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of the temple, and from there, casting from above, they 2.3 greatly harmed the Romans. But they set fire to the porticoes and fed it with wood naturally suited to raising a flame; and quickly it took hold of the roof, and of those upon the porticoes, some were carried down with the collapsing roof, others the enemy shot at from all sides, others threw themselves into the fire, and others killed themselves with their own swords, and not a single one of those who had gone up into the porticoes was saved. And the Romans took control of the temple treasury, and though much was plundered by the soldiers, Sabinus publicly secured four hundred talents. Moreover, the remaining combatants, having surrounded the palace, threatened to set it on fire and kill everyone; but if they would depart, they promised safe conduct to the Romans and to Sabinus. And many of the king's men deserted to them. But Rufus and Gratus, having three thousand men of Herod's army, who were robust in body, joined the Romans. But the Jews did not give up the siege, and Sabinus endured being besieged. In addition to these things, other disturbances also took hold of Judaea. For Judas, the son of Hezekias the chief brigand who had been captured by Herod with great effort, having gathered a crowd, raided the palace near Sepphoris of Galilee, and having seized the weapons there, he armed those with him, and was a terror to all. But also Simon, a slave of King Herod, but a man handsome and preeminent in size and strength of body, being stirred up by the turmoil of events, dared to put on a diadem. And when a crowd had gathered around him, he too was proclaimed king and burned the palace in Jericho, and other 2.4 royal houses, having plundered their contents. But Gratus, joining battle with him, destroyed most of the crowd with him and, seizing Simon's head, cut it off. And there were other rebels at that time, harming both the Romans and the king's men. But Varus in Syria, learning what had happened to Sabinus, hurried to relieve those besieged in Judaea. And when his entire force had been assembled in Ptolemais, he handed over a part of it to his son and sent him out to fight the Galileans; who, having engaged them, was victorious. But Varus, approaching Jerusalem with the rest of the army, threw the besieging Jews into a state of cowardice; and leaving the siege half-finished, they went away. And when Varus accused the inhabitants of Jerusalem on account of the war, they said that the gathering of the multitude had happened because of the festival, but the war was due to the outsiders. And Varus, sending men throughout the country, sought out those responsible for the sedition, and having found some, he punished them; for two thousand were crucified. And about ten thousand others surrendered themselves to Varus as he marched against them; and he sent their leaders to Caesar; Caesar punished only those who, being relatives of Herod, had campaigned with the rebels. And ambassadors from Judaea arrived in Rome, and when Caesar had convened a council, the ambassadors, having the support of about eight thousand of the Jews in Rome, asked for autonomy. And they turned to the accusation of Herod's transgressions; 2.5 for they called him not a king, but a tyrant. For they said that of the many evils that had often befallen the nation, none could equal the evils inflicted upon it by him. Therefore, thinking that anyone who would take control of Herod's kingdom would be more moderate, they had gladly acclaimed Archelaus as king. But he, fearing that he might not be thought Herod's son if he appeared too mild to the Jews, carried out a slaughter of three thousand men in the sacred precinct, and this before you, Caesar, had even confirmed his rule. And saying these things they demanded to be rid of a kingdom and of such rulers, and to be made an annex of Syria and be subject to the Roman governors sent there. So they asked for these things, while those with Archelaus, defending both the kings, I mean the father and the son, from the accusations

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ἱεροῦ, κἀντεύθεν ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων βάλλοντες με2.3 γάλα εβλαπτον τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους. οἱ δὲ πῦρ ταῖς στοαῖς ἐνιᾶσι καὶ τοῦτο ὑπέτρεφον υλαις ἐγείρειν φλόγα πεφυκυίαις· καὶ ταχὺ ηπτετο τοῦ ὀρόφου, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν στοῶν οἱ μὲν τῷ ὀρόφῳ καταρρηγνυμένῳ συγκατεφέροντο, τοὺς δὲ περισταδὸν εβαλλον οἱ πολέμιοι, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐνίεσαν ἑαυτούς, οἱ δὲ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐκτείνοντο ξίφεσιν, ἐσώθη τε τῶν ἐν ταῖς στοαῖς ἀνελθόντων οὐδ' ὁστισοῦν. καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐκράτουν τοῦ ἱεροῦ θησαυροῦ, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν διήρπαστο, Σαβῖνος δὲ εἰς τὸ φανερὸν τετρακόσια περιέσωσε τάλαντα. οι γε μὴν περιλελειμμένοι τῶν μαχομένων τὸ βασίλειον περισχόντες πῦρ αὐτῷ ἐμβαλεῖν ἠπείλουν καὶ απαντας κτεῖναι, εἰ δ' ἀπίοιεν, αδειαν τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐπηγγέλλοντο καὶ Σαβίνῳ· καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ηὐτομόλησαν. ̔Ροῦφος δὲ καὶ Γράτος, τρισχιλίους τοῦ ̔Ηρώδου στρατεύματος εχοντες ανδρας ἐρρωμένους τοῖς σώμασι, ̔Ρωμαίοις προστίθενται. ̓Ιουδαῖοι δὲ οὐ μεθίεντο τῆς πολιορκίας, καὶ ὁ Σαβῖνος ἐκαρτέρει πολιορκούμενος. ̓Επὶ τούτοις καὶ ετεροι θόρυβοι τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν κατέλαβον. ̓Ιούδας γὰρ ̓Εζεκίου τοῦ ἀρχιλῃστοῦ υἱὸς τοῦ ὑφ' ̔Ηρώδου μεγάλοις ληφθέντος πόνοις, συστησάμενος πλῆθος τῷ περὶ Σέπφωριν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπέδραμε βασιλείῳ, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ κρατήσας οπλων ωπλισε τοὺς περὶ αὐτόν, φοβερός τε απασιν ην. ἀλλὰ καὶ Σίμων, δοῦλος μὲν ̔Ηρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀνὴρ δ' εὐπρεπὴς καὶ μεγέθει καὶ ῥώμῃ σώματος προύχων, ἀρθεὶς τῇ ταραχῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐτόλμησε περιθέσθαι διάδημα. καὶ πλήθους συστάντος περὶ αὐτόν, βασιλεὺς καὶ αὐτὸς ἀναρρηθεὶς τὸ ἐν ̔Ιεριχοῦντι βασίλειον πίμπρησι, καὶ αλλους δὲ τῶν 2.4 βασιλικῶν οικων, διαρπάσας τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς. ἀλλὰ τούτῳ Γράτος μάχην συνάψας τό τε πολὺ τοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ πλήθους διέφθειρε καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σίμωνος τὴν κεφαλὴν κρατήσας ἀπέτεμε. καὶ αλλοι δὲ στασιασταὶ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐγένοντο, κακοῦντες καὶ ̔Ρωμαίους καὶ τοὺς βασιλικούς. Ουαρος δ' ἐν Συρίᾳ μαθὼν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σαβῖνον, ἠπείγετο τοῖς ἐν ̓Ιουδαίᾳ πολιορκουμένοις ἀλέξασθαι. ἀθροισθείσης δὲ ἐν Πτολεμαΐδι τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως πάσης, μέρος τι ταύτης τῷ υἱῷ παραδοὺς Γαλιλαίους ἐξέπεμψε πολεμεῖν· ος συμβαλὼν ἐκείνοις ἐκράτησεν. Ουαρος δὲ τῷ λοιπῷ τοῦ στρατεύματος προσιὼν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, εἰς δειλίαν τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἐνέβαλε· καὶ λιπόντες τὴν πολιορκίαν ἡμίεργον ῳχοντο. Οὐάρου δὲ τοῖς ̔Ιεροσολυμίταις ἐγκαλοῦντος διὰ τὸν πόλεμον, ἐκεῖνοι τὴν τοῦ πλήθους σύνοδον διὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν ελεγον γεγονέναι, τὸν δὲ πόλεμον παρὰ τῶν ἐπηλύδων. καὶ ὁ Ουαρος πέμψας κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἐπεζήτει τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς στάσεως, καὶ εὑρὼν ἐνίους ἐκόλασε· δισχίλιοι γὰρ ἐσταυρώθησαν. καὶ ετεροι δὲ περὶ μυρίους Οὐάρῳ κατ' αὐτῶν ὡρμηκότι παρέδωκαν ἑαυτούς· ὁ δὲ πρὸς Καίσαρα πέμπει τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αὐτῶν· Καῖσαρ δὲ μόνους ἐκόλασεν οσοι συγγενεῖς οντες ̔Ηρώδου συνεστρατεύοντο τοῖς στασιασταῖς. Εἰς δὲ ̔Ρώμην ἐξ ̓Ιουδαίας πρέσβεις ἀφίκοντο, καὶ τοῦ Καίσαρος συστησαμένου συνέδριον οἱ πρέσβεις συνισταμένους εχοντες τῶν ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμης ̓Ιουδαίων περὶ ὀκτακισχιλίους αὐτονομίαν ῃτουν. καὶ ἐπὶ κατηγορίαν τῶν ̔Ηρώδου τρέπονται παρανομημάτων· 2.5 οὐ γὰρ βασιλέα, τύραννον δ' ἐκεῖνον ἐκάλουν. πολλῶν γὰρ πολλάκις κακώσεων τῷ εθνει εφησαν συμβεβηκυιῶν οὐδεμίαν ἐξισοῦσθαι ταῖς αὐτῷ ἐπενηνεγμέναις παρ' ἐκείνου κακώσεσιν. οἰόμενοι ουν πάντα τῆς βασιλείας κρατήσοντα ̔Ηρώδου εσεσθαι μετριώτερον, ἀσμένως τὸν ̓Αρχέλαον προσειπεῖν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ δείσας μὴ ωσπερ οὐχ ̔Ηρώδου νομίζοιτο παῖς, εἰ τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις ἠπιώτερος φαίνοιτο, τρισχιλίων ἀνδρῶν κατὰ τὸ τέμενος σφαγὴν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ ταῦτα μηδέπω σοῦ, Καῖσαρ, τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ βεβαιώσαντος. καὶ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἠξίουν βασιλείας καὶ τοιῶνδε ἀρχῶν ἀπηλλάχθαι, προσθήκην δὲ γεγονέναι Συρίας καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖ στελλομένοις ̔Ρωμαίων στρατηγοῖς ὑποκεῖσθαι. Οἱ μὲν ουν ταῦτα ᾐτοῦντο, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν ̓Αρχέλαον ἀπολογούμενοι τούς τε βασιλεῖς, τὸν πατέρα λέγω καὶ τὸν υἱόν, τῶν ἐγκλημάτων