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Gaius having seized him. At that time Philip, being the brother of this Herod, died, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius, having reigned for thirty-seven years. He was by nature peaceable and moderate towards his subjects, making journeys with a few of his chosen men; and as he went along, if anyone approached him asking for help, his throne being immediately set down in that place, for those carrying it followed him, sitting he would listen and would punish those who did wrong and would release those unjustly accused. Tiberius, since Philip had no children, added his dominion to the province of Syria. Herod the tetrarch, while traveling to Rome, lodged at the house of Herod his brother, whom the daughter of Simon the high priest had borne to King Herod. Having fallen in love with Herodias the wife of his brother, the daughter of Aristobulus their brother, and the sister of Agrippa the Great, he entered into conversation with her about marriage. And she, accepting, agreed to move in with him, if he would cast out the daughter of Aretas. And so he sailed for Rome under these conditions; but when he returned, his wife, the daughter of Aretas, having learned of the arrangements with Herodias, asked to be sent to Machaerus the fortress; this was on the border of the dominions of Aretas and of 2.18 Herod. And Herod sent her out, not knowing what she wanted; but she from there set out to Arabia to her father, and related Herod's intention concerning her. And he took this as a pretext for enmity; and a battle was joined between them through generals, and Herod's men were defeated and his entire army fell. Herod reported these things to Tiberius in writing; and he wrote to Vitellius to make war against Aretas and either send him back to Rome as a prisoner having been captured alive or, if killed, to send his head. But it seemed to some that Herod's army was destroyed by God, who was exacting vengeance for the murder of John the prophet and baptist. For Josephus wrote these things about him word for word. "For Herod killed this man, 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 baptism would seem acceptable to him. And Herod, fearing lest his great persuasiveness with the people might lead to some sedition, for they seemed likely to do everything by his counsel, thought it much better, before anything new arose from him, to take him beforehand and kill him, than to fall into trouble and repent when a change had occurred. And so he, on account of Herod's suspicion, was sent as a prisoner to Machaerus and there was killed, but the Jews were of the opinion that the destruction of the army happened for his punishment, since God wished to punish Herod." 2.19 Vitellius hastened to make war on Aretas. But as he set out to pass through the land of the Jews, their leaders begged him not to take the road through their country; for it was not their custom for images to be carried through their country, and many images were upon the standards. Being persuaded, therefore, he led the army through the great plain, but he himself went up with Herod to Jerusalem to 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 people swear loyalty to Gaius, and also recalled the army. And it is said that Aretas, having taken omens, 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 made, would die. And Vitellius withdrew to Antioch, but Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, happened to be in Rome when Tiberius was dying. For he, having been raised in Rome a little before the death of Herod the Great his grandfather, became a companion to Drusus the son of Tiberius, and became known to Antonia the wife of Drusus the Great, as his own mother Berenice was honored by her.

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αὐτὸν Γαΐου κρατήσαντος. Τότε καὶ Φίλιππος ̔Ηρώδου τούτου ων ἀδελφὸς τετελεύτηκεν, εἰκοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς Τιβερίου ἀρχῆς, αρξας ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα ετη. ην δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀπράγμων καὶ μέτριος τοῖς ἀρχομένοις, προόδους σὺν ὀλίγοις τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ποιούμενος· καὶ προϊόντι ει τις προσῄει δεόμενος βοηθείας, εὐθὺς αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸν τόπον τοῦ θρόνου τιθεμένου, ειποντο γὰρ οἱ τοῦτον φέροντες, καθήμενος ἠκροᾶτο καὶ ἐποινηλάτει τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας καὶ τοὺς ἀδίκως αἰτιωμένους ἀπέλυε. τὴν δὲ ἀρχὴν ὁ Τιβέριος, παῖδες γὰρ Φιλίππῳ οὐκ ησαν, τῇ τῶν Σύρων ἐπαρχίᾳ προσέθετο. ̔Ηρώδης δὲ ὁ τετράρχης ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην στελλόμενος κατέλυσεν ἐν ̔Ηρώδου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ον ἡ τοῦ Σίμωνος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως θυγάτηρ τῷ βασιλεῖ ̔Ηρώδῃ ἐγείνατο. ἐρασθεὶς δὲ ̔Ηρωδιάδος τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ γυναικός, θυγατρὸς ̓Αριστοβούλου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῶν, ἀδελφῆς δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου ̓Αγρίππα, λόγους περὶ γάμων πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐποιήσατο. καὶ δεξαμένη συνέθετο μετοικίσασθαι πρὸς αὐτόν, εἰ τὴν ̓Αρέτα θυγατέρα ἐκβάλοι. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπὶ ̔Ρώμην επλει ἐπὶ τοιαύταις συνθήκαις· ὡς δ' ἐπανῆλθε, γνοῦσα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ δὲ ̓Αρέτα θυγάτηρ, τὰς πρὸς ̔Ηρωδιάδα συνθήκας, ῃτει πρὸς Μαχαιροῦντα πεμφθῆναι τὸ φρούριον· μεθόριον δὲ τοῦτο ην τῆς ̓Αρέτα καὶ τῆς 2.18 ̔Ηρώδου ἀρχῆς. καὶ ὁ ̔Ηρώδης ἐξέπεμψε, μὴ γινώσκων ο,τι ἐστὶν αὐτῇ τὸ βουλόμενον· ἡ δὲ ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς ̓Αραβίαν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐξώρμησε, καὶ τὴν ̔Ηρώδου διηγεῖτο γνώμην περὶ αὐτήν. κἀκεῖνος εσχε τοῦτο εχθρας ὑπόθεσιν· καὶ μάχη μέσον ἀμφοῖν συγκεκρότητο διὰ στρατηγῶν, καὶ οἱ ̔Ηρώδου ἡττήθησαν καὶ απαν τὸ ἐκείνου στράτευμα πέπτωκε. ταῦτα διὰ γραφῆς ̔Ηρώδης μηνύει τῷ Τιβερίῳ· ὁ δὲ γράφει πρὸς Οὐιτέλλιον, πόλεμον πρὸς ̓Αρέταν ποιήσασθαι καὶ η ζωγρηθέντα δέσμιον ἀναπέμψαι εἰς ̔Ρώμην η ἀνῃρημένου στεῖλαι τὴν κεφαλήν. Τισὶ δὲ ὑπὸ θεοῦ τὴν ̔Ηρώδου στρατιὰν ὀλέσθαι ἐδόκει, δίκας τιννύντος διὰ τὸν φόνον τοῦ προφήτου καὶ βαπτιστοῦ ̓Ιωάννου. ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ περὶ τούτου 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.