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consider for yourself what must be done. For I will make you an example 2.30 for both those now and those hereafter not to nullify the commands of the emperor." Petronius did not receive this letter while Gaius was still alive, but instead first received the letters concerning his death, and then those from Gaius to him. So Gaius, having become most wicked, perished, killed by a plot; and the manner of the plot against him, and by whom he was killed, the account will relate when it goes through the history of the emperors. But when he was already destroyed, Claudius, who was hiding out of fear, was brought out by the soldiers and proclaimed emperor, Agrippa having also exerted much effort for his proclamation. And as soon as his absolute power was confirmed, he both ratified Agrippa’s rule and praised him, and he added for him all that Herod the king, his grandfather, had ruled. And he also asked from Claudius the kingdom of Chalcis for his brother Herod; and it was given to him by Caesar. Around this time the Jews there were in sedition against the Alexandrians. For, as has been said, Gaius being ill-disposed towards them, they were mistreated by the Greeks in the city while he was monarch, but when Gaius died they took courage and were in arms. But Claudius wrote to the prefect in Egypt to quell the sedition, and he also sent an edict at the request of the two kings, Agrippa and Herod, to Syria and to Alexandria and to the rest of the inhabited world subject to the Romans, stating that "the Jews from the beginning 2.31 having been deemed worthy of equal citizenship with the Alexandrians and the citizens of the other cities, Gaius out of folly, because the Jewish nation did not endure to call him a god, humiliated them. But I order that the nation fall away from none of its ancient rights on account of his madness, but that their former rights be preserved for them as they abide by the Jewish laws, the kings Agrippa and Herod, who are most dear to me, having requested these things of me." And he also sent Agrippa away to his kingdom, which had become more splendid. And he, having come to Jerusalem, offered thank-offerings, and hung up the golden chain given to him by Gaius over the treasury, as a token of the sovereignty of God and of the change of circumstances, and that even great things sometimes fall and the lowly are exalted. Having therefore sacrificed lavishly, he removed Theophilus, son of Annas, from the high priesthood, and bestowed the honor on Simon, son of Boethus, whose surname was Cantheras. Simon had two brothers, and his father was Boethus, whose daughter King Herod married, as has been related. And he repaid the people of Jerusalem for their goodwill towards him, by remitting to them the taxes for each house. And he appointed Silas as commander of the whole army, a man who had shared in many of his hardships. However, some reckless and insolent young men of Dora brought a statue of Caesar into the synagogue of the Jews and set it up. This disturbed Agrippa; and he immediately went to Publius Petronius, the governor of Syria, and accused the men of Dora. And he, sending a centurion, ordered 2.32 that those who had committed the audacious act be brought to him, and wrote to the magistrates of Dora to point out the culprits to the centurion, unless they wished to seem to be collaborators in the act. But Agrippa, taking away the priesthood from Simon Cantheras, brought Jonathan, the son of Ananias, to it again. But he declined, saying he was content having obtained the high priesthood once, and he asked that his brother Matthias be promoted to it as being worthy of the honor. The king, therefore, being persuaded, bestowed the high priesthood upon Matthias. But Silas, Agrippa’s commander, trusting in the dangers he had undergone for him, laid claim to unseasonable frankness, and was burdensome, bringing to his memory the grim aspects of fortune and boasting of his zeal and faithfulness at that time. Agrippa was therefore displeased with his unrestrained frankness. of the
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σεαυτοῦ τὸ ποιητέον συλλόγισαι. παράδειγμα γάρ σε 2.30 ποιήσομαι τοῖς τε νῦν καὶ τοῖς επειτα μὴ ἀκυροῦν ἐντολὰς αὐτοκράτορος." ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν οὐκ εφθη ζῶντος Γαΐου δεδεγμένος Πετρώνιος, ἀλλὰ πρότερον τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκείνου τελευτῆς ἐδέξατο γράμματα, καὶ ουτω τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ Γαΐου. ̔Ο μὲν ουν Γάιος κάκιστος γεγονὼς ωλετο ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ἀνῃρημένος· τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς κατ' ἐκείνου ἐπιβουλῆς, καὶ παρὰ τίνων ἀνῄρηται, οτε τὰ περὶ τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων ὁ λόγος διέξεισι διηγήσεται. ηδη δὲ φθαρέντος, Κλαύδιος κρυπτόμενος διὰ φόβον ὑπὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐξάγεται καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνακηρύττεται, πολλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάρρησιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ ̓Αγρίππα σπουδάσαντος. αρτι δὲ βεβαιωθείσης τῆς αὐταρχίας αὐτῷ, τήν τε ἀρχὴν ἐκύρωσε τῷ ̓Αγρίππᾳ καὶ δι' ἐγκωμίων ἐποιεῖτο αὐτόν, προσθήκην τε αὐτῷ εθετο πᾶσαν ης ηρξεν ̔Ηρώδης ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάππος αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ̔Ηρώδῃ τὴν βασιλείαν Χαλκίδος παρὰ Κλαυδίου ᾐτήσατο· καὶ ἐδόθη ἐκείνῳ παρὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον στασιάζουσιν πρὸς τοὺς ̓Αλεξανδρεῖς οἱ ἐκεῖ ̓Ιουδαῖοι. ον γὰρ ειρηται τρόπον κακῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς Γαΐου διατεθέντος, ἐκακοῦντο μοναρχοῦντος ἐκείνου παρὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ̔Ελλήνων, Γαΐου δὲ τελευτήσαντος ἀνεθάρσησαν καὶ ησαν ἐν οπλοις. Κλαύδιος δὲ τῷ ἱππαρχοῦντι κατὰ τὴν Αιγυπτον ἐπέστειλε καταστεῖλαι τὴν στάσιν, επεμψε δὲ καὶ διάταγμα ἐκ παρακλήσεως τοῖν βασιλέοιν ̓Αγρίππου τε καὶ ̔Ηρώδου εἰς Συρίαν καὶ εἰς ̓Αλεξάνδρειαν καὶ εἰς τὴν αλλην οἰκουμένην οση ̔Ρωμαίοις ὑπήκοος, φράζον οτι "τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἀνέκαθεν 2.31 ισης πολιτείας τοῖς ̓Αλεξανδρεῦσι καὶ τοῖς τῶν λοιπῶν πόλεων πολίταις ἀξιωθέντων, ὁ Γάιος ἐξ ἀπονοίας οτι μὴ θεὸν προσαγορεύειν αὐτὸν τὸ ̓Ιουδαίων εθνος ἠνέσχετο αὐτοὺς ἐταπείνωσεν. ἐγὼ δὲ μηδενὸς διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου παραφροσύνην τῶν παλαιῶν δικαίων τὸ εθνος ἐκπεσεῖν διατάττομαι, συντηρεῖσθαι δὲ σφίσι τὰ πρότερον δίκαια τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίων νομίμοις ἐμμένουσι, ταῦτά με αἰτησαμένων τῶν βασιλέων ̓Αγρίππου καὶ ̔Ηρώδου τῶν φιλτάτων μοι." ἐξέπεμψε δὲ καὶ ̓Αγρίππαν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, λαμπροτέραν γεγενημένην. κἀκεῖνος ἐλθὼν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα χαριστήρια εθυσε, καὶ τὴν χρυσῆν αλυσιν τὴν ὑπὸ Γαΐου δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον ἀπῃώρησε, δεῖγμα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δυναστείας καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολῆς, καὶ οτι καὶ τὰ μεγάλα πίπτει ποτὲ καὶ ὑψοῦται τὰ ταπεινά. θύσας ουν πολυτελῶς, Θεόφιλον μὲν τὸν Αννα τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μεθίστησι, τῷ δὲ Βοηθοῦ Σίμωνι, ῳ Κανθηρᾶς ἡ ἐπίκλησις, ἀπένειμε τὴν τιμήν. δύο δ' ησαν τῷ Σίμωνι ἀδελφοί, καὶ πατὴρ ὁ Βοηθός, ου τῇ θυγατρὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ̔Ηρώδης συνῴκησεν, ὡς ἱστόρηται. τοὺς δ' ̔Ιεροσολυμίτας τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας ἠμείψατο, ἀφεὶς αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπὲρ ἑκάστης οἰκίας. ιππαρχον δὲ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος τὸν Σίλαν ἀπέδειξεν, ανδρα πόνων αὐτῷ συμμετασχόντα πολλῶν. Νεανίσκοι μέντοι ∆ωρῖται παράβολοι καὶ θρασεῖς Καίσαρος ἀνδριάντα εἰς τὴν τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων συναγωγὴν κομίσαντες εστησαν. τοῦτο τὸν ̓Αγρίππαν ἐτάραξε· καὶ αὐτίκα πρὸς τὸν τῆς Συρίας ἡγεμονεύοντα Πούπλιον Πετρώνιον παραγίνεται καὶ κατηγορεῖ τῶν ∆ωριτῶν. ὁ δ' ἑκατόνταρχον στείλας, τοὺς μὲν τὸ τόλμημα πράξαντας ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἀχθῆναι προσ2.32 έταξε, τοῖς δὲ τῶν ∆ωριτῶν αρχουσιν ἐπιδεῖξαι τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῳ τοὺς αἰτίους ἐπέστειλεν, εἰ μὴ βούλοιντο δοκεῖν συνεργάται τῆς πράξεως. ̓Αγρίππας δὲ ἀφελόμενος τὴν ἱερωσύνην τὸν Κανθηρᾶν Σίμωνα, ̓Ιωνάθην αυθις ἐπ' αὐτὴν ηγε τὸν ̓Ανανίου. ὁ δὲ παρῃτεῖτο, ἀρκεῖσθαι λέγων απαξ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην λαχών, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν Ματθίαν πρὸς ταύτην ἠξίου προάγεσθαι ὡς αξιον τῆς τιμῆς. πεισθεὶς ουν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Ματθίᾳ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἀπένειμε. Σίλας δὲ ὁ ̓Αγρίππου ιππαρχος, πεποιθὼς οις ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κεκινδύνευκεν, ἀκαίρου παρρησίας ἀντεποιεῖτο, καὶ ην φορτικός, τὰ στυγνὰ τῆς τύχης εἰς μνήμην αγων αὐτῷ καὶ ἑαυτὸν σεμνύνων ἐκ τῆς τότε σπουδῆς τε καὶ πίστεως. ἀηδῶς ουν πρὸς τὴν ἀταμίευτον αὐτοῦ παρρησίαν ὁ ̓Αγρίππας διέκειτο. τοῦ