THE JUDEAN WAR 16 Now After We Had Come Safely to Dikaiarchia, Which the Italians Call 4 Puteoli, I Formed a Friendship with Aliturus
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
foresight, a Kyrenian boat appeared before us. So both I and some others, about 80 in all, overtook the rest and were taken up into the boat. THE JUDEAN WAR 16 Now after we had come safely to Dikaiarchia, which the Italians call 4 Puteoli, I formed a friendship with Aliturus. Now this man was a mime-actor, CHAPTER 1 [Life:1~16] especially loved by Nerō, and a Judean by race. And through him I became Now in my case, my race is not undistinguished, instead its origin is traced to known to Poppaea, the wife of Caesar. Then, as soon as possible, I made ancient priests. But in the same way that the basis of noble birth is different provision, appealing to her to free the priests. Now having received this favor among various people, so also among us, membership in the priesthood is a from Poppaea, in addition to enormous gifts from her, I returned home. certain proof of an illustrious race. 2 Now in my case, my race is not merely from priests, but it is also from the first of the twenty-four courses (now this is an CHAPTER 2 [War2:284~308] 5 enormous distinction), but also from the most eminent of the divisions within this Now at this time, it also happened that the Hellenes of Caesarea had won from course. But I also have a share of royal race from my mother; for the boys of Nerō the right to retain control of the city, and they had brought back the Hasimoni, of whom she was a descendent,1 both served as chief-priests and documents of the verdict. And now the war had its beginning, indeed in the exercised the kingship of our nation for a very long time. twelfth year of the leadership of Nerō, but in the seventeenth of the reign of 3 Now I shall state the succession: Our chief father was Simon, who was Agrippa, in the month of Artemisios. surnamed ‘The Stutterer’. This man lived in a period when the boy of the chief- 2 But given the magnitude of the calamities which arose from it, it did not priest Simon served as chief-priest, who was the first of the chief-priests named have a worthy justification. For the Judeans in Caesarea had a congregation Hyrkanos. 4 Now Simon the Stutterer had nine boys. One of these was Matthijah, adjoining a site whose owner was a certain Caesarean Hellene. Indeed, they had called ‘the Ephaios’.2 frequently endeavored to acquire the spot, offering a price many times it worth. 3 This man married the daughter of the chief-priest Jonathan. Jonathan was the But he himself disdained their appeals, and with added insult, began to build first boy of Hasimoni’s race to serve as a chief-priest, and was the brother of across the site by constructing workshops. He left them a passageway that was Simon the chief-priest. Then in the first year that Hyrkanos was chief, Matthijah both narrow and constrained in every direction. had a boy named Matthijah, surnamed ‘The Rounded’. Indeed, at first, the more hot-headed youths plunged ahead and attempted to 5 Matthijah the Rounded’s son, Joseph, was born in the ninth year of hinder the construction. 4 Now although Florus kept restraining them from Alexandra’s government. violence, the powerful Judeans, which included Johanan the tax-collector, were Now Joseph begat Matthijah in the tenth year of Archelaos’ reign. completely at a loss as what to do; so they persuaded Florus with eight talents of Now Matthijah begat me in the first year of Gaius Caesar’s leadership. silver to prevent the project. Now I have three boys: indeed, the eldest, Hyrkanos was born in the fourth 5 But he, being interested only in the taking of money, promised that he would year; but Justus in the eighth year; but Agrippa in the ninth year of the leadership do everything they desired, but then absconded from Caesarea to Sebasté, and of Vespasianus Caesar. abandoned the civil strife to its own devices, as if he had sold the Judeans a 6 This is indeed how I present the succession of our race, as I have found it license to fight. recorded in the public registers, sending a greeting to those who try to slander us. 6 Now on the next day, which was the seventh, when the Judeans had 7 But my father Matthijah was not only distinguished because of his noble gathered in their congregation, a certain Caesarean agitator turned over a belly- birth, instead he was praised even more on account of his righteousness, being a vase at their entryway, and began sacrificing birds on it. This provoked the very eminent man among the Jerusalemites—the greatest city we have. Judeans beyond remedy, indeed on the ground that their laws had been outraged, 8 Now I myself was jointly educated with my brother named Matthijah (for he but their site desecrated. was a legitimate brother, born from both parents), but I progressed ahead of him 7 Therefore indeed, the stable and mild Judeans considered it proper to resort into a great amount of discipline, gaining a reputation for both an excellent to the leaders; but the factious ones, having also become inflamed by the virtue of memory and intelligence. 9 Now while I was still a mere boy, about fourteen their youth, were burning for a fight. Now the insurgents among the Caesareans years old, I was commended by everyone because I loved to read documents. also stood ready; for this had been a scheme of theirs to send forward the man Because of this, the chief-priests and principal men of the city would often meet performing the sacrifices. And so an engagement soon came about. with me in order to understand the laws more precisely. 8 But Jucundus, the horse-chief, who was assigned to intervene, came 10 Now when I was about sixteen years old, I chose to gain expertise in the forward; he both removed the belly-vase, and kept endeavoring to put an end to several sects which are among us. Now there are three of these: indeed the first, is the civil strife. But he was unable to overcome the violence of the Caesareans. So the Pharisees; and the second, the Zadokim; but the third, the Essenes. For I the Judeans seized their copies of the laws and withdrew to Narbata—this is what thought that, if I was able to examine them all, I would be able to choose the best. one of their districts is called, lying 60 stadia from Caesarea. 11 Therefore, I submitted myself to hard training and laborious exercises, and 9 But twelve of the powerful men of Johanan’s party went to Florus at passed through the three of them. Sebasté, and began bitterly lamenting about what had been done, and begged him And I was not content with the resulting expertise. So when I heard about a for his help, and discreetly reminded him about the eight talents. But he arrested certain man named Binnui,3 who made his life in the wilderness, indeed wearing and confined the men, incriminating them with having removed the laws from only clothing made from trees, but scavenging food which grew on its own, but Caesarea. washing frequently for purification with frigid water day and night, I became his 10 This roused indignation among those in Jerusalem, however they restrained devotee. 12 So when I had lived with him for three years, and had accomplished their fury. But Florus, as if he had been contracted to fan the flames of the war, my purpose, I returned to the city. sent to the temple storehouse and extracted seventeen talents, pretending that it Now, at the age of nineteen, I also began to involve myself in public life, was for Caesar’s needs. according to the rules of the Pharisees, a sect which is similar to the one called 11 But confusion began to immediately grip the populace, and they ran Stoic among the Hellenes. together into the temple; and with piercing shouts, they kept calling upon the 13 But after my twenty-sixth year, it also fell to my lot to go up to Roma for name of Caesar, and begged him to liberate them from Florus’ tyranny. 12 But the cause which shall now be described: some of the insurgents shouted the most shameful insults upon Florus; and At the time when Félix was administering Judah, there were certain priests, carrying around a reed-basket, they demanded bits of change for him as though he close associates of mine and excellent men, whom he had bound and sent to were destitute and needy. Roma on a minor and incidental cause, in order to render an account to Caesar. 14 These insults did not restrain his love-of-silver; instead, they only drove him I desired to find some means of saving these men, but especially when I by rage to pursue more money. 13 Accordingly, he should have gone to Caesarea discovered that, even in their wretched circumstances, they had not abandoned in order to extinguish the fire of the war which was beginning from there, and to piety toward the Deity, but were subsisting on figs and nuts. dispose of the causes of the disturbance (it was on this account that he had taken So I reached Roma, after having faced many dangers at sea. 15 For our boat compensation). But he rushed against Jerusalem with an army of both cavalry and 6 was immersed in the middle of the Adriatic Sea; and we, being about 600 in infantry, so that he might work what he wanted with Roman weapons, and strip number, floated ourselves through the entire night.