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67 - Wars of the Jews by Flavius Josephus · Wars of the Jews

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  Speaker 1: Book seven, chapters three and four of the Wars of
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  Speaker 1: the Jews. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. The Wars of the Jews
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  Speaker 1: by Josephus, translated by William Wiston, chapters three and four.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter three, how Titus, upon the celebration of his brothers
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  Speaker 1: and father's birthdays, had many of the Jews slain concerning
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  Speaker 1: the danger of the Jews were in that Antioch by
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  Speaker 1: means of the transgression and impiety of one Antiochus, a Jew. One.
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  Speaker 1: While Titus was at cesarea, he solemnized the birthday of
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  Speaker 1: his brother Domitian after a splendid manner, and inflicted a
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  Speaker 1: great deal of the punishment intended for the Jews in
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  Speaker 1: honor of him, For the number of those that were
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  Speaker 1: now slain in fighting with the beasts and were burnt
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  Speaker 1: and fought with one another needed two thousand, five hundred.
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  Speaker 1: Yet did all this seem to the Romans, when they
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  Speaker 1: were thus destroyed ten thousand several ways, to be a
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  Speaker 1: punishment beneath their deserts. After this, Caesar came to Barretus,
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  Speaker 1: which is a city of Phoenicia and a Roman colony. Footnote.
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  Speaker 1: This Barretus was certainly a Roman colony and has coins
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  Speaker 1: extant that witnessed the same as Hudson and Spanheim informas
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  Speaker 1: and footnote, and stayed there a longer time, and exhibited
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  Speaker 1: a still more pompous solemnty about his father's birthday, both
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  Speaker 1: in the magnificence of the shows and in the other
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  Speaker 1: vast expenses he was at in his devices there too,
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  Speaker 1: belonging so that a great multitude of the captives were
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  Speaker 1: here destroyed after the same manner as before. Two. It
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  Speaker 1: happened also about this time that the Jews who remained
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  Speaker 1: at Antioch were under accusations and in danger of perishing
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  Speaker 1: from the disturbances that were raised against them by the Antiochians.
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  Speaker 1: And this both on account of the slanders spread abroad
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  Speaker 1: at this time against them, and on account of what
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  Speaker 1: pranks they had played not long before, which I am
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  Speaker 1: obliged to describe without fail, though briefly that I made
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  Speaker 1: the better connect my narration of future actions with those
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  Speaker 1: that went before. Three. For as the Jewish nation is
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  Speaker 1: widely dispersed, over all, the habitable earth among its inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: So it is very much intermingled with Syria by reason
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  Speaker 1: of its neighborhood, and had the greatest multitudes in Antioch
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  Speaker 1: by reason of the largeness of the city, wherein the
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  Speaker 1: kings after Antiochus had afforded them a habitation with the
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  Speaker 1: most undisturbed tranquility. For though Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes,
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  Speaker 1: lay Jerusalem waste and spoiled the temple, yet did those
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  Speaker 1: that succeeded him in the kingdom restore all the donations
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  Speaker 1: that were made of brass to the Jews of Antioch,
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  Speaker 1: and dedicated them to their synagogue, and granted them the
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  Speaker 1: enjoyment of equal privileges of citizens with the Greeks themselves.
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  Speaker 1: And as the six exceeding kings treated them, after the
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  Speaker 1: same manner, they both multiplied to a great number, and
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  Speaker 1: adorned their temples gloriously by fine ornaments, and with great
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  Speaker 1: magnificence in the use of what had been given them.
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  Speaker 1: They also made proselytes of a great many of the
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  Speaker 1: Greeks perpetually, and thereby after a sort brought them to
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  Speaker 1: be a portion of their own body. But about this time,
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  Speaker 1: when the present war began, and Vespasian was newly sailed
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  Speaker 1: to Syria, and all men had taken up a great
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  Speaker 1: hatred against the Jews. Then it was that a certain
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  Speaker 1: person whose name was Antiochus, being one of the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: nation and greatly respected on account of his father, who
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  Speaker 1: was governor of the Jews at Antioch, came upon the theatre
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  Speaker 1: at a time when the people of Antioch were assembled
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  Speaker 1: together footnote. The Jews at Antioch and Alexandria, the two
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  Speaker 1: principal cities in all the East, had allowed them both
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  Speaker 1: by the Macedonians and afterwards by the Romans, a governor
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  Speaker 1: of their own who was exempt from the jurisdiction of
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  Speaker 1: the other civil governors. He was sometimes barely governor, sometimes
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  Speaker 1: ethnarch and at Alexandria alabarch as doctor Hudson takes notice
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  Speaker 1: on this place, out of Fuller's miscellanies, they had the
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  Speaker 1: like governor or governors allowed them at Babylon under their
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  Speaker 1: captivity there, as the History of Susannah implies and footnote,
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  Speaker 1: and became an informer against his father, and accused both
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  Speaker 1: him and others that they had resolved to burn the
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  Speaker 1: whole city in one night. He also delivered up to
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  Speaker 1: them some Jews that were foreigners as partners in their resolutions.
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  Speaker 1: When the people heard this, they could not refrain their passion,
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  Speaker 1: but commanded that those who were delivered up to them
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  Speaker 1: should have fire brought to burn them, who were accordingly
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  Speaker 1: all burnt upon the theater immediately. They did also fall
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  Speaker 1: violently upon the multitude of the Jews, as supposing that
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  Speaker 1: by punishing them suddenly they should save their own city.
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  Speaker 1: As for Antiochus, he aggravated the rage they were in
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  Speaker 1: and thought to give them a demonstration of his own
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  Speaker 1: conversion arm with his hatred of the Jewish customs, by
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  Speaker 1: sacrificing after the manner of the Greeks. He persuaded the
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  Speaker 1: rest also to compel them to do the same, because
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  Speaker 1: they would, by that means, discover who they were that
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  Speaker 1: had ploted against them, since they would not do so.
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  Speaker 1: And when the people of Anioch tried the experiment, some
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  Speaker 1: few complied, but those that would not do so were slain.
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  Speaker 1: As for Alatachius himself, he obtained soldiers from the Roman
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  Speaker 1: commander and became a severe master over his own citizens,
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  Speaker 1: not permitting them to rest on the seventh day, but
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  Speaker 1: forcing them to do all that they usually did on
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  Speaker 1: other days. And to that degree of distress did he
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  Speaker 1: reduce them in this matter, that the rest of the
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  Speaker 1: seventh day was dissolved not only at Antioch, but the
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  Speaker 1: same thing which took thence its rise, was done in
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  Speaker 1: other cities also in like manner for some small time.
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  Speaker 1: For now, after these misfortunes had happened to the Jews
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  Speaker 1: at Anioch, a second calamity befell them, the description of which,
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  Speaker 1: when we were going about, we promised the account for
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  Speaker 1: going for upon this accident whereby the four square market
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  Speaker 1: place was burnt down, as well as the archives and
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  Speaker 1: the place where the public records were preserved, and the
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  Speaker 1: royal palaces. And it was not without difficulty that the
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  Speaker 1: fire was then put a stop to which was likely
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  Speaker 1: by the fury wherewith it was carried along, to have
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  Speaker 1: gone over the whole city. Antiochus accused the Jews as
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  Speaker 1: the occasion of all the mischief that was done. Now
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  Speaker 1: this induced the people of Antioch, who were now under
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  Speaker 1: the immediate persuasion by reason of the disorder they were in,
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  Speaker 1: that this calumny was true, and would have been under
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  Speaker 1: the same persuasion even though they had not borne an
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  Speaker 1: ill will at the Jews before, to believe this man's accusation,
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  Speaker 1: especially when they considered what had been done before, and
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  Speaker 1: this to such degree that they all fell violently upon
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  Speaker 1: those that were accused, and this like madmen, in a
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  Speaker 1: very furious rage. Also even as if they had seen
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  Speaker 1: the Jews in a manner setting fire themselves to the city.
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  Speaker 1: Nor was it without difficulty that one Senius Collegius the
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  Speaker 1: legates could prevail with them to permit the affairs to
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  Speaker 1: be laid before Caesar. For as to Cesenius Petus, the
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  Speaker 1: president of Syria Vespasian had already sent him away, and
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  Speaker 1: so it happened that he was not yet come back thither.
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  Speaker 1: But when Collegius had made a careful inquiry into the matter,
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  Speaker 1: he found out the truth, and that not one of
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  Speaker 1: those Jews that were accused by Antiochus had any hands
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  Speaker 1: in it, but that all was done by some vile
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  Speaker 1: persons greatly in debt, who supposed that if they could
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  Speaker 1: once set fire to the market place and burn the
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  Speaker 1: public records, they should have no further demands made upon them.
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  Speaker 1: So the Jews were under great disorder and terror in
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  Speaker 1: the uncertain expectations of what would be the upshot of
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  Speaker 1: these accusations against them. Chapter four, how Vespasian was received
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  Speaker 1: at Rome, as also how the Germans revolted from the
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  Speaker 1: Romans but were subdued, that the Samaritans overran Misia, but
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  Speaker 1: were compelled to retire to their own country again. One
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  Speaker 1: and now Titus Caesar, upon the news that was brought
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  Speaker 1: him concerning his father, that his coming was much desired
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  Speaker 1: by all the Italian cities, and that Rome especially received
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  Speaker 1: him with great alacrity and splendor, betook himself to rejoicing
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  Speaker 1: and pleasures to a great degree, as now freed from
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  Speaker 1: the solitude that he had been under, after the most
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  Speaker 1: agreeable manner, for all men that were in Italy showed
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  Speaker 1: their respects to him in their minds before he came thither,
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  Speaker 1: as if he were already come, as esteeming the very
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  Speaker 1: expectation they had of him, to be his real presence,
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  Speaker 1: on account of the great desires they had to see him,
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  Speaker 1: and because the good will they bore him was entirely
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  Speaker 1: free and unconcer strained, for it was desirable thing to
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  Speaker 1: the Senate, who well remembered the calamities they had undergone
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  Speaker 1: in the late changes of their governors, to receive a
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  Speaker 1: governor who was adorned with a gravity of old age
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  Speaker 1: and with the highest skill in the actions of war,
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  Speaker 1: whose advancement would be, as they knew, for nothing else
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  Speaker 1: but for the preservation of those that were to be governed. Moreover,
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  Speaker 1: the people had been so harassed by their civil miseries
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  Speaker 1: that they were still more earnest for his coming immediately,
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  Speaker 1: as supposing they should then be firmly delivered from their calamities,
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  Speaker 1: and believed they should then recover their secure tranquility and prosperity.
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  Speaker 1: And for the soldiery they had the principle regard to him,
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  Speaker 1: for they were chiefly apprized of his great exploits in war,
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  Speaker 1: and since they had experienced the want of skill and
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  Speaker 1: want of courage in other commanders, they were very desirous
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  Speaker 1: to be free from that great shame they had undergone
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  Speaker 1: by their means. He wished to receive such a prince
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  Speaker 1: as might be a security and an ornament to them.
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  Speaker 1: And as this good will to Vespasian was universal, those
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  Speaker 1: that enjoyed any remarkable dignities could not have patience enough
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  Speaker 1: to stay in Rome, but made haste to meet him.
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  Speaker 1: At a very great distance from it. Nay, indeed, none
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  Speaker 1: of the rest could endure the delay of seeing him.
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  Speaker 1: But did all pour out of the city in such crowds,
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  Speaker 1: and were so universally possessed with the opinion that it
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  Speaker 1: was easier and better for them to go out than
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  Speaker 1: to stay there, that this was the very first time
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  Speaker 1: that the city joyfully perceived itself almost empty of its citizens,
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  Speaker 1: for those that stayed within were fewer than those that
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  Speaker 1: went out. But as soon as the news was come
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  Speaker 1: that he was hard by, and those that had met
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  Speaker 1: him at first related with what good humor he received
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  Speaker 1: every one that came to him, then it was that
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  Speaker 1: the whole multitude that had remained in the city, with
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  Speaker 1: their wives and children, came into the road and waited
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  Speaker 1: for him there, And for those whom he passed by,
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  Speaker 1: they made all sorts of acclamations on account of the
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  Speaker 1: joy they had to see him, and the pleasantness of
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  Speaker 1: his countenance, and styled him their benefactor and savior, and
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  Speaker 1: the only person who was worthy to be ruler of
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  Speaker 1: the city of Rome. And now the city was like
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  Speaker 1: a temple full of garlands and sweet odors. Nor was
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  Speaker 1: it easy for him to come to the royal palace
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  Speaker 1: for the multitude of the people that stood about him.
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  Speaker 1: Where yet at last he performed his sacrifices of thanksgiving
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  Speaker 1: to his household gods for his safe return to the city.
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  Speaker 1: The multitude did also betake themselves to feasting, which feast
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  Speaker 1: and drink offerings they celebrated by their tribes and their
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  Speaker 1: families and their neighborhoods, and still prayed God to grant
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  Speaker 1: that Vespasian, his sons, and all their posterity might continue
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  Speaker 1: in the Roman government for a very long time, and
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  Speaker 1: that his dominion might be preserved from all opposition. And
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  Speaker 1: this was the manner in which Rome so joyfully received
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  Speaker 1: Vespasian and then screw immediately into a state of great prosperity.
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  Speaker 1: Two But before this time, and while Vespasian was about
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  Speaker 1: Alexandria and Titus was lying at the siege of Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: a great multitude of the Germans were in commotion and
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  Speaker 1: tended to rebellion. And as the Gauls in their neighborhood
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  Speaker 1: joined with them, they conspired together and had thereby great
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  Speaker 1: hopes of success and that they should free themselves from
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  Speaker 1: the dominion of the Romans. The motives that induced the
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  Speaker 1: Germans to this attempt for a revolt and for beginning
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  Speaker 1: the war. Were these, in the first place, the nature
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  Speaker 1: of the people, which was destitute of just reasonings and
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  Speaker 1: ready to throw themselves rashly into danger upon small hopes.
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  Speaker 1: In the next place, the hatred they bore to those
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  Speaker 1: that were their governors, while their nation had never been
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  Speaker 1: conscious of any subjection to any but to the Romans,
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  Speaker 1: and that by compulsion only. Besides these motives, it was
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  Speaker 1: the opportunity that now offered itself, which above all the
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  Speaker 1: rest prevailed with them so to do. For when they
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  Speaker 1: saw the Roman government in a great internal disorder by
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  Speaker 1: the continual changes of its rulers, and understood that every
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  Speaker 1: part of the habitable earth under them was in an
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  Speaker 1: unsettled and tottering condition, they thought this was the best
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  Speaker 1: opportunity that could afford itself for themselves to make a sedition.
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  Speaker 1: When the state of the Romans was so ill. Classicus
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  Speaker 1: also and Vitellius, two of their commanders, puffed them up
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  Speaker 1: with such hopes. Footnote this Classicus and Civilis and Serelius
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  Speaker 1: are names well known in Tactius, the two former as
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  Speaker 1: moving sedition against the Romans and the last as sent
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  Speaker 1: to repress them by Vespasian, just as they are here
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  Speaker 1: described in Josephus, which is the case also of Fontellus
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  Speaker 1: Agrippa and Rubrius gallop. But as to the very fate
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  Speaker 1: liberble account presently given of Domitian, particularly as to his
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  Speaker 1: designs in his Galliic and German expedition, it is not
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  Speaker 1: a little contrary to that in Suetonius, nor are the
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  Speaker 1: reasons unobvious that might occasion this great diversity. Domitian was
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  Speaker 1: one of Josepha's patrons, and when he published these books
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  Speaker 1: of the Jewish War, was very young and had hardly
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  Speaker 1: begun those wicked practices which rendered him so infamous afterward,
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  Speaker 1: while Sutonius seems to have been too young and too
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  Speaker 1: low in life to receive any remarkable favors from him,
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  Speaker 1: as Domitian was certainly very lude and cruel, and generally
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  Speaker 1: hated when Plutonius wrote about him end footnote. These had
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  Speaker 1: for a long time been openly desirous of such an innovation,
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  Speaker 1: and were induced by the present opportunity to venture upon
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  Speaker 1: the declaration of their sentiments. The multitude was also ready,
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  Speaker 1: and when these men told them of what they intended
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  Speaker 1: to attempt. That news was bl gladly received by them.
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  Speaker 1: So when a great part of the Germans had agreed
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  Speaker 1: to rebel, and the rest were no better disposed, Vespasian,
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  Speaker 1: as guided by divine providence, sent letters to Petilius Surrealus,
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  Speaker 1: who had formerly had the command of Germany, whereby he
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  Speaker 1: declared him to have the dignity of consul, and commanded
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  Speaker 1: him to take upon him the government of Britain. So
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  Speaker 1: he went whither he was ordered to go, and when
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  Speaker 1: he was informed of the revolt of the Germans, he
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  Speaker 1: fell upon them as soon as they were gotten together,
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  Speaker 1: and put his army in battle array, and slew a
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  Speaker 1: great number of them in the fight, and forced them
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  Speaker 1: to leave off their madness and to grow wiser. Nay,
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  Speaker 1: he had not befallen thus suddenly upon them on the
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  Speaker 1: place it had not been long ere. They would however,
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  Speaker 1: have been brought to punishment. For as soon as ever
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  Speaker 1: the news of the revolt was come to Rome and
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  Speaker 1: Caesar Domitian was made acquainted with it, he made no delay,
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  Speaker 1: even at his age when he was exceeding young, but
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  Speaker 1: undertook this weighty affair. He had a courageous mind from
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  Speaker 1: his father, and had made greater improvements than belonged to
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  Speaker 1: such an age. Accordingly, he marched against the barbarians immediately,
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  Speaker 1: whereupon their hearts failed them at the very rumor of
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  Speaker 1: his approach, and they submitted themselves to him with fear,
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  Speaker 1: and thought it a happy thing that they were brought
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  Speaker 1: under their old yoke again, without suffering any further mischiefs.
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  Speaker 1: When therefore Demitian had settled all the affairs of Gaul
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  Speaker 1: in such good order that it would not be easily
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  Speaker 1: put into disorder any more, he returned to Rome with
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  Speaker 1: honor and glory, as having performed such exploits as were
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  Speaker 1: above his age, but worthy of so great a father.
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  Speaker 1: Three at the very same time, with aforementioned revolt of
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  Speaker 1: the Germans, did the bold attempt of the Scythians against
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  Speaker 1: the Romans occur. For those Scythians, who are called Sarmatians,
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  Speaker 1: being a very numerous people, transported themselves over the Danube
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  Speaker 1: into Misia without being perceived, after which, by their violence
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  Speaker 1: and entirely unexpected assault, they slew a great many of
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  Speaker 1: the Romans that guarded the frontiers, and as the consular
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  Speaker 1: legate Phontius Agrippa came to meet them and fought courageously
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  Speaker 1: against them. He was slain by them. Then they overran
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  Speaker 1: all the region that had been subject to him, tearing
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  Speaker 1: and rending everything that fell in their way. But when
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  Speaker 1: Vespasian was informed of what had happened and how Misia
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  Speaker 1: was laid waste, he sent away Rubrius Gallus to punish
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  Speaker 1: these Sarmatians, by whose means many of them perished in
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  Speaker 1: the battles he fought against them, and that part which
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  Speaker 1: escaped fled with fear to their own country. So when
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  Speaker 1: this general had put an end to the war, he
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  Speaker 1: provided for the future security of the country, also, for
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  Speaker 1: he placed more and more numerous garrisons in the place,
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  Speaker 1: till he made it altogether impossible for the barbarians to
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  Speaker 1: pass over the river any more. And thus had this
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  Speaker 1: war and Misia a sudden conclusion. End of Book seven,
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  Speaker 1: Chapters three and four. Recording by Katie Riley, February two
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  Speaker 1: thousand nine.