cloisters, which belonged to the outer court, and were situate in a deep valley, and had walls that reached four hundred cubits in length; and were built of square and very white stones: the length of each of which stones was twenty cubits, and their height six cubits. This was the work of king Solomon, who first of all built the entire temple. king Agrippa, who had the care of the temple committed to him by Claudius Cæsar, considering it easy to demolish any building, but hard to build it up again: and that it was particularly hard to do it to these cloisters, which would require a considerable time, and great sums of money, he denied the petitioners their request about that matter. But he did not obstruct them when they desired the city might be paved with white stone. also deprived Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, of the high-priesthood; and gave it to Matthias, But He brought their brethren the priests into. Of which see chap. 8, 9. Of this finishing, not of the holy house, but of the courts about it, called in general the temple, see the note on XVII. 10. the son of Theophilus, under whom the war with the Romans took its beginning. CHAP. X. AN ENUMERATION OF THE HIGH-PRIESTS. mon, until Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made an expedition against that city, and burnt the temple, and removed our nation into Babylon, and then took Josadek the highpriest captive. The time of these high-priests was four hundred and sixty-six years, six months, and ten days: while the Jews were still under the regal government. But after the term of the seventy years captivity under the Babylonians, Cyrus, king of Persia, sent the Jews from Babylon to their own land again; and gave them leave to rebuild their temple. At which time Jesus the son of Josadek took the high-priesthood over the captives, when they were returned home. Now he and his posterity, who were in all fifteen, until Antiochus Eupator, were under a democratical government, for four hundred and fourteen years. And then the aforemention OW I think it proper and agreeable to this history to give an account of our high-priests; how they began, and who those are which are capable of that dignity; and how many of them there had been at the end of the war. In the first place, therefore, history informs us, that Aaron, the brother of Moses, officiated before God as a high-priest, and that after his death his sons succeeded him immediately and that this dignity has been continued down from them to all their posterity. Whence it is the custom of our country, that no one should take the high-ed Antiochus, and Lysias the general of his priesthood of God, but he who is of the blood army, deprived Onias, who was also named of Aaron; while every one that is of another Menelaus, of the high-priesthood, and slew him stock, though he were a king, can never ob- at Berea; and driving away the son of Onias tain that high-priesthood. Accordingly, the the Third, put Jacimus into the place of the number of all the high-priests from Aaron, of high-priest. One that was, indeed, of the whom we have spoken already as of the first stock of Aaron, but not of that family of of them, until Phanas, who was made high- Onias. On this account Onias, who was the priest during the war by the seditious, was nephew of Onias that was dead, and bore the eighty-three. Of these, thirteen officiated as same name with his father, came into Egypt, high-priests in the wilderness, from the days and got into the friendship of Ptolemy Philoof Moses, while the tabernacle was standing, metor, and of Cleopatra his wife; and persuaduntil the people came into Judea, when king ed them to make him the high-priest of that Solomon erected the temple to God. For at temple which he built to God in the prefecfirst they held the high-priesthood till the end ture of Heliopolis; and this in imitation of of their life although afterward they had suc- that at Jerusalem. But as for that temple cessors while they were alive. Now these which was built in Egypt, we have spoken of thirteen, who were the descendants of two of it frequently already. Now when Jacimus. the sons of Aaron, received this dignity by had retained the high-priesthood three years, succession one after another: for their form of he died; and there was no one that succeeded government was an aristocracy, and after that him: but the city continued seven years witha monarchy. Now the number of years dur- out a high-priest. But then the posterity of ing the rule of these thirteen, from the day the sons of Asmoneus, who had the governwhen our fathers departed out of Egypt, under ment of the nation conferred upon them, when Moses their leader, until the building of that they had beaten the Macedonians in war, aptemple which king Solomon erected at Jeru-pointed Jonathan to be their high-priest: who salem, were six hundred and twelve. After those thirteen high-priests, eighteen took the high-priesthood at Jerusalem, one in succession to another, from the days of king Solo * See xii. 9, xiii. 3 and 10. ruled over them seven years. And when he had been slain by the treacherous contrivance of Trypho, as we have related, † Simon his brother took the high-priesthood: and when + Book XIII. Chap. 6. he |