CONCERNING THE REVOLT OF THE TRACHONITES; HOW SYLLEUS ACCUSED HEROD BEFORE CAESAR; AND HOW HEROD, WHEN CAESAR WAS ANGRY AT HIM, RESOLVED TO SEND NICOLAUS TO ROME. FJAJ 16.55
1. WHEN Herod had been at Rome, and was come back again, a war arose
between him and the Arabians, on the occasion following: The inhabitants
of Trachonitis, after Caesar had taken the country away from Zenodorus,
and added it to Herod, had not now power to rob, but were forced to plough
the land, and to live quietly, which was a thing they did not like; and
when they did take that pains, the ground did not produce much fruit for
them
However, at the first the king would not permit them to rob, and
so they abstained from that unjust way of living upon their neighbors,
which procured Herod a great reputation for his care
But when he was sailing
to Rome, it was at that time when he went to accuse his son Alexander,
and to commit Antipater to Caesar's protection, the Trachonites spread
a report as if he were dead, and revolted from his dominion, and betook
themselves again to their accustomed way of robbing their neighbors; at
which time the king's commanders subdued them during his absence; but about
forty of the principal robbers, being terrified by those that had been
taken, left the country, and retired into Arabia, Sylleus entertaining
them, after he had missed of marrying Salome, and gave them a place of
strength, in which they dwelt
So they overran not only Judea, but all
Celesyria also, and carried off the prey, while Sylleus afforded them places
of protection and quietness during their wicked practices
But when Herod
came back from Rome, he perceived that his dominions had greatly suffered
by them; and since he could not reach the robbers themselves, because of
the secure retreat they had in that country, and which the Arabian government
afforded them, and yet being very uneasy at the injuries they had done
him, he went all over Trachonitis, and slew their relations; whereupon
these robbers were more angry than before, it being a law among them to
be avenged on the murderers of their relations by all possible means; so
they continued to tear and rend every thing under Herod's dominion with
impunity
Then did he discourse about these robberies to Saturninus and
Volumnius, and required that they should be punished; upon which occasion
they still the more confirmed themselves in their robberies, and became
more numerous, and made very great disturbances, laying waste the countries
and villages that belonged to Herod's kingdom, and killing those men whom
they caught, till these unjust proceedings came to be like a real war,
for the robbers were now become about a thousand; - at which Herod was
sore displeased, and required the robbers, as well as the money which he
had lent Obodas, by Sylleus, which was sixty talents, and since the time
of payment was now past, he desired to have it paid him; but Sylleus, who
had laid Obodas aside, and managed all by himself, denied that the robbers
were in Arabia, and put off the payment of the money; about which there
was a hearing before Saturninus and Volumnius, who were then the presidents
of Syria. FJAJ 16.56
(11)
These joint presidents of Syria, Saturninus and Volumnius, were not perhaps
of equal authority, but the latter like a procurator under the former,
as the very learned Noris and Pagi, and with them Dr. Hudson, determine.
At last he, by their means, agreed, that within thirty days' time Herod
should be paid his money, and that each of them should deliver up the other's
subjects reciprocally
Now, as to Herod, there was not one of the other's
subjects found in his kingdom, either as doing any injustice, or on any
other account, but it was proved that the Arabians had the robbers amongst
them. FJAJ 16.57
2. When this day appointed for payment of the money was past, without
Sylleus's performing any part of his agreement, and he was gone to Rome,
Herod demanded the payment of the money, and that the robbers that were
in Arabia should be delivered up; and, by the permission of Saturninus
and Volumnius, executed the judgment himself upon those that were refractory.
He took an army that he had, and let it into Arabia, and in three days'
time marched seven mansions; and when he came to the garrison wherein the
robbers were, he made an assault upon them, and took them all, and demolished
the place, which was called Raepta, but did no harm to any others
But
as the Arabians came to their assistance, under Naceb their captain, there
ensued a battle, wherein a few of Herod's soldiers, and Naceb, the captain
of the Arabians, and about twenty of his soldiers, fell, while the rest
betook themselves to flight
So when he had brought these to punishment,
he placed three thousand Idumeans in Trachonitis, and thereby restrained
the robbers that were there
He also sent an account to the captains that
were about Phoenicia, and demonstrated that he had done nothing but what
he ought to do, in punishing the refractory Arabians, which, upon an exact
inquiry, they found to be no more than what was true. FJAJ 16.58
3. However, messengers were hasted away to Sylleus to Rome, and informed
him what had been done, and, as is usual, aggravated every thing
Now Sylleus
had already insinuated himself into the knowledge of Caesar, and was then
about the palace; and as soon as he heard of these things, he changed his
habit into black, and went in, and told Caesar that Arabia was afflicted
with war, and that all his kingdom was in great confusion, upon Herod's
laying it waste with his army; and he said, with tears in his eyes, that
two thousand five hundred of the principal men among the Arabians had been
destroyed, and that their captain Nacebus, his familiar friend and kinsman,
was slain; and that the riches that were at Raepta were carried off; and
that Obodas was despised, whose infirm state of body rendered him unfit
for war; on which account neither he, nor the Arabian army, were present.
When Sylleus said so, and added invidiously, that he would not himself
have come out of the country, unless he had believed that Caesar would
have provided that they should all have peace one with another, and that,
had he been there, he would have taken care that the war should not have
been to Herod's advantage; Caesar was provoked when this was said, and
asked no more than this one question, both of Herod's friends that were
there, and of his own friends, who were come from Syria, Whether Herod
had led an army thither? And when they were forced to confess so much,
Caesar, without staying to hear for what reason he did it, and how it was
done, grew very angry, and wrote to Herod sharply
The sum of his epistle
was this, that whereas of old he had used him as his friend, he should
now use him as his subject
Sylleus also wrote an account of this to the
Arabians, who were so elevated with it, that they neither delivered up
the robbers that had fled to them, nor paid the money that was due; they
retained those pastures also which they had hired, and kept them without
paying their rent, and all this because the king of the Jews was now in
a low condition, by reason of Caesar's anger at him
Those of Trachonitis
also made use of this opportunity, and rose up against the Idumean garrison,
and followed the same way of robbing with the Arabians, who had pillaged
their country, and were more rigid in their unjust proceedings, not only
in order to get by it, but by way of revenge also. FJAJ 16.59
4. Now Herod was forced to bear all this, that confidence of his being
quite gone with which Caesar's favor used to inspire him; for Caesar would
not admit so much as an embassage from him to 'make an apology for him;
and when they came again, he sent them away without success
So he was
cast into sadness and fear; and Sylleus's circumstances grieved him exceedingly,
who was now believed by Caesar, and was present at Rome, nay, sometimes
aspiring higher
Now it came to pass that Obodas was dead; and Aeneas,
whose name was afterward changed to Aretas, (12)
This Aretas was now become so established a name for the kings of Arabia,
[at Petra and Damascus,] that when the crown came to this Aeneas, he changed
his name to Aretas, as Havercamp here justly observes. See Antiq. B. XIII.
ch. 15. sect, 2.
took the government, for Sylleus endeavored by calumnies to get him turned
out of his principality, that he might himself take it; with which design
he gave much money to the courtiers, and promised much money to Caesar,
who indeed was angry that Aretas had not sent to him first before he took
the kingdom; yet did Aeneas send an epistle and presents to Caesar, and
a golden crown, of the weight of many talents
Now that epistle accused
Sylleus as having been a wicked servant, and having killed Obodas by poison;
and that while he was alive, he had governed him as he pleased; and had
also debauched the wives of the Arabians; and had borrowed money, in order
to obtain the dominion for himself: yet did not Caesar give heed to these
accusations, but sent his ambassadors back, without receiving any of his
presents
But in the mean time the affairs of Judea and Arabia became worse
and worse, partly because of the anarchy they were under, and partly because,
as bad as they were, nobody had power to govern them; for of the two kings,
the one was not yet confirmed in his kingdom, and so had not authority
sufficient to restrain the evil-doers; and as for Herod, Caesar was immediately
angry at him for having avenged himself, and so he was compelled to bear
all the injuries that were offered him
At length, when he saw no end of
the mischief which surrounded him, he resolved to send ambassadors to Rome
again, to see whether his friends had prevailed to mitigate Caesar, and
to address themselves to Caesar himself; and the ambassador he sent thither
was Nicolans of Damascus. FJAJ 16.60