the antiquities of the jews-1-第358章

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governor　having　ventured　to　do　so；　that　Josephus　knew　of；　but
that　heathen　tyrant　and　persecutor　Antiochus　Epiphanes；　that
barbarous　parricide　Aristobulus；　the　first　that　took　royal
authority　among　the　Maccabees；　and　this　tyrant　king　Herod　the
Great；　although　afterward　that　infamous　practice　became　frequent；
till　the　very　destruction　of　Jerusalem；　when　the　office　of　high
priesthood　was　at　an　end。

（5）　This　entirely　confutes　the　Talmudists；　who　pretend　that　no
one　under　twenty　years　of　age　could　officiate　as　high　priest
among　the　Jews。

（6）　A　Hebrew　chronicle；　cited　by　Reland；　says　this　drowning　was
at　Jordan；　not　at　Jericho；　and　this　even　when　he　quote　Josephus。
I　suspect　the　transcriber　of　the　Hebrew　chronicle　mistook　the
name；　and　wrote　Jordan　for　Jericho。

（7）　The　reading　of　one　of　Josephus's　Greek　MSS。　seems　here　to　be
right；　that　Aristobulus　was　〃not　eighteen　years　old〃　when　he　was
drowned；　for　he　was　not　seventeen　when　he　was　made　high　priest；
ch。　2。　sect。　6；　ch。　3。　sect。　3；　and　he　continued　in　that　office
but　one　year；　as　in　the　place　before　us。

（8）　The　reader　is　here　to　take　notice；　that　this　seventh　year　of
the　reign　of　Herod；　and　all　the　other　years　of　his　reign；　in
Josephus；　are　dated　from　the　death　of　Antigonus；　or　at　the
soonest　from　the　conclusion　of　Antigonus；　and　the　taking　of
Jerusalem　a　few　months　before；　and　never　from　his　first　obtaining
the　kingdom　at　Rome；　above　three　years　before；　as　some　have　very
weakly　and　injudiciously　done。

（9）　Herod　says　here；　that　as　ambassadors　were　sacred　when　they
carried　messages　to　others；　so　did　the　laws　of　the　Jews　derive　a
sacred　authority　by　being　delivered　from　God　by　angels；　＇or
Divine　ambassadors；＇　which　is　St。　Paul's　expression　about　the
same　laws；　Galatians　3：19；　Hebrews　2；2。

（10）　This　piece　of　religion；　the　supplicating　God　with
sacrifices；　by　Herod；　before　he　went　to　this　fight　with　the
Arabians；　taken　notice　of　also　in　the　first　book　of　the　War；　ch。
19。　sect。　5；　is　worth　remarking；　because　it　is　the　only　example
of　this　nature；　so　far　as　I　remember；　that　Josephus　ever　mentions
in　all　his　large　and　particular　accounts　of　this　Herod；　and　it
was　when　he　had　been　in　mighty　distress；　and　discouraged　by　a
great　defeat　of　his　former　army；　and　by　a　very　great　earthquake
in　Judea；　such　times　of　affliction　making　men　most　religious；　nor
was　he　disappointed　of　his　hopes　here；　but　immediately　gained　a
most　signal　victory　over　the　Arabians；　while　they　who　just　before
had　been　so　great　victors；　and　so　much　elevated　upon　the
earthquake　in　Judea　as　to　venture　to　slay　the　Jewish　ambassadors；
were　now　under　a　strange　consternation；　and　hardly　able　to　fight
at　all。

（11）　Whereas　Mariamne　is　here　represented　as　reproaching：　Herod
with　the　murder　of　her　father　＇Alexander＇；　as　well　as　her　brother
＇Aristobulus＇；　while　it　was　her　grandfather　Hyrcanus；　and　not　her
father　Alexander；　whom　he　caused　to　be　slain；　（as　Josephus
himself　informs　us；　ch。　6。　sect。　2；）　we　must　either　take
Zonaras's　reading；　which　is　here　grandfather；　rightly；　or　else　we
must；　as　before；　ch。　1。　sect。　1；　allow　a　slip　of　Josephus's　pen
or　memory　in　the　place　before　us。

（12）　Here　is　a　plain　example　of　a　Jewish　lady　giving　a　bill　of
divorce　to　her　husband；　though　in　the　days　of　Josephus　it　was　not
esteemed　lawful　for　a　woman　so　to　do。　See　the　like　among　the
Parthians；　Antiq。　B。　XVIII。　ch。　9。　sect。　6。　However；　the
Christian　law；　when　it　allowed　divorce　for　adultery；　Matthew
5：32；　allowed　the　innocent　wife　to　divorce　her　guilty　husband；　as
well　as　the　innocent　husband　to　divorce　his　guilty　wife；　as　we
learn　from　the　shepherd　of　Hermas；　Mand。　B。　IV。；　and　from：　the
second　apology　of　Justin　Martyr；　where　a　persecution　was　brought
upon　the　Christians　upon　such　a　divorce；　and　I　think　the　Roman
laws　permitted　it　at　that　time；　as　well　as　the　laws　of
Christianity。　Now　this　Babas；　who　was　one　of　the　race　of　the
Asamoneans　or　Maccabees；　as　the　latter　end　of　this　section
informs　us；　is　related　by　the　Jews；　as　Dr。　Hudson　here　remarks；
to　have　been　so　eminently　religious　in　the　Jewish　way；　that；
except　the　day　following　the　tenth　of　Tisri；　the　great　day　of
atonement；　when　he　seems　to　have　supposed　all　his　sins　entirely
forgiven；　he　used　every　day　of　the　whole　year　to　offer　a
sacrifice　for　his　sins　of　ignorance；　or　such　as　he　supposed　he
had　been　guilty　of；　but　did　not　distinctly　remember。　See　somewhat
like　it　of　Agrippa　the　Great；　Antiq。　B。　XIX。　ch。　3。　sect。　3；　and
Job　1：4；　5。

（13）　These　grand　plays；　and　shows；　and　Thymelici；　or　music
meetings；　and　chariot　races；　when　the　chariots　were　drawn　by　two；
three；　or　four　pair　of　horses；　etc。；　instituted　by　Herod　in　his
theatres；　were　still；　as　we　see　here；　looked　on　by　the　sober　Jews
as　heathenish　sports；　and　tending　to　corrupt　the　manners　of　the
Jewish　nation；　and　to　bring　them　in　love　with　paganish　idolatry；
and　paganish　conduct　of　life；　but　to　the　dissolution　of　the　law
of　Moses；　and　accordingly　were　greatly　and　justly　condemned　by
them；　as　appears　here　and　every　where　else　in　Josephus。　Nor　is
the　case　of　our　modern　masquerades；　plays；　operas；　and　the　like
〃pomps　and　vanities　of　this　wicked　world；〃　of　any　better　tendency
under　Christianity。

（14）　Here　we　have　an　eminent　example　of　the　language　of　Josephus
in　his　writing　to　Gentiles；　different　from　that　when　he　wrote　to
Jews；　in　his　writing　to　whom　he　still　derives　all　such　judgments
from　the　anger　of　God；　but　because　he　knew　many　of　the　Gentiles
thought　they　might　naturally　come　in　certain　periods；　he　complies
with　them　in　the　following　sentence。　See　the　note　on　the　War。　B。
I。　ch。　33。　sect。　2。

（15）　This　famine　for　two　years　that　affected　Judea　and　Syria；　the
thirteenth　mid　fourteenth　years　of　Herod；　which　are　the
twenty…third　and　twenty…fourth　years　before　the　Christian　era；
seems　to　have　been　more　terrible　during　this　time　than　was　that
in　the　days　of　Jacob；　Genesis　41。；　42。　And　what　makes　the
comparison　the　more　remarkable　is　this；　that　now；　as　well　as
then；　the　relief　they　had　was　from　Egypt　also；　then　from　Joseph
the　governor　of　Egypt；　under　Pharaoh　king　of　Egypt；　and　now　from
Petronius　the　prefect　of　Egypt；　under　Augustus　the　Roman　emperor。
See　almost　the　like　case；　Antiq。　B。　XX。　ch。　2。　sect。　6。　It　is
also　well　worth　our　observation　here；　that　these　two　years　were　a
Sabbatic　year；　and　a　year　of　jubilee；　for　which　Providence；
during　the　theocracy；　used　to　provide　a　triple　crop　beforehand；
but　became　now；　when　the　Jews　had　forfeited　that　blessing；　the
greatest　years　of　famine　to　them　ever　since　the　days　of　Ahab；　1
Kings　17。；　18。

（16）　This　Aelius　Gallus　seems　to　be　no　other　than　that　Aelius
Lagus　whom　Dio　speaks　of　as　conducting　an　expedition　that　was
about　this　time　made　into　Arabia　Felix；　according　to　Betarius；
who　is　here　cited　by　Spanheim。　See　a　full　account　of　this
expedition　in　Prideaux；　at　the　years　23　and　24。

（17）　One　may　here　take　notice；　that　how　tyrannical　and
extravagant　soever　Herod　were　in　himself；　and　in　his　Grecian
cities；　as　to　those　plays；　and　shows；　and　temples　for　idolatry；
mentioned　above；　ch。　8。　sect。　1；　and　here　also；　yet　durst　even　he
introduce　very　few　of　them　into　the　cities　of　the　Jews；　who；　as
Josephus　here　notes；　would　not　even　then　have　borne　them；　so
zealous　were　they　still　for　many　of　the　laws　of　Moses；　even　under
so　tyrannical　a　government　as　this　was　of　Herod　the　Great；　which
tyrannical　government　puts　me　naturally　in　mind　of　Dean
Prideaux's　honest　reflection　upon　the　like　ambition　after　such
tyrannical　power　in　Pompey　and　Caesar：　〃One　of　these　（says　he；　at
the　year　60）　could　not　bear　an　equal；　nor　the　other　a　superior；
and　through　this　ambitions　humor　and　thirst　after　more　power　in
these　two　men；　the　whole　Roman　empire　being　divided　into　two
opposite　factions；　there　was　produced　hereby　the　most　destructive
war　that　ever　afflicted　it；　and　the　like　folly　too　much　reigns　in
all　other　places。　Could　about　thirty　men　be　persuaded　to　live　at
home　in　peace；　without　enterprising　upon　the　rights　of　each
other；　for　the　vain　glory　of　conquest；　and　the　enlargement　of
power；　the　whole　world　might　be　at　quiet；　but　their　ambition；
their　follies；　and　their　humor；　leading　th