Antiquities Book 16, Chapter 6
An Embassage In Cyrene And Asia To Cæsar, Concerning The Complaints They Had To Make Against The Greeks; With Copies Of The Epistles Which Cæsar And Agrippa Wrote To The Cities For Them.
1. Now the cities ill-treated the Jews in Asia, and all those also of
the same nation which lived in Libya, which joins to Cyrene, while the
former kings had given them equal privileges with the other citizens;
but the Greeks affronted them at this time, and that so far as to take
away their sacred money, and to do them mischief on other particular
occasions. When therefore they were thus afflicted, and found no end of
their barbarous treatment they met with among the Greeks, they sent
ambassadors to Cæsar on those accounts, who gave them the same
privileges as they had before, and sent letters to the same purpose to
the governors of the provinces, copies of which I subjoin here, as
testimonials of the ancient favorable disposition the Roman emperors had
towards us.
2. "Cæsar Augustus, high priest and tribune of the people, ordains thus:
Since the nation of the Jews hath been found grateful to the Roman
people, not only at this time, but in time past also, and chiefly
Hyrcanus the high priest, under my father 7 Cæsar the emperor, it seemed
good to me and my counselors, according to the sentence and oath of the
people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of their own
customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of
them under Hyrcanus the high priest of the Almighty God; and that their
sacred money be not touched, but be sent to Jerusalem, and that it be
committed to the care of the receivers at Jerusalem; and that they be
not obliged to go before any judge on the sabbath day, nor on the day of
the preparation to it, after the ninth hour. 8 But if any one be caught
stealing their holy books, or their sacred money, whether it be out of
the synagogue or public school, he shall be deemed a sacrilegious
person, and his goods shall be brought into the public treasury of the
Romans. And I give order that the testimonial which they have given me,
on account of my regard to that piety which I exercise toward all
mankind, and out of regard to Caius Marcus Censorinus, together with the
present decree, be proposed in that most eminent place which hath been
consecrated to me by the community of Asia at Ancyra. And if any one
transgress any part of what is above decreed, he shall be severely
punished." This was inscribed upon a pillar in the temple of Cæsar.
3. "Cæsar to Norbanus Flaccus, sendeth greeting. Let those Jews, how
many soever they be, who have been used, according to their ancient
custom, to send their sacred money to Jerusalem, do the same freely."
These were the decrees of Cæsar.
4. Agrippa also did himself write after the manner following, on behalf
of the Jews: "Agrippa, to the magistrates, senate, and people of the
Ephesians, sendeth greeting. I will that the care and custody of the
sacred money that is carried to the temple at Jerusalem be left to the
Jews of Asia, to do with it according to their ancient custom; and that
such as steal that sacred money of the Jews, and fly to a sanctuary,
shall be taken thence and delivered to the Jews, by the same law that
sacrilegious persons are taken thence. I have also written to Sylvanus
the praetor, that no one compel the Jews to come before a judge on the
sabbath day."
5. "Marcus Agrippa to the magistrates, senate, and people of Cyrene,
sendeth greeting. The Jews of Cyrene have interceded with me for the
performance of what Augustus sent orders about to Flavius, the then
praetor of Libya, and to the other procurators of that province, that
the sacred money may be sent to Jerusalem freely, as hath been their
custom from their forefathers, they complaining that they are abused by
certain informers, and under pretense of taxes which were not due, are
hindered from sending them, which I command to be restored without any
diminution or disturbance given to them. And if any of that sacred money
in the cities be taken from their proper receivers, I further enjoin,
that the same be exactly returned to the Jews in that place."
6. "Caius Norbanus Flaccus, proconsul, to the magistrates of the
Sardians, sendeth greeting. Cæsar hath written to me, and commanded me
not to forbid the Jews, how many soever they be, from assembling
together according to the custom of their forefathers, nor from sending
their money to Jerusalem. I have therefore written to you, that you may
know that both Cæsar and I would have you act accordingly."
7. Nor did Julius Antonius, the proconsul, write otherwise. "To the
magistrates, senate, and people of the Ephesians, sendeth greeting. As I
was dispensing justice at Ephesus, on the Ides of February, the Jews
that dwell in Asia demonstrated to me that Augustus and Agrippa had
permitted them to use their own laws and customs, and to offer those
their first-fruits, which every one of them freely offers to the Deity
on account of piety, and to carry them in a company together to
Jerusalem without disturbance. They also petitioned me that I also would
confirm what had been granted by Augustus and Agrippa by my own
sanction. I would therefore have you take notice, that according to the
will of Augustus and Agrippa, I permit them to use and do according to
the customs of their forefathers without disturbance."
8. I have been obliged to set down these decree because the present
history of our own acts will go generally among the Greeks; and I have
hereby demonstrated to them that we have formerly been in great esteem,
and have not been prohibited by those governors we were under from
keeping any of the laws of our forefathers; nay, that we have been
supported by them, while we followed our own religion, and the worship
we paid to God; and I frequently make mention of these decrees, in order
to reconcile other people to us, and to take away the causes of that
hatred which unreasonable men bear to us. As for our customs 9 there is
no nation which always makes use of the same, and in every city almost
we meet with them different from one another; but natural justice is
most agreeable to the advantage of all men equally, both Greeks and
barbarians, to which our laws have the greatest regard, and thereby
render us, if we abide in them after a pure manner, benevolent and
friendly to all men; on which account we have reason to expect the like
return from others, and to inform them that they ought not to esteem
difference of positive institutions a sufficient cause of alienation,
but [join with us in] the pursuit of virtue and probity, for this
belongs to all men in common, and of itself alone is sufficient for the
preservation of human life. I now return to the thread of my history.
the same nation which lived in Libya, which joins to Cyrene, while the
former kings had given them equal privileges with the other citizens;
but the Greeks affronted them at this time, and that so far as to take
away their sacred money, and to do them mischief on other particular
occasions. When therefore they were thus afflicted, and found no end of
their barbarous treatment they met with among the Greeks, they sent
ambassadors to Cæsar on those accounts, who gave them the same
privileges as they had before, and sent letters to the same purpose to
the governors of the provinces, copies of which I subjoin here, as
testimonials of the ancient favorable disposition the Roman emperors had
towards us.
2. "Cæsar Augustus, high priest and tribune of the people, ordains thus:
Since the nation of the Jews hath been found grateful to the Roman
people, not only at this time, but in time past also, and chiefly
Hyrcanus the high priest, under my father 7 Cæsar the emperor, it seemed
good to me and my counselors, according to the sentence and oath of the
people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of their own
customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of
them under Hyrcanus the high priest of the Almighty God; and that their
sacred money be not touched, but be sent to Jerusalem, and that it be
committed to the care of the receivers at Jerusalem; and that they be
not obliged to go before any judge on the sabbath day, nor on the day of
the preparation to it, after the ninth hour. 8 But if any one be caught
stealing their holy books, or their sacred money, whether it be out of
the synagogue or public school, he shall be deemed a sacrilegious
person, and his goods shall be brought into the public treasury of the
Romans. And I give order that the testimonial which they have given me,
on account of my regard to that piety which I exercise toward all
mankind, and out of regard to Caius Marcus Censorinus, together with the
present decree, be proposed in that most eminent place which hath been
consecrated to me by the community of Asia at Ancyra. And if any one
transgress any part of what is above decreed, he shall be severely
punished." This was inscribed upon a pillar in the temple of Cæsar.
3. "Cæsar to Norbanus Flaccus, sendeth greeting. Let those Jews, how
many soever they be, who have been used, according to their ancient
custom, to send their sacred money to Jerusalem, do the same freely."
These were the decrees of Cæsar.
4. Agrippa also did himself write after the manner following, on behalf
of the Jews: "Agrippa, to the magistrates, senate, and people of the
Ephesians, sendeth greeting. I will that the care and custody of the
sacred money that is carried to the temple at Jerusalem be left to the
Jews of Asia, to do with it according to their ancient custom; and that
such as steal that sacred money of the Jews, and fly to a sanctuary,
shall be taken thence and delivered to the Jews, by the same law that
sacrilegious persons are taken thence. I have also written to Sylvanus
the praetor, that no one compel the Jews to come before a judge on the
sabbath day."
5. "Marcus Agrippa to the magistrates, senate, and people of Cyrene,
sendeth greeting. The Jews of Cyrene have interceded with me for the
performance of what Augustus sent orders about to Flavius, the then
praetor of Libya, and to the other procurators of that province, that
the sacred money may be sent to Jerusalem freely, as hath been their
custom from their forefathers, they complaining that they are abused by
certain informers, and under pretense of taxes which were not due, are
hindered from sending them, which I command to be restored without any
diminution or disturbance given to them. And if any of that sacred money
in the cities be taken from their proper receivers, I further enjoin,
that the same be exactly returned to the Jews in that place."
6. "Caius Norbanus Flaccus, proconsul, to the magistrates of the
Sardians, sendeth greeting. Cæsar hath written to me, and commanded me
not to forbid the Jews, how many soever they be, from assembling
together according to the custom of their forefathers, nor from sending
their money to Jerusalem. I have therefore written to you, that you may
know that both Cæsar and I would have you act accordingly."
7. Nor did Julius Antonius, the proconsul, write otherwise. "To the
magistrates, senate, and people of the Ephesians, sendeth greeting. As I
was dispensing justice at Ephesus, on the Ides of February, the Jews
that dwell in Asia demonstrated to me that Augustus and Agrippa had
permitted them to use their own laws and customs, and to offer those
their first-fruits, which every one of them freely offers to the Deity
on account of piety, and to carry them in a company together to
Jerusalem without disturbance. They also petitioned me that I also would
confirm what had been granted by Augustus and Agrippa by my own
sanction. I would therefore have you take notice, that according to the
will of Augustus and Agrippa, I permit them to use and do according to
the customs of their forefathers without disturbance."
8. I have been obliged to set down these decree because the present
history of our own acts will go generally among the Greeks; and I have
hereby demonstrated to them that we have formerly been in great esteem,
and have not been prohibited by those governors we were under from
keeping any of the laws of our forefathers; nay, that we have been
supported by them, while we followed our own religion, and the worship
we paid to God; and I frequently make mention of these decrees, in order
to reconcile other people to us, and to take away the causes of that
hatred which unreasonable men bear to us. As for our customs 9 there is
no nation which always makes use of the same, and in every city almost
we meet with them different from one another; but natural justice is
most agreeable to the advantage of all men equally, both Greeks and
barbarians, to which our laws have the greatest regard, and thereby
render us, if we abide in them after a pure manner, benevolent and
friendly to all men; on which account we have reason to expect the like
return from others, and to inform them that they ought not to esteem
difference of positive institutions a sufficient cause of alienation,
but [join with us in] the pursuit of virtue and probity, for this
belongs to all men in common, and of itself alone is sufficient for the
preservation of human life. I now return to the thread of my history.