Antiquities of the Jews — Book 17, Chapter 2

1. 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 horse-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.

2. 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. 2

3. 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 he had occasion to march.

4. 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 be 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, 3 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 Cæsar, 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.