Galilee, when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea, by which is implied that Archelaus succeeded his father Herod the. Great, that his power did not extend to Galilee, and that the state of his dominions was insecure, or his character odious; it appears from the accounts of Josephus, that soon after his father's death considerable turbulence and discontent were manifested against the memory of the departed king, and that clamours were raised for satisfaction for injuries, so that not long after the accession of Archelaus, his soldiers slew three thousand citizens in an insurrection, and Judea in general was so disturbed and tumultuous, that it naturally occasioned the return of the holy family to Nazareth *.

The historian states, that a difference arose between Aretas, king of Arabia Petræa, and Herod Antipas, the tetrarch, who had married his daughter. On a journey to Rome, Herod making a visit to his brother Herod, surnamed Philip, fell in love with Herodias, Philip's wife, and daughter of their brother Aristobulus, and she acceded to his proposals to her, to live with him, on condition of his

* Antiq. lib. xvii. c. 9.

+ Antiq. lib. xviii. c. 6. § 1. p. 804. Grotius in Matt. xiv. 3.

putting away the daughter of Aretas. This divorce probably occasioned a war; and it may be collected from Josephus, that the soldiers, sent by Herod upon this occasion against Aretas, passed through the country in which St. John preached, at the very time that he was proclaiming the necessity of repentance. It is possible that these were the persons whom he instructed to do no violence to any man, neither to accuse any falsely, and to be content with their wages *

It is remarkable that Josephus seems to have imbibed the same spirit of instruction, since he describes himself to have given very similar advice to his own soldiers.

He tells us, indeed, that he had been some time with Banus, an Ascetic, whom Hudson conjectures to have been a follower of the Baptist:-Josephus imitated for a time his abstemious life, and seems to have received from him, or some other teacher, a more elevated apprehension of the law than generally prevailed. Hence, perhaps, it was, that though our Saviour states it to have been a popular notion among the Jews to love their neighbours and to hate their enemies, Josephus represents it to be pro

Luke iii. 14.

hibited by the Jewish laws to spoil their enemies *.

Herod's army, in his expedition against Aretas, was defeated in consequence of treachery. Josephus states, that some of the Jews attributed his failure" to a divine pu"nishment for what he had done to the Bap

tist, whom Herod had slain, though John "was a good man, who exhorted the Jews "to cultivate virtue, and by justice among "each other, and piety to God, to approach "to baptism; for that thus baptism ap"peared acceptable to God when they had

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recourse to it, not for remission of sins, "but for the sanctity of body, their minds being previously purified by righteous

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The historian adds, that when others were converted to John, since" for the

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most part they were pleased with hearing "his discourse, Herod, being afraid lest John "should avail himself of the confidence "which men reposed in him to excite sedi"tion (for they appeared disposed to follow "his counsel in every thing), thought it

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most expedient to seize and put him to

See his Life, § 26. See also § 23.

*

"death before any thing more new should "arise from him, rather than to expose "himself to a late repentance after he "should be brought into difficulties by any

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وو

change that might be effected *. John therefore, on account of the suspicion of Herod, was sent bound to the castle of Machærus, and there was put to death. The Jews however thought, that the army of Herod was destroyed in consequence of the displeasure of God, avenging the death of John. The historian does not mention Herodias as the instigator upon this occasion; he, however, elsewhere informs us, that she had a daughter by a former marriage, called Salome, who is generally supposed to have been the person that danced before Herod, and who, to make sure of his execution of her mother's purpose, demanded and obtained the head of John. The historian also represents Herodias as a woman who, by her envy and ambition, occasioned the deposition and banishment of her husband Herod Antipas.

Josephus states, that Coponius was sent

The words of Josephus are remarkable, and may be thought to have some reference to the approach of the change to be affected by the Advent of our Saviour: giv Τι νεώτερον ἐξ αὐτῷ γενέσθαι. Antig. lib. xviii. c. 6. § 2. p. 805.

into Judea to govern it as a Roman province, with the " of life and death; and power at the same time Cyrenius, a Roman senator of consular dignity, was appointed to be a judge in Syria, to tax the inhabitants, and to confiscate the substance of Archelaus. This is supposed by Prideaux to have

taken place at the very period that Christ made his appearance in the temple at the age of twelve years. We shall hereafter have occasion to remark, that Cyrenius had been previously sent as an assessor into Judea by Augustus, who, being displeased with Herod, wished to mortify him by this mark of subjection, and an enrolment had in consequence commenced agreeably to the statement of St. Luke §. The appointment of a Roman governor, invested with the power of life and death, clearly indicates the departure of civil authority and hence the chief priests declared before Pilate, that the Jews had no king but Cæsar. Some writers assign to this period the accomplish

Antiq. lib. xviii. c. 1. et de Bell. Jud. lib. ii. c. 8. + Connect. Part ii. Book ix.

Jud.

p. 512.

Antiq. lib. xvii. c. 15. p. 789. lib. xviii. c. 1. De Bell,

§ Luke ii. 2.

John xviii. 31. xix. 10. Tacitus Annal. lib. ii. c. 42. Lardner, Parti. Book i. c. 2. Edit. Kippis.