NOW HEROD AND PHILIP BUILT SEVERAL CITIES IN HONOR OF CAESAR. CONCERNING THE SUCCESSION OF PRIESTS AND PROCURATORS; AS ALSO WHAT BEFELL PHRAATES AND THE PARTHIANS. FJAJ 18.10
1. WHEN Cyrenius had now disposed of Archelaus's money, and when the
taxings were come to a conclusion, which were made in the thirty-seventh
year of Caesar's victory over Antony at Actium, he deprived Joazar of the
high priesthood, which dignity had been conferred on him by the multitude,
and he appointed Ananus, the son of Seth, to be high priest; while Herod
and Philip had each of them received their own tetrarchy, and settled the
affairs thereof
Herod also built a wall about Sepphoris, (which is the
security of all Galilee,) and made it the metropolis of the country
He
also built a wall round Betharamphtha, which was itself a city also, and
called it Julias, from the name of the emperor's wife
When Philip also
had built Paneas, a city at the fountains of Jordan, he named it Cesarea.
He also advanced the village Bethsaids, situate at the lake of Gennesareth,
unto the dignity of a city, both by the number of inhabitants it contained,
and its other grandeur, and called it by the name of Julias, the same name
with Caesar's daughter. FJAJ 18.11
2. As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was exercising
his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following accidents
happened
As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened bread, which
we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to open the temple-gates
just after midnight
When, therefore, those gates were first opened, some
of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem, and threw about dead men's
bodies, in the cloisters; on which account the Jews afterward excluded
them out of the temple, which they had not used to do at such festivals;
and on other accounts also they watched the temple more carefully than
they had formerly done
A little after which accident Coponius returned
to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be his successor in that government;
under whom Salome, the sister of king Herod, died, and left to Julia, [Caesar's
wife,] Jamnia, all its toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais,
where is a great plantation of palm trees, and their fruit is excellent
in its kind
After him came Annius Rufus, under whom died Caesar, the second
emperor of the Romans, the duration of whose reign was fifty-seven years,
besides six months and two days (of which time Antonius ruled together
with him fourteen years; but the duration of his life was seventy-seven
years); upon whose death Tiberius Nero, his wife Julia's son, succeeded.
He was now the third emperor; and he sent Valerius Gratus to be procurator
of Judea, and to succeed Annius Rufus
This man deprived Ananus of the
high priesthood, and appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi, to be high priest.
He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the son of
Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest; which office,
when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him of it, and gave the high
priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and when he had possessed that
dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was made his successor.
When Gratus had done those things, he went back to Rome, after he had tarried
in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate came as his successor. FJAJ 18.12
3. And now Herod the tetrarch, who was in great favor with Tiberius,
built a city of the same name with him, and called it Tiberias
He built
it in the best part of Galilee, at the lake of Gennesareth
There are warm
baths at a little distance from it, in a village named Emmaus
Strangers
came and inhabited this city; a great number of the inhabitants were Galileans
also; and many were necessitated by Herod to come thither out of the country
belonging to him, and were by force compelled to be its inhabitants; some
of them were persons of condition
He also admitted poor people, such as
those that were collected from all parts, to dwell in it
Nay, some of
them were not quite free-men, and these he was benefactor to, and made
them free in great numbers; but obliged them not to forsake the city, by
building them very good houses at his own expenses, and by giving them
land also; for he was sensible, that to make this place a habitation was
to transgress the Jewish ancient laws, because many sepulchers were to
be here taken away, in order to make room for the city Tiberias (5)(5) We may here take notice, as well
as in the parallel parts of the books Of the War, B. II. ch. 9. sect. 1,
that after the death of Herod the Great, and the succession of Archclaus,
Josephus is very brief in his accounts of Judea, till near his own time.
I suppose the reason is, that after the large history of Nicolaus of Damascus,
including the life of Herod, and probably the succession and first actions
of his sons, he had but few good histories of those times before him.
whereas our laws pronounce that such inhabitants are unclean for seven
days. FJAJ 18.13
(6)(6) Numbers 19:11-14. FJAJ 18.14
4. About this time died Phraates, king of the Parthians, by the treachery
of Phraataces his son, upon the occasion following: When Phraates had had
legitimate sons of his own, he had also an Italian maid-servant, whose
name was Thermusa, who had been formerly sent to him by Julius Caesar,
among other presents
He first made her his concubine; but he being a great
admirer of her beauty, in process of time having a son by her, whose name
was Phraataces, he made her his legitimate wife, and had a great respect
for her
Now she was able to persuade him to do any thing that she said,
and was earnest in procuring the government of Parthia for her son; but
still she saw that her endeavors would not succeed, unless she could contrive
how to remove Phraates's legitimate sons [out of the kingdom;] so she persuaded
him to send those his sons as pledges of his fidelity to Rome; and they
were sent to Rome accordingly, because it was not easy for him to contradict
her commands
Now while Phraataces was alone brought up in order to succeed
in the government, he thought it very tedious to expect that government
by his father's donation [as his successor]; he therefore formed a treacherous
design against his father, by his mother's assistance, with whom, as the
report went, he had criminal conversation also
So he was hated for both
these vices, while his subjects esteemed this [wicked] love of his mother
to be no way inferior to his parricide; and he was by them, in a sedition,
expelled out of the country before he grew too great, and died
But as
the best sort of Parthians agreed together that it was impossible they
should be governed without a king, while also it was their constant practice
to choose one of the family of Arsaces, [nor did their law allow of any
others; and they thought this kingdom had been sufficiently injured already
by the marriage with an Italian concubine, and by her issue,] they sent
ambassadors, and called Orodes [to take the crown]; for the multitude would
not otherwise have borne them; and though he was accused of very great
cruelty, and was of an untractable temper, and prone to wrath, yet still
he was one of the family of Arsaces
However, they made a conspiracy against
him, and slew him, and that, as some say, at a festival, and among their
sacrifices; (for it is the universal custom there to carry their swords
with them;) but, as the more general report is, they slew him when they
had drawn him out a hunting
So they sent ambassadors to Rome, and desired
they would send one of those that were there as pledges to be their king.
Accordingly, Vonones was preferred before the rest, and sent to them (for
he seemed capable of such great fortune, which two of the greatest kingdoms
under the sun now offered him, his own and a foreign one)
However, the
barbarians soon changed their minds, they being naturally of a mutable
disposition, upon the supposal that this man was not worthy to be their
governor; for they could not think of obeying the commands of one that
had been a slave, (for so they called those that had been hostages,) nor
could they bear the ignominy of that name; and this was the more intolerable,
because then the Parthians must have such a king set over them, not by
right of war, but in time of peace
So they presently invited Artabanus,
king of Media, to be their king, he being also of the race of Arsaces.
Artabanus complied with the offer that was made him, and came to them with
an army
So Vonones met him; and at first the multitude of the Parthians
stood on this side, and he put his army in array; but Artabanus was beaten,
and fled to the mountains of Media
Yet did he a little after gather a
great army together, and fought with Vonones, and beat him; whereupon Vonones
fled away on horseback, with a few of his attendants about him, to Seleucia
[upon Tigris]
So when Artabanus had slain a great number, and this after
he had gotten the victory by reason of the very great dismay the barbarians
were in, he retired to Ctesiphon with a great number of his people; and
so he now reigned over the Parthians
But Vonones fled away to Armenia;
and as soon as he came thither, he had an inclination to have the government
of the country given him, and sent ambassadors to Rome [for that purpose].
But because Tiberius refused it him, and because he wanted courage, and
because the Parthian king threatened him, and sent ambassadors to him to
denounce war against him if he proceeded, and because he had no way to
take to regain any other kingdom, (for the people of authority among the
Armenians about Niphates joined themselves to Artabanus,) he delivered
up himself to Silanus, the president of Syria, who, out of regard to his
education at Rome, kept him in Syria, while Artabanus gave Armenia to Orodes,
one of his own sons. FJAJ 18.15
5. At this time died Antiochus, the king of Commagene; whereupon the
multitude contended with the nobility, and both sent ambassadors to [Rome];
for the men of power were desirous that their form of government might
be changed into that of a [Roman] province; as were the multitude desirous
to be under kings, as their fathers had been
So the senate made a decree
that Germanicus should be sent to settle the affairs of the East, fortune
hereby taking a proper opportunity for depriving him of his life; for when
he had been in the East, and settled all affairs there, his life was taken
away by the poison which Piso gave him, as hath been related elsewhere.
(7)(7) This citation is now wanting. FJAJ 18.16