HOW HEROD TWICE SAILED TO AGRIPPA; AND HOW UPON THE COMPLAINT IN IONIA AGAINST THE GREEKS AGRIPPA CONFIRMED THE LAWS TO THEM. FJAJ 16.6
1. WHEN Herod had despatched these affairs, and he understood that Marcus
Agrippa had sailed again out of Italy into Asia, he made haste to him,
and besought him to come to him into his kingdom, and to partake of what
he might justly expect from one that had been his guest, and was his friend.
This request he greatly pressed, and to it Agrippa agreed, and came into
Judea; whereupon Herod omitted nothing that might please him
He entertained
him in his new-built cities, and showed him the edifices he had built,
and provided all sorts of the best and most costly dainties for him and
his friends, and that at Sebaste and Cesarea, about that port that he had
built, and at the fortresses which he had erected at great expenses, Alexandrium,
and Herodium, and Hyrcania
He also conducted him to the city Jerusalem,
where all the people met him in their festival garments, and received him
with acclamations
Agrippa also offered a hecatomb of sacrifices to God;
and feasted the people, without omitting any of the greatest dainties that
could be gotten
He also took so much pleasure there, that he abode many
days with them, and would willingly have staid longer, but that the season
of the year made him make haste away; for as winter was coming on, he thought
it not safe to go to sea later, and yet he was of necessity to return again
to Ionia. FJAJ 16.7
2. So Agrippa went away, when Herod had bestowed on him, and on the
principal of those that were with him, many presents; but king Herod, when
he had passed the winter in his own dominions, made haste to get to him
again in the spring, when he knew he designed to go to a campaign at the
Bosptiorus
So when he had sailed by Rhodes and by Cos, he touched at Lesbos,
as thinking he should have overtaken Agrippa there; but he was taken short
here by a north wind, which hindered his ship from going to the shore;
so he continued many days at Chius, and there he kindly treated a great
many that came to him, and obliged them by giving them royal gifts
And
when he saw that the portico of the city was fallen down, which as it was
overthrown in the Mithridatic war, and was very large and fine building,
so was it not so easy to rebuild that as it was the rest, yet did he furnish
a sum not only large enough for that purpose, but what was more than sufficient
to finish the building; and ordered them not to overlook that portico,
but to rebuild it quickly, that so the city might recover its proper ornaments.
And when the high winds were laid, he sailed to Mytilene, and thence to
Byzantium; and when he heard that Agrippa was sailed beyond the Cyanean
rocks, he made all the haste possible to overtake him, and came up with
him about Sinope, in Pontus
He was seen sailing by the ship-men most unexpectedly,
but appeared to their great joy; and many friendly salutations there were
between them, insomuch that Agrippa thought he had received the greatest
marks of the king's kindness and humanity towards him possible, since the
king had come so long a voyage, and at a very proper season, for his assistance,
and had left the government of his own dominions, and thought it more worth
his while to come to him
Accordingly, Herod was all in all to Agrippa,
in the management of the war, and a great assistant in civil affairs, and
in giving him counsel as to particular matters
He was also a pleasant
companion for him when he relaxed himself, and a joint partaker with him
in all things; ill troubles because of his kindness, and in prosperity
because of the respect Agrippa had for him
Now as soon as those affairs
of Pontus were finished, for whose sake Agrippa was sent thither, they
did not think fit to return by sea, but passed through Paphlagonia and
Cappadocia; they then traveled thence over great Phrygia, and came to Ephesus,
and then they sailed from Ephesus to Samos
And indeed the king bestowed
a great many benefits on every city that he came to, according as they
stood in need of them; for as for those that wanted either money or kind
treatment, he was not wanting to them; but he supplied the former himself
out of his own expenses: he also became an intercessor with Agrippa for
all such as sought after his favor, and he brought things so about, that
the petitioners failed in none of their suits to him, Agrippa being himself
of a good disposition, and of great generosity, and ready to grant all
such requests as might be advantageous to the petitioners, provided they
were not to the detriment of others
The inclination of the king was of
great weight also, and still excited Agrippa, who was himself ready to
do good; for he made a reconciliation between the people of Ilium, at whom
he was angry, and paid what money the people of Chius owed Caesar's procurators,
and discharged them of their tributes; and helped all others, according
as their several necessities required. FJAJ 16.8
3. But now, when Agrippa and Herod were in Ionia, a great multitude
of Jews, who dwelt in their cities, came to them, and laying hold of the
opportunity and the liberty now given them, laid before them the injuries
which they suffered, while they were not permitted to use their own laws,
but were compelled to prosecute their law-suits, by the ill usage of the
judges, upon their holy days, and were deprived of the money they used
to lay up at Jerusalem, and were forced into the army, and upon such other
offices as obliged them to spend their sacred money; from which burdens
they always used to be freed by the Romans, who had still permitted them
to live according to their own laws
When this clamor was made, the king
desired of Agrippa that he would hear their cause, and assigned Nicolaus,
one of his friends, to plead for those their privileges
Accordingly, when
Agrippa had called the principal of the Romans, and such of the kings and
rulers as were there, to be his assessors, Nicolaus stood up, and pleaded
for the Jews, as follows: "It is of necessity incumbent on such as
are in distress to have recourse to those that have it in their power to
free them from those injuries they lie under; and for those that now are
complainants, they approach you with great assurance; for as they have
formerly often obtained your favor, so far as they have even wished to
have it, they now only entreat that you, who have been the donors, will
take care that those favors you have already granted them may not be taken
away from them
We have received these favors from you, who alone have
power to grant them, but have them taken from us by such as are no greater
than ourselves, and by such as we know are as much subjects as we are;
and certainly, if we have been vouchsafed great favors, it is to our commendation
who have obtained them, as having been found deserving of such great favors;
and if those favors be but small ones, it would be barbarous for the donors
not to confirm them to us
And for those that are the hinderance of the
Jews, and use them reproachfully, it is evident that they affront both
the receivers, while they will not allow those to be worthy men to whom
their excellent rulers themselves have borne their testimony, and the donors,
while they desire those favors already granted may be abrogated
Now if
any one should ask these Gentiles themselves, which of the two things they
would choose to part with, their lives, or the customs of their forefathers,
their solemnities, their sacrifices, their festivals, which they celebrated
in honor of those they suppose to be gods? I know very well that they would
choose to suffer any thing whatsoever rather than a dissolution of any
of the customs of their forefathers; for a great many of them have rather
chosen to go to war on that account, as very solicitous not to transgress
in those matters
And indeed we take an estimate of that happiness which
all mankind do now enjoy by your means from this very thing, that we are
allowed every one to worship as our own institutions require, and yet to
live [in peace]; and although they would not be thus treated themselves,
yet do they endeavor to compel others to comply with them, as if it were
not as great an instance of impiety profanely to dissolve the religious
solemnities of any others, as to be negligent in the observation of their
own towards their gods
And let us now consider the one of these practices.
Is there any people, or city, or community of men, to whom your government
and the Roman power does not appear to be the greatest blessing '
Is there
any one that can desire to make void the favors they have granted? No one
is certainly so mad; for there are no men but such as have been partakers
of their favors, both public and private; and indeed those that take away
what you have granted, can have no assurance but every one of their own
grants made them by you may be taken from them also; which grants of yours
can yet never be sufficiently valued; for if they consider the old governments
under kings, together with your present government, besides the great number
of benefits which this government hath bestowed on them, in order to their
happiness, this is instead of all the rest, that they appear to be no longer
in a state of slavery, but of freedom
Now the privileges we desire, even
when we are in the best circumstances, are not such as deserve to be envied,
for we are indeed in a prosperous state by your means, but this is only
in common with others; and it is no more than this which we desire, to
preserve our religion without any prohibition; which as it appears not
in itself a privilege to be envied us, so it is for the advantage of those
that grant it to us; for if the Divinity delights in being honored, it
must delight in those that permit them to be honored
And there are none
of our customs which are inhuman, but all tending to piety, and devoted
to the preservation of justice; nor do we conceal those injunctions of
ours by which we govern our lives, they being memorials of piety, and of
a friendly conversation among men
And the seventh day we set apart from
labor; it is dedicated to the learning of our customs and laws, (1)
We may here observe the ancient practice of the Jews, of dedicating the
sabbath day, not to idleness, but to the learning their sacred rites and
religious customs, and to the meditation on the law of Moses; the like
to which we meet with elsewhere in Josephus also against Apion, B. I. sect.
22.
we thinking it proper to reflect on them, as well as on any [good] thing
else, in order to our avoiding of sin
If any one therefore examine into
our observances, he will find they are good in themselves, and that they
are ancient also, though some think otherwise, insomuch that those who
have received them cannot easily be brought to depart from them, out of
that honor they pay to the length of time they have religiously enjoyed
them and observed them
Now our adversaries take these our privileges away
in the way of injustice; they violently seize upon that money of ours which
is owed to God, and called sacred money, and this openly, after a sacrilegious
manner; and they impose tributes upon us, and bring us before tribunals
on holy days, and then require other like debts of us, not because the
contracts require it, and for their own advantage, but because they would
put an affront on our religion, of which they are conscious as well as
we, and have indulged themselves in an unjust, and to them involuntary,
hatred; for your government over all is one, tending to the establishing
of benevolence, and abolishing of ill-will among such as are disposed to
it
This is therefore what we implore from thee, most excellent Agrippa,
that we may not be ill-treated; that we may not be abused; that we may
not be hindered from making use of our own customs, nor be despoiled of
our goods, nor be forced by these men to do what we ourselves force nobody
to do; for these privileges of ours are not only according to justice,
but have formerly been granted us by you
And we are able to read to you
many decrees of the senate, and the tables that contain them, which are
still extant in the capitol, concerning these things, which it is evident
were granted after you had experience of our fidelity towards you, which
ought to be valued, though no such fidelity had been; for you have hitherto
preserved what people were in possession of, not to us only, but almost
to all men, and have added greater advantages than they could have hoped
for, and thereby your government is become a great advantage to them
And
if any one were able to enumerate the prosperity you have conferred on
every nation, which they possess by your means, he could never put an end
to his discourse; but that we may demonstrate that we are not unworthy
of all those advantages we have obtained, it will be sufficient for us,
to say nothing of other things, but to speak freely of this king who now
governs us, and is now one of thy assessors; and indeed in what instance
of good-will, as to your house, hath he been deficient? What mark of fidelity
to it hath he omitted? What token of honor hath he not devised? What occasion
for his assistance of you hath he not regarded at the very first? What
hindereth; therefore, but that your kindnesses may be as numerous as his
so great benefits to you have been? It may also perhaps be fit not here
to pass over in silence the valor of his father Antipater, who, when Caesar
made an expedition into Egypt, assisted him with two thousand armed men,
and proved inferior to none, neither in the battles on land, nor in the
management of the navy; and what need I say any thing of how great weight
those soldiers were at that juncture? or how many and how great presents
they were vouchsafed by Caesar? And truly I ought before now to have mentioned
the epistles which Caesar wrote to the senate; and how Antipater had honors,
and the freedom of the city of Rome, bestowed upon him; for these are demonstrations
both that we have received these favors by our own deserts, and do on that
account petition thee for thy confirmation of them, from whom we had reason
to hope for them, though they had not been given us before, both out of
regard to our king's disposition towards you, and your disposition towards
him
And further, we have been informed by those Jews that were there with
what kindness thou camest into our country, and how thou offeredst the
most perfect sacrifices to God, and honoredst him with remarkable vows,
and how thou gavest the people a feast, and acceptedst of their own hospitable
presents to thee
We ought to esteem all these kind entertainments made
both by our nation and to our city, to a man who is the ruler and manager
of so much of the public affairs, as indications of that friendship which
thou hast returned to the Jewish nation, and which hath been procured them
by the family of Herod
So we put thee in mind of these things in the presence
of the king, now sitting by thee, and make our request for no more but
this, that what you have given us yourselves you will not see taken away
by others from us." FJAJ 16.9
4. When Nicolaus had made this speech, there was no opposition made
to it by the Greeks, for this was not an inquiry made, as in a court of
justice, but an intercession to prevent violence to be offered to the Jews
any longer; nor did the Greeks make any defense of themselves, or deny
what it was supposed they had done
Their pretense was no more than this,
that while the Jews inhabited in their country, they were entirely unjust
to them [in not joining in their worship] but they demonstrated their generosity
in this, that though they worshipped according to their institutions, they
did nothing that ought to grieve them
So when Agrippa perceived that they
had been oppressed by violence, he made this answer: That, on account of
Herod's good-will and friendship, he was ready to grant the Jews whatsoever
they should ask him, and that their requests seemed to him in themselves
just; and that if they requested any thing further, he should not scruple
to grant it them, provided they were no way to the detriment of the Roman
government; but that while their request was no more than this, that what
privileges they had already given them might not be abrogated, he confirmed
this to them, that they might continue in the observation of their own
customs, without any one offering them the least injury
And when he had
said thus, he dissolved the assembly; upon which Herod stood up and saluted
him, and gave him thanks for the kind disposition he showed to them
Agrippa
also took this in a very obliging manner, and saluted him again, and embraced
him in his arms; after which he went away from Lesbos; but the king determined
to sail from Samos to his own country; and when he had taken his leave
of Agrippa, he pursued his voyage, and landed at Cesarea in a few days'
time, as having favorable winds; from whence he went to Jerusalem, and
there gathered all the people together to an assembly, not a few being
there out of the country also
So he came to them, and gave them a particular
account of all his journey, and of the affairs of all the Jews in Asia,
how by his means they would live without injurious treatment for the time
to come
He also told them of the entire good fortune he had met with and
how he had administered the government, and had not neglected any thing
which was for their advantage; and as he was very joyful, he now remitted
to them the fourth part of their taxes for the last year
Accordingly,
they were so pleased with his favor and speech to them, that they went
their ways with great gladness, and wished the king all manner of happiness. FJAJ 16.10
CHAPTER 3 FJAJ 16.11
HOW GREAT DISTURBANCES AROSE IN HERODS FAMILY ON HIS PREFERRING ANTIPATER HIS ELDEST SON BEFORE THE REST, TILL ALEXANDER TOOK THAT INJURY VERY HEINOUSLY. FJAJ 16.12
1. BUT now the affairs in Herod's family were in more and more disorder,
and became more severe upon him, by the hatred of Salome to the young men
[Alexander and Aristobulus], which descended as it were by inheritance
[from their mother Mariamne]; and as she had fully succeeded against their
mother, so she proceeded to that degree of madness and insolence, as to
endeavor that none of her posterity might be left alive, who might have
it in their power to revenge her death
The young men had also somewhat
of a bold and uneasy disposition towards their father occasioned by the
remembrance of what their mother had unjustly suffered, and by their own
affectation of dominion
The old grudge was also renewed; and they east
reproaches on Salome and Pheroras, who requited the young men with malicious
designs, and actually laid treacherous snares for them
Now as for this
hatred, it was equal on both sides, but the manner of exerting that hatred
was different; for as for the young men, they were rash, reproaching and
affronting the others openly, and were inexperienced enough to think it
the most generous to declare their minds in that undaunted manner; but
the others did not take that method, but made use of calumnies after a
subtle and a spiteful manner, still provoking the young men, and imagining
that their boldness might in time turn to the offering violence to their
father; for inasmuch as they were not ashamed of the pretended crimes of
their mother, nor thought she suffered justly, these supposed that might
at length exceed all bounds, and induce them to think they ought to be
avenged on their father, though it were by despatching him with their own
hands
At length it came to this, that the whole city was full of their
discourses, and, as is usual in such contests, the unskilfulness of the
young men was pitied; but the contrivance of Salome was too hard for them,
and what imputations she laid upon them came to be believed, by means of
their own conduct; for they who were so deeply affected with the death
of their mother, that while they said both she and themselves were in a
miserable case, they vehemently complained of her pitiable end, which indeed
was truly such, and said that they were themselves in a pitiable case also,
because they were forced to live with those that had been her murderers,
and to be partakers with them. FJAJ 16.13
2. These disorders increased greatly, and the king's absence abroad
had afforded a fit opportunity for that increase; but as soon as Herod
was returned, and had made the forementioned speech to the multitude, Pheroras
and Salome let fill words immediately as if he were in great danger, and
as if the young men openly threatened that they would not spare him any
longer, but revenge their mother's death upon him
They also added another
circumstance, that their hopes were fixed on Archclaus, the king of Cappadocia,
that they should be able by his means to come to Caesar, and accuse their
father
Upon hearing such things, Herod was immediately disturbed; and
indeed was the more astonished, because the same things were related to
him by some others also
He then called to mind his former calamity, and
considered that the disorders in his family had hindered him from enjoying
any comfort from those that were dearest to him or from his wife whom he
loved so well; and suspecting that his future troubles would soon be heavier
and greater than those that were past, he was in great confusion of mind;
for Divine Providence had in reality conferred upon him a great many outward
advantages for his happiness, even beyond his hopes; but the troubles he
had at home were such as he never expected to have met with, and rendered
him unfortunate; nay, both sorts came upon him to such a degree as no one
could imagine, and made it a doubtful question, whether, upon the comparison
of both, he ought to have exchanged so great a success of outward good
things for so great misfortunes at home, or whether he ought not to have
chosen to avoid the calamities relating to his family, though he had, for
a compensation, never been possessed of the admired grandeur of a kingdom. FJAJ 16.14
3. As he was thus disturbed and afflicted, in order to depress these
young men, he brought to court another of his sons, that was born to him
when he was a private man; his name was Antipater; yet did he not then
indulge him as he did afterwards, when he was quite overcome by him, and
let him do every thing as he pleased, but rather with a design of depressing
the insolence of the sons of Marianme, and managing this elevation of his
so, that it might be for a warning to them; for this bold behavior of theirs
[he thought] would not be so great, if they were once persuaded that the
succession to the kingdom did not appertain to them alone, or must of necessity
come to them
So he introduced Antipater as their antagonist, and imagined
that he made a good provision for discouraging their pride, and that after
this was done to the young men, there might be a proper season for expecting
these to be of a better disposition; but the event proved otherwise than
he intended, for the young men thought he did them a very great injury;
and as Antipater was a shrewd man, when he had once obtained this degree
of freedom, and began to expect greater things than he had before hoped
for, he had but one single design in his head, and that was to distress
his brethren, and not at all to yield to them the pre-eminence, but to
keep close to his father, who was already alienated from them by the calumnies
he had heard about them, and ready to be wrought upon in any way his zeal
against them should advise him to pursue, that he might be continually
more and more severe against them
Accordingly, all the reports that were
spread abroad came from him, while he avoided himself the suspicion as
if those discoveries proceeded from him; but he rather chose to make use
of those persons for his assistants that were unsuspected, and such as
might be believed to speak truth by reason of the good-will they bore to
the king; and indeed there were already not a few who cultivated a friendship
with Antipater, in hopes of gaining somewhat by him, and these were the
men who most of all persuaded Herod, because they appeared to speak thus
out of their good-will to him: and with these joint accusations, which
from various foundations supported one another's veracity, the young men
themselves afforded further occasions to Antipater also; for they were
observed to shed tears often, on account of the injury that was offered
them, and had their mother in their mouths; and among their friends they
ventured to reproach their father, as not acting justly by them; all which
things were with an evil intention reserved in memory by Antipater against
a proper opportunity; and when they were told to Herod, with aggravations,
increased the disorder so much, that it brought a great tumult into the
family; for while the king was very angry at imputations that were laid
upon the sons of Mariamne, and was desirous to humble them, he still increased
the honor that he had bestowed on Antipater, and was at last so overcome
by his persuasions, that he brought his mother to court also
He also wrote
frequently to Caesar in favor of him, and more earnestly recommended him
to his care particularly
And when Agrippa was returning to Rome, after
he had finished his ten years' government in Asia. FJAJ 16.15
(2) This interval of ten years for the duration of Marcus Agrippa's government in Asia seems to be true, and agreeable to the Roman history. See Usher's Annals at A.M. 3392. Herod sailed from Judea; and when he met with him, he had none with him but Antipater, whom he delivered to Agrippa, that he might take him along with him, together with many presents, that so he might become Caesar's friend, insomuch that things already looked as if he had all his father's favor, and that the young men were already entirely rejected from any hopes of the kingdom. FJAJ 16.16