HOW THE SAMARITANS MADE A TUMULT AND PILATE DESTROYED MANY OF THEM; HOW PILATE WAS ACCUSED AND WHAT THINGS WERE DONE BY VITELLIUS RELATING TO THE JEWS AND THE PARTHIANS. FJAJ 18.24
1. BUT the nation of the Samaritans did not escape without tumults. The man who excited them to it was one who thought lying a thing of little consequence, and who contrived every thing so that the multitude might be pleased; so he bid them to get together upon Mount Gerizzim, which is by them looked upon as the most holy of all mountains, and assured them, that when they were come thither, he would show them those sacred vessels which were laid under that place, because Moses put them there (12)(12) Since Moses never came himself beyond Jordan, nor particularly to Mount Gerizzim, and since these Samaritans have a tradition among them, related here by Dr. Hudson, from Reland, who was very skillful in Jewish and Samaritan learning, that in the days of Uzzi or Ozis the high priest, 1 Chronicles 6:6; the ark and other sacred vessels were, by God's command, laid up or hidden in Mount Gerizzim, it is highly probable that this was the foolish foundation the present Samaritans went upon, in the sedition here described. So they came thither armed, and thought the discourse of the man probable; and as they abode at a certain village, which was called Tirathaba, they got the rest together to them, and desired to go up the mountain in a great multitude together; but Pilate prevented their going up, by seizing upon file roads with a great band of horsemen and foot-men, who fell upon those that were gotten together in the village; and when it came to an action, some of them they slew, and others of them they put to flight, and took a great many alive, the principal of which, and also the most potent of those that fled away, Pilate ordered to be slain. FJAJ 18.25
2. But when this tumult was appeased, the Samaritan senate sent an embassy
to Vitellius, a man that had been consul, and who was now president of
Syria, and accused Pilate of the murder of those that were killed; for
that they did not go to Tirathaba in order to revolt from the Romans, but
to escape the violence of Pilate
So Vitellius sent Marcellus, a friend
of his, to take care of the affairs of Judea, and ordered Pilate to go
to Rome, to answer before the emperor to the accusations of the Jews
So
Pilate, when he had tarried ten years in Judea, made haste to Rome, and
this in obedience to the orders of Vitellius, which he durst not contradict;
but before he could get to Rome Tiberius was dead. FJAJ 18.26
3. But Vitellius came into Judea, and went up to Jerusalem; it was at
the time of that festival which is called the Passover
Vitellius was there
magnificently received, and released the inhabitants of Jerusalem from
all the taxes upon the fruits that were bought and sold, and gave them
leave to have the care of the high priest's vestments, with all their ornaments,
and to have them under the custody of the priests in the temple, which
power they used to have formerly, although at this time they were laid
up in the tower of Antonia, the citadel so called, and that on the occasion
following: There was one of the [high] priests, named Hyrcanus; and as
there were many of that name, he was the first of them; this man built
a tower near the temple, and when he had so done, he generally dwelt in
it, and had these vestments with him, because it was lawful for him alone
to put them on, and he had them there reposited when he went down into
the city, and took his ordinary garments; the same things were continued
to be done by his sons, and by their sons after them
But when Herod came
to be king, he rebuilt this tower, which was very conveniently situated,
in a magnificent manner; and because he was a friend to Antonius, he called
it by the name of Antonia
And as he found these vestments lying there,
he retained them in the same place, as believing, that while he had them
in his custody, the people would make no innovations against him
The like
to what Herod did was done by his son Archelaus, who was made king after
him; after whom the Romans, when they entered on the government, took possession
of these vestments of the high priest, and had them reposited in a stone-chamber,
under the seal of the priests, and of the keepers of the temple, the captain
of the guard lighting a lamp there every day; and seven days before a festival
(13)(13) This mention of the high priest's
sacred garments received seven days before a festival, and purified in
those days against a festival, as having been polluted by being in the
custody of heathens, in Josephus, agrees well with the traditions of the
Talmudists, as Reland here observes. Nor is there any question but the
three feasts here mentioned were the passover, pentecost, and feast of
tabernacles; and the fast so called by way of distinction, as Acts 27:9,
was the great day of expiation.
they were delivered to them by the captain of the guard, when the high
priest having purified them, and made use of them, laid them up again in
the same chamber where they had been laid up before, and this the very
next day after the feast was over
This was the practice at the three yearly
festivals, and on the fast day; but Vitellius put those garments into our
own power, as in the days of our forefathers, and ordered the captain of
the guard not to trouble himself to inquire where they were laid, or when
they were to be used; and this he did as an act of kindness, to oblige
the nation to him
Besides which, he also deprived Joseph, who was also
called Caiaphas, of the high priesthood, and appointed Jonathan the son
of Ananus, the former high priest, to succeed him
After which, he took
his journey back to Antioch. FJAJ 18.27
4. Moreover, Tiberius sent a letter to Vitellius, and commanded him
to make a league of friendship with Artabanus, the king of Parthia; for
while he was his enemy, he terrified him, because he had taken Armenia
away from him, lest he should proceed further, and told him he should no
otherwise trust him than upon his giving him hostages, and especially his
son Artabanus
Upon Tiberius's writing thus to Vitellius, by the offer
of great presents of money, he persuaded both the king of Iberia and the
king of Albania to make no delay, but to fight against Artabanus; and although
they would not do it themselves, yet did they give the Scythians a passage
through their country, and opened the Caspian gates to them, and brought
them upon Artabanus
So Armenia was again taken from the Parthians, and
the country of Parthis was filled with war, and the principal of their
men were slain, and all things were in disorder among them: the king's
son also himself fell in these wars, together with
many ten thousands
of his army
Vitellius had also sent such great sums of money to Artabanus's
father's kinsmen and friends, that he had almost procured him to be slain
by the means of those bribes which they had taken
And when Artabanus perceived
that the plot laid against him was not to be avoided, because it was laid
by the principal men, and those a great many in number, and that it would
certainly take effect, � when he had estimated the number of those that
were truly faithful to him, as also of those who were already corrupted,
but were deceitful in the kindness they professed to him, and were likely,
upon trial, to go over to his enemies, he made his escape to the upper
provinces, where he afterwards raised a great army out of the Dahae and
Sacre, and fought with his enemies, and retained his principality. FJAJ 18.28
5. When Tiberius had heard of these things, he desired to have a league
of friendship made between him and Artabanus; and when, upon this invitation,
he received the proposal kindly, Artabanus and Vitellius went to Euphrates,
and as a bridge was laid over the river, they each of them came with their
guards about them, and met one another on the midst of the bridge
And
when they had agreed upon the terms of peace Herod, the tetrarch erected
a rich tent on the midst of the passage, and made them a feast there
Artabanus
also, not long afterward, sent his son Darius as an hostage, with many
presents, among which there was a man seven cubits tall, a Jew he was by
birth, and his name was Eleazar, who, for his tallness, was called a giant.
After which Vitellius went to Antioch, and Artabanus to Babylon; but Herod
[the tetrarch] being desirous to give Caesar the first information that
they had obtained hostages, sent posts with letters, wherein he had accurately
described all the particulars, and had left nothing for the consular Vitellius
to inform him of
But when Vitellius's letters were sent, and Caesar had
let him know that he was acquainted with the affairs already, because Herod
had given him an account of them before, Vitellius was very much troubled
at it; and supposing that he had been thereby a greater sufferer than he
really was, he kept up a secret anger upon this occasion, till he could
be revenged on him, which he was after Caius had taken the government. FJAJ 18.29
6. About this time it was that Philip, Herod's ' brother, departed this
life, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius, (14)(14) This calculation, from all Josephus's
Greek copies, is exactly right; for since Herod died about September, in
the fourth year before the Christian era, and Tiberius began, as is well
known, Aug. 19, A.D. 14, it is evident that the thirty-seventh year of
Philip, reckoned from his father's death, was the twentieth of Tiberius,
or near the end of A.D. 33, [the very year of our Savior's death also,]
or, however, in the beginning of the next year, A.D. 34. This Philip the
tetrarch seems to have been the best of all the posterity of Herod, for
his love of peace, and his love of justice.
An excellent example this.
after he had been tetrarch of Trachonitis and Gaulanitis, and of the nation
of the Bataneans also, thirty-seven years
He had showed himself a person
of moderation and quietness in the conduct of his life and government;
he constantly lived in that country which was subject to him; he used to
make his progress with a few chosen friends; his tribunal also, on which
he sat in judgment, followed him in his progress; and when any one met
him who wanted his assistance, he made no delay, but had his tribunal set
down immediately, wheresoever he happened to be, and sat down upon it,
and heard his complaint: he there ordered the guilty that were convicted
to be punished, and absolved those that had been accused unjustly
He died
at Julias; and when he was carried to that monument which he had already
erected for himself beforehand, he was buried with great pomp
His principality
Tiberius took, (for he left no sons behind him,) and added it to the province
of Syria, but gave order that the tributes which arose from it should be
collected, and laid up in his tetrachy. FJAJ 18.30