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the marriage lasted for a long time, with Bernice leaving Polemon. And Claudius Caesar dies, having reigned for thirteen years, eight months, and twenty days. and there was a report that he had been killed with poisons by his wife Agrippina; whose father was Germanicus, the brother of Caesar, and her husband was Domitius Ahenobarbus, one of the distinguished men in Rome, and when he died Claudius married her while she was a widow and also had a son, Domitius, named after his father. For he had previously put to death his wife Messalina out of jealousy, by whom he had children, Britannicus and Octavius. And he also had Octavia, the eldest of the siblings, from another, former wife, whom he betrothed to Nero; for Caesar later gave this name to Agrippina's son Domitius, having adopted him. So then, in order 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, and let the narrative keep to its sequence. Nero, then, held the rule of the Romans after Claudius, and matters in Judea continuously worsened, and the country was filled with bands of robbers and with charlatans deceiving the crowd, many of whom Felix arrested and killed. And Felix, being hostile toward Jonathan the high priest, who often 2.46 advised him about presiding better over the affairs of Judea, sought a pretext by which he might remove the one who was constantly troubling him; and he kills him by means of the robbers, who came into the temple as if to worship and, carrying daggers under their garments, mingled with the crowd and killed Jonathan. And as this outrage remained unpunished, the robbers went up without fear and killed some of their own enemies, and others for hire. And impostors and deceitful men persuaded the crowd to follow them into the wilderness, promising to show clear signs and wonders happening from God; many of whom Felix punished. But the robbers incited the people to war against the Romans, wanting not to obey them, and setting fire to the villages of those who would not be persuaded, they destroyed them. And while Syrians and Jews were inhabiting Caesarea, the Jews claimed to have precedence, as Herod their king had founded the city, but the Syrians, while agreeing about Herod, said that it was formerly a city called Strato's Tower, and that at that time no Jew inhabited the city. Therefore, because of these things, when the Caesareans were in strife, those in charge of the country tortured the guilty parties with stripes, and for a short time quieted the disturbance. But the Jews, being superior to the Syrians in wealth, and for this reason despising them, reviled them. And they, though inferior in money, but being confident that most of those serving under the Romans were Caesareans, for a time also insulted the Jews in return with words; then they threw stones at each other, until many were wounded and fell on both sides; and the 2.47 Jews were victorious. Felix, however, commanded the Jews to stop, and when they did not obey, he sends the soldiers against them; and he killed many, and took more alive, and allowed the soldiers to plunder houses. But the more reasonable of the Jews and the leading men urged Felix to call back the soldiers and to spare them, and to grant them repentance for what had been done. And Felix was persuaded. And King Agrippa gives the high priesthood to Ishmael son of Phabi. And the chief priests and priests, along with the leading men of the Jerusalemites, had a dispute with each other, and they spoke evil of each other and threw stones, and there was no one to rebuke them and stop the strife. And the chief priests acted so shamelessly as even to send to the threshing floors and forcibly take the tithes owed to the priests, from which the poor among the priests were dying of want. And when Porcius Festus was sent by Nero as successor to Felix, the Caesarean Jews accused Felix before Nero; and he would perhaps have paid the penalty for his injustices against them, if not

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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 ̔Ρωμαίους ἠρέθιζον πόλεμον, θέλοντες μὴ ὑπακούειν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς τῶν μὴ πειθομένων κώμας ἐμπιπρῶντες διέφθειρον. Σύρων δὲ καὶ ̓Ιουδαίων τὴν Καισάρειαν οἰκούντων οἱ μὲν ̓Ιουδαῖοι πρωτεύειν ἠξίουν ὡς ̔Ηρώδου τοῦ σφῶν βασιλέως τὴν πόλιν ἐγείραντος, Σύροι δὲ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸν ̔Ηρώδην ὡμολόγουν, εφασαν δὲ καὶ πρῴην πόλιν ειναι Στράτωνος καλουμένην πύργον, καὶ μηδένα τότε τὴν πόλιν ̓Ιουδαῖον οἰκεῖν. διὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν τῶν Καισαρέων στασιαζόντων, οἱ τῆς χώρας ἐπιμελούμενοι πληγαῖς τοὺς αἰτίους ᾐκίσαντο, καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον τὸν θόρυβον κατεκοίμισαν. πλούτῳ δὲ τῶν Σύρων οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι προέχοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταφρονοῦντες αὐτῶν, ἐβλασφήμουν αὐτούς. οἱ δὲ χρήμασι μὲν ἡττώμενοι, θαρροῦντες δὲ οτι πλεῖστοι τῶν ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίους στρατευομένων Καισαρεῖς ησαν, μέχρι μέν τινος καὶ αὐτοὶ λόγοις τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους ἀνθύβριζον· ειτα λίθοις ἀλλήλους εβαλλον, εως πολλοὶ ἐτρώθησάν τε καὶ επεσον ἀμφοτέρωθεν· νικῶσι δὲ 2.47 ̓Ιουδαῖοι. ὁ μέντοι Φῆλιξ παύσασθαι τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους ἐκέλευε, καὶ μὴ πειθομένοις τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐπαφίησι· καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλε, πλείους δὲ ζῶντας συνέσχε, καὶ οἰκίας διαρπάζειν τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπέτρεψεν. οἱ δὲ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἐπιεικέστεροι καὶ οἱ προύχοντες παρεκάλουν τὸν Φήλικα τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀνακαλέσασθαι καὶ φείσασθαι αὐτῶν, δοῦναί τε ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις μετάνοιαν. καὶ ὁ Φῆλιξ ἐπείσθη. ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς ̓Αγρίππας δίδωσι τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ̓Ισμαὴλ υἱῷ τοῦ Φαβεί. εσχον δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους στάσιν οι τε ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ ἱερεῖς σὺν τοῖς πρώτοις τῶν ̔Ιεροσολυμιτῶν, καὶ ἐκακολόγουν ἀλλήλους καὶ λίθοις εβαλλον, καὶ ὁ ἐπιπλήξων καὶ τὴν στάσιν κωλύσων οὐκ ην. ἐς τοσοῦτον δὲ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἠναιδεύσαντο ὡς καὶ πέμπειν ἐπὶ τὰς αλωνας καὶ βίᾳ λαμβάνειν τὰς τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὀφειλομένας δεκάτας, οθεν οἱ αποροι τῶν ἱερέων ὑπ' ἐνδείας ἀπέθνησκον. Πορκίου δὲ Φήστου ὑπὸ Νέρωνος σταλέντος διαδόχου τῷ Φήλικι, οἱ Καισαρεῖς ̓Ιουδαῖοι κατηγόρησαν τοῦ Φήλικος παρὰ Νέρωνι· καὶ τάχα αν ετισε δίκας τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀδικημάτων, εἰ μὴ