How. execution the next days; and any one may captive; and no small enorinities wer hence learn how very great piety we exercise mitted about the temple itself, which, hich he towards God, and the observance of his laws, mer ages, had been inaccessible, and and wea since the priests were not at all hindered from none; for Pompey went into it, anse Jews their sacred ministrations, by their fear du- few of those that were with him also, and conring this siege, but did still twice each day, in all that which it was unlawful for any of the the morning and about the ninth hour, offer men to see, but only for the high-pr he their sacrifices on the altar; nor did they There were in that temple the golden table, omit those sacrifices, if any melancholy acci- the holy candlestick, and the pouring vessels, dent happened, by the stones that were thrown and a great quantity of spices; and besides among them; for although the city was taken these there were among the treasures two thouon the third month, on the day of the fast, sand talents of sacred money; yet did Pomupon the hundred and seventy-ninth olympiad, pey touch nothing of all this, on account of when Caius Antonius and Marcus Tullius his regard to religion; and in this point also Cicero were consuls, and the enemy then fell he acted in a manner that was worthy of his upon them, and cut the throats of those that virtue. The next day he gave order to those were in the temple, yet could not those that of-that had the charge of the temple to cleanse fered the sacrifices be compelled to run away, it, and to bring what offerings the law required neither by the fear they were in of their own to God; and restored the high-priesthood to lives, nor by the number that were already Hyrcanus, both because he had been useful to slain, as thinking it better to suffer whatever him in other respects, and because he hindered came upon them, at their very altars, than to the Jews in the country from giving Aristoomit any thing that their laws required of bulus any assistance in his war against him. them; and that this is not a mere brag, or an He also cut off those that had been the auencomium to manifest a degree of our piety thors of that war; and bestowed proper rethat was false, but is the real truth, I appeal wards on Faustus, and those others that to those that have written of the acts of Pom-mounted the wall with such alacrity; and he pey; and, among them, to Strabo and Nico-made Jerusalem tributary to the Romans; and laus [of Damascus]; and besides these, to took away those cities of Celesyria which the Titus Livius, the writer of the Roman His- inhabitants of Judea had subdued, and put tory, who will bear witness of this thing. them under the government of the Roman pre4. But when the battering-engine was sident, and confined the whole nation, which brought near, the greatest of the towers was bad elevated itself so high before, within its shaken by it, and fell down, and broke down own bounds. Moreover, he rebuilt Gadara, a part of the fortifications, so the enemy poured which had been demolished a little before, in apace; and Cornelius Faustus, the son of to gratify Demetrius of Gadara, who was his Sylla, with his soldiers, first of all ascended freed-man, and restored the rest of the cities, the wall, and next to him Furius the centu- Hippos, and Scythopolis, and Pella, and Dios, rion, with those that followed, on the other and Samaria, as also Marissa, and Ashdod, part; while Fabius, who was also a centurion, and Jamnia, and Arethusa, to their own inhaascended it in the middle, with a great body bitants: these were in the inland parts. Beof men after him; but now all was full of sides those that had been demolished, and also slaughter; some of the Jews being slain by of the maritime cities, Gaza, and Joppa, and the Romans, and some by one another; nay, Dora, and Strato's Tower: which last Herod some there were who threw themselves down rebuilt after a glorious manner, and adorned the precipices, or put fire to their houses and with havens and temples; and changed its burnt them, as not able to bear the miseries name to Cæsarea. All these Pompey left in they were under. Of the Jews there fell a state of freedom, and joined them to the twelve the usand; but of the Romans very province of Syria. few. Absalom, who was at once both uncle and father-in-law to Aristobulus, was taken • That is on the twenty-third of Sivan, the annual fast for the defection and idolatry of Jeroboam, "who made Israel to sin:" or possibly some other fast might fall into that month, before and in the days of Josephus. 5. Now the occasions of this misery which came upon Jerusalem were Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, by raising a sedition one against the other; for now we lost our liberty, and became subject to the Romans, and were deprived of that country which we had gained + It deserves here to be noted, that this Pharisaical su- by our arms from the Syrians, and were comperstitious notion, that offensive fighting was unlawful to Jews, even under the utmost necessity, on the Sabbath-pelled to restore it to the Syrians. Moreover, day, of which we hear nothing before the times of the the Romans exacted of us, in a little time, Maccabees-was the proper occasion of Jerusalem's be- above ten thousand talents; and the royal ing taken by Pompey, by Sossius, and by Titus, as appears from the places already quoted in the note on Antiq b. xiit.ch viii sect. I; which scrupulous superstition, as to the observation of such a rigorous rest upon the Sabbath-day, our Saviour always opposed, when the PhariBaical Jews insisted on it, as is evident in many places in the New Testament, though be still intimated how perDicions that superstition might prove to them in their fight from the Komans Matt. xxv. 20 This is fully confirmed by the testimony of Cicero, who says, in his oration for Flaccus, That "neius Pom peius, when he was conqueror, and had taken Jerusalem, did not touch any thing belonging to that ten ple." Of this destruction of Gadara here presupposed, and its restoration by Pompey, see the note on the War, i h. vii. sect. 7 7, which was a dignity formerly be- Antipater, and met Alexander, while Gabion those that were high-priests, by the nius himself followed with his legion. Heretheir family, became the property of upon Alexander retired to the neighbourhood nen; but of these matters we shall of Jerusalem, where they fell upon one anotheir proper places. Now Pompey |ther, and it came to a pitched battle; in which ted Celesyria, as far as the river Eu- the Romans slew of their enemies about three es and Egypt, to Scaurus, with two Ro-thousand, and took a like number alive. an legions, and then went away to Cilicia, and made haste to Rome. He also carried bound along with him Aristobulus and his children; for he had two daughters and as many sons; the one of whom ran away; but the younger, Antigonus, was carried to Rome, together with his sisters. CHAPTER V. HOW SCAURUS MADE A LEAGUE OF MUTUAL TOBULUS. 1. SCAURUS made now an expedition against Petrea, in Arabia, and set on fire all the places round about it, because of the great difficulty of access to it; and as his army was pinched by famine, Antipater furnished him with corn out of Judea, and with whatever else be wanted, and this at the command of Hyrcanus; and when he was sent to Aretas as an ambassador, by Scaurus, because he had lived with bim formerly, he persuaded Aretas, to give Scaurus a sum of money, to prevent the burning of his country; and undertook to be his surety for three hundred talents. So Scaurus, upon these terms, ceased to make war any longer: which was done as much at Scaurus's desire as at the desire of Aretas. 3. At which time Gabinius came to Alexandrium, and invited those that were in it to deliver it up on certain conditions, and promised that then their former offences should be forgiven: but as a great number of the enemy had pitched their camp before the fortress, whom the Romans attacked, Marcus Antonius fought bravely, and slew a great number, and seemed to come off with the greatest honour. So Gabinius left part of his army there, in order to take the place, and he himself went into other parts of Judea, and gave order to rebuild all the cities that he met with that had been demolished; at which time were rebuilt Samaria, Ashdod, Scythopolis, Anthedon, Raphia, and Dora; Marissa also, and Gaza, and not a few others besides; and as the men acted according to Gabinius's command, it came to pass, that at this time these cities were securely inhabited, which had been desolate for a long time. 4. When Gabinius had done thus in the country he returned to Alexandrium; and when he urged on the siege of the place, Alexander sent an embassage to him, desiring that he would pardon his former offences; he also delivered up the fortresses, Hyrcania and Macherus, and at last Alexandrium itself, which fortresses Gabinius demolished; but when Alexandes mother, who was of the side of the Romans, as having her husband and other children at Rome, came to him, he granted her whatsoever she asked; and when he had settled matters with her, he brought 2. Some time after this, when Alexander, Hyrcanus to Jerusalem, and committed the the son of Aristobulus, made an incursion into care of the temple to him; and when he had Judea, Gabinius came from Rome to Syria, ordained five councils, he distributed the naas commander of the Roman forces. He tion into the same number of parts; so these did many considerable actions; and particu- councils governed the people; the first was at larly made war with Alexander, since Hyrca-Jerusalem, the second at Gadara, the third at mus was not yet able to oppose his power, but Amathus, the fourth at Jericho, and the fifth was already attempting to rebuild the wall of at Sepphoris, in Galilee. So the Jews were Jerusalem, which Pompey had overthrown, al-now freed from monarchic authority, and though the Romans who were there restrained were governed by an aristocracy.* him from that his design. However, Alexander went over all the country round about, ing the clamour against Gabinius at Rome, Josephus and armed many of the Jews, and suddenly gives him a laudable character as if he had acquitted got together ten thousand armed footmen, himself with honour in the charge committed to him and fifteen hundred horsemen, and fortified [in Judea]. See at the year 55. Alexandrium, a fortress near to Corea, and Macherus, near the mountains of Arabia. GaLinius therefore came upon him, having sent Marcus Antonius, with other commanders, before. These armed such Romans as followed them; and, together with them, such Jews as were subject to them, whose leaders were Pitkolaus and Malichus; and they took with them also their friends that were with Dean Prideaux well observes, "That notwithstand CHAPTER VL HOW GABINIUS CAUGHT ARISTOBULUS AFTER so he marched over the country with a great army, and slew all the Romans he could light upon, and proceeded to besiege the mountain called Gerizzim, whither they had retreated. This hath also been re.ated elsewhere. How ever, Antipater supplied his army, which he sent against Archelaus, with corn, and weapons, and money. He also made those Jews who were above Pelusium his friends and confederates, and had been the guardians of the passes that led into Egypt. But when he came back out of Egypt, he found Syria in disorder with seditions and troubles; for Alexander, the son of Aristobulus, having seized § 1. Now Aristobulus ran away from Rome on the government a second time by force, to Judea, and set about the rebuilding of Alex-made many of the Jews revolt to him; and andrium, which had been newly demolished; hereupon Gabinius sent soldiers against him, and for their commanders Sisenna, and Antonius, and Servilius, in order to hinder him from getting possession of the country, and to 3. But when Gabinius found Syria in such take him again; and indeed many of the Jews a state, he sent Antipater, who was a prudent ran to Aristobulus on account of his former man, to those that were seditious, to try wheglory, as also because they should be glad of ther he could cure them of their madness, and an innovation. Now, there was one Pitholaus, persuade them to return to a better mind; and a lieutenant at Jerusalem, who deserted to him when he came to them, he brought many of with a thousand men, although a great number them to a sound mind, and induced them to of those that came to him were unarmed; and do what they ought to do: But he could not when Aristobulus had resolved to go to Ma-restrain Alexander, for he had an army of thircherus, he dismissed those people, because they were unarmed; for they could not be useful to him in what actions he was going about; but he took with him eight thousand that were armed, and marched on; and as the Romans fell upon them severely, the Jews fought valiantly, but were beaten in the battle; and when they had fought with alacrity, but were overborne by the enemy, they were put to fight; of whom were slain about five thousand, and the rest being dispersed, tried, as well as they were able, to save themselves. However, Aristobulus had with him still above a thousand, and with them he fled to Mache-affairs of the war, he returned to Rome, and rus, and fortified the place; and though he bad had ill success, he still had good hope of his affairs; but when he had struggled against the siege for two days' time, and had received many wounds, he was brought as a captive to Gabinius, with his son Antigonus, who also fled with him from Rome, and this was the fortune of Aristobulus, who was sent back again to Rome, and was there retained in bonds, having been both king and high-priest ty thousand Jews, and met Gabinius, and joining battle with him was beaten, and lost ten thousand of his men about Mount Tabor. 4. So Gabinius settled the affairs which belonged to the city Jerusalem, as was agreeable to Antipater's inclination, and went against the Nabateans, and overcame them in battle. He also sent away in a friendly manner, Mithridates and Orsanes, who were Parthian deserters, and came to him, though the report went abroad that they had run away from him. And when Gabinius had performed great and glorious actions, in his management of the delivered the government to Crassus. Now Nicolaus of Damascus, and Strabo of Cappadocia, both describe the expeditions of Pompey and Gabinius against the Jews, while neither of them say any thing new which is not in the other. CHAPTER VII. for three years and six months; and was in- HOW CRASSUS CAME INTO JUDEA, AND PIL deed an eminent person, and one of a great oul. However, the senate let his children go, upon Gabinius's writing to them that he had promised their mother so much when she delivered up the fortresses to him; and accordingly they then returned into Judea. LAGED THE TEMPLE; AND THEN MARCHED 2. Now when Gabinius was making an § 1. Now Crassus, as he was going upon bi expedition against the Parthians and had al-expedition against the Parthians, came into ready passed over Euphrates, he changed his Judea, and carried off the money that was in mind, and resolved to return into Egypt, in the temple which Pompey had left, being two order to restore Ptolemy to his kingdom." This history is best illustrated by Dr. Hudson out of Livy, who says, that A. Gabinius, the proconsul, restored Ptolemy to his kingdom of Egypt, and ejected Archelaus, whom they had set up for a king," &c. See Prid, at the years 61 and 65, thousand talents, and was disposed to spoil it of all the gold belonging to it, which was eight thousand talents. He also took a beam which was made of solid beaten gold, of the weight of three hundred minæ, each of which |