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Josephus wrote word for word. "For Herod kills him, a good man and one who commanded the Jews to practice virtue and to use justice toward one another and piety toward God, and to come together for baptism; for in this way the baptism would appear acceptable to him. But Herod, fearing that his great persuasiveness with the people might lead to some rebellion, for they seemed likely to do everything by his counsel, thought it much better, before anything revolutionary arose from him, to take him preemptively and kill him, than to fall into difficulties when a change occurred and regret it. And he, on account of Herod's suspicion, was sent as a prisoner to Machaerus and was killed there, but it was the opinion of the Jews that the destruction of the army had happened as a punishment for him, since God wished to inflict evil on Herod." 2.19 But Vitellius hurried to make war against Aretas. And as he was setting out to pass through the land of the Jews, their leaders begged him not to take the route through their country; for it was not their custom for images to be carried through their country, and many images were affixed to the standards. Having been persuaded, therefore, he led the army across through the great plain, and he himself went up with Herod to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God. And having remained there for three days, he removed Jonathan from the high priesthood, and installed his brother Theophilus in it. And on the fourth day, when letters were brought to him concerning the death of Tiberius, he made the multitude swear allegiance to Gaius, and also recalled the army. And it is said that Aretas, after taking auspices, said that it was impossible for the army to make war; for of the leaders, either the one who ordered the war, or the one who was ordered, or the one against whom the order was given, would die. And Vitellius withdrew to Antioch, but Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, happened to be in Rome when Tiberius was dying. For this man, having been brought up in Rome a little before the death of his grandfather Herod the Great, became an intimate of Drusus, the son of Tiberius, and became known to Antonia, the wife of Drusus the Great, since his own mother Berenice was honored by her. But Agrippa, being magnificent and lavish in giving gifts, when his mother died, spent some of his money on himself, living luxuriously, and some on gifts, but the greater part on the freedmen of 2.20 Caesar. And he quickly came to be in need. And when the son of Tiberius died, he forbade the intimates of his son from coming into his sight, lest through them, by being reminded of him, he be provoked to grief. Therefore, both for this reason and because he was in want of money, he returned to Judea, being in a bad state. And being pressed to repay his debts to his creditors, who were many, and not having the means, he came to the thought of suicide. But his wife Cypros perceived his thought; she was the daughter of Phasael, the nephew of King Herod, born to him from Salampsio, Herod's daughter, whom he had by Mariam who was killed by him, as has been narrated. This Cypros, therefore, living with Agrippa, and sensing his plan, restrained him from it, and she sends to Herodias, who was living with the tetrarch Herod and was Agrippa's sister, revealing the thought of her kinsman, and asking her to help and to urge her own husband to give assistance. They sent for him and gave him Tiberias as a dwelling, and also assigned him some money for his living. But after a time, a disagreement arose between Herod and Agrippa, and Agrippa removed to Flaccus, the governor of Syria, who was friendly toward him from Rome, and he stayed there, as Flaccus received him. But Agrippa's brother Aristobulus was also there, and being at odds with his brother, he incited Flaccus against him with slanders; and Agrippa was driven out from there. And having fallen into extreme need, he wanted to sail to Italy, and he asked Marsyas, his freedman, to procure money for him by borrowing it from somewhere. He went to Peter, a freedman 2.21 of Berenice, Agrippa's mother, and Peter said that after making a contract for two myriads of Attic drachmas, he should receive the myriads
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κατὰ λέξιν ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος εγραψε. "κτείνει γὰρ τοῦτον ̔Ηρώδης ἀγαθὸν ανδρα καὶ τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους κελεύοντα ἀρετὴν ἐπασκοῦντας καὶ τὰ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ τὰ πρὸς θεὸν εὐσεβείᾳ χρωμένους βαπτισμῷ συνιέναι· ουτω γὰρ καὶ τὴν βάπτισιν αὐτῷ φανεῖσθαι ἀποδεκτήν. δείσας δὲ ̔Ηρώδης τὸ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον πιθανὸν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μὴ ἐπὶ στάσει φέροι τινί, πάντα γὰρ ἐοίκασι συμβουλῇ τῇ ἐκείνου πράξοντες, πολὺ κρεῖττον ἡγεῖται, πρίν τι νεώτερον ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, προλαβὼν ἀνελεῖν, τοῦ μεταβολῆς γενομένης μὴ εἰς πράγματα ἐμπεσὼν μετανοεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὑποψίᾳ τοῦ ̔Ηρώδου δέσμιος εἰς Μαχαιροῦντα πεμφθεὶς ταύτῃ κτίννυται, τοῖς δὲ ̓Ιουδαίοις δόξαν ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ τῇ ἐκείνου τὸν ολεθρον τοῦ στρατοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῦ θεοῦ κακῶσαι ̔Ηρώδην θέλοντος." 2.19 Οὐιτέλλιος δὲ πρὸς ̓Αρέταν πολεμήσων ἠπείγετο. ὡρμημένῳ δὲ διὰ τῆς ̓Ιουδαίων διέρχεσθαι παρῃτοῦντο οἱ πρῶτοι αὐτῶν τὴν διὰ τῆς χώρας ὁδόν· οὐ γὰρ πάτριον ειναι αὐτοῖς εἰκόνας φέρεσθαι διὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν, πολλὰς δ' ἐπικεῖσθαι ταῖς σημαίαις εἰκόνας. πεισθεὶς ουν διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου πεδίου διεβίβαζε τὸ στρατόπεδον, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ ̔Ηρώδου εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ἀνῄει θύσων τῷ θεῷ. καὶ τρεῖς ἐπιμείνας ἡμέρας ἐκεῖ, ̓Ιωνάθην μὲν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μεθίστησι, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ Θεόφιλον ἐγκαθίστησιν εἰς αὐτήν. τῇ τετάρτῃ δὲ γραμμάτων αὐτῷ κομισθέντων περὶ τῆς Τιβερίου τελευτῆς, ωρκισε τὸ πλῆθος εὐνοεῖν τῷ Γαΐῳ, ἀνεκάλει δὲ καὶ τὸ στράτευμα. λέγεται δὲ καὶ τὸν ̓Αρέταν οἰωνοσκοπησάμενον φάναι ἀμήχανον ειναι τῷ στρατῷ πολεμῆσαι· τεθνήξεσθαι γὰρ τῶν ἡγεμόνων η τὸν κελεύσαντα πολεμεῖν η τὸν κελευσθέντα η καθ' ου τὸ κέλευσμα γέγονε. Καὶ Οὐιτέλλιος μὲν εἰς ̓Αντιόχειαν ἀνεχώρησεν, ̓Αγρίππας δὲ ὁ ̓Αριστοβούλου υἱὸς ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμης ετυχενων τοῦ Τιβερίου θνήσκοντος. ουτος γὰρ πρὸ μικροῦ τῆς ̔Ηρώδου τοῦ μεγάλου τοῦ πάππου αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς ἐν τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ τρεφόμενος συνήθης ἐγένετο ∆ρούσῳ τῷ Τιβερίου υἱῷ, καὶ ̓Αντωνίᾳ τῇ ∆ρούσου τοῦ μεγάλου γυναικὶ γνωστὸς γέγονε, Βερνίκης τῆς αὐτοῦ μητρὸς τιμωμένης παρ' αὐτῆς. μεγαλοπρεπὴς δὲ ων ̓Αγρίππας καὶ δωρεῖσθαι πολυτελής, τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ θανούσης τὰ μὲν τῶν χρημάτων εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνάλωσε πολυτελῶς διαιτώμενος, τὰ δὲ εἰς δωρεάς, τὰ πλείω δ' εἰς τοὺς ἀπελευθέρους τοῦ 2.20 Καίσαρος. καὶ ταχὺ ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἐγένετο. θανόντος δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ Τιβερίου, ἀπείρηκεν εἰς οψιν αὐτοῦ φοιτᾶν τοὺς συνήθεις τοὺς τοῦ παιδός, ινα μὴ δι' αὐτῶν εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἐκείνου ἰὼν εἰς λύπην ἀνερεθίζηται. διά τε γοῦν τοῦτο καὶ οτι χρημάτων ἠπόρησεν εἰς ̓Ιουδαίαν ἐπανῆλθε κακοπραγῶν. ἀποτῖσαι δὲ καὶ τοῖς δανεισταῖς τὰς ὀφειλὰς βιαζόμενος πολλοῖς ουσι, καὶ μὴ εχων, εἰς εννοιαν ηλθεν αὐτοχειρίας. συνῆκε δὲ τὸ ἐννόημα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Κύπρος, η θυγάτηρ ην Φασαήλου τοῦ ἀδελφόπαιδος τοῦ βασιλέως ̔Ηρώδου, ἐκ Σαλαμψιοῦς αὐτῷ γεννηθεῖσα τῆς ̔Ηρώδου θυγατρός, ην εσχεν ἐκ Μαριὰμ τῆς ὑπ' ἐκείνου ἀνῃρημένης, ὡς δεδιήγηται. αυτη γοῦν ἡ Κύπρος συνοικοῦσα τῷ ̓Αγρίππᾳ, καὶ αἰσθομένη τὸ βούλευμα, ἀπεῖργε τοῦτον αὐτοῦ, διαπέμπεται δὲ πρὸς ̔Ηρωδιάδα τὴν τῷ τετράρχῃ συνοικοῦσαν ̔Ηρώδῃ, ̓Αγρίππα τυγχάνουσαν ἀδελφήν, δηλοῦσα τὴν εννοιαν τοῦ συγγόνου, καὶ βοηθεῖν ἀξιοῦσα καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον ανδρα πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν παρακαλεῖν. οἱ δὲ μετεπέμψαντό τε αὐτὸν καὶ οἰκητήριον τὴν Τιβεριάδα δεδώκασι, καί τι καὶ ἀργύριον ἀπέταξαν αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν δίαιταν. μετὰ καιρὸν δὲ διαφορᾶς γενομένης ̔Ηρώδῃ τε καὶ ̓Αγρίππᾳ, πρὸς Φλάκκον Συρίας ἡγούμενον ὁ ̓Αγρίππας μεθίσταται, φιλίως ἐκ ̔Ρώμης πρὸς αὐτὸν διακείμενον, κἀκεῖ διέτριβε δεξαμένου τοῦ Φλάκκου. ων δὲ ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ ̓Αγρίππα ἀδελφὸς ̓Αριστόβουλος, διαφερόμενός τε τῷ ἀδελφῷ, διαβολαῖς αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Φλάκκον ἐξεπολέμωσε· καὶ ἐξωθεῖται ἐκεῖθεν ̓Αγρίππας. ὁ δὲ εἰς ἐσχάτην περιστὰς ἀπορίαν εἰς ̓Ιταλίαν ἐκπλεῖν ἐβούλετο, καὶ ἠξίου Μαρσύαν αὐτοῦ ἀπελεύθερον χρήματά οἱ πορίσαι ποθὲν δανεισάμενον. ἐκεῖνος δὲ Πέτρῳ πρόσεισιν ἀπελευθέρῳ 2.21 Βερνίκης τῆς ̓Αγρίππα μητρός, καὶ ὁ Πέτρος συμβόλαιον ελεγε ποιησάμενον δύο μυριάδων ̓Ατθίδων λαβεῖν τὰς μυριάδας