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restraining, he assented; and he sent the general to speak to the crowd, that now was not the time for these things, but when his rule was confirmed by the assent of Caesar. But they, shouting and making a disturbance, would not allow the general to speak, nor did they tolerate anyone else who had come to speak to them for the purpose of moderation and turning them away from sedition. Now when the festival of Unleavened Bread was at hand, and a crowd had streamed together from all sides into the temple, they were eager to raise the sedi2.2 tion to a great height. Archelaus, being afraid, sent out a chiliarch with a cohort to quell the impulse of the seditious populace. And the seditionists immediately rushed upon the soldiers and stoned most of them to death, but a few, including the chiliarch, escaped, wounded. But Archelaus, perceiving that if the crowd's rush were not checked, the sedition would result in a great evil, sent out the entire army; and about three thousand were killed, and the rest were scattered to the mountains. And a proclamation was made for everyone to return to their own homes; and they, abandoning the festival, went away. But Archelaus sailed to Rome with his mother, having entrusted affairs to his brother Philip; and Salome, Herod's sister, also went with him. And Antipas, the son of Herod, for his part, had set out for Rome, also to lay claim to the kingdom, as it had been written down for him in a former will; and Salome gave wings to his hopes. And when they arrived in Rome and came before Caesar, some made speeches on behalf of Archelaus, and others on behalf of Antipas, accusing Archelaus. But Caesar showed a greater inclination towards Archelaus. Meanwhile, it was announced to Caesar that the Jewish nation had revolted and was besieging the Romans there. For during the feast of Pentecost, when many tens of thousands had gathered from all directions, the Romans, and Sabinus himself, were shut in by them; for he was a Roman general. and there was a fierce battle, and the Romans were prevailing. The Jews therefore, going around, went up onto the porticoes outside the temple, and from there, hurling missiles from a higher position, they did great 2.3 harm to the Romans. But they set fire to the porticoes and fed it with materials fit to raise a flame; and it quickly caught the roof, and of those on the porticoes, some were carried down with the collapsing roof, others the enemies 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 possession of the sacred treasury, and much of it was plundered by the soldiers, but Sabinus publicly secured four hundred talents. The survivors of the fighters, however, surrounding the palace, threatened to set it on fire and kill everyone, but if they departed, they promised safe conduct to the Romans and to Sabinus; and many of the royal troops deserted to them. But Rufus and Gratus, having three thousand of Herod's army, men strong in body, joined the Romans. But the Jews did not give up the siege, and Sabinus held out while being besieged. In addition to these things, other disturbances also seized Judea. For Judas, son of Ezekias the arch-brigand, who had been captured by Herod with great effort, having gathered a multitude, rushed upon the palace near Sepphoris of Galilee, and having seized the weapons there, he armed those around him, and he was a terror to all. But also Simon, a slave of King Herod, but a man comely and preeminent in size and strength of body, being lifted up by the turmoil of affairs, dared to put on a diadem. And when a multitude had gathered around him, having himself been proclaimed king, he burned the palace in Jericho, and other of the 2.4 royal houses, after plundering the things in them. But Gratus, having joined battle with this man, both destroyed most of the multitude with him and, seizing Simon himself, cut off his head. And there were other seditionists also at that time, harassing both the Romans and the royalists. But Varus in Syria, learning the things concerning

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ἐπέχων ἐπένευε· καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν τῷ πλήθει διαλεξόμενον εστειλεν, ὡς οὐ νῦν τούτων καιρός, ἀλλ' οταν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀρχὴ βεβαιωθῇ ἐπινεύσει τοῦ Καίσαρος. οἱ δὲ βοῶντες καὶ θορυβοῦντες οὐκ ειων λέγειν τὸν στρατηγόν, οὐδέ του αλλου ἠνείχοντο ἐπὶ σωφρονισμῷ καὶ ἀποτροπῇ τῶν στάσεων ὡρμημένου λέγειν αὐτοῖς. αρτι δὲ τῆς τῶν ἀζύμων ἑορτῆς ἐνεστηκυίας, καὶ πλήθους πάντοθεν συρρεύσαντος εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, ἐπὶ μέγα τὴν στά2.2 σιν ἐξᾶραι προεθυμοῦντο. ο δείσας ̓Αρχέλαος χιλίαρχον μετὰ σπείρας ἐξέπεμψε τὴν ὁρμὴν καταστελοῦντα τοῦ δήμου τοῦ στασιάζοντος. καὶ οἱ στασιασταὶ παραχρῆμα ἐπὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ὡρμήκασι καὶ κατέλευσαν τοὺς πλείστους αὐτῶν, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος τραυματίαι διέφυγον. ̓Αρχέλαος δὲ συνιδὼν ὡς εἰ μὴ τὸ τῆς πληθύος ορμημα κωλυθῇ, εἰς μέγα κακὸν τὰ τῆς στάσεως ἀποβήσεται, ἐκπέμπει πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον· καὶ εἰς μὲν τρισχιλίους ἀνῃρέθησαν, οἱ δέ γε λοιποὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ορη διεσκεδάσθησαν. καὶ κήρυγμα γέγονε πάντας ἀναχωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα· οἱ δὲ τὴν ἑορτὴν λιπόντες ἀπῄεσαν. ̓Αρχέλαος δὲ ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην ἐξέπλει σὺν τῇ μητρί, Φιλίππῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ πιστεύσας τὰ πράγματα· συνεξῄει δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Σαλώμη ἡ ἀδελφὴ ̔Ηρώδου. καὶ ̓Αντίπας δὲ ὁ ̔Ηρώδου υἱὸς ἑτέρωθεν ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην ωρμητο, καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλείας ἀντιληψόμενος, ὡς ἐν προτέραις διαθήκαις καταγεγραμμένης αὐτῷ· ἐπτέρου δὲ τοῦτον πρὸς τὰς ἐλπίδας Σαλώμη. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς ̔Ρώμην ἀφίκοντο καὶ παρέστησαν Καίσαρι, οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ ̓Αρχελάου τοὺς λόγους πεποίηντο, οἱ δὲ ὑπὲρ ̓Αντίπα, τοῦ ̓Αρχελάου κατηγοροῦντες. Καῖσαρ δὲ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ ̓Αρχελάου ῥοπὴν ἐδείκνυ. ̓Εν τούτοις δὲ ἀγγέλλεται Καίσαρι τὸ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων εθνος στασιάσαν καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖ ̔Ρωμαίους πολιορκοῦν. κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ἑορτὴν μυριάδων πολλῶν συναθροισθεισῶν πανταχόθεν, ὑπ' αὐτῶν οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι συγκατεκλείσθησαν καὶ αὐτὸς Σαβῖνος· στρατηγὸς δὲ ην ουτος ̔Ρωμαίων. καὶ μάχη ην καρτερά, καὶ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐκράτουν. περιοδεύσαντες ουν οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τὰς στοὰς ἀνῆλθον τὰς εξω τοῦ 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