Antiquities of the Jews — Book 14, Chapter 13

1. When after this Antony came into Syria, Cleopatra met him in Cilicia,
and brought him to fall in love with her. And there came now also a
hundred of the most potent of the Jews to accuse Herod and those about
him, and set the men of the greatest eloquence among them to speak. But
Messala contradicted them, on behalf of the young men, and all this in
the presence of Hyrcanus, who was Herod's father-in-law 24 already. When
Antony had heard both sides at Daphne, he asked Hyrcanus who they were
that governed the nation best. He replied, Herod and his friends.
Hereupon Antony, by reason of the old hospitable friendship he had made
with his father [Antipater], at that time when he was with Gabinius, he
made both Herod and Phasaelus tetrarchs, and committed the public
affairs of the Jews to them, and wrote letters to that purpose. He also
bound fifteen of their adversaries, and was going to kill them, but that
Herod obtained their pardon.

2. Yet did not these men continue quiet when they were come back, but a
thousand of the Jews came to Tyre to meet him there, whither the report
was that he would come. But Antony was corrupted by the money which
Herod and his brother had given him; and so he gave order to the
governor of the place to punish the Jewish ambassadors, who were for
making innovations, and to settle the government upon Herod; but Herod
went out hastily to them, and Hyrcanus was with him, [for they stood
upon the shore before the city,] and he charged them to go their ways,
because great mischief would befall them if they went on with their
accusation. But they did not acquiesce; whereupon the Romans ran upon
them with their daggers, and slew some, and wounded more of them, and
the rest fled away and went home, and lay still in great consternation.
And when the people made a clamor against Herod, Antony was so provoked
at it, that he slew the prisoners.

3. Now, in the second year, Pacorus, the king of Parthia's son, and
Barzapharnes, a commander of the Parthians, possessed themselves of
Syria. Ptolemy, the son of Menneus, also was now dead, and Lysanias his
son took his government, and made a league of friendship with Antigonus,
the son of Aristobulus; and in order to obtain it, made use of that
commander, who had great interest in him. Now Antigonus had promised to
give the Parthians a thousand talents, and five hundred women, upon
condition they would take the government away from Hyrcanus, and bestow
it upon him, and withal kill Herod. And although he did not give them
what he had promised, yet did the Parthians make an expedition into
Judea on that account, and carried Antigonus with them. Pacorus went
along the maritime parts, but the commander Barzapharnes through the
midland. Now the Tyrians excluded Pacorus, but the Sidonians and those
of Ptolemais received him. However, Pacorus sent a troop of horsemen
into Judea, to take a view of the state of the country, and to assist
Antigonus; and sent also the king's butler, of the same name with
himself. So when the Jews that dwelt about Mount Carmel came to
Antigonus, and were ready to march with him into Judea, Antigonus hoped
to get some part of the country by their assistance. The place is called
Drymi; and when some others came and met them, the men privately fell
upon Jerusalem; and when some more were come to them, they got together
in great numbers, and came against the king's palace, and besieged it.
But as Phasaelus's and Herod's party came to the other's assistance, and
a battle happened between them in the market-place, the young men beat
their enemies, and pursued them into the temple, and sent some armed men
into the adjoining houses to keep them in, who yet being destitute of
such as should support them, were burnt, and the houses with them, by
the people who rose up against them. But Herod was revenged on these
seditious adversaries of his a little afterward for this injury they had
offered him, when he fought with them, and slew a great number of them.

4. But while there were daily skirmishes, the enemy waited for the
coming of the multitude out of the country to Pentecost, a feast of ours
so called; and when that day was come, many ten thousands of the people
were gathered together about the temple, some in armor, and some
without. Now those that came guarded both the temple and the city,
excepting what belonged to the palace, which Herod guarded with a few of
his soldiers; and Phasaelus had the charge of the wall, while Herod,
with a body of his men, sallied out upon the enemy, who lay in the
suburbs, and fought courageously, and put many ten thousands to flight,
some flying into the city, and some into the temple, and some into the
outer fortifications, for some such fortifications there were in that
place. Phasaelus came also to his assistance; yet was Pacorus, the
general of the Parthians, at the desire of Antigonus, admitted into the
city, with a few of his horsemen, under pretence indeed as if he would
still the sedition, but in reality to assist Antigonus in obtaining the
government. And when Phasaelus met him, and received him kindly, Pacorus
persuaded him to go himself as ambassador to Barzapharnes, which was
done fraudulently. Accordingly, Phasaelus, suspecting no harm, complied
with his proposal, while Herod did not give his consent to what was
done, because of the perfidiousness of these barbarians, but desired
Phasaelus rather to fight those that were come into the city.

5. So both Hyrcanus and Phasaelus went on the embassage; but Pacorus
left with Herod two hundred horsemen, and ten men, who were called the
freemen, and conducted the others on their journey; and when they were
in Galilee, the governors of the cities there met them in their arms.
Barzapharnes also received them at the first with cheerfulness, and made
them presents, though he afterward conspired against them; and
Phasaelus, with his horsemen, were conducted to the sea-side. But when
they heard that Antigonus had promised to give the Parthians a thousand
talents, and five hundred women, to assist him against them, they soon
had a suspicion of the barbarians. Moreover, there was one who informed
them that snares were laid for them by night, while a guard came about
them secretly; and they had then been seized upon, had not they waited
for the seizure of Herod by the Parthians that were about Jerusalem,
lest, upon the slaughter of Hyrcanus and Phasaelus, he should have an
intimation of it, and escape out of their hands. And these were the
circumstances they were now in; and they saw who they were that guarded
them. Some persons indeed would have persuaded Phasaelus to fly away
immediately on horseback, and not stay any longer; and there was one
Ophellius, who, above all the rest, was earnest with him to do so; for
he had heard of this treachery from Saramalla, the richest of all the
Syrians at that time, who also promised to provide him ships to carry
him off; for the sea was just by them. But he had no mind to desert
Hyrcanus, nor bring his brother into danger; but he went to
Barzapharnes, and told him he did not act justly when he made such a
contrivance against them; for that if he wanted money, he would give him
more than Antigonus; and besides, that it was a horrible thing to slay
those that came to him upon the security of their oaths, and that when
they had done them no injury. But the barbarian swore to him that there
was no truth in any of his suspicions, but that he was troubled with
nothing but false proposals, and then went away to Pacorus.

6. But as soon as he was gone away, some men came and bound Hyrcanus and
Phasaelus, while Phasaelus greatly reproached the Parthians for their
perjury; However, that butler who was sent against Herod had it in
command to get him without the walls of the city, and seize upon him;
but messengers had been sent by Phasaelus to inform Herod of the
perfidiousness of the Parthians. And when he knew that the enemy had
seized upon them, he went to Pacorus, and to the most potent of the
Parthians, as to the lord of the rest, who, although they knew the whole
matter, dissembled with him in a deceitful way; and said that he ought
to go out with them before the walls, and meet those which were bringing
him his letters, for that they were not taken by his adversaries, but
were coming to give him an account of the good success Phasaelus had
had. Herod did not give credit to what they said; for he had heard that
his brother was seized upon by others also; and the daughter of
Hyrcanus, whose daughter he had espoused, was his monitor also [not to
credit them], which made him still more suspicious of the Parthians; for
although other people did not give heed to her, yet did he believe her
as a woman of very great wisdom.

7. Now while the Parthians were in consultation what was fit to be done;
for they did not think it proper to make an open attempt upon a person
of his character; and while they put off the determination to the next
day, Herod was under great disturbance of mind, and rather inclining to
believe the reports he heard about his brother and the Parthians, than
to give heed to what was said on the other side, he determined, that
when the evening came on, he would make use of it for his flight, and
not make any longer delay, as if the dangers from the enemy were not yet
certain. He therefore removed with the armed men whom he had with him;
and set his wives upon the beasts, as also his mother, and sister, and
her whom he was about to marry, [Mariamne,] the daughter of Alexander,
the son of Aristobulus, with her mother, the daughter of Hyrcanus, and
his youngest brother, and all their servants, and the rest of the
multitude that was with him, and without the enemy's privity pursued his
way to Idumea. Nor could any enemy of his who then saw him in this case
be so hardhearted, but would have commiserated his fortune, while the
women drew along their infant children and left their own country, and
their friends in prison, with tears in their eyes, and sad lamentations,
and in expectation of nothing but what was of a melancholy nature.

8. But for Herod himself, he raised his mind above the miserable state
he was in, and was of good courage in the midst of his misfortunes; and
as he passed along, he bid them every one to be of good cheer, and not
to give themselves up to sorrow, because that would hinder them in their
flight, which was now the only hope of safety that they had.
Accordingly, they tried to bear with patience the calamity they were
under, as he exhorted them to do; yet was he once almost going to kill
himself, upon the overthrow of a waggon, and the danger his mother was
then in of being killed; and this on two accounts, because of his great
concern for her, and because he was afraid lest, by this delay, the
enemy should overtake him in the pursuit: but as he was drawing his
sword, and going to kill himself therewith, those that were present
restrained him, and being so many in number, were too hard for him; and
told him that he ought not to desert them, and leave them a prey to
their enemies, for that it was not the part of a brave man to free
himself from the distresses he was in, and to overlook his friends that
were in the same distresses also. So he was compelled to let that horrid
attempt alone, partly out of shame at what they said to him, and partly
out of regard to the great number of those that would not permit him to
do what he intended. So he encouraged his mother, and took all the care
of her the time would allow, and proceeded on the way he proposed to go
with the utmost haste, and that was to the fortress of Masada. And as he
had many skirmishes with such of the Parthians as attacked him and
pursued him, he was conqueror in them all.

9. Nor indeed was he free from the Jews all along as he was in his
flight; for by that time he was gotten sixty furlongs out of the city,
and was upon the road, they fell upon him, and fought hand to hand with
him, whom he also put to flight, and overcame, not like one that was in
distress and in necessity, but like one that was excellently prepared
for war, and had what he wanted in great plenty. And in this very place
where he overcame the Jews it was that he some time afterward build a
most excellent palace, and a city round about it, and called it
Herodium. And when he was come to Idumea, at a place called Thressa, his
brother Joseph met him, and he then held a council to take advice about
all his affairs, and what was fit to be done in his circumstances, since
he had a great multitude that followed him, besides his mercenary
soldiers, and the place Masada, whither he proposed to fly, was too
small to contain so great a multitude; so he sent away the greater part
of his company, being above nine thousand, and bid them go, some one
way, and some another, and so save themselves in Idumea, and gave them
what would buy them provisions in their journey. But he took with him
those that were the least encumbered, and were most intimate with him,
and came to the fortress, and placed there his wives and his followers,
being eight hundred in number, there being in the place a sufficient
quantity of corn and water, and other necessaries, and went directly for
Petra, in Arabia. But when it was day, the Parthians plundered all
Jerusalem, and the palace, and abstained from nothing but Hyrcanus's
money, which was three hundred talents. A great deal of Herod's money
escaped, and principally all that the man had been so provident as to
send into Idumea beforehand; nor indeed did what was in the city suffice
the Parthians, but they went out into the country, and plundered it, and
demolished the city Marissa.

10. And thus was Antigonus brought back into Judea by the king of the
Parthians, and received Hyrcanus and Phasaelus for his prisoners; but he
was greatly cast down because the women had escaped, whom he intended to
have given the enemy, as having promised they should have them, with the
money, for their reward: but being afraid that Hyrcanus, who was under
the guard of the Parthians, might have his kingdom restored to him by
the multitude, he cut off his ears, and thereby took care that the high
priesthood should never come to him any more, because he was maimed,
while the law required that this dignity should belong to none but such
as had all their members entire 25 But now one cannot but here admire
the fortitude of Phasaelus, who, perceiving that he was to be put to
death, did not think death any terrible thing at all; but to die thus by
the means of his enemy, this he thought a most pitiable and dishonorable
thing; and therefore, since he had not his hands at liberty, but the
bonds he was in prevented him from killing himself thereby, he dashed
his head against a great stone, and thereby took away his own life,
which he thought to be the best thing he could do in such a distress as
he was in, and thereby put it out of the power of the enemy to bring him
to any death he pleased. It is also reported, that when he had made a
great wound in his head, Antigonus sent physicians to cure it, and, by
ordering them to infuse poison into the wound, killed him. However,
Phasaelus hearing, before he was quite dead, by a certain woman, that
his brother Herod had escaped the enemy, underwent his death cheerfully,
since he now left behind him one who would revenge his death, and who
was able to inflict punishment on his enemies.