HOW, UPON HEROD'S GOING DOWN INTO DAVID'S SEPULCHER, THE SEDITION IN HIS FAMILY GREATLY INCREASED. FJAJ 16.41
1. AS for Herod, he had spent vast sums about the cities, both without
and within his own kingdom; and as he had before heard that Hyrcanus, who
had been king before him, had opened David's sepulcher, and taken out of
it three thousand talents of silver, and that there was a much greater
number left behind, and indeed enough to suffice all his wants, he had
a great while an intention to make the attempt; and at this time he opened
that sepulcher by night, and went into it, and endeavored that it should
not be at all known in the city, but took only his most faithful friends
with him
As for any money, he found none, as Hyrcanus had done, but that
furniture of gold, and those precious goods that were laid up there; all
which he took away
However, he had a great desire to make a more diligent
search, and to go farther in, even as far as the very bodies of David and
Solomon; where two of his guards were slain, by a flame that burst out
upon those that went in, as the report was
So he was terribly aftrighted,
and went out, and built a propitiatory monument of that fright he had been
in; and this of white stone, at the mouth of the sepulcher, and that at
great expense also
And even Nicolaus (10)
It is here worth our observation, how careful Josephus was as to the discovery
of truth in Herod's history, since he would not follow Nicolaus of Damascus
himself, so great an historian, where there was great reason to suspect
that he flattered Herod; which impartiality in history Josephus here solemnly
pro fesses, and of which impartiality he has given more demonstrations
than almost any historian whomsoever; but as to Herod's taking great wealth
out of David's sepulcher, though I cannot prove it, yet do I strongly suspect
it from this very history.
his historiographer makes mention of this monument built by Herod, though
he does not mention his going down into the sepulcher, as knowing that
action to be of ill repute; and many other things he treats of in the same
manner in his book; for he wrote in Herod's lifetime, and under his reign,
and so as to please him, and as a servant to him, touching upon nothing
but what tended to his glory, and openly excusing many of his notorious
crimes, and very diligently concealing them
And as he was desirous to
put handsome colors on the death of Mariamne and her sons, which were barbarous
actions in the king, he tells falsehoods about the incontinence of Mariamne,
and the treacherous designs of his sons upon him; and thus he proceeded
in his whole work, making a pompous encomium upon what just actions he
had done, but earnestly apologizing for his unjust ones
Indeed, a man,
as I said, may have a great deal to say by way of excuse for Nicolaus;
for he did not so properly write this as a history for others, as somewhat
that might be subservient to the king himself
As for ourselves, who come
of a family nearly allied to the Asamonean kings, and on that account have
an honorable place, which is the priesthood, we think it indecent to say
any thing that is false about them, and accordingly we have described their
actions after an unblemished and upright manner
And although we reverence
many of Herod's posterity, who still reign, yet do we pay a greater regard
to truth than to them, and this though it sometimes happens that we incur
their displeasure by so doing. FJAJ 16.42
2. And indeed Herod's troubles in his family seemed to be augmented
by reason of this attempt he made upon David's sepulcher; whether Divine
vengeance increased the calamities he lay under, in order to render them
incurable, or whether fortune made an assault upon him, in those cases
wherein the seasonableness of the cause made it strongly believed that
the calamities came upon him for his impiety; for the tumult was like a
civil war in his palace, and their hatred towards one another was like
that where each one strove to exceed another in calumnies
However, Antipater
used stratagems perpetually against his brethren, and that very cunningly;
while abroad he loaded them with accusations, but still took upon him frequently
to apologize for them, that this apparent benevolence to them might make
him be believed, and forward his attempts against them; by which means
he, after various manners, circumvented his father, who believed all that
he did was for his preservation
Herod also recommended Ptolemy, who was
a great director of the affairs of his kingdom, to Antipater; and consulted
with his mother about the public affairs also
And indeed these were all
in all, and did what they pleased, and made the king angry against any
other persons, as they thought it might be to their own advantage; but
still the sons of Marianme were in a worse and worse condition perpetually;
and while they were thrust out, and set in a more dishonorable rank, who
yet by birth were the most noble, they could not bear the dishonor
And
for the women, Glaphyra, Alexander's wife, the daughter of Archclaus, hated
Salome, both because of her love to her husband, and because Glaphyra seemed
to behave herself somewhat insolently towards Salome's daughter, who was
the wife of Aristobulus, which equality of hers to herself Glaphyra took
very impatiently. FJAJ 16.43
3. Now, besides this second contention that had fallen among them, neither
did the king's brother Pheroras keep himself out of trouble, but had a
particular foundation for suspicion and hatred; for he was overcome with
the charms of his wife, to such a degree of madness, that he despised the
king's daughter, to whom he had been betrothed, and wholly bent his mind
to the other, who had been but a servant
Herod also was grieved by the
dishonor that was done him, because he had bestowed many favors upon him,
and had advanced him to that height of power that he was almost a partner
with him in the kingdom, and saw that he had not made him a due return
for his labors, and esteemed himself unhappy on that account
So upon Pheroras's
unworthy refusal, he gave the damsel to Phasaelus's son; but after some
time, when he thought the heat of his brother's affections was over, he
blamed him for his former conduct, and desired him to take his second daughter,
whose name was Cypros
Ptolemy also advised him to leave off affronting
his brother, and to forsake her whom he had loved, for that it was a base
thing to be so enamored of a servant, as to deprive himself of the king's
good-will to him, and become an occasion of his trouble, and make himself
hated by him
Pheroras knew that this advice would be for his own advantage,
particularly because he had been accused before, and forgiven; so he put
his wife away, although he already had a son by her, and engaged to the
king that he would take his second daughter, and agreed that the thirtieth
day after should be the day of marriage; and sware he would have no further
conversation with her whom he had put away; but when the thirty days were
over, he was such a slave to his affections, that he no longer performed
any thing he had promised, but continued still with his former wife
This
occasioned Herod to grieve openly, and made him angry, while the king dropped
one word or other against Pheroras perpetually; and many made the king's
anger an opportunity for raising calumnies against him
Nor had the king
any longer a single quiet day or hour, but occasions of one fresh quarrel
or another arose among his relations, and those that were dearest to him;
for Salome was of a harsh temper, and ill-natured to Mariamne's sons; nor
would she suffer her own daughter, who was the wife of Aristobulus, one
of those young men, to bear a good-will to her husband, but persuaded her
to tell her if he said any thing to her in private, and when any misunderstandings
happened, as is common, she raised a great many suspicions out of it; by
which means she learned all their concerns, and made the damsel ill-natured
to the young man
And in order to gratify her mother, she often said that
the young men used to mention Mariamne when they were by themselves; and
that they hated their father, and were continually threatening, that if
they had once got the kingdom, they would make Herod's sons by his other
wives country schoolmasters, for that the present education which was given
them, and their diligence in learning, fitted them for such an employment.
And as for the women, whenever they saw them adorned with their mother's
clothes, they threatened, that instead of their present gaudy apparel,
they should be clothed in sackcloth, and confined so closely that they
should not see the light of the sun
These stories were presently carried
by Salome to the king, who was troubled to hear them, and endeavored to
make up matters; but these suspicions afflicted him, and becoming more
and more uneasy, he believed every body against every body
However, upon
his rebuking his sons, and hearing the defense they made for themselves,
he was easier for a while, though a little afterwards much worse accidents
came upon him. FJAJ 16.44
4. For Pheroras came to Alexander, the husband of Glaphyra, who was
the daughter of Archelaus, as we have already told you, and said that he
had heard from Salome that Herod has enamored on Glaphyra, and that his
passion for her was incurable
When Alexander heard that, he was all on
fire, from his youth and jealousy; and he interpreted the instances of
Herod's obliging behavior to her, which were very frequent, for the worse,
which came from those suspicions he had on account of that word which fell
from Pheroras; nor could he conceal his grief at the thing, but informed
him what word: Pheroras had said
Upon which Herod was in a greater disorder
than ever; and not bearing such a false calumny, which was to his shame,
was much disturbed at it; and often did he lament the wickedness of his
domestics, and how good he had been to them, and how ill requitals they
had made him
So he sent for Pheroras, and reproached him, and said, "Thou
vilest of all men! art thou come to that unmeasurable and extravagant degree
of ingratitude, as not only to suppose such things of me, but to speak
of them? I now indeed perceive what thy intentions are
It is not thy only
aim to reproach me, when thou usest such words to my son, but thereby to
persuade him to plot against me, and get me destroyed by poison
And who
is there, if he had not a good genius at his elbow, as hath my son, but
would not bear such a suspicion of his father, but would revenge himself
upon him? Dost thou suppose that thou hast only dropped a word for him
to think of, and not rather hast put a sword into his hand to slay his
father? And what dost thou mean, when thou really hatest both him and his
brother, to pretend kindness to them, only in order to raise a reproach
against me, and talk of such things as no one but such an impious wretch
as thou art could either devise in their mind, or declare in their words?
Begone, thou art such a plague to thy benefactor and thy brother, and may
that evil conscience of thine go along with thee; while I still overcome
my relations by kindness, and am so far from avenging myself of them, as
they deserve, that I bestow greater benefits upon them than they are worthy
of." FJAJ 16.45
5. Thus did the king speak
Whereupon Pheroras, who was caught in the
very act of his villainy, said that "it was Salome who was the framer
of this plot, and that the words came from her." But as soon as she
heard that, for she was at hand, she cried out, like one that would be
believed, that no such thing ever came out of her mouth; that they all
earnestly endeavored to make the king hate her, and to make her away, because
of the good-will she bore to Herod, and because she was always foreseeing
the dangers that were coming upon him, and that at present there were more
plots against him than usual; for while she was the only person who persuaded
her brother to put away the wife he now had, and to take the king's daughter,
it was no wonder if she were hated by him
As she said this, and often
tore her hair, and often beat her breast, her countenance made her denial
to be believed; but the peverseness of her manners declared at the same
time her dissimulation in these proceedings; but Pheroras was caught between
them, and had nothing plausible to offer in his own defense, while he confessed
that he had said what was charged upon him, but was not believed when he
said he had heard it from Salome; so the confusion among them was increased,
and their quarrelsome words one to another
At last the king, out of his
hatred to his brother and sister, sent them both away; and when he had
commended the moderation of his son, and that he had himself told him of
the report, he went in the evening to refresh himself
After such a contest
as this had fallen out among them, Salome's reputation suffered greatly,
since she was supposed to have first raised the calumny; and the king's
wives were grieved at her, as knowing she was a very ill-natured woman,
and would sometimes be a friend, and sometimes an enemy, at different seasons:
so they perpetually said one thing or another against her; and somewhat
that now fell out made them the bolder in speaking against her. FJAJ 16.46
6. There was one Obodas, king of Arabia, an inactive and slothful man
in his nature; but Sylleus managed most of his affairs for him
He was
a shrewd man, although he was but young, and was handsome withal
This
Sylleus, upon some occasion coining to Herod, and supping with him, saw
Salome, and set his heart upon her; and understanding that she was a widow,
he discoursed with her
Now because Salome was at this time less in favor
with her brother, she looked upon Sylleus with some passion, and was very
earnest to be married to him; and on the days following there appeared
many, and those very great, indications of their agreement together
Now
the women carried this news to the king, and laughed at the indecency of
it; whereupon Herod inquired about it further of Pheroras, and desired
him to observe them at supper, how their behavior was one toward another;
who told him, that by the signals which came from their heads and their
eyes, they both were evidently in love
After this, Sylleus the Arabian
being suspected, went away, but came again in two or three months afterwards,
as it were on that very design, and spake to Herod about it, and desired
that Salome might be given him to wife; for that his affinity might not
be disadvantageous to his affairs, by a union with Arabia, the government
of which country was already in effect under his power, and more evidently
would be his hereafter
Accordingly, when Herod discoursed with his sister
about it, and asked her whether she were disposed to this match, she immediately
agreed to it
But when Sylleus was desired to come over to the Jewish religion,
and then he should marry her, and that it was impossible to do it on any
other terms, he could not bear that proposal, and went his way; for he
said, that if he should do so, he should be stoned by the Arabs
Then did
Pheroras reproach Salome for her incontinency, as did the women much more;
and said that Sylleus had debauched her
As for that damsel which the king
had betrothed to his brother Pheroras, but he had not taken her, as I have
before related, because he was enamored on his former wife, Salome desired
of Herod she might be given to her son by Costobarus; which match he was
very willing to, but was dissuaded from it by Pheroras, who pleaded that
this young man would not be kind to her, since his father had been slain
by him, and that it was more just that his son, who was to be his successor
in the tetrarchy, should have her
So he begged his pardon, and persuaded
him to do so
Accordingly the damsel, upon this change of her espousals,
was disposal of to this young man, the son of Pheroras, the king giving
for her portion a hundred talents. FJAJ 16.47