1. WHEN Antipater had thus taken off his brethren, and had brought his father into the highest degree of impiety, till he was haunted with furies for what he had done, his hopes did not succeed to his mind, as to the rest of his life; for although he was delivered from the fear of his brethren being his rivals as to the government, yet did he find it a very hard thing, and almost impracticable, to come at the kingdom, because the hatred of the nation against him on that account was become very great; and besides this very disagreeable circumstance, the affair of the soldiery grieved him still more, who were alienated from him, from which yet these kings derived all the safety which they had, whenever they found the nation desirous of innovation: and all this danger was drawn upon him by his destruction of his brethren. However, he governed the nation jointly with his father, being indeed no other than a king already; and he was for that very reason trusted, and the more firmly depended on, for the which he ought himself to have been put to death, as appearing to have betrayed his brethren out of his concern for the preservation of Herod, and not rather out of his ill-will to them, and, before them, to his father himself: and this was the accursed state he was in. Now all Antipater’s contrivances tended to make his way to take off Herod, that he might have nobody to accuse him in the vile practices he was devising: and that Herod might have no refuge, nor any to afford him their assistance, since they must thereby have Antipater for their open enemy; insomuch that the very plots he had laid against his brethren were occasioned by the hatred he bore his father. But at this time he was more than ever set upon the execution of his attempts against Herod, because if he were once dead, the government would now be firmly secured to him; but if he were suffered to live any longer, he should be in danger, upon a discovery of that wickedness of which he had been the contriver, and his father would of necessity then become his enemy. And on this account it was that he became very bountiful to his father’s friends, and bestowed great sums on several of them, in order to surprise men with his good deeds, and take off their hatred against him. And he sent great presents to his friends at Rome particularly, to gain their good-will; and above all to Saturninus, the president of Syria. He also hoped to gain the favor of Saturninus’s brother with the large presents he bestowed on him; as also he used the same art to [Salome] the king’s sister, who had married one of Herod’s chief friends. And when he counterfeited friendship to those with whom he conversed, he was very subtle in gaining their belief, and very cunning to hide his hatred against any that he really did hate. But he could not impose upon his aunt, who understood him of a long time, and was a woman not easily to be deluded, especially while she had already used all possible caution in preventing his pernicious designs. Although Antipeter’s uncle by the mother’s side was married to her daughter, and this by his own connivance and management, while she had before been married to Aristobulus, and while Salome’s other daughter by that husband was married to the son of Calleas; yet that marriage was no obstacle to her, who knew how wicked he was, in her discovering his designs, as her former kindred to him could not prevent her hatred of him. Now Herod had compelled Salome, while she was in love with Sylleus the Arabian, and had taken a fondness for him, to marry Alexas; which match was by her submitted to at the instance of Julia, who persuaded Salome not to refuse it, lest she should herself be their open enemy, since Herod had sworn that he would never be friends with Salome, if she would not accept of Alexas for her husband; so she submitted to Julia as being Caesar’s wife; and besides that, she advised her to nothing but what was very much for her own advantage. At this time also it was that Herod sent back king Archelaus’s daughter, who had been Alexander’s wife, to her father, returning the portion he had with her out of his own estate, that there might be no dispute between them about it.
1. Ἀντιπάτρῳ δὲ ἀραμένῳ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀσεβείᾳ τε τῇ ὑστάτῃ καὶ ἀλαστορίᾳ τῇ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς τὸν πατέρα περιβεβληκότι οὔτι κατὰ γνώμας ἡ ἐλπὶς τοῦ αὖθις βίου ἦν· ἀπαλλαγεὶς γὰρ φόβου τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρχῇ διὰ τὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μὴ ἐπικοινωνῆσον, ἐργωδέστερον καὶ ἄπορον αὐτῷ εὕρισκεν τὸ τῆς βασιλείας περιγενέσθαι· τοσόνδʼ ἐφύη τῷ ἔθνει μῖσος πρὸς αὐτόν. ὄντος δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦδε χαλεποῦ πλειόνως παρελύπει τὸ στρατιωτικὸν ἀλλοτρίως ἔχον τῇ γνώμῃ πρὸς αὐτόν, εἰς οὓς τὰ πάντα ἦν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἀνακείμενα τοῦ οἰκείου ἀσφαλοῦς, ὁπότε τύχοι τὸ ἔθνος νεωτέρων ὀριγνώμενον πραγμάτων· τοσόνδε κίνδυνον ἐμνήστευσεν αὐτῷ ὁ ὄλεθρος τῶν ἀδελφῶν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνῆρχέν γε τῷ πατρὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ ὡς βασιλεὺς ὢν καὶ ἐπιστεύετο παρʼ αὐτῷ μειζόνως, ἐξ ὧν ἀπολωλέναι καλῶς εἶχεν εὐνοίας βεβαιώματα εὑρημένος, ὡς ἐπʼ ἀσφαλείᾳ σωτηρίας τῆς Ἡρώδου τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐνδεδειχώς, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχθρᾳ τῇ πρὸς ἐκείνους καὶ πρὸ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τοιαίδε αὐτὸν περιεσπένδον ἀραί. ἅπερ δὴ πάντα μηχαναὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἡρώδην ὁδοῦ ἵσταντο Ἀντιπάτρῳ, ἐρημοῦντι αὐτὸν μὲν κατηγόρων ἐφʼ οἷς πράττειν διενοεῖτο, Ἡρώδην δὲ καταφυγῆς οἳ βοηθοῖεν αὐτῷ τοῦ Ἀντιπάτρου φανερῶς πολεμίου καταστάντος· ὥστε μίσει μὲν τῷ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἔπρασσεν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν, τὸ δὲ ἥπτετο μειζόνως τοῦ ἐγχειρῶν μὴ ἀφίεσθαι τῆς πράξεως· ἀποθνήσκοντος μὲν γὰρ Ἡρώδου, βεβαίως αὐτῷ περιγενομένης τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐξικνουμένου δὲ εἰς τὸ πλέον ἔτι ζῆν, κινδύνων ἀντιπεριστάντων ἐξαγγέλτου γενομένης τῆς πράξεως, ἧς συνθέτης γεγονὼς πολέμιον ἠνάγκαζε τὸν πατέρα καταστῆναι. καὶ διὰ τοῦ χαρίζεσθαι πολυτελὴς ἦν τοὺς περὶ τὸν πατέρα, κέρδεσι μεγάλοις ἐκπλήσσων τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μῖσος πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἐπὶ Ῥώμης φίλους πομπαῖς μεγάλων δωρεῶν εὔνους καθιστάμενος, πρὸ πάντων δὲ Σατορνῖνον τὸν τῆς Συρίας ἐπιμελητήν. ὑπάξεσθαί τε ἦν ἐλπὶς αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν Σατορνίνου ἀδελφὸν μεγέθει δώρων, ἃ ἐδίδου, καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνδρὶ πρώτῳ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἡρώδην συνοικοῦσαν τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ χρώμενος. ψευσάμενός τε φιλίαν πρὸς τοὺς ὁμιλοῦντας δεινότατός τις ἦν πεπιστεῦσθαι καὶ μῖσος ἀράμενος ἐφʼ οὕστινας ἐπικρύψασθαι συνετώτατος. οὐ μὴν ἠπάτα γε τὴν τηθίδα προκατανενοηκυῖαν ἐκ πλείονος αὐτὸν καὶ μηκέθʼ οἷαν οὖσαν παραλογισθῆναι καὶ διὰ τὸ ἤδη παρασκευῇ τῇ πάσῃ ἀντιτετάχθαι αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸ κακότροπον. καίτοι θυγατρὶ αὐτῆς συνῴκει θεῖος πρὸς μητρὸς Ἀντιπάτρου προνοίᾳ τῇ ἐκείνου καὶ διαπράξει παραλαβὼν τὴν κόρην πρότερον Ἀριστοβούλῳ γεγαμημένην· τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς Καλλέα παῖς γυναῖκα εἶχεν. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κατανοεῖσθαι πονηρὸν ὄντα ἦν ἡ ἐπιγαμία τεῖχος, ὥσπερ οὐδʼ ἡ πρότερον συγγένεια πρὸς τὸ οὐ μεμισῆσθαι. τὴν δὲ Σαλώμην Ἡρώδης ἐσπουδακυῖαν Συλλαίῳ τῷ Ἄραβι γαμηθῆναι κατʼ ἐρωτικὴν ἐπιθυμίαν βιάζεται τῷ Ἀλεξᾷ συνοικεῖν συμπρασσούσης αὐτῷ Ἰουλίας καὶ πειθούσης τὴν Σαλώμην μὴ ἀνήνασθαι τὸν γάμον, μὴ καὶ ἔχθρα καθίσταιτο αὐτοῖς προύπτως ὀμωμοκότος Ἡρώδου μὴ ἂν εὐνοήσειν Σαλώμῃ μὴ ὑποδεξαμένῃ τὸν Ἀλεξᾶ γάμον. καὶ ἐπείθετο Καίσαρός τε οὔσῃ γυναικὶ τῇ Ἰουλίᾳ καὶ ἄλλως συμβουλευούσῃ πάνυ συμφέροντα. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἀρχελάου θυγατέρα τοῦ βασιλέως Ἡρώδης ὡς τὸν αὐτῆς πατέρα ἐξέπεμψεν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συνῳκηκυῖαν ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν προῖκα ἀποδούς, ὥστε ἀμφισβήτημα αὐτοῖς μηδὲν εἶναι.
12. Now Herod brought up his sons’ children with great care; for Alexander had two sons by Glaphyra; and Aristobulus had three sons by Bernice, Salome’s daughter, and two daughters; and as his friends were once with him, he presented the children before them; and deploring the hard fortune of his own sons, he prayed that no such ill fortune would befall these who were their children, but that they might improve in virtue, and obtain what they justly deserved, and might make him amends for his care of their education. He also caused them to be betrothed against they should come to the proper age of marriage; the elder of Alexander’s sons to Pheroras’s daughter, and Antipater’s daughter to Aristobulus’s eldest son. He also allotted one of Aristobulus’s daughters to Antipater’s son, and Aristobulus’s other daughter to Herod, a son of his own, who was born to him by the high priest’s daughter; for it is the ancient practice among us to have many wives at the same time. Now the king made these espousals for the children, out of commiseration of them now they were fatherless, as endeavoring to render Antipater kind to them by these intermarriages. But Antipater did not fail to bear the same temper of mind to his brothers’ children which he had borne to his brothers themselves; and his father’s concern about them provoked his indignation against them upon this supposal, that they would become greater than ever his brothers had been; while Archclaus, a king, would support his daughter’s sons, and Pheroras, a tetrarch, would accept of one of the daughters as a wife to his son. What provoked him also was this, that all the multitude would so commiserate these fatherless children, and so hate him [for making them fatherless], that all would come out, since they were no strangers to his vile disposition towards his brethren. He contrived, therefore, to overturn his father’s settlements, as thinking it a terrible thing that they should be so related to him, and be so powerful withal. So Herod yielded to him, and changed his resolution at his entreaty; and the determination now was, that Antipater himself should marry Aristobulus’s daughter, and Antipater’s son should marry Pheroras’s daughter. So the espousals for the marriages were changed after this manner, even without the king’s real approbation.
12. Ἀνέτρεφεν δὲ αὐτὸς τῶν παίδων τὰ τέκνα πάνυ ἐπιμελῶς· ἦσαν γὰρ τῷ μὲν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ ἐκ Γλαφύρας ἄρσενες δύο, Ἀριστοβούλῳ δὲ ἐκ Βερενίκης τῆς Σαλώμης θυγατρὸς ἄρσενές τε τρεῖς καὶ θήλειαι δύο. καί ποτε παρόντων αὐτῷ τῶν φίλων παραστησάμενος τὰ παιδάρια καὶ τῶν υἱέων ἀνακλαύσας τὴν τύχην ηὔχετο μηδὲν τοιόνδε παισὶν τοῖς ἐκείνων συνελθεῖν, αὐξηθέντας δὲ ἀρετῇ καὶ συμφορᾷ τοῦ δικαίου τὰς τροφὰς ἀμείψασθαι, ἃς ποιοῖτο. ἐγγεγύητό τε εἰς γάμον, ὁπότε ἀφικοίατο εἰς ὥραν τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, τῷ μὲν πρεσβυτέρῳ τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου παίδων Φερώρου θυγατέρα, τῷ δὲ Ἀριστοβούλου τὴν Ἀντιπάτρου, καὶ θυγατέρα τὴν Ἀριστοβούλου ἐπωνόμαζε παιδὶ τῷ Ἀντιπάτρου, τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν τῶν Ἀριστοβούλου θυγατέρων Ἡρώδῃ παιδὶ τῷ αὑτοῦ· γίνεται δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ οὗτος ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως θυγατρός· πάτριον γὰρ πλείοσιν ἐν ταὐτῷ ἡμῖν συνοικεῖν. ἔπρασσε δὲ τὰς μνηστείας τῶν παίδων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλέῳ τῶν ὀρφανῶν εἰς εὔνοιαν αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν ἐπιγαμίαν τὸν Ἀντίπατρον προκαλούμενος. Ἀντίπατρος δὲ γνώμῃ τῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πολιτεύειν οὐκ ἐνέλιπεν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῖς γεγονότας, ἥ τε τοῦ πατρὸς σπουδὴ περὶ αὐτοὺς ἠρέθιζεν αὐτὸν μείζονας ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἀδελφῶν προσδεχόμενον, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπότε ἀνδρωθεῖεν, Ἀρχελάου προσληψομένου τοῖς θυγατριδοῖς βασιλέως ἀνδρὸς καὶ Φερώρου τῷ ληψομένῳ τὴν θυγατέρα· τετράρχης δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἦν. ἐπήγειρε δʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ πᾶν πλῆθος ἐλέῳ μὲν τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς χρώμενον, μίσει δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα ἐξαγαγεῖν οὐκ ἀπηλλαγμένον κακοτροπίᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. ἐμηχανᾶτο οὖν διάλυσιν τῶν τῷ πατρὶ ἐγνωσμένων, ἐν δεινῷ τιθέμενος προσλήψει τοσῆσδε αὐτοὺς ὁμιλῆσαι δυνάμεως. καὶ μετέπιπτεν Ἡρώδης εἴκων δεήσει τῇ Ἀντιπάτρου, ὥστε αὐτὸν μὲν τὴν Ἀριστοβούλου θυγατέρα γαμεῖν καὶ τὴν Φερώρου τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ὁμολογιῶν τοῦ γάμου τοῦτον κινεῖται τὸν τρόπον ἄκοντος τοῦ βασιλέως.
19. Now Herod the king had at this time nine wives; one of them Antipater’s mother, and another the high priest’s daughter, by whom he had a son of his own name. He had also one who was his brother’s daughter, and another his sister’s daughter; which two had no children. One of his wives also was of the Samaritan nation, whose sons were Antipas and Archelaus, and whose daughter was Olympias; which daughter was afterward married to Joseph, the king’s brother’s son; but Archelaus and Antipas were brought up with a certain private man at Rome. Herod had also to wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem, and by her he had his sons Herod and Philip; which last was also brought up at Rome. Pallas also was one of his wives, which bare him his son Phasaelus. And besides these, he had for his wives Phedra and E1pis, by whom he had his daughters Roxana and Salome. As for his elder daughters by the same mother with Alexander and Aristobulus, and whom Pheroras neglected to marry, he gave the one in marriage to Antipater, the king’s sister’s son, and the other to Phasaelus, his brother’s son. And this was the posterity of Herod.
19. Ἡρώδῃ δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον συνῴκουν ἐννέα γυναῖκες, ἥ τε Ἀντιπάτρου μήτηρ καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ἐξ ἧς δὴ καὶ ὁμώνυμος αὐτῷ παῖς γεγόνει· ἦν δὲ καὶ ἀδελφοῦ παῖς αὐτῷ μία γεγαμημένη καὶ ἀνεψιὰ σὺν αὐτῇ. καὶ ταῖσδε μὲν τέκνον οὐδὲν ἐφύη. ἦν δʼ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν κἀκ τοῦ Σαμαρέων ἔθνους μία καὶ παῖδες αὐτῆς Ἀντίπας καὶ Ἀρχέλαος καὶ θυγάτηρ Ὀλυμπιάς. καὶ ταύτην μὲν ὕστερον Ἰώσηπος γαμεῖ βασιλέως ἀδελφιδοῦς ὤν, Ἀρχέλαος δὲ καὶ Ἀντίπας ἐπὶ Ῥώμης παρά τινι ἰδίῳ τροφὰς εἶχον. Κλεοπάτρα δὲ Ἱεροσολυμῖτις γεγάμητο αὐτῷ καὶ παῖδες ἐξ αὐτῆς Ἡρώδης τε ἐγεγόνεισαν καὶ Φίλιππος, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν Ῥώμῃ τροφὰς εἶχεν. καὶ Παλλὰς δὲ ἐν ταῖς γαμεταῖς Φασάηλον πεποιημένη παῖδα αὐτῷ, πρός γε μὴν ταύταις Φαῖδρα καὶ Ἐλπίς, ἐξ ὧν θυγατέρες δύο ἦσαν Ῥωξάνη καὶ Σαλώμη. τὰς δὲ πρεσβυτέρας αὐτοῦ θυγατέρας ὁμομητρίας τῶν περὶ Ἀλέξανδρον, ὧν περιεώρα Φερώρας τὸν γάμον, συνῴκουν ἡ μὲν Ἀντιπάτρῳ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφῆς παιδὶ ὄντι, Φασαήλῳ δὲ ἡ ἑτέρα· καὶ οὗτος Ἡρώδου ἀδελφοῦ παῖς ἐγεγόνει. καὶ τοῦτο μὲν Ἡρώδου τὸ γένος ἦν.
23. AND now it was that Herod, being desirous of securing himself on the side of the Trachonites, resolved to build a village as large as a city for the Jews, in the middle of that country, which might make his own country difficult to be assaulted, and whence he might be at hand to make sallies upon them, and do them a mischief. Accordingly, when he understood that there was a man that was a Jew come out of Babylon, with five hundred horsemen, all of whom could shoot their arrows as they rode on horde-back, and, with a hundred of his relations, had passed over Euphrates, and now abode at Antioch by Daphne of Syria, where Saturninus, who was then president, had given them a place for habitation, called Valatha, he sent for this man, with the multitude that followed him, and promised to give him land in the toparchy called Batanea, which country is bounded with Trachonitis, as desirous to make that his habitation a guard to himself. He also engaged to let him hold the country free from tribute, and that they should dwell entirely without paying such customs as used to be paid, and gave it him tax-free.
23. Τότε δὲ βουλόμενος πρὸς Τραχωνίτας ἀσφαλὴς εἶναι, κώμην πόλεως μέγεθος οὐκ ἀποδέουσαν ἔγνω Ἰουδαίων κτίσαι ἐν μέσῳ, δυσέμβολόν τε ποιεῖν τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐξ ἐγγίονος ὁρμώμενος ἐκ τοῦ ὀξέος κακουργεῖν. καὶ ἐπιστάμενος ἄνδρα Ἰουδαῖον ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας σὺν πεντακοσίοις ἱπποτοξόταις πᾶσι καὶ συγγενῶν πλήθει εἰς ἑκατὸν ἀνδρῶν τὸν Εὐφράτην διαβεβηκότα κατὰ τύχας ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ τῆς Συρίας διαιτᾶσθαι Σατορνίνου τοῦ τότε στρατηγοῦντος εἰς ἐνοίκησιν αὐτῷ δεδωκότος χωρίον, Οὐλαθὰ ὄνομα αὐτῷ, μετεπέμπετο τοῦτον σὺν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἑπομένων, παρέξειν ὑπισχνούμενος γῆν ἐν τοπαρχίᾳ τῇ λεγομένῃ Βαταναίᾳ, ὡρίζετο δὲ αὕτη τῇ Τραχωνίτιδι, βουλόμενος πρόβλημα τὴν κατοίκησιν αὐτοῦ κτᾶσθαι, ἀτελῆ τε τὴν χώραν ἐπηγγέλλετο καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰσφορῶν ἀπηλλαγμένους ἁπασῶν, αἳ εἰωθυῖαι ἐγκατοικεῖν τὴν γῆν ἄπρακτον παρασχόμενος.
26. The Babylonian was reduced by these offers to come hither; so he took possession of the land, and built in it fortresses and a village, and named it Bathyra. Whereby this man became a safeguard to the inhabitants against the Trachonites, and preserved those Jews who came out of Babylon, to offer their sacrifices at Jerusalem, from being hurt by the Trachonite robbers; so that a great number came to him from all those parts where the ancient Jewish laws were observed, and the country became full of people, by reason of their universal freedom from taxes. This continued during the life of Herod; but when Philip, who was [tetrarch] after him, took the government, he made them pay some small taxes, and that for a little while only; and Agrippa the Great, and his son of the same name, although they harassed them greatly, yet would they not take their liberty away. From whom, when the Romans have now taken the government into their own hands, they still gave them the privilege of their freedom, but oppress them entirely with the imposition of taxes. Of which matter I shall treat more accurately in the progress of this history.
26. Τούτοις πεισθεὶς ὁ Βαβυλώνιος ἀφικνεῖται καὶ λαβὼν τὴν γῆν φρούρια ᾠκοδομήσατο καὶ κώμην, Βαρθύραν ὄνομα αὐτῇ θέμενος. πρόβλημά τε ἦν οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Τραχωνίτας καὶ Ἰουδαίων τοῖς ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἀφικνουμένοις κατὰ θυσίαν ἐπὶ Ἱεροσολύμων τοῦ μὴ λῃστείαις ὑπὸ τῶν Τραχωνιτῶν κακουργεῖσθαι, πολλοί τε ὡς αὐτὸν ἀφίκοντο καὶ ἁπανταχόθεν, οἷς τὰ Ἰουδαίων θεραπεύεται πάτρια. καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ χώρα σφόδρα πολυάνθρωπος ἀδείᾳ τοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀτελοῦς, ἃ παρέμεινεν αὐτοῖς Ἡρώδου ζῶντος. Φίλιππος δὲ υἱὸς ἐκείνου παραλαβὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν ὀλίγα τε καὶ ἐπʼ ὀλίγοις αὐτοὺς ἐπράξατο, Ἀγρίππας μέντοι γε ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁμώνυμος καὶ πάνυ ἐξετρύχωσαν αὐτούς, οὐ μέντοι τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας κινεῖν ἠθέλησαν. παρʼ ὧν Ῥωμαῖοι δεξάμενοι τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ μὲν ἐλευθέρου καὶ αὐτοὶ τηροῦσιν τὴν ἀξίωσιν, ἐπιβολαῖς δὲ τῶν φόρων εἰς τὸ πάμπαν ἐπίεσαν αὐτούς. καὶ τάδε μὲν ᾗ καιρὸς ἀκριβώσομαι προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου.
29. At length Zamaris the Babylonian, to whom Herod had given that country for a possession, died, having lived virtuously, and left children of a good character behind him; one of whom was Jacim, who was famous for his valor, and taught his Babylonians how to ride their horses; and a troop of them were guards to the forementioned kings. And when Jacim was dead in his old age, he left a son, whose name was Philip, one of great strength in his hands, and in other respects also more eminent for his valor than any of his contemporaries; on which account there was a confidence and firm friendship between him and king Agrippa. He had also an army which he maintained as great as that of a king, which he exercised and led wheresoever lie had occasion to march.
29. Τελευτᾷ δὲ Ζάμαρις ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, ὃς ἐπὶ κτήσει τῆσδε τῆς χώρας Ἡρώδῃ προσποιεῖται, ζήσας τε μετὰ ἀρετῆς καὶ παῖδας λειπόμενος ἀγαθούς, Ἰάκειμον μέν, ὃς ἀνδρείᾳ γενόμενος ἐπιφανὴς ἱππεύειν συνεκρότησε τὸ ὑφʼ αὑτῷ Βαβυλώνιον, καὶ ἴλη τῶνδε τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐδορυφόρει τούσδε τοὺς βασιλέας. καὶ Ἰάκειμος δὲ ἐν γήρᾳ τελευτῶν Φίλιππον τὸν υἱὸν κατέλιπεν ἄνδρα κατὰ χεῖρας ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀρετῇ χρῆσθαι παρʼ ὁντινοῦν ἀξιόλογον. διόπερ φιλία τε πιστὴ καὶ εὔνοια ἀσφαλὴς αὐτῷ πρὸς Ἀγρίππαν γίνεται τὸν βασιλέα, στρατιάν τε ὁπόσην ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔτρεφεν οὗτος ἀσκῶν διετέλει καὶ ὅπη ἐξοδεύειν δεήσειεν ἡγούμενος.
32. When the affairs of Herod were in the condition I have described, all the public affairs depended upon Antipater; and his power was such, that he could do good turns to as many as he pleased, and this by his father’s concession, in hopes of his good-will and fidelity to him; and this till he ventured to use his power still further, because his wicked designs were concealed from his father, and he made him believe every thing he said. He was also formidable to all, not so much on account of the power and authority he had, as for the shrewdness of his vile attempts beforehand; but he who principally cultivated a friendship with him was Pheroras, who received the like marks of his friendship; while Antipater had cunningly encompassed him about by a company of women, whom he placed as guards about him; for Pheroras was greatly enslaved to his wife, and to her mother, and to her sister; and this notwithstanding the hatred he bare them for the indignities they had offered to his virgin daughters. Yet did he bear them, and nothing was to he done without the women, who had got this man into their circle, and continued still to assist each other in all things, insomuch that Antipater was entirely addicted to them, both by himself and by his mother; for these four women, said all one and the same thing; but the opinions of Pheroras and Antipater were different in some points of no consequence. But the king’s sister [Salome] was their antagonist, who for a good while had looked about all their affairs, and was apprized that this their friendship was made in order to do Herod some mischief, and was disposed to inform the king of it. And since these people knew that their friendship was very disagreeable to Herod, as tending to do him a mischief, they contrived that their meetings should not be discovered; so they pretended to hate one another, and to abuse one another when time served, and especially when Herod was present, or when any one was there that would tell him: but still their intimacy was firmer than ever, when they were private. And this was the course they took. But they could not conceal from Salome neither their first contrivance, when they set about these their intentions, nor when they had made some progress in them; but she searched out every thing; and, aggravating the relations to her brother, declared to him, as well their secret assemblies and compotations, as their counsels taken in a clandestine manner, which if they were not in order to destroy him, they might well enough have been open and public. But to appearance they are at variance, and speak about one another as if they intended one another a mischief, but agree so well together when they are out of the sight of the multitude; for when they are alone by themselves, they act in concert, and profess that they will never leave off their friendship, but will fight against those from whom they conceal their designs. And thus did she search out these things, and get a perfect knowledge of them, and then told her brother of them, who understood also of himself a great deal of what she said, but still durst not depend upon it, because of the suspicions he had of his sister’s calumnies. For there was a certain sect of men that were Jews, who valued themselves highly upon the exact skill they had in the law of their fathers, and made men believe they were highly favored by God, by whom this set of women were inveigled. These are those that are called the sect of the Pharisees, who were in a capacity of greatly opposing kings. A cunning sect they were, and soon elevated to a pitch of open fighting and doing mischief. Accordingly, when all the people of the Jews gave assurance of their good-will to Caesar, and to the king’s government, these very men did not swear, being above six thousand; and when the king imposed a fine upon them, Pheroras’s wife paid their fine for them. In order to requite which kindness of hers, since they were believed to have the foreknowledge of things to come by Divine inspiration, they foretold how God had decreed that Herod’s government should cease, and his posterity should be deprived of it; but that the kingdom should come to her and Pheroras, and to their children. These predictions were not concealed from Salome, but were told the king; as also how they had perverted some persons about the palace itself; so the king slew such of the Pharisees as were principally accused, and Bagoas the eunuch, and one Carus, who exceeded all men of that time in comeliness, and one that was his catamite. He slew also all those of his own family who had consented to what the Pharisees foretold; and for Bagoas, he had been puffed up by them, as though he should be named the father and the benefactor of him who, by the prediction, was foretold to be their appointed king; for that this king would have all things in his power, and would enable Bagoas to marry, and to have children of his own body begotten.
32. Ἡρώδου δʼ ἐν οἷς εἶπον ὄντος ἀφεώρα τὰ πάντα πράγματα εἰς Ἀντίπατρον, κἀφʼ οἷς ὠφελήσειεν κυροῦν οὐκ ἀπήλλακτο ἐξουσίας ἐπικεχωρηκότος τε τοῦ πατρὸς ἐλπίδι εὐνοίας καὶ πίστεως, καὶ περαιτέρω κτᾶσθαι τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τολμηρὸς καθιστάμενος διὰ τὸ ἄδηλος τῷ πατρὶ εἶναι κακουργῶν κἀφʼ οἷς εἴπειεν πιστότατος. ἦν τε πᾶσιν φοβερὸς οὐχ οὕτως ἰσχύι τῆς ἐξουσίας, ὡς τοῦ κακοτρόπου τῷ προμηθεῖ· μάλιστα δʼ αὐτὸν Φερώρας ἐθεράπευεν καὶ ἀντεθεραπεύετο δεινῶς, πάνυ τοῦ Ἀντιπάτρου περιστοιχίσαντος αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν γυναικωνῖτιν συνισταμένου τὰ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐδεδούλωτο γὰρ Φερώρας γαμετῇ τε καὶ μητρὶ ταύτης καὶ ἀδελφῇ καὶ ταῦτα μισῶν τὰς ἀνθρώπους ὕβρει θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ παρθένων· ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἠνείχετο, πράσσειν τε οὐδὲν ἦν δίχα τῶν γυναικῶν ἐκπεριωδευκυιῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἀλλήλαις εὐνοίᾳ συμπράσσειν τὰ πάντα μὴ ἀπηλλαγμένων, ὥστε παντοίως ὁ Ἀντίπατρος ὑπῆκτο αὐτὰς καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς μητρός· ταὐτὸν γὰρ αἵδε αἱ τέσσαρες γυναῖκες ἔλεγον. καὶ Φερώρᾳ δὲ πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον ἐπʼ οὐδαμινοῖς τισιν αἱ γνῶμαι διήλλασσον. ἀντίσπασμα δʼ ἦν αὐτοῖς βασιλέως ἡ ἀδελφὴ περισκοποῦσά τε ἐκ πλείονος τὰ πάντα καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ κακοῖς τοῖς Ἡρώδου πρασσομένην εἰδυῖά τε καὶ μηνύειν οὐκ ἀποτετραμμένη. καὶ γνόντες ἐν ἀπεχθείᾳ βασιλεῖ τὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτῶν οὖσαν ἐπινοοῦσιν ὥστε φανερὰν μὲν μὴ εἶναι τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτῶν σύνοδον, μίσους δὲ καὶ λοιδοριῶν ᾗ καιρὸς προσποίησιν, καὶ μάλιστα Ἡρώδου παρατυγχάνοντος ἢ οἳ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπαγγέλλειν ἔμελλον, κρυπτῶς δὲ τὰ τῆς εὐνοίας ὀχυρώτερα καθίστασθαι. καὶ ἔπρασσον οὕτως. ἐλάνθανεν δὲ τὴν Σαλώμην οὔτε πρῶτον ἡ διάνοια αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοιοῖσδε ὡρμημένων οὔτε ἐπειδὴ χρῆσθαι οὐκ ἀπήλλακτο αὐτή· πάντα δὲ ἀνίχνευέν τε καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν μειζόνως ἐκδεινοῦσα ἀπεσήμαινεν συνόδους τε κρυπτὰς καὶ πότους βουλευτήριά τε ἀφανῶς κατεσκευασμένα, ὧν μὴ ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῷ ἐκείνου συντιθεμένων κἂν πεφανερῶσθαι μὴ κεκωλῦσθαι. νῦν δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἐκ τοῦ προὔπτου διαφόρους καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπὶ βλάβῃ τῇ ἀλλήλων λέγοντας, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀφανὲς τοῖς πολλοῖς τὴν εὔνοιαν ἀνατιθεμένους καὶ ὁπότε ἀλλήλοις συμμονωθεῖεν φίλια πράσσειν μὴ ἀπηλλαγμένους, ὁμολογεῖν πολεμεῖν πρὸς οὓς λανθάνειν χρώμενοι εὐνοίᾳ τῇ ἀλλήλων ἐσπουδάκοιεν. καὶ ἡ μὲν ταῦτʼ ἀνίχνευέν τε καὶ ἀκριβῶν τυγχάνουσα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἀνέφερεν συνιέντι μὲν ἤδη τὰ πολλὰ καὶ διʼ ἑαυτοῦ, εἰς δὲ τὸ θαρσεῖν οὐ διακενῆς ὑπονοῶν καθισταμένῳ διαβολαῖς τῆς ἀδελφῆς. καὶ ἦν γὰρ μόριόν τι Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐπʼ ἐξακριβώσει μέγα φρονοῦν τοῦ πατρίου καὶ νόμων οἷς χαίρει τὸ θεῖον προσποιουμένων, οἷς ὑπῆκτο ἡ γυναικωνῖτις, Φαρισαῖοι καλοῦνται, βασιλεῖ δυναμένῳ μάλιστα πράσσειν προμηθεῖς κἀκ τοῦ προὔπτου εἰς τὸ πολεμεῖν τε καὶ βλάπτειν ἐπηρμένοι. παντὸς γοῦν τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ βεβαιώσαντος διʼ ὅρκων ἦ μὴν εὐνοήσειν Καίσαρι καὶ τοῖς βασιλέως πράγμασιν, οἵδε οἱ ἄνδρες οὐκ ὤμοσαν ὄντες ὑπὲρ ἑξακισχίλιοι, καὶ αὐτοὺς βασιλέως ζημιώσαντος χρήμασιν ἡ Φερώρου γυνὴ τὴν ζημίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εἰσφέρει. οἱ δὲ ἀμειβόμενοι τὴν εὔνοιαν αὐτῆς, πρόγνωσιν δὲ ἐπεπίστευντο ἐπιφοιτήσει τοῦ θεοῦ, προύλεγον, ὡς Ἡρώδῃ μὲν καταπαύσεως ἀρχῆς ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐψηφισμένης αὐτῷ τε καὶ γένει τῷ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, τῆς δὲ βασιλείας εἴς τε ἐκείνην περιηξούσης καὶ Φερώραν παῖδάς τε οἳ εἶεν αὐτοῖς. καὶ τάδε, οὐ γὰρ ἐλάνθανεν τὴν Σαλώμην, ἐξάγγελτα βασιλεῖ ἦν, καὶ ὅτι τῶν περὶ τὴν αὐλὴν διαφθείροιέν τινας. καὶ βασιλεὺς τῶν τε Φαρισαίων τοὺς αἰτιωτάτους ἀναιρεῖ καὶ Βαγώαν τὸν εὐνοῦχον Κᾶρόν τέ τινα τῶν τότε προύχοντα ἀρετῇ τοῦ εὐπρεποῦς καὶ παιδικὰ ὄντα αὐτοῦ. κτείνει δὲ καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι τοῦ οἰκείου συνειστήκει οἷς ὁ Φαρισαῖος ἔλεγεν. ἦρτο δὲ ὁ Βαγώας ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ὡς πατήρ τε καὶ εὐεργέτης ὀνομασθησόμενος τοῦ ἐπικατασταθησομένου προρρήσει βασιλέως· κατὰ χεῖρα γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τὰ πάντʼ εἶναι, παρέξοντος αὐτῷ γάμου τε ἰσχὺν καὶ παιδώσεως τέκνων γνησίων.
46. WHEN Herod had punished those Pharisees who had been convicted of the foregoing crimes, he gathered an assembly together of his friends, and accused Pheroras’s wife; and ascribing the abuses of the virgins to the impudence of that woman, brought an accusation against her for the dishonor she had brought upon them: that she had studiously introduced a quarrel between him and his brother, and, by her ill temper, had brought them into a state of war, both by her words and actions; that the fines which he had laid had not been paid, and the offenders had escaped punishment by her means; and that nothing which had of late been done had been done without her; “for which reason Pheroras would do well, if he would of his own accord, and by his own command, and not at my entreaty, or as following my opinion, put this his wife away, as one that will still be the occasion of war between thee and me. And now, Pheroras, if thou valuest thy relation to me, put this wife of thine away; for by this means thou wilt continue to be a brother to me, and wilt abide in thy love to me.” Then said Pheroras, (although he was pressed hard by the former words,) that as he would not do so unjust a thing as to renounce his brotherly relation to him, so would he not leave off his affection for his wife; that he would rather choose to die than to live, and be deprived of a wife that was so dear unto him. Hereupon Herod put off his anger against Pheroras on these accounts, although he himself thereby underwent a very uneasy punishment. However, he forbade Antipater and his mother to have any conversation with Pheroras, and bid them to take care to avoid the assemblies of the women; which they promised to do, but still got together when occasion served, and both Ptieroras and Antipater had their own merry meetings. The report went also, that Antipater had criminal conversation with Pheroras’s wife, and that they were brought together by Antipater’s mother.
46. Ἡρώδης δὲ κολάσας τῶν Φαρισαίων τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖσδε ἐληλεγμένους συνέδριόν τε ποιεῖται τῶν φίλων καὶ κατηγορίαν τῆς Φερώρου γυναικός, τήν τε ὕβριν τῶν παρθένων τῇ τόλμῃ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀνατιθεὶς καὶ ἔγκλημα ταύτην ἀτιμίαν αὐτῷ ποιούμενος, ὥστε ἀγωνοθετῶν στάσιν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν πόλεμον ἐκ φύσεως αὐτοῖς καὶ λόγῳ καὶ διʼ ἔργων ὁπόσα δύναιτο, τήν τε διάλυσιν τῆς ζημίας τῆς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβληθείσης τέλεσι διαφευχθείσης τοῖς ἐκείνης, τῶν τε νῦν πεπραγμένων οὐδὲν ὅ τι οὐ μετʼ αὐτῆς. ἀνθʼ ὧν, ὦ Φερώρα, καλῶς εἶχεν οὐ δεήσει οὐδὲ γνωμῶν εἰσηγήσεως τῶν ἐμῶν αὐτοκέλευστον ἀποπέμπεσθαι γυναῖκα ταύτην ὡς πολέμου τοῦ πρός μέ σοι αἰτίαν ἐσομένην· καὶ νῦν, εἴπερ ἀντιποιῇ συγγενείας τῆς ἐμῆς, ἀπείπασθαι τήνδε τὴν γαμετήν· μενεῖς γὰρ οὕτως ἀδελφός τε καὶ στέργειν οὐκ ἀπηλλαγμένος. Φερώρας δὲ καίπερ λόγων ἀρετῇ περιωθούμενος οὔτε συγγενείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἔλεγε κινήσειν δίκαιον οὐδὲν οὔτε τῶν πρὸς τὴν γαμετὴν εὐνοιῶν, αἱρεῖσθαί τε πρότερον θανεῖν ἢ ζῶν τολμᾶν ἀπεστερῆσθαι γυναικὸς αὐτῷ κεχαρισμένης. Ἡρώδης δὲ Φερώρᾳ μὲν ὑπερεβάλλετο τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὀργὴν καίπερ ἀνήδονον τιμωρίαν εἰσπεπραγμένος, Ἀντιπάτρῳ δὲ ἀπεῖπε καὶ μητρὶ τῇ ἐκείνου Φερώρᾳ τε μὴ ὁμιλεῖν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν φυλάσσεσθαι τὸ εἰς ταὐτὸν συνεσόμενον. οἱ δʼ ὡμολόγουν μέν, συνῄεσαν δὲ ᾗ καιρὸς καὶ συνεκώμαζον Φερώρας καὶ Ἀντίπατρος. ἐφοίτα δὲ λόγος ὁμιλεῖν καὶ Ἀντιπάτρῳ τὴν Φερώρου γυναῖκα συμπρασσούσης αὐτοῖς τὰ εἰς τὴν σύνοδον τῆς Ἀντιπάτρου μητρός.
52. But Antipater had now a suspicion of his father, and was afraid that the effects of his hatred to him might increase; so he wrote to his friends at Rome, and bid them to send to Herod, that he would immediately send Antipater to Caesar; which when it was done, Herod sent Antipater thither, and sent most noble presents along with him; as also his testament, wherein Antipater was appointed to be his successor; and that if Antipater should die first, his son [Herod Philip] by the high priest’s daughter should succeed. And, together with Antipater, there went to Rome Sylleus the Arabian, although he had done nothing of all that Caesar had enjoined him. Antipater also accused him of the same crimes of which he had been formerly accused by Herod. Sylleus was also accused by Aretas, that without his consent he had slain many of the chief of the Arabians at Petra; and particularly Soemus, a man that deserved to be honored by all men; and that he had slain Fabatus, a servant of Caesar. These were the things of which Sylleus was accused, and that on the occasion following: There was one Corinthus, belonging to Herod, of the guards of the king’s body, and one who was greatly trusted by him. Sylleus had persuaded this man with the offer of a great sum of money to kill Herod; and he had promised to do it. When Fabatus had been made acquainted with this, for Sylleus had himself told him of it, he informed the king of it; who caught Corinthus, and put him to the torture, and thereby got out of him the whole conspiracy. He also caught two other Arabians, who were discovered by Corinthus; the one the head of a tribe, and the other a friend to Sylleus, who both were by the king brought to the torture, and confessed that they were come to encourage Corinthus not to fail of doing what he had undertaken to do; and to assist him with their own hands in the murder, if need should require their assistance. So Saturninns, upon Herod’s discovering the whole to him, sent them to Rome.
52. Ὑφορώμενος δὲ τὸν πατέρα καὶ δεδιώς, μὴ εἰς πλεῖον προχωροίη τὰ τοῦ μίσους ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, γράφει πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ῥώμῃ φίλους κελεύων ἐπιστέλλειν Ἡρώδῃ πέμπειν ᾗ τάχος Ἀντίπατρον ὡς Καίσαρα. οὗ γενομένου ἔπεμπεν Ἡρώδης Ἀντίπατρον δῶρα συμπέμψας ἀξιολογώτατα καὶ διαθήκην, ἐν ᾗ μετʼ αὐτὸν Ἀντίπατρον ἀπεδείκνυε βασιλέα, ἢ φθάντος τελευτῆσαι Ἡρώδην τὸν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως θυγατρὸς υἱὸν αὐτῷ γεγενημένον. συνεξορμᾷ δʼ Ἀντιπάτρῳ καὶ Σύλλαιος ὁ Ἄραψ μηδὲν ὧν προσέταξε Καῖσαρ διαπεπραγμένος, καὶ Ἀντίπατρος αὐτοῦ κατηγορεῖ ἐπὶ Καίσαρος περὶ ὧν πρότερον Νικόλαος. κατηγορεῖτο δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ Ἀρέτα Σύλλαιος, ὡς πολλοὺς ἀπεκτονὼς τῶν ἐν Πέτρᾳ ἀξιολόγων παρὰ γνώμην τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ μάλιστα Σόαιμον ἄνδρα τῇ ἐς πάντα ἀρετῇ τιμᾶσθαι δικαιότατον, ἀνῃρηκέναι δὲ καὶ Φάβατον Καίσαρος δοῦλον. καὶ Σύλλαιος αἰτίαν εἶχεν ἐκ τοιῶνδε ἐγκλημάτων· Κόρινθος ἦν Ἡρώδου σωματοφύλαξ τοῦ βασιλέως μάλιστα πιστευόμενος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ. τοῦτον πείθει Σύλλαιος ἐπὶ χρήμασι μεγάλοις Ἡρώδην ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ ὑπέσχετο. μαθὼν οὖν Φάβατος Συλλαίου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρηκότος διηγεῖται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ τόν τε Κόρινθον βασανίζει συλλαβὼν καὶ πάντα ἀνάπυστα ἦν αὐτῷ. συλλαμβάνει δὲ καὶ δευτέρους Ἄραβας καταγορεύσει τῇ Κορίνθου πειθόμενος τὸν μὲν φύλαρχον ὄντα τὸν δὲ Συλλαίου φίλον. οἳ καὐτοί, βασανίζει γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεύς, ὡμολόγουν ὅτι παρεῖεν ἐξοτρύνοντες μὴ μαλακίζεσθαι Κόρινθον καὶ εἴ που δεήσειεν καὶ συγχειρουργήσοντες αὐτῷ τὸν φόνον. καὶ Σατορνῖνος δηλώσεως αὐτῷ πάντων ὑπὸ Ἡρώδου γενομένης εἰς Ῥώμην ἐξέπεμψεν αὐτούς.
58. At this time Herod commanded Pheroras, that since he was so obstinate in his affection for his wife, he should retire into his own tetrarchy; which he did very willingly, and sware many oaths that he would not come again till he heard that Herod was dead. And indeed when, upon a sickness of the king, he was desired to come to him before he died, that he might intrust him with some of his injunctions, he had such a regard to his oath, that he would not come to him; yet did not Herod so retain his hatred to Pheroras, but remitted of his purpose [not to see him], which he before had, and that for such great causes as have been already mentioned: but as soon as he began to be ill, he came to him, and this without being sent for; and when he was dead, he took care of his funeral, and had his body brought to Jerusalem, and buried there, and appointed a solemn mourning for him. This [death of Pheroras] became the origin of Antipater’s misfortunes, although he were already sailed for Rome, God now being about to punish him for the murder of his brethren, I will explain the history of this matter very distinctly, that it may be for a warning to mankind, that they take care of conducting their whole lives by the rules of virtue.
58. Φερώραν δὲ ἰσχυρῶς ἐμμένοντα εὐνοίᾳ τῆς γυναικὸς ἀναχωρεῖν εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ Ἡρώδης κελεύει. ὁ δὲ ἀσμένως ἐπὶ τὴν τετραρχίαν ἀπῆρεν, πολλὰ ὀμόσας οὐ πρότερον ἥξειν ἢ πύθοιτο Ἡρώδην τετελευτηκότα, ὥστε καὶ νοσήσαντος τοῦ βασιλέως ἀξιωθεὶς ἥκειν ἐπί τινων πίστεσιν ἐντολῶν, εἰ μέλλοι τελευτᾶν, οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν ἐπὶ τιμῇ τοῦ ὅρκου. οὐ μὴν Ἡρώδης γε μιμεῖται τὸ ἐπὶ τοιοῖσδε ἐκείνου γνώμην προαποφηνάμενον ἣν ἔχει, ἀλλʼ ἧκεν ὡς τὸν Φερώραν, ἐπειδὴ ὕστερον ἄρχεται νοσεῖν, καὶ μετακλήσεως αὐτῷ μὴ γενομένης, θανόντα δὲ περιστείλας ἐπὶ Ἱεροσολύμων ἀγόμενος ταφῆς ἠξίου καὶ πένθος μέγα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ προέθετο. τοῦτο Ἀντιπάτρῳ καίτοι γε ἐπὶ Ῥώμης πεπλευκότι κακῶν ἐγένετο ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀδελφοκτονίας αὐτὸν τινυμένου θεοῦ. διηγήσομαι δὲ τὸν πάντα περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον παράδειγμα τῷ ἀνθρωπείῳ γενησόμενον τοῦ ἀρετῇ πολιτεύσοντος ἐπὶ πᾶσιν.
61. AS soon as Pheroras was dead, and his funeral was over, two of Pheroras’s freed-men, who were much esteemed by him, came to Herod, and entreated him not to leave the murder of his brother without avenging it, but to examine into such an unreasonable and unhappy death. When he was moved with these words, for they seemed to him to be true, they said that Pheroras supped with his wife the day before he fell sick, and that a certain potion was brought him in such a sort of food as he was not used to eat; but that when he had eaten, he died of it: that this potion was brought out of Arabia by a woman, under pretense indeed as a love-potion, for that was its name, but in reality to kill Pheroras; for that the Arabian women are skillful in making such poisons: and the woman to whom they ascribe this was confessedly a most intimate friend of one of Sylleus’s mistresses; and that both the mother and the sister of Pheroras’s wife had been at the places where she lived, and had persuaded her to sell them this potion, and had come back and brought it with them the day before that his supper. Hereupon the king was provoked, and put the women slaves to the torture, and some that were free with them; and as the fact did not yet appear, because none of them would confess it, at length one of them, under the utmost agonies, said no more but this, that she prayed that God would send the like agonies upon Antipater’s mother, who had been the occasion of these miseries to all of them. This prayer induced Herod to increase the women’s tortures, till thereby all was discovered; their merry meetings, their secret assemblies, and the disclosing of what he had said to his son alone unto Pheroras’s women. (Now what Herod had charged Antipater to conceal, was the gift of a hundred talents to him not to have any conversation with Pheroras.) And what hatred he bore to his father; and that he complained to his mother how very long his father lived; and that he was himself almost an old man, insomuch that if the kingdom should come to him, it would not afford him any great pleasure; and that there were a great many of his brothers, or brothers’ children, bringing up, that might have hopes of the kingdom as well as himself, all which made his own hopes of it uncertain; for that even now, if he should himself not live, Herod had ordained that the government should be conferred, not on his son, but rather on a brother. He also had accused the king of great barbarity, and of the slaughter of his sons; and that it was out of the fear he was under, lest he should do the like to him, that made him contrive this his journey to Rome, and Pheroras contrive to go to his own tetrarchy.
61. Ἐπειδὴ Φερώρας τελευτᾷ ταφνίται ἐγεγόνεισαν αὐτοῦ ἀπελεύθεροι δύο τῶν Φερώρᾳ τιμίων οὗτοι προσελθόντες Ἡρώδῃ ἠξίουν μὴ ἀνεκδίκητον καταλιπεῖν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὸν νεκρόν, ἀλλὰ ζήτησιν ποιεῖσθαι τῆς ἀλόγου τε καὶ δυστυχοῦς μεταστάσεως. τοῦ δʼ ἐπιστραφέντος τοῖς λόγοις, πιστὰ γὰρ ἐδόκει, δειπνῆσαι μὲν αὐτὸν ἔλεγον παρὰ τῇ γυναικὶ τῇ προτέρᾳ τῆς νόσου, φάρμακον δὲ προσκομισθὲν ἐν βρώματι μὴ πρότερον εἰωθότι ἐμφαγόντα ὑπὸ τούτου τελευτῆσαι· κομιστὸν μέντοι γενέσθαι τὸ φάρμακον ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἐκ τῆς Ἀραβίας λόγῳ μὲν ἐπὶ προσποιήσεσιν ἐρώτων, φίλτρον γὰρ δὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ εἶναι, τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς ἐπὶ τῇ Φερώρου τελευτῇ. φαρμακιστόταται δέ εἰσι γυναικῶν αἱ ἐκ τῆς Ἀραβίας· ᾗ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπεκάλουν καὶ τῆς Συλλαίου ἐρωμένης ἐν ταῖς μάλιστα ὡμολόγητο εἶναι φίλη, πείσουσαί τε αὐτὴν ἐπὶ πράσει τοῦ φαρμάκου εἰς τοὺς τόπους ἐληλύθεσαν ἥ τε μήτηρ τῆς τοῦ Φερώρου γυναικὸς καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ καὶ ἐπανῆκον αὐτὴν ἀγόμεναι τοῦ δείπνου πρότερον ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ. ὑπὸ τούτων ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν λόγων παροξυνθεὶς δούλας τε ἐβασάνιζε τῶν γυναικῶν καί τινας καὶ ἐλευθέρας, καὶ ὄντος ἀφανοῦς τοῦ πράγματος διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐξειπεῖν τελευταία τις περιουσῶν αὐτῆς τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἄλλο μὲν ἔφη οὐδέν, θεὸν δʼ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τοιαῖσδε αἰκίαις δώσειν περιβαλεῖν τὴν Ἀντιπάτρου μητέρα κακῶν τῶν ἐπεχόντων αἰτίαν πᾶσιν γενομένην. ταῦτα εἰς ἐπίστασιν Ἡρώδην ἄγει, καὶ τὰ πάντα βασάνοις τῶν γυναικῶν ἀνάπυστα ἦν, οἵ τε κῶμοι καὶ κρυπταὶ σύνοδοι καὶ δὴ καὶ λόγων πρὸς μόνον τὸν υἱὸν εἰρημένων ἐξοίσεις πρὸς τὰς Φερώρου γυναῖκας· ἦν δὲ ταλάντων ἑκατὸν δωρεὰς ἐπικρύπτεσθαι φράζειν πρὸς Φερώραν τῷ Ἀντιπάτρῳ κέλευσις ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός· μῖσός τε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ὀλοφυρμοὶ πρὸς τὴν μητέρα, ὡς ἐπὶ μήκιστον τοῦ πατρὸς βιοῦν ἐξηγμένου καὶ αὐτῷ μηδὲν ἐλάσσονος τοῦ γήρως ἐπικειμένου, ὡς μηδʼ ἂν ἐλθοῦσαν τὴν βασιλείαν ὁμοίως εὐφρᾶναί ποτʼ αὐτόν· παρατρέφεσθαί τε πολλοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ ἀδελφῶν παῖδας οὐδαμῶς ἀδεῆ τὴν ἐλπίδα παρεχομένους τἀσφαλοῦς· καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ νῦν, εἴ τι πάσχειν, αὐτὸν ἀδελφῷ μᾶλλον ἢ παιδὶ τῷ αὐτοῦ κελεύειν τὴν ἀρχὴν δίδοσθαι. ὠμότητά τε πολλὴν κατηγόρει τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τὰς σφαγὰς τῶν υἱέων, φόβῳ τε μὴ καὶ αὐτῶν ἅπτοιτο ἤδη τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ Ῥώμης ἄρασθαι τέχνην ἐπινοῆσαι, Φερώραν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ τετραρχίας.
68. These confessions agreed with what his sister had told him, and tended greatly to corroborate her testimony, and to free her from the suspicion of her unfaithfulness to him. So the king having satisfied himself of the spite which Doris, Antipater’s mother, as well as himself, bore to him, took away from her all her fine ornaments, which were worth many talents, and then sent her away, and entered into friendship with Pheroras’s women. But he who most of all irritated the king against his son was one Antipater, the procurator of Antipater the king’s son, who, when he was tortured, among other things, said that Antipater had prepared a deadly potion, and given it to Pheroras, with his desire that he would give it to his father during his absence, and when he was too remote to have the least suspicion cast upon him thereto relating; that Antiphilus, one of Antipater’s friends, brought that potion out of Egypt; and that it was sent to Pheroras by Thendion, the brother of the mother of Antipater, the king’s son, and by that means came to Pheroras’s wife, her husband having given it her to keep. And when the king asked her about it, she confessed it; and as she was running to fetch it, she threw herself down from the house-top; yet did she not kill herself, because she fell upon her feet; by which means, when the king had comforted her, and had promised her and her domestics pardon, upon condition of their concealing nothing of the truth from him, but had threatened her with the utmost miseries if she proved ungrateful [and concealed any thing]: so she promised, and swore that she would speak out every thing, and tell after what manner every thing was done; and said what many took to be entirely true, that the potion was brought out of Egypt by Antiphilus; and that his brother, who was a physician, had procured it; and that when Thendion brought it us, she kept it upon Pheroras’s committing it to her; and that it was prepared by Antipater for thee. When, therefore, Pheroras was fallen sick, and thou camest to him and tookest care of him, and when he saw the kindness thou hadst for him, his mind was overborne thereby. So he called me to him, and said to me, “O woman! Antipater hath circumvented me in this affair of his father and my brother, by persuading me to have a murderous intention to him, and procuring a potion to be subservient thereto; do thou, therefore, go and fetch my potion, (since my brother appears to have still the same virtuous disposition towards me which he had formerly, and I do not expect to live long myself, and that I may not defile my forefathers by the murder of a brother,) and burn it before my face:’ that accordingly she immediately brought it, and did as her husband bade her; and that she burnt the greatest part of the potion; but that a little of it was left, that if the king, after Pheroras’s death, should treat her ill, she might poison herself, and thereby get clear of her miseries.” Upon her saying thus, she brought out the potion, and the box in which it was, before them all. Nay, there was another brother of Antiphilus, and his mother also, who, by the extremity of pain and torture, confessed the same things, and owned the box [to be that which had been brought out of Egypt]. The high priest’s daughter also, who was the king’s wife, was accused to have been conscious of all this, and had resolved to conceal it; for which reason Herod divorced her, and blotted her son out of his testament, wherein he had been mentioned as one that was to reign after him; and he took the high priesthood away from his father-in-law, Simeon the son of Boethus, and appointed Matthias the son of Theophilus, who was born at Jerusalem, to be high priest in his room.
68. Ταῦτα συνῇδεν γὰρ τοῖς λόγοις τῆς ἀδελφῆς, καὶ πολὺ τοῦ μὴ ἀπιστίαν ἔτι ὑποπτεύεσθαι συνῆγεν αὐτοῖς, ὁ βασιλεὺς κρατυνάμενος ἐπὶ κακίᾳ τῇ Ἀντιπάτρου τὴν Δῶριν τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ πάντα τὸν περὶ αὐτὴν κόσμον ταλάντων πολλῶν ὄντα ἀφελόμενος ἔπειτα αὐτὴν ἀποπέμπεται καὶ ταῖς Φερώρου γυναιξὶν φιλίαν ἐσπείσατο. μάλιστα δʼ ἐξώτρυνεν εἰς ὀργὴν κατὰ τοῦ παιδὸς τὸν βασιλέα Σαμαρείτης ἀνὴρ Ἀντίπατρος ἐπιτροπεύων τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀντίπατρον, ἄλλα τε αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς βασάνοις κατειπὼν καὶ ὅτι παρασκευασάμενος φάρμακον θανάσιμον δοίη Φερώρᾳ κελεύσας παρὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν αὐτοῦ, ἵνʼ ὡς πλεῖστον ἀφεστήκοι τῶν ἐν τοιούτοις ὑποτοπασμῶν, τῷ πατρὶ δοῦναι. καὶ κομίσαι μὲν Ἀντίφιλον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τὸ φάρμακον ἕνα τῶν Ἀντιπάτρου φίλων, σταλῆναι δὲ ὡς Φερώραν διὰ Θευδίωνος μητρὸς Ἀντιπάτρου ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως παιδός, καὶ οὕτως ἐλθεῖν τὸ φάρμακον εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν Φερώρου δόντος φυλάσσειν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς. ἡ δὲ ὡμολόγει μὲν ἀνακρίναντος τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ δραμοῦσα ὡς κομίσειεν ῥίπτει κατὰ τέγους ἑαυτήν, οὐ μὴν τελευτᾷ ἐπὶ πόδας τῆς πτώσεως γενομένης. καὶ οὕτως ἐπεὶ ἀνεκτήσατο αὐτὴν ἄδειάν τε αὐτῇ ὑπισχνούμενος καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις μηδὲν ἐπʼ ἀφανισμῷ τἀληθοῦς τρεπομένῃ, τρίψειν γε μὴν κακοῖς τοῖς ὑστάτοις ἀγνωμονεῖν προθεμένην, ὑπισχνεῖται καὶ ὤμοσεν ἦ μὴν ἐρεῖν τὰ πάντα ὃν ἐπράχθη τρόπον, λέγουσα μὲν, ὡς ἔφασαν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀληθῆ τὰ πάντα. κεκόμισται γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸ φάρμακον ὑπʼ Ἀντιφίλου, ἀδελφὸς δʼ ἐκείνῳ ἰατρὸς ὢν ἐπόρισεν, καὶ Θευδίωνος ὡς ἡμᾶς κομίσαντος ἐφύλασσον αὐτὴ παρὰ Φερώρου λαβοῦσα ἐπὶ σὲ ἡτοιμασμένον ὑπὸ Ἀντιπάτρου. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐνόσει Φερώρας καὶ ἐθεράπευες αὐτὸν ἀφικόμενος, ὁρῶν σου τὴν εὔνοιαν, ᾗ περὶ αὐτὸν ἐχρῶ, ἐπεκλάσθη τε τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ μετακαλέσας με, ὦ γύναι, φησίν, περιώδευσέ με Ἀντίπατρος ἐπὶ πατρὶ μὲν τῷ αὐτοῦ, ἀδελφῷ δὲ τῷ ʼμῷ, θανάσιμόν τε γνώμην συνθεὶς καὶ φάρμακον ᾧ διακονήσοιτο αὐτῇ πεπορισμένος. νῦν οὖν, ἐπειδὴ ὅ τε ἀδελφὸς οὐδὲν ἀρετῇ πρότερον ᾗ ἐχρῆτο περὶ ἐμοῦ ὑφαιρῶν ὦπται ἐμέ τε ἐλπὶς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἀπέσεσθαι τοῦ βίου, φέρε μὴ γνώμῃ ἀδελφοκτόνῳ ἀποτισοίμην προπάτορας τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ, τὸ φάρμακον καίειν τε ἐμοῦ βλέποντος, κομίσασά τε οὐδὲν εἰς ἀναβολὰς πράσσειν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὰς ἐπιστολάς. καὶ τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον καύσασαν τοῦ φαρμάκου τυχεῖν, ὑπολιπέσθαι δὲ ὀλίγον, ἵνα εἰ Φερώρου μεταστάντος περιέποι κακῶς αὐτὴν ὁ βασιλεύς, μεθίσταιτο αὐτῷ διάδρασιν ποιουμένη τῶν ἀναγκῶν. ταῦτα εἰποῦσα τό τε φάρμακον καὶ τὴν πυξίδα εἰς τὸ μέσον παρῆγεν. καὶ ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἀντιφίλου ἕτερος καὶ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ ἀνάγκαις τε καὶ βασάνων σφοδρότητι ταὐτὰ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐγνώριζον τὴν πυξίδα. κατηγορεῖτο δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἡ θυγάτηρ, γυνὴ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς πάντων ἵστωρ τούτων γενομένη κρύπτειν προθυμηθεῖσα αὐτά. καὶ διὰ τάδε Ἡρώδης ἐκείνην τε ἐξέβαλεν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς ἐξήλειψε τῶν διαθηκῶν εἰς ὃ βασιλεύσοι μενουσῶν, καὶ τὸν πενθερὸν τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην ἀφείλετο Σίμωνα τὸν τοῦ Βοηθοῦ, καθίσταται δὲ Ματθίαν τὸν Θεοφίλου Ἱεροσολυμίτην γένος.