CHAP. VII.

OF JOHN'S ASSASSINATION OF HIS BROTHER JESUS IN THE TEM

PLE, AND OF THE INJURIES OFFERED TO THE JEWS BY BAGOSES; AND WHAT SANBALLAT DID.

WHEN Eliashib the high priest was dead, his son Judas succeeded in the high-priesthood. And when he was dead his son John took that dignity. On whose account it was also that Bagoses, the general of another* of Artaxerxes's army, polluted the temple, and imposed tributes on the Jews; that out of the public stock, before they offered the daily sacrifices, they should pay for every lamb fifty shekels. Now Jesus was the brother of John, and was a friend of Bagoses: who had promised to procure him the high-priesthood. In consequence of whose support Jesus quarrelled with John in the temple; and so provoked his brother, that in his anger his brother slew him. Now it was a horrible thing for John, when he was high-priest, to perpetrate so great a crime; and so much the more horrible, that there never was so cruel and impious a thing done, either

* Concerning this other Artaxerxes, called Mnemon, and the Persian affliction and captivity of the Jews under him, occasioned by the murder of the high-priest's brother in the holy house, see Authent. Rec. at large, page 49, 50, 116–161. And if any one wonder why Josephus wholly omits the rest of the kings of Persia, after Artaxerxes Mnemon; till he came to their last king, Darius, who was conquered by Alexander the Great; I shall give them Vossius's and Dr. Hudson's answer, though in my own words: viz. that Josephus did not do ill in omitting those kings of Persia with whom the Jews had no concern: because he was giving the history of the Jews, and not of the Persians. Which is a sufficient reason also, why he entirely omits the history and the book of Job; as not particularly relating to that nation. He justly therefore returns to the Jewish affairs, after the death of Longimanus, without any mention of Darius II. before Artaxerxes Mnemon, or of Ochus, or Arogus, as the canon of Ptolemy names them, after him. Nor had he probably mention this other Artaxerxes, unless Bagoses, one of the governors and commanders under him, had occasioned the pollution of the Jewish temple, and had greatly distressed the Jews upon that pollution. But still, how very wide are those learned men from truth, who, from such bare omissions in Josephus, collect that he was unacquainted with those reigns he omitted; and with the modern Jews, greatly shortened the Persian monarchy. For Josephus was in fact so far from diminishing, that he has increased its duration; and that no fewer than 38 or 39 years.

by the Greeks or Barbarians. However, God did not neglect its punishment. But the people were, on that very account, enslaved: and the temple was polluted by the Persians. Now when Bagoses, the general of Artaxerxes's army, knew that John, the high-priest of the Jews, had slain his own brother Jesus in the temple; he came upon the Jews immediately; and began in anger to say to them, "Have you had the impudence to perpetrate a murder in your temple?" And as he was aiming to go into the temple, they forbade him so to do. But he said, "Am not I purer than he that was slain in the temple ?" And when he had said those words, he went into the temple. Accordingly Bagoses made use of this pretence; and punished the Jews seven years for the murder of Jesus.

Now when John was departed this life, his son Jaddua succeeded in the high-priesthood. He had a brother, whose name was Manasseh. Now there was one Sanballat,* who was sent by Darius, the last king of Persia, into Samaria. He was a Cuthean by birth; of which stock were the Samaritans also. This man knew that the city of Jerusalem was a famous city; and that their kings had given a great deal of trouble to the Assyrians, and the people of Colesyria. So that he willingly gave his daughter, whose name was Nicaso, in marriage to Manasseh; as thinking this alliance by marriage would be a pledge and security, that the nation of the Jews should continue their good will to him.

* Many have here, very weakly, supposed that this Sanballat, under the last Darius, is by Josephus confounded with Sanballat the Horonite in Nehemiah xiii. 28. under Xerxes or Artaxerxes Longimanus: who yet lived, by Josephus's own chronology, about 120 years before him. So palpable a mistake is hardly worth a particular confutation, and only pardonable on account of the same persons' former mistake, as to the duration of this Persian monarchy, in Josephus's opinion; just now observed and confuted.

CHAP. VIII.

OF SANBALLAT, AND MANASSEH, AND OF THE TEMPLE WHICH THEY BUILT IN MOUNT GERIZZIM; ALSO OF THE CONQUESTS OF ALEXANDER; HIS ENTRY INTO THE CITY OF JERUSALEM; AND THE BENEFITS HE BESTOWED ON THE JEWS.

ABOUTth is time* Philip, king of Macedon, was treacherously assaulted and slain at Ægeæ, by Pausanias, the son of Cerastes; who was derived from the family of the Orestæ. His son Alexander succeeded in the kingdom; and passing over the Hellespont, overcame the generals of Darius's army in a battle fought at Granicum. So he marched over Lydia, and subdued Jonia, and over-ran Caria, and fell upon the places of Pamphylia.

But the elders of Jerusalem being very uneasy that the brother of Jaddua the high-priest, though married to a foreigner, should be a partner with him in the high-priesthood, quarrelled with him. For they esteemed this man's marriage a step to such as should be desirous of transgressing about the marriage of strange wives; and that this would be the beginning of a mutual intercourse with foreigners; although the offence of some about marriages, and their having married wives that were not of their own country, had been an occasion of their former captivity, and of the miseries they then underwent. So they commanded Manasseh to divorce his wife, or not to approach the altar: the high-priest himself joining with the people in their indignation against his brother, and driving him away from the altar. Whereupon Manasseh came to his fatherin-law, Sanballat, and told him, that although he loved his daughter Nicaso, yet he was not willing to be deprived of his sacerdotal dignity on her account; which was the principal dignity in their nation, and always continued in the same family. But Sanballat promised not only to preserve to him the honour of his priesthood, but to procure for him the power and

An. 336

dignity of a high-priest, and to make him governor of all the places he himself now ruled, if he would keep his daughter for his wife. He also told him farther, that he would build him a temple like to that at Jerusalem, upon mount Gerizzim; which is the highest of all the mountains that are in Samaria: and he promised that he would do this with the approbation of Darius the king. Manasseh was elevated with these promises; and staid with Sanballat; upon a supposal that he should gain a high-priesthood, as bestowed on him by Darius. For it happened that Sanballat was then in years. But there was now a great disturbance among the people of Jerusalem, because many of those priests and Levites were entangled in such matches. For they all revolted to Manasseh: and Sanballat afforded them money; and divided among them land for tillage, and habitations also; and all this in order to gratify his son-in-law.

About this time Darius heard how Alexander had passed over the Hellespont; and had beaten his lieutenants, in the battle at Granicum; and was proceeding farther. Whereupon he assembled an army of horse and foot, and determined that he would meet the Macedonians, before they should assault and conquer all Asia. So he passed over the river Euphrates; and came over Taurus, the Celician mountain; and at Issus of Cilicia he waited for the enemy, as ready there to give him battle. Now Sanballat was glad that Darius was come down; and told Manasseh that he would perform his promises to him as soon as Darius should come back, after he had beaten his enemies. For not he only, but all those that were in Asia also, were persuaded that the Macedonians would not so much as come to a battle with the Persians; on account of their multitude. But the event proved otherwise than they expected. For the king joined battle with the Macedonians, and was beaten, and lost a great part of his army. His mother also, with his wife, and children, were taken captives; and he fled into Persia. So Alexander came into Syria, and took Damascus: and when he had obtained Sidon, he besieged Tyre. He then sent an epistle to the Jewish high-priest, requiring him to send him some auxiliaries; and to supply his army with provisions; and that

* An. 334.

what presents he formerly sent to Darius he would now send to him; and choose the friendship of the Macedonians: and that be should never repent of so doing. But the high-priest answered the messengers, that he had given his oath to Darius, not to bear arms against him: and he said he would not transgress it, while Darius was in the land of the living. Upon hearing this answer, Alexander was very angry; and though he determined not to leave Tyre, which was just ready to be taken; yet as soon as he had taken it, he threatened that he would make an expedition against the Jewish high-priest, and through him teach all men to whom they must keep their oaths. So when he had, with a good deal of pains, during the siege, taken Tyre, and had settled its affairs, he came to the city of Gaza, and besieged both the city, and him that was governor of the garrison, whose name was Babemeses.

But Sanballat thought he had now a proper opportunity of making his attempt. So he renounced Darius; and, taking with him seven thousand of his own subjects, he came to Alexander. And finding him beginning the siege of Tyre, he said to him, that he delivered up to him these men, who came out of places under his dominion; and gladly accepted of him for his lord, instead of Darius. So when Alexander had received him kindly, Sanballat thereupon took courage, and spake to him about his present affair. He told him, that he had a sonin-law, Manasseh, who was brother to the high-priest Jaddua; and that there were many others of his own nation now with him, that were desirous to have a temple built in the places subject to him: that it would be for the king's advantage to have the strength of the Jews divided into two parts; lest the nation being of one mind and united, upon any attempt for innovation, might prove troublesome to kings; as it had formerly proved to the kings of Assyria. Hereupon Alexander gave the desired permission to Sanballet; who used the utmost diligence, and built the temple, and made Manasseh the priest: and deemed it a great reward, that his daughter's children should have that dignity. But when the seven months of the siege of Tyre were over, and the two months of the siege of Gaza, Sanballet died. Now Alexander, when he had taken Gaza, made haste to go up to Jerusalem. And Jaddua the highpriest, when he heard that, was in an agony, and under ter