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Herod was condemned to perpetual exile. To Herodias, as she was a blood relative of Agrippa, he gave the money that belonged to her, and ordered her not to share in her husband's exile, because of Agrippa. But she expressed her thanks to Gaius, but said that it was not right, having shared in her husband's prosperity, to abandon him in his misfortunes. Gaius, however, for the first year and the next, handled affairs with more moderation, but as time went on he deified himself and attempted to become a god. And indeed, when a sedition arose between the Jews and Greeks in Alexandria, three ambassadors from each side came to Gaius. Apion, one of the Alexandrian ambassadors, accused the Jews of other things and also that while all those under the Romans were erecting altars and temples to Gaius and honoring him as a god, these alone thought it dishonorable to honor him with statues and to make his name their oath. At these words, Philo, who was the head of the Jewish embassy, a distinguished man and not inexperienced in philosophy, was ready to make a defense for his countrymen. But Gaius would not tolerate it, ordering him to get out of the way, and it was clear he was going to harm them. And Philo, going out after being grossly insulted, said to the Jews around him that they must be of good courage; for Gaius had not raged against them, but against the divine itself. The emperor, thinking it terrible not to be worshipped as a god by the Jews, sent Petronius as successor to Vitellius's command, ordering him to invade Judea with a large force and to set up his statue in the temple of God; and if they would not yield willingly, to do this after conquering them in war. And Petronius, having taken over the command of Syria, hurried to fulfill Caesar's commands. And when he came to Ptolemais, many thousands of Jews approached him, begging him not to force them to transgress their ancestral laws, "But if you are unyielding," they said, "first do away with us, and then set up the statue." But Petronius answered that if he were doing these things on his own initiative, their argument to him would be just; but since Caesar had ordered it, it was entirely necessary to fulfill what he had decided. Having said these things, he came to Tiberias, to observe what the disposition of the Jews was. And many thousands met him, supplicating him not to put them under compulsion nor to defile the city with a statue. And Petronius said, "Will you therefore fight?" But they said, "We will not fight, but we will die before transgressing our ancestral laws," and they offered themselves to be slaughtered. And this went on for forty days. But Aristobulus, the brother of Agrippa, and others of the elite, begged Petronius not to provoke the multitude to any desperation, but to write to Gaius about their refusal to accept the statue; for perhaps he might be softened and desist from his decision; but if he persisted again in his vote, then he himself should undertake the matter. And Petronius, being persuaded, wrote to Gaius about the affair. But Agrippa the king, residing in Rome, was advancing in his friendship with Gaius. And having been admired while dining with the emperor on account of his lavishness and magnificence, he was urged to ask for whatever he wished. But he said, "I will ask you for nothing that brings me wealth, but for that which will bring you a reputation for piety and me good fame. For I ask you to abandon the dedication of the statue, which you ordered Petronius to make in the Jewish temple, for my sake." And Gaius, ashamed to seem a liar before so many witnesses, consented. And he wrote to Petronius, that if he had already managed to erect the statue, not to take it down, but if the dedication had not yet been made, not to attempt to make it any longer; "for I no longer wish this to be set up, on account of Agrippa, a man honored by me." Gaius therefore wrote these things to Petronius before he had read his letters, which showed that the Jews were hastening to revolt on account of the statue; but being greatly angered because of this, he wrote to Petronius: "Since the gifts of the Jews have become of more account to you than my commands, you concerning the

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̔Ηρώδην ἀειφυγία κατέκρινεν. ̔Ηρωδιάδι δὲ ὡς ̓Αγρίππου ὁμαίμονι τά τε χρήματα οσα ἐκείνῃ διέφερεν ἐδίδου, καὶ μηδὲ κοινωνεῖν ἐκέλευε τῆς φυγῆς τῷ ἀνδρί, διὰ τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν. ἡ δὲ χάριτας μὲν ὡμολόγει Γαΐῳ, οὐ δίκαιον δ' ελεγεν ειναι τῆς εὐδαιμονίας τῷ ἀνδρὶ κοινωνήσασαν ἐγκαταλιπεῖν ἐπὶ ταῖς δυσπραγίαις αὐτόν. ̔Ο μέντοι Γάιος τὸν μὲν πρῶτον ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ τὸν ἐφεξῆς μετριώτερον ἐχρῆτο τοῖς πράγμασι, προϊὼν δὲ ἐξεθείαζεν ἑαυτὸν καὶ θεοῦν ἐπεχείρει. καὶ δὴ στάσεως γεγονυίας τοῖς ἐν ̓Αλεξανδρείᾳ ̓Ιουδαίοις καὶ Ελλησι τρεῖς ἀφ' ἑκατέρου μέρους παρῆσαν πρὸς τὸν Γάιον πρεσβευταί. ̓Απίων δὲ τῶν ̓Αλεξανδρέων πρέσβεων εις αλλα τε κατηγόρει τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων καὶ ὡς πάντων τῶν ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίους βωμοὺς τῷ Γαΐῳ καὶ ναοὺς ἀνιστώντων καὶ ὡς θεὸν τιμώντων ουτοι μόνοι αδοξον ηγηνται ἀνδριᾶσι τιμᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ ορ2.28 κιον αὐτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ονομα. ἐπὶ τούτοις Φίλων τῆς τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων πρεσβείας προεστηκώς, ἀνὴρ ενδοξος καὶ φιλοσοφίας οὐκ απειρος, ετοιμος ην ὑπεραπολογήσασθαι τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν. ὁ δὲ Γάιος οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, κελεύσας ἐκποδὼν ἀπελεύσεσθαι, δῆλός τε ην κακώσων αὐτούς. καὶ ὁ Φίλων ἐξελθὼν περιυβρισμένος φησὶ πρὸς τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ̓Ιουδαίους ὡς χρὴ θαρρεῖν· οὐ γὰρ εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁ Γάιος πεπαρῴνηκεν, εἰς δὲ τὸ θεῖον αὐτό. ̔Ο δ' αὐτοκράτωρ δεινὸν ἡγούμενος ὑπὸ ̓Ιουδαίων μὴ ὡς θεὸς σεβασθῆναι, Πετρώνιον ἐκπέμπει διάδοχον τῆς Οὐιτελλίου ἀρχῆς, κελεύσας χειρὶ πολλῇ ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν ̓Ιουδαίαν καὶ ἱστᾶν αὐτοῦ ἀνδριάντα ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἑκόντες παραχωροῖεν, πολέμῳ κρατήσαντα τοῦτο ποιεῖν. καὶ ὁ Πετρώνιος τὴν τῆς Συρίας παρειληφὼς ἀρχὴν ἠπείγετο πληρώσων τὰς τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐντολάς. καὶ εἰς Πτολεμαΐδα γενομένῳ προσῆλθον ̓Ιουδαίων πολλαὶ μυριάδες δεόμεναι μὴ βιάζεσθαι σφᾶς ἐπὶ παραβάσει τῶν πατρίων, "Εἰ δ' ἀπαραίτητος ει," ελεγον, "ἡμᾶς πρότερον διαχειρισάμενος ουτως ιστα τὸ αγαλμα." Πετρώνιος δ' ἀπεκρίνατο ὡς εἰ μὲν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτ' επραττον, δίκαιος ην πρός με ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος· Καίσαρος δὲ κελεύσαντος πᾶσα ἀνάγκη τὰ ἐκείνῳ δεδογμένα πληροῦν. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπὶ Τιβεριάδα ἀφίκετο, κατανοήσων ὡς γνώμης εχουσιν ̓Ιουδαῖοι. καὶ πολλαὶ μυριάδες συνήντων αὐτῷ ἱκετεύουσαι μὴ εἰς ἀνάγκας αὐτοὺς καθιστᾶν μηδὲ μιαίνειν ἀνδριάντι τὴν πόλιν. καὶ ὁ Πετρώνιος εφη "πολεμήσετε αρα;" οἱ δ' "οὐ πολεμήσομεν" εφασαν, "τεθνηξόμεθα δὲ πρότερον η παραβῆναι τὰ πάτρια," καὶ παρεῖχον ἑαυτοὺς ἀποσφάττεσθαι. καὶ ταῦτα ἐφ' ἡμέρας ἐπράτ2.29 τετο τεσσαράκοντα. ̓Αριστόβουλος δὲ ὁ ̓Αγρίππου ἀδελφὸς καὶ αλλοι τῶν ἐκκρίτων ἐδέοντο Πετρωνίου μηδὲν εἰς ἀπόνοιαν τὸ πλῆθος παρακινεῖν, ἀλλὰ γράφειν πρὸς Γάιον τὸ ἀνήκεστον αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀνδριάντος ὑποδοχήν· ισως γὰρ μαλαχθέντα αὐτὸν ἀποστῆναι τοῦ δόξαντος· εἰ δ' ἐμμένοι καὶ αυθις τῇ ψήφῳ, τότε καὶ αὐτὸν τοῦ πράγματος απτεσθαι. Πετρώνιος δὲ πεισθεὶς ἐπέστειλε τῷ Γαΐῳ περὶ τῆς πράξεως. ̓Αγρίππας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ διάγων προέκοπτε τῇ πρὸς Γάιον οἰκειώσει. θαυμασθείς τε ἐν τῷ δειπνίζειν τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τῆς πολυτελείας χάριν καὶ τοῦ μεγαλοπρεποῦς, αἰτήσασθαι προετρέπετο ο αν αὐτῷ πρὸς βουλῆς. ὁ δέ "αἰτήσομαί σε" εφη "τῶν μὲν ολβον περιποιούντων οὐδέν, ο δ' αν σοί τε πρὸς δόξαν εὐσεβείας κἀμοὶ πρὸς ευκλειαν γένηται. ἀξιῶ σε γὰρ τὴν τοῦ ἀνδριάντος ἀνάθεσιν, ην ποιήσασθαι κελεύεις Πετρώνιον εἰς τὸ ̓Ιουδαίων ἱερόν, δι' ἐμὲ καταλείψειν." Γάιος δὲ αἰσχυνθεὶς ἐπὶ τοσῶνδε μαρτύρων δόξαι ψευδόμενος, συνεχώρει. καὶ γράφει πρὸς τὸν Πετρώνιον, εἰ μὲν ηδη τὸν ἀνδριάντα εφθασε στῆσαι, μὴ καθελεῖν, εἰ δὲ μήπω πεποίηται τὴν ἀνάθεσιν, μηκέτι πειρᾶσθαι ποιήσασθαι· "οὐ γὰρ ετι τοῦτον βούλομαι στῆναι, διὰ τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν, ανδρα τιμώμενον παρ' ἐμοί." Γάιος μὲν ουν ταῦτα πρὸς Πετρώνιον γράφει πρὶν ἐντυχεῖν ταῖς ἐκείνου ἐπιστολαῖς ἐμφαινούσαις πρὸς ἀποστασίαν τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους διὰ τὸν ἀνδριάντα ἐπείγεσθαι· περιαλγήσας δὲ διὰ ταῦτα γράφει τῷ Πετρωνίῳ " ̓Επεί σοι τὰ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων δῶρα ἐν μείζονι γεγόνασι λόγῳ τῶν ἐμῶν ἐντολῶν, σὺ περὶ τῶν