Antiquities of the Jews — Book 15, Chapter 9

1. Now on this very year, which was the thirteenth year of the reign of
Herod, very great calamities came upon the country; whether they were
derived from the anger of God, or whether this misery returns again
naturally in certain periods of time 14 for, in the first place, there
were perpetual droughts, and for that reason the ground was barren, and
did not bring forth the same quantity of fruits that it used to produce;
and after this barrenness of the soil, that change of food which the
want of corn occasioned produced distempers in the bodies of men, and a
pestilential disease prevailed, one misery following upon the back of
another; and these circumstances, that they were destitute both of
methods of cure and of food, made the pestilential distemper, which
began after a violent manner, the more lasting. The destruction of men
also after such a manner deprived those that survived of all their
courage, because they had no way to provide remedies sufficient for the
distresses they were in. When therefore the fruits of that year were
spoiled, and whatsoever they had laid up beforehand was spent, there was
no foundation of hope for relief remaining, but the misery, contrary to
what they expected still increased upon them; and this not only on that
year, while they had nothing for themselves left [at the end of it], but
what seed they had sown perished also, by reason of the ground not
yielding its fruits on the second year. 15 This distress they were in
made them also, out of necessity, to eat many things that did not use to
be eaten; nor was the king himself free from this distress any more than
other men, as being deprived of that tribute he used to have from the
fruits of the ground, and having already expended what money he had, in
his liberality to those whose cities he had built; nor had he any people
that were worthy of his assistance, since this miserable state of things
had procured him the hatred of his subjects: for it is a constant rule,
that misfortunes are still laid to the account of those that govern.

2. In these circumstances he considered with himself how to procure some
seasonable help; but this was a hard thing to be done, while their
neighbors had no food to sell them; and their money also was gone, had
it been possible to purchase a little food at a great price. However, he
thought it his best way, by all means, not to leave off his endeavors to
assist his people; so he cut off the rich furniture that was in his
palace, both of silver and gold, insomuch that he did not spare the
finest vessels he had, or those that were made with the most elaborate
skill of the artificers, but sent the money to Petronius, who had been
made prefect of Egypt by Cæsar; and as not a few had already fled to him
under their necessities, and as he was particularly a friend to Herod,
and desirous to have his subjects preserved, he gave leave to them in
the first place to export corn, and assisted them every way, both in
purchasing and exporting the same; so that he was the principal, if not
the only person, who afforded them what help they had. And Herod taking
care the people should understand that this help came from himself, did
thereby not only remove the ill opinion of those that formerly hated
him, but gave them the greatest demonstration possible of his good-will
to them, and care of them; for, in the first place, as for those who
were able to provide their own food, he distributed to them their
proportion of corn in the exactest manner; but for those many that were
not able, either by reason of their old age, or any other infirmity, to
provide food for themselves, he made this provision for them, the bakers
should make their bread ready for them. He also took care that they
might not be hurt by the dangers of winter, since they were in great
want of clothing also, by reason of the utter destruction and
consumption of their sheep and goats, till they had no wool to make use
of, nor any thing else to cover themselves withal. And when he had
procured these things for his own subjects, he went further, in order to
provide necessaries for their neighbors, and gave seed to the Syrians,
which thing turned greatly to his own advantage also, this charitable
assistance being afforded most seasonably to their fruitful soil, so
that every one had now a plentiful provision of food. Upon the whole,
when the harvest of the land was approaching, he sent no fewer than
fifty thousand men, whom he had sustained, into the country; by which
means he both repaired the afflicted condition of his own kingdom with
great generosity and diligence, and lightened the afflictions of his
neighbors, who were under the same calamities; for there was nobody who
had been in want that was left destitute of a suitable assistance by
him; nay, further, there were neither any people, nor any cities, nor
any private men, who were to make provision for the multitudes, and on
that account were in want of support, and had recourse to him, but
received what they stood in need of, insomuch that it appeared, upon a
computation, that the number of cori of wheat, of ten attic medimni
apiece, that were given to foreigners, amounted to ten thousand, and the
number that was given in his own kingdom was about fourscore thousand.
Now it happened that this care of his, and this seasonable benefaction,
had such influence on the Jews, and was so cried up among other nations,
as to wipe off that old hatred which his violation of some of their
customs, during his reign, had procured him among all the nation, and
that this liberality of his assistance in this their greatest necessity
was full satisfaction for all that he had done of that nature, as it
also procured him great fame among foreigners; and it looked as if these
calamities that afflicted his land, to a degree plainly incredible, came
in order to raise his glory, and to be to his great advantage; for the
greatness of his liberality in these distresses, which he now
demonstrated beyond all expectation, did so change the disposition of
the multitude towards him, that they were ready to suppose he had been
from the beginning not such a one as they had found him to be by
experience, but such a one as the care he had taken of them in supplying
their necessities proved him now to be.

3. About this time it was that he sent five hundred chosen men out of
the guards of his body as auxiliaries to Cæsar, whom Aelius Gallus 16
led to the Red Sea, and who were of great service to him there. When
therefore his affairs were thus improved, and were again in a
flourishing condition, he built himself a palace in the upper city,
raising the rooms to a very great height, and adorning them with the
most costly furniture of gold, and marble scats, and beds; and these
were so large that they could contain very many companies of men. These
apartments were also of distinct magnitudes, and had particular names
given them; for one apartment was called Cæsar's, another Agrippa's. He
also fell in love again, and married another wife, not suffering his
reason to hinder him from living as he pleased. The occasion of this his
marriage was as follows: There was one Simon, a citizen of Jerusalem,
the son of one Boethus, a citizen of Alexandria, and a priest of great
note there; this man had a daughter, who was esteemed the most beautiful
woman of that time; and when the people of Jerusalem began to speak much
in her commendation, it happened that Herod was much affected with what
was said of her; and when he saw the damsel, he was smitten with her
beauty, yet did he entirely reject the thoughts of using his authority
to abuse her, as believing, what was the truth, that by so doing he
should be stigmatized for violence and tyranny; so he thought it best to
take the damsel to wife. And while Simon was of a dignity too inferior
to be allied to him, but still too considerable to be despised, he
governed his inclinations after the most prudent manner, by augmenting
the dignity of the family, and making them more honorable; so he
immediately deprived Jesus, the son of Phabet, of the high priesthood,
and conferred that dignity on Simon, and so joined in affinity with him
[by marrying his daughter].

4. When this wedding was over, he built another citadel in that place
where he had conquered the Jews when he was driven out of his
government, and Antigonus enjoyed it. This citadel is distant from
Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. It was strong by nature, and fit
for such a building. It is a sort of a moderate hill, raised to a
further height by the hand of man, till it was of the shape of a woman's
breast. It is encompassed with circular towers, and hath a strait ascent
up to it, which ascent is composed of steps of polished stones, in
number two hundred. Within it are royal and very rich apartments, of a
structure that provided both for security and for beauty. About the
bottom there are habitations of such a structure as are well worth
seeing, both on other accounts, and also on account of the water which
is brought thither from a great way off, and at vast expenses, for the
place itself is destitute of water. The plain that is about this citadel
is full of edifices, not inferior to any city in largeness, and having
the hill above it in the nature of a castle.

5. And now, when all Herod's designs had succeeded according to his
hopes, he had not the least suspicion that any troubles could arise in
his kingdom, because he kept his people obedient, as well by the fear
they stood in of him, for he was implacable in the infliction of his
punishments, as by the provident care he had showed towards them, after
the most magnanimous manner, when they were under their distresses. But
still he took care to have external security for his government as a
fortress against his subjects; for the orations he made to the cities
were very fine, and full of kindness; and he cultivated a seasonable
good understanding with their governors, and bestowed presents on every
one of them, inducing them thereby to be more friendly to him, and using
his magnificent disposition so as his kingdom might be the better
secured to him, and this till all his affairs were every way more and
more augmented. But then this magnificent temper of his, and that
submissive behavior and liberality which he exercised towards Cæsar, and
the most powerful men of Rome, obliged him to transgress the customs of
his nation, and to set aside many of their laws, and by building cities
after an extravagant manner, and erecting temples,—not in Judea indeed,
for that would not have been borne, it being forbidden for us to pay any
honor to images, or representations of animals, after the manner of the
Greeks; but still he did thus in the country [properly] out of our
bounds, and in the cities thereof 17 The apology which he made to the
Jews for these things was this: That all was done, not out of his own
inclinations, but by the commands and injunctions of others, in order to
please Cæsar and the Romans, as though he had not the Jewish customs so
much in his eye as he had the honor of those Romans, while yet he had
himself entirely in view all the while, and indeed was very ambitious to
leave great monuments of his government to posterity; whence it was that
he was so zealous in building such fine cities, and spent such vast sums
of money upon them.

6. Now upon his observation of a place near the sea, which was very
proper for containing a city, and was before called Strato's Tower, he
set about getting a plan for a magnificent city there, and erected many
edifices with great diligence all over it, and this of white stone. He
also adorned it with most sumptuous palaces and large edifices for
containing the people; and what was the greatest and most laborious work
of all, he adorned it with a haven, that was always free from the waves
of the sea. Its largeness was not less than the Pyrmum [at Athens], and
had towards the city a double station for the ships. It was of excellent
workmanship; and this was the more remarkable for its being built in a
place that of itself was not suitable to such noble structures, but was
to be brought to perfection by materials from other places, and at very
great expenses. This city is situate in Phoenicia, in the passage by sea
to Egypt, between Joppa and Dora, which are lesser maritime cities, and
not fit for havens, on account of the impetuous south winds that beat
upon them, which rolling the sands that come from the sea against the
shores, do not admit of ships lying in their station; but the merchants
are generally there forced to ride at their anchors in the sea itself.
So Herod endeavored to rectify this inconvenience, and laid out such a
compass towards the land as might be sufficient for a haven, wherein the
great ships might lie in safety; and this he effected by letting down
vast stones of above fifty feet in length, not less than eighteen in
breadth, and nine in depth, into twenty fathom deep; and as some were
lesser, so were others bigger than those dimensions. This mole which he
built by the sea-side was two hundred feet wide, the half of which was
opposed to the current of the waves, so as to keep off those waves which
were to break upon them, and so was called Procymatia, or the first
breaker of the waves; but the other half had upon it a wall, with
several towers, the largest of which was named Drusus, and was a work of
very great excellence, and had its name from Drusus, the son-in-law of
Cæsar, who died young. There were also a great number of arches where
the mariners dwelt. There was also before them a quay, [or landing
place,] which ran round the entire haven, and was a most agreeable walk
to such as had a mind to that exercise; but the entrance or mouth of the
port was made on the north quarter, on which side was the stillest of
the winds of all in this place: and the basis of the whole circuit on
the left hand, as you enter the port, supported a round turret, which
was made very strong, in order to resist the greatest waves; while on
the right hand, as you enter, stood two vast stones, and those each of
them larger than the turret, which were over against them; these stood
upright, and were joined together. Now there were edifices all along the
circular haven, made of the politest stone, with a certain elevation,
whereon was erected a temple, that was seen a great way off by those
that were sailing for that haven, and had in it two statues, the one of
Rome, the other of Cæsar. The city itself was called Cæsarea, which was
also itself built of fine materials, and was of a fine structure; nay,
the very subterranean vaults and cellars had no less of architecture
bestowed on them than had the buildings above ground. Some of these
vaults carried things at even distances to the haven and to the sea; but
one of them ran obliquely, and bound all the rest together, that both
the rain and the filth of the citizens were together carried off with
ease, and the sea itself, upon the flux of the tide from without, came
into the city, and washed it all clean. Herod also built therein a
theater of stone; and on the south quarter, behind the port, an
amphitheater also, capable of holding a vast number of men, and
conveniently situated for a prospect to the sea. So this city was thus
finished in twelve years; 18 during which time the king did not fail to
go on both with the work, and to pay the charges that were necessary.