177

what had been done, he discerned the Samaritans to be the cause of the disturbance; but the Jews whom Cumanus held in bonds, he crucified as insurgents. But Ananias 2.44 the high priest and the general Ananus he bound and sent to Rome, to give an account of what had been done to Claudius. And he orders also the leading men of the Samaritans and Jews, and Cumanus the governor and the tribune Celer, to come themselves to the emperor, to be judged concerning their disputes with one another. And when they had departed, Claudius, sitting as judge, and recognizing that the Samaritans were the ringleaders of the evils, ordered those who had come up to him to be executed, but he condemned Cumanus to exile; however, Celer the tribune he ordered to be taken to Jerusalem and, having been dragged through the city in the sight of all, to be executed in this manner. And Caesar sends Felix to be procurator of the Jews; and to Agrippa he gives the tetrarchy of Philip and Batanaea and Trachonitis with Abella, these were the tetrarchies of Lysanias, but he takes Chalcis away from him, after he had ruled it for four years. But Agrippa gives his sister Drusilla in marriage to Azizus, king of the Emesenes, who was willing to be circumcised, since Epiphanes Antiochus declined the marriage, because he did not wish to Judaize. And he betrothed Mariam to Archelaus the son of Helcias, who had formerly been engaged to him by her father Agrippa. But Felix, being procurator of Judea, and seeing that Drusilla was of extraordinary beauty, was captivated by love for her, and persuades her to leave her husband and marry him. And having borne a son from him, she named him Agrippa. And it is said that in the time of Titus the woman, along with her son who had become a young man, disappeared at Mount Vesuvius, which was fiery and at that time became even more inflamed. But Bernice, 2.45 the other sister of Agrippa, who was living with her uncle Herod, after he died was joined to Polemon, who was willing to be circumcised, because of the rumor that said she was intimate with her brother in love, so that she might thus prove the slander false. However, the marriage did not last for long, as Bernice left Polemon. And Claudius Caesar dies after reigning thirteen years and eight months for twenty days. And there was a report that he had been killed with poison by his wife Agrippina; whose father was Germanicus, Caesar's brother, and her husband was Domitius Ahenobarbus, one of the notable men in Rome, after whose death Claudius married her as a widow, having also a son Domitius, named after his father. For he had previously killed his wife Messalina because of jealousy, from whom he had the children Britannicus and Octavius. And he had Octavia, the eldest of the siblings from a different, former wife, whom he joined to Nero; for Caesar later renamed Agrippina's son Domitius to this, having adopted him. So that his mother Agrippina might secure the supreme power for him, she kills Claudius with poison. But these things will be told in their proper times and places, but let the narrative hold to its sequence. Nero, then, held the rule of the Romans after Claudius, but matters in Judea continually went for the worse, and the country was filled with brigands and sorcerers deceiving the crowd, many of whom Felix seized and executed. And Felix, being hostile towards Jonathan the high priest, who often 2.46 admonished him about presiding better over the affairs in Judea, sought a pretext by which he might remove the one who constantly troubled him; and through brigands he has him killed; who, having come into the temple as if to worship and carrying daggers under their garments, mingled with the crowd and killed Jonathan. And since this audacious act remained unpunished, the brigands fearlessly went up and killed some of their own enemies, and others for hire. And sorcerers and impostors persuaded the crowd to follow them into the wilderness, saying they would show clear signs and wonders coming from God; many of whom Felix punished. But the brigands the people to the

177

πεπραγμένα, αἰτίους τῆς ταραχῆς διέγνω τοὺς Σαμαρεῖς· ̓Ιουδαίους δὲ ους δεδεμένους ειχεν ὁ Κούμανος, ἀνεσταύρωσεν ὡς νεωτερίσαντας. τοὺς δὲ περὶ ̓Ανανίαν τὸν 2.44 ἀρχιερέα καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν Ανανον δήσας εἰς ̔Ρώμην ἀπέστειλε, λόγον περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων Κλαυδίῳ ὑφέξοντας. κελεύει δὲ καὶ τοῖς Σαμαρέων καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων πρώτοις καὶ Κουμάνῳ τῷ ἡγεμόνι καὶ τῷ χιλιάρχῳ Κέλερι ἀφικέσθαι καὶ αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, κριθησομένους περὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ζητήσεων. ἀπελθόντων δέ, δικαστὴς καθίσας ὁ Κλαύδιος, καὶ γνοὺς τοὺς Σαμαρεῖς τῶν κακῶν ἀρχηγούς, τοὺς ἀναβάντας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι ἐκέλευσε, φυγὴν δὲ τοῦ Κουμάνου κατεψηφίσατο, τὸν μέντοι Κέλερα τὸν χιλίαρχον εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα ἀπαχθῆναι ἐκέλευσε καὶ συρέντα πάντων ὁρώντων διὰ τῆς πόλεως ουτως ἀναιρεθῆναι. Πέμπει δὲ ὁ Καῖσαρ Φήλικα τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἐπιτροπεύσοντα· ̓Αγρίππᾳ δὲ δωρεῖται τὴν Φιλίππου τετραρχίαν καὶ Βαταναίαν καὶ τὴν Τραχωνῖτιν σὺν ̓Αβέλλᾳ, αυται δὲ Λυσανίου ησαν τετραρχίαι, τὴν δὲ Χαλκίδα ἀφαιρεῖται αὐτόν, ετη τέσσαρα ταύτης αρξαντα. ὁ δ' ̓Αγρίππας ἐκδίδωσι πρὸς γάμον ̓Αζίζῳ τῷ ̓Εμέσων βασιλεῖ, περιτμηθῆναι θελήσαντι, ∆ρούσιλλαν τὴν ἀδελφήν, τοῦ ̓Επιφανοῦς ̓Αντιόχου παραιτησαμένου τὸν γάμον, οτι μὴ ἰουδαΐσαι ἐβούλετο. καὶ Μαριὰμ κατηγγύησεν ̓Αρχελάῳ τῷ ̔Ελκίου παιδί, ὑπ' ̓Αγρίππα τοῦ πατρὸς πρῴην μνηστευθεῖσαν αὐτῷ. Φῆλιξ δὲ τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας ἐπιτροπεύων, καὶ τὴν ∆ρούσιλλαν ἰδὼν κάλλους περιττῶς εχουσαν, ἑάλω τῷ ταύτης ερωτι, καὶ πείθει καταλιποῦσαν τὸν ανδρα αὐτῷ γαμηθῆναι. τεκοῦσα δ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ παῖδα ̓Αγρίππαν αὐτὸν ὠνόμασε. λέγεται δὲ κατὰ τοὺς Τίτου χρόνους ἡ γυνὴ σὺν τῷ παιδὶ νεανίᾳ γεγενημένῳ ἀφανισθῆναι κατὰ τὸ Βέσβιον ορος, πυρφόρον ον καὶ τότε μᾶλλον ἐκπυρωθέν. Βερνίκη δὲ ἑτέρα 2.45 ἀδελφὴ τοῦ ̓Αγρίππου, συνοικοῦσα ̔Ηρώδῃ τῷ θείῳ, θανόντος ἐκείνου Πολέμωνι συνηρμόσθη, περιτμηθῆναι θελήσαντι, διὰ τὴν φήμην τὴν λέγουσαν αὐτὴν τῷ ἀδελφῷ συνιέναι κατ' ερωτα, ιν' ουτω τὴν διαβολὴν ἀποφήνῃ ψευδῆ. οὐ μὴν εμεινεν ὁ γάμος ἐπὶ πολύ, τῆς Βερνίκης καταλιπούσης τὸν Πολέμωνα. Τελευτᾷ δὲ Κλαύδιος Καῖσαρ βασιλεύσας ετη τρισκαίδεκα καὶ μῆνας ὀκτὼ ἐφ' ἡμέραις εικοσι. λόγος δὲ ην ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ̓Αγριππίνης φαρμάκοις ἀνῄρητο· ης πατὴρ ην Γερμανικὸς ὁ Καίσαρος ἀδελφός, ἀνὴρ δὲ ∆ομέτιος Αἰνόβαρβος τῶν ἐπισήμων ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ, ου τελευτήσαντος χηρεύουσαν αὐτὴν ὁ Κλαύδιος αγεται εχουσαν καὶ παῖδα ∆ομέτιον ὁμώνυμον τῷ πατρί. προανῃρήκει γὰρ τὴν γυναῖκα Μεσσαλῖναν διὰ ζηλοτυπίαν, ἐξ ης παῖδας ειχε Βρεττανικὸν καὶ ̓Οκτάβιον. καὶ ̓Οκταβίαν δὲ πρεσβυτάτην τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐκ προτέρας ἑτέρας γυναικὸς ειχεν, ην τῷ Νέρωνι ηρμοσε· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸν τῆς ̓Αγριππίνης υἱὸν τὸν ∆ομέτιον μετωνόμασεν υστερον ὁ Καῖσαρ, εἰσποιησάμενος αὐτόν. ινα τοίνυν τούτῳ τὴν αὐταρχίαν περιποιήσηται ἡ μήτηρ ̓Αγριππῖνα, κτείνει φαρμάκῳ τὸν Κλαύδιον. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις καιροῖς καὶ τόποις εἰρήσεται, ὁ δὲ λόγος τῆς ἀκολουθίας ἐχέσθω. Ειχε μὲν ουν ὁ Νέρων μετὰ Κλαύδιον τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀρχήν, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν ἐπεδίδου πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον διηνεκῶς, καὶ λῃστηρίων ἡ χώρα ἐμπέπληστο καὶ γοήτων ἀπατώντων τὸν οχλον, ων πολλοὺς ὁ Φῆλιξ συλλαμβάνων ἀνῄρει. εχων δὲ ἀπεχθῶς πρὸς ̓Ιωνάθην τὸν ἀρχιερέα ὁ Φῆλιξ, πολλάκις 2.46 αὐτὸν νουθετοῦντα περὶ τοῦ κρειττόνως προΐστασθαι τῶν κατὰ τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν, πρόφασιν ἐζήτει δι' ην τὸν ἐνοχλοῦντα συνεχῶς μεταστήσεται· καὶ διὰ τῶν λῃστῶν αὐτὸν ἀναιρεῖ, οι ἐν τῷ ναῷ παραγεγονότες ὡς προσκυνήσοντες καὶ ξιφίδια φέροντες ὑπὸ τὰς ἐσθῆτας ἀνεμίχθησαν τῷ πλήθει καὶ τὸν ̓Ιωνάθην ἀνεῖλον. ἀνεκδικήτου δὲ τοῦ τολμήματος μείναντος, ἀδεῶς οἱ λῃσταὶ ἀναβαίνοντες ους μὲν οἰκείους ἐχθροὺς ἀνῄρουν, ους δ' ἑτέρων ἐπὶ μισθῷ. γόητες δὲ καὶ ἀπατεῶνες ανθρωποι τὸν οχλον ἀνέπειθον επεσθαι σφίσιν εἰς τὴν ἐρημίαν, δείξουσιν ἐναργῆ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γινόμενα ἐκ θεοῦ· ων πολλοὺς ὁ Φῆλιξ ἐκόλαζεν. οἱ δέ γε λῃσταὶ τὸν δῆμον εἰς τὸν πρὸς