Antiquities Book 16, Chapter 1
A Law Of Herod's About, Thieves. Salome And Pheroras Calumniate Alexander And Aristobulus, Upon Their Return From Rome For Whom Yet Herod Provides Wives.
1. As king Herod was very zealous in the administration of his entire
government, and desirous to put a stop to particular acts of injustice
which were done by criminals about the city and country, he made a law,
no way like our original laws, and which he enacted of himself, to
expose house-breakers to be ejected out of his kingdom; which punishment
was not only grievous to be borne by the offenders, but contained in it
a dissolution of the customs of our forefathers; for this slavery to
foreigners, and such as did not live after the manner of Jews, and this
necessity that they were under to do whatsoever such men should command,
was an offense against our religious settlement, rather than a
punishment to such as were found to have offended, such a punishment
being avoided in our original laws; for those laws ordain, that the
thief shall restore fourfold; and that if he have not so much, he shall
be sold indeed, but not to foreigners, nor so that he be under perpetual
slavery, for he must have been released after six years. But this law,
thus enacted, in order to introduce a severe and illegal punishment,
seemed to be a piece of insolence of Herod, when he did not act as a
king, but as a tyrant, and thus contemptuously, and without any regard
to his subjects, did he venture to introduce such a punishment. Now this
penalty, thus brought into practice, was like Herod's other actions, and
became a part of his accusation, and an occasion of the hatred he lay
under.
2. Now at this time it was that he sailed to Italy, as very desirous to
meet with Cæsar, and to see his sons who lived at Rome; and Cæsar was
not only very obliging to him in other respects, but delivered him his
sons again, that he might take them home with him, as having already
completed themselves in the sciences; but as soon as the young men were
come from Italy, the multitude were very desirous to see them, and they
became conspicuous among them all, as adorned with great blessings of
fortune, and having the countenances of persons of royal dignity. So
they soon appeared to be the objects of envy to Salome, the king's
sister, and to such as had raised calumnies against Mariamne; for they
were suspicious, that when these came to the government, they should be
punished for the wickedness they had been guilty of against their
mother; so they made this very fear of theirs a motive to raise
calumnies against them also. They gave it out that they were not pleased
with their father's company, because he had put their mother to death,
as if it were not agreeable to piety to appear to converse with their
mother's murderer. Now, by carrying these stories; that had indeed a
true foundation [in the fact], but were only built on probabilities as
to the present accusation, they were able to do them mischief, and to
make Herod take away that kindness from his sons which he had before
borne to them; for they did not say these things to him openly, but
scattered abroad such words, among the rest of the multitude; from which
words, when carried to Herod, he was induced [at last] to hate them, and
which natural affection itself, even in length of time, was not able to
overcome; yet was the king at that time in a condition to prefer the
natural affection of a father before all the suspicions and calumnies
his sons lay under. So he respected them as he ought to do, and married
them to wives, now they were of an age suitable thereto. To Aristobulus
he gave for a wife Bernice, Salome's daughter; and to Alexander,
Glaphyra, the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia.
government, and desirous to put a stop to particular acts of injustice
which were done by criminals about the city and country, he made a law,
no way like our original laws, and which he enacted of himself, to
expose house-breakers to be ejected out of his kingdom; which punishment
was not only grievous to be borne by the offenders, but contained in it
a dissolution of the customs of our forefathers; for this slavery to
foreigners, and such as did not live after the manner of Jews, and this
necessity that they were under to do whatsoever such men should command,
was an offense against our religious settlement, rather than a
punishment to such as were found to have offended, such a punishment
being avoided in our original laws; for those laws ordain, that the
thief shall restore fourfold; and that if he have not so much, he shall
be sold indeed, but not to foreigners, nor so that he be under perpetual
slavery, for he must have been released after six years. But this law,
thus enacted, in order to introduce a severe and illegal punishment,
seemed to be a piece of insolence of Herod, when he did not act as a
king, but as a tyrant, and thus contemptuously, and without any regard
to his subjects, did he venture to introduce such a punishment. Now this
penalty, thus brought into practice, was like Herod's other actions, and
became a part of his accusation, and an occasion of the hatred he lay
under.
2. Now at this time it was that he sailed to Italy, as very desirous to
meet with Cæsar, and to see his sons who lived at Rome; and Cæsar was
not only very obliging to him in other respects, but delivered him his
sons again, that he might take them home with him, as having already
completed themselves in the sciences; but as soon as the young men were
come from Italy, the multitude were very desirous to see them, and they
became conspicuous among them all, as adorned with great blessings of
fortune, and having the countenances of persons of royal dignity. So
they soon appeared to be the objects of envy to Salome, the king's
sister, and to such as had raised calumnies against Mariamne; for they
were suspicious, that when these came to the government, they should be
punished for the wickedness they had been guilty of against their
mother; so they made this very fear of theirs a motive to raise
calumnies against them also. They gave it out that they were not pleased
with their father's company, because he had put their mother to death,
as if it were not agreeable to piety to appear to converse with their
mother's murderer. Now, by carrying these stories; that had indeed a
true foundation [in the fact], but were only built on probabilities as
to the present accusation, they were able to do them mischief, and to
make Herod take away that kindness from his sons which he had before
borne to them; for they did not say these things to him openly, but
scattered abroad such words, among the rest of the multitude; from which
words, when carried to Herod, he was induced [at last] to hate them, and
which natural affection itself, even in length of time, was not able to
overcome; yet was the king at that time in a condition to prefer the
natural affection of a father before all the suspicions and calumnies
his sons lay under. So he respected them as he ought to do, and married
them to wives, now they were of an age suitable thereto. To Aristobulus
he gave for a wife Bernice, Salome's daughter; and to Alexander,
Glaphyra, the daughter of Archelaus, king of Cappadocia.