THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book II: Chapter 13
NERO ADDS FOUR CITIES TO AGRIPPAS KINGDOM; BUT THE
OTHER PARTS OF JUDEA WERE UNDER FELIX. THE
DISTURBANCES WHICH WERE RAISED BY THE S ICARII THE
MAGICIANS AND AN EGYPTIAN FALSE PROPHET. THE JEWS AND
S YRIANS HAVE A CONTEST AT CESAREA.
1. NOW as to the
many things in which Nero acted like a madman, out of
the extravagant degree of the felicity and riches
which he enjoyed, and by that means used his good
fortune to the injury of others; and after what manner
he slew his brother, and wife, and mother, from whom
his barbarity spread itself to others that were most
nearly related to him; and how, at last, he was so
distracted that he became an actor in the scenes, and
upon the theater, — I omit to say any more about them,
because there are writers enough upon those subjects
every where; but I shall turn myself to those actions
of his time in which the Jews were concerned.
2. Nero therefore bestowed the kingdom of the
Lesser Armenia upon Aristobulus, Herod’s son, 17 and he
added to Agrippa’s kingdom four cities, with the
toparchies to them belonging; I mean Abila, and that
Julias which is in Perea, Tarichea also, and Tiberias
of Galilee; but over the rest of Judea he made Felix
procurator. This Felix took Eleazar the arch-robber,
and many that were with him, alive, when they had
ravaged the country for twenty years together, and
sent them to Rome; but as to the number of the robbers
whom he caused to be crucified, and of those who were
caught among them, and whom he brought to punishment,
they were a multitude not to be enumerated.
3. When the country was purged of these, there
sprang up another sort of robbers in Jerusalem, which
were called Sicarii, who slew men in the day time, and
in the midst of the city; this they did chiefly at the
festivals, when they mingled themselves among the
multitude, and concealed daggers under their garments,
with which they stabbed those that were their enemies;
and when any fell down dead, the murderers became a
part of those that had indignation against them; by
which means they appeared
persons of such reputation, that they could by no
means be discovered. The first man who was slain by
them was Jonathan the high priest, after whose death
many were slain every day, while the fear men were in
of being so served was more afflicting than the
calamity itself; and while every body expected death
every hour, as men do in war, so men were obliged to
look before them, and to take notice of their enemies
at a great distance; nor, if their friends were coming
to them, durst they trust them any longer; but, in the
midst of their suspicions and guarding of themselves,
they were slain. Such was the celerity of the plotters
against them, and so cunning was their contrivance.
4. There was also another body of wicked men gotten
together, not so impure in their actions, but more
wicked in their intentions, which laid waste the happy
state of the city no less than did these murderers.
These were such men as deceived and deluded the people
under pretense of Divine inspiration, but were for
procuring innovations and changes of the government;
and these prevailed with the multitude to act like
madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, as
pretending that God would there show them the signals
of liberty. But Felix thought this procedure was to be
the beginning of a revolt; so he sent some horsemen
and footmen both armed, who destroyed a great number
of them.
5. But there was an Egyptian false prophet that did
the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a
cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got
together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him;
these he led round about from the wilderness to the
mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was
ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that
place; and if he could but once conquer the Roman
garrison and the people, he intended to domineer over
them by the assistance of those guards of his that
were to break into the city with him. But Felix
prevented his attempt, and met him with his Roman
soldiers, while all the people assisted him in his
attack upon them, insomuch that when it came to a
battle, the Egyptian ran away, with a few others,
while the greatest part of those that were with him
were either destroyed or taken alive; but the rest of
the multitude were dispersed every one to their own
homes, and there concealed themselves.
6. Now when these were quieted, it happened, as it
does in a diseased body, that another part was subject
to an inflammation; for a company of deceivers and
robbers got together, and persuaded the Jews to
revolt, and exhorted them to assert their liberty,
inflicting death on those that continued in obedience
to the Roman government, and saying, that such as
willingly chose slavery ought to be forced from such
their desired inclinations; for they parted themselves
into different bodies, and lay in wait up and down the
country, and plundered the houses of the great men,
and slew the men themselves, and set the villages on
fire; and this till all Judea was filled with the
effects of their madness. And thus the flame was every
day more and more blown up, till it came to a direct
war.
7. There was also another disturbance at Cesarea, —
those Jews who were mixed with the Syrians that lived
there rising a tumult against them. The Jews pretended
that the city was theirs, and said that he who built
it was a Jew, meaning king Herod. The Syrians
confessed also that its builder was a Jew; but they
still said, however, that the city was a Grecian city;
for that he who set up statues and temples in it could
not design it for Jews. On which account both parties
had a contest with one another; and this contest
increased so much, that it came at last to arms, and
the bolder sort of them marched out to fight; for the
elders of the Jews were not able to put a stop to
their own people that were disposed to be tumultuous,
and the Greeks thought it a shame for them to be
overcome by the Jews. Now these Jews exceeded the
others in riches and strength of body; but the Grecian
part had the advantage of assistance from the
soldiery; for the greatest part of the Roman garrison
was raised out of Syria; and being thus related to the
Syrian part, they were ready to assist it. However,
the governors of the city were concerned to keep all
quiet, and whenever they caught those that were most
for fighting on either side, they punished them with
stripes and bands. Yet did not the sufferings of those
that were caught affright the remainder, or make them
desist; but they were still more and more exasperated,
and deeper engaged in the sedition. And as Felix came
once into the market-place, and commanded the Jews,
when they had beaten the Syrians, to go their ways,
and threatened them if they would not, and they would
not obey him, he sent his soldiers out upon them, and
slew a great many of them, upon which it fell out that
what they had was plundered. And as the sedition still
continued, he chose out the most
1448 eminent men on both sides as ambassadors to
Nero, to argue about their several privileges.
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