people, and those such as were collected from all parts, to dwell in it. Nay, some of them were not quite free-men. And these he was a 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 expense, 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 sepulchres were to be here taken away, in order to make room for the city Tiberias. Whereas our laws pronounce that such inhabitants are unclean for seven days.† persons of condition. He also admitted poor || had criminal conversation. So he was hated for both these vices; while his subjects esteemed his 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 the Parthians agreed that it was impossible they should be governed without a king; while it was also 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 were accused of very great cruelty, and was of an intractable 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 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 supposition, 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 About this time died Phraates, king of the Parthians, by the treachery of Phraataces, his son, upon the following occasion. 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 Julias Cæsar, among other presents. He first made her his concubine; but being a great admirer of her beauty, and 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 *Numbers xix. 11-14. We may here take notice, as well as in the parallel parts of the books Of the War, II. 9. that after the death of Herod the Great, and the succession of Archelaus, Josephus is very brief in his accounts of Judea, till near his own time. I suppose the reason is, that after the large history of Nicolaus of Damascus, including the life of Herod, and probably the succession and first actions of his sons, he had but few good histories of those times before him. Treachery is usually the companion of cruelty. The most perfidious conduct has often been displayed on such occasions as these. Men being then off their guard, and perhaps least able to defend themselves, fall an easy prey to their betrayers. B. them, 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 his side, and he put his army in array; but Artabanus was beaten, and fled to the mountains of Media. Yet did the east, and settled all affairs there, his life was taken away by a poison which Piso gave him. CHAP. III. OF A SEDITION OF THE JEWS AGAINST PONTIUS PILATE; * UT now Pilate, the procurator of Ju be a little after gather a great army together, Bun, removed the army from Cæsarea and fought with Vonones, and beat him. dea, Whereupon Vonones fled away on horseback, to Jerusalem, to take their winter-quarters with a few of his attendants about him, to|| there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws. Seleucia. So when Artabanus had slain a great number, and this after he had gotten the victory, by reason of the great dismay the Barbarians were in, he retired to Ctesiphon, with a great number of his people: and 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 denounce war against him if he proceeded; and because he had no way 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. At this time died Antiochus, king of Com magene: whereupon the multitude contended with the nobility; and both sent ambassadors to Rome. For the men of power were desirous that their government might be changed into the form of a Roman province: while the multitude were 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 * A. D. 27. So he introduced Caesar's images, 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 Cæsarea, and interceded with Pilate many days, that he would remove the images. And when he would not grant their request, because this would tend to the injury of Cæsar: while yet they persevered in it; on the sixth day he ordered his soldiers to have their weapons privately, while he came and sat upon the 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 round; and threatened that their punishment should be no less than immediate death, unless they would leave off disturbing him, and go to their respective homes. 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 commanded the images to be carried back from Jerusalem to Ca- he was a doer of wonderful works, and a sarea. 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 among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him: for he appeared to them alive again, the told these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, is not extinct at this day. Pilate now* 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 were not pleased with what had been done about this water; and many thousands of the people got together, and made a clamor against him, and in-§ third day: as the divine prophets had foresisted 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 disguised 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. He then bade the Jews go away: but they boldly casting reproaches upon him, he gave the soldiers that signal which had been previously agreed op. Accordingly, they laid upon them much greater blows than Pilate had commanded 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, a great number of them were slain by this means, and others of them ran away wounded. And thus an end was put to the sedition. Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man; if it be lawful to call him a man; for * A. D. 28. 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 were of a beautiful countenance, and in that flower of 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, a man very high in the equestrian order, fell in love with this wo in the words of the learned Noldius, de Herod. No. 249. "The cause of the enmity between Herod and Pilate," says he, "seems to have been, that Pilate had intermed. dled with the tetrarch's jurisdiction, and had slain some of his Galilean subjects; Luke xiii. 1. And as he was willing to correct that error, he sent Christ to Herod at this time." + These Jews, as they are bere called, whose blood Pilate shed on this occasion, may very well be those Galilean Jews, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices; Luke xiii. 1, 2. These tumults being usually excited at some of the great festivals, when they slew abundance of sacrifices; and the Galileans being commonly more busy in such tumults than those of Judea N. B. Whereas Ottius, in his annotations upon Joseand Jerusalem; as we learn from the history of Ar-phus, printed in Havercamp's second volume, pag. 305 chelaus, XVII. 9, and chap. 10. Though, indeed, Jo--828, all along supposes that Josephus had read our sephus's present copies say not one word of those books of the New Testament, when he wrote his known eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and works; and that he gives many, though obscure, intislew them, which the fourth verse of the same thir- mations thereof; this no way appears to me, upon the teenth chapter of St. Luke informs us of. But since our perusal of his observations, to be true. He indeed, as Gospel teaches us, Luke xxiii. 6, 7, that when Pilate then an Ebionite, must have read and believed the heard of Galilee, he asked whether Jesus were a Gali- Nazarene Gospel, but not the books of our New Tes lean? And as soon as he knew that he belonged to He- tament. rod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod. And verse 12. The same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together; for before they had been at enmity between themselves. Take the very probable key of this matter. April 3, A. D. 33. man: |