Antiquities of the Jews — Book 18, Chapter 2

1. When Cyrenius had now disposed of Archelaus's money, and when the
taxings were come to a conclusion, which were made in the thirty-seventh
year of Cæsar's victory over Antony at Actium, he deprived Joazar of the
high priesthood, which dignity had been conferred on him by the
multitude, and he appointed Ananus, the son of Seth, to be high priest;
while Herod and Philip had each of them received their own tetrarchy,
and settled the affairs thereof. Herod also built a wall about
Sepphoris, [which is the security of all Galilee,] and made it the
metropolis of the country. He also built a wall round Betharamphtha,
which was itself a city also, and called it Julias, from the name of the
emperor's wife. When Philip also had built Paneas, a city at the
fountains of Jordan, he named it Cæsarea. He also advanced the village
Bethsaida, situate at the lake of Gennesareth, unto the dignity of a
city, both by the number of inhabitants it contained, and its other
grandeur, and called it by the name of Julias, the same name with
Cæsar's daughter.

2. As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was
exercising his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following
accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened
bread, which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to
open the temple-gates just after midnight. When, therefore, those gates
were first opened, some of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem,
and threw about dead men's bodies, in the cloisters; on which account
the Jews afterward excluded them out of the temple, which they had not
used to do at such festivals; and on other accounts also they watched
the temple more carefully than they had formerly done. A little after
which accident Coponius returned to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be
his successor in that government; under whom Salome, the sister of king
Herod, died, and left to Julia, [Cæsar's wife,] Jamnia, all its
toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, where is a great
plantation of palm trees, and their fruit is excellent in its kind.
After him came Annius Rufus, under whom died Cæsar, the second emperor
of the Romans, the duration of whose reign was fifty-seven years,
besides six months and two days [of which time Antonius ruled together
with him fourteen years; but the duration of his life was seventy-seven
years]; upon whose death Tiberius Nero, his wife Julia's son, succeeded.
He was now the third emperor; and he sent Valerius Gratus to be
procurator of Judea, and to succeed Annius Rufus. This man deprived
Ananus of the high priesthood, and appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi,
to be high priest. He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained
Eleazar, the son of Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high
priest; which office, when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him
of it, and gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and
when he had possessed that dignity no longer than a year, Joseph
Caiaphas was made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he
went back to Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when
Pontius Pilate came as his successor.

3. And now Herod the tetrarch, who was in great favor with Tiberius,
built a city of the same name with him, and called it Tiberias. He built
it in the best part of Galilee, at the lake of Gennesareth. There are
warm baths at a little distance from it, in a village named Emmaus.
Strangers came and inhabited this city; a great number of the
inhabitants were Galileans also; and many were necessitated by Herod to
come thither out of the country belonging to him, and were by force
compelled to be its inhabitants; some of them were persons of condition.
He also admitted poor people, such as those that were collected from all
parts, to dwell in it. Nay, some of them were not quite free-men, and
these he was benefactor to, and made them free in great numbers; but
obliged them not to forsake the city, by building them very good houses
at his own expenses, and by giving them land also; for he was sensible,
that to make this place a habitation was to transgress the Jewish
ancient laws, because many sepulchers were to be here taken away, in
order to make room for the city Tiberias 5 whereas our laws pronounce
that such inhabitants are unclean for seven days. 6

4. About this time died Phraates, king of the Parthians, by the
treachery of Phraataces his son, upon the occasion following: When
Phraates had had legitimate sons of his own, he had also an Italian
maid-servant, whose name was Thermusa, who had been formerly sent to him
by Julius Cæsar, among other presents. He first made her his concubine;
but he being a great admirer of her beauty, in process of time having a
son by her, whose name was Phraataces, he made her his legitimate wife,
and had a great respect for her. Now she was able to persuade him to do
any thing that she said, and was earnest in procuring the government of
Parthia for her son; but still she saw that her endeavors would not
succeed, unless she could contrive how to remove Phraates's legitimate
sons [out of the kingdom;] so she persuaded him to send those his sons
as pledges of his fidelity to Rome; and they were sent to Rome
accordingly, because it was not easy for him to contradict her commands.
Now while Phraataces was alone brought up in order to succeed in the
government, he thought it very tedious to expect that government by his
father's donation [as his successor]; he therefore formed a treacherous
design against his father, by his mother's assistance, with whom, as the
report went, he had criminal conversation also. So he was hated for both
these vices, while his subjects esteemed this [wicked] love of his
mother to be no way inferior to his parricide; and he was by them, in a
sedition, expelled out of the country before he grew too great, and
died. But as the best sort of Parthians agreed together that it was
impossible they should be governed without a king, while also it was
their constant practice to choose one of the family of Arsaces, [nor did
their law allow of any others; and they thought this kingdom had been
sufficiently injured already by the marriage with an Italian concubine,
and by her issue,] they sent ambassadors, and called Orodes [to take the
crown]; for the multitude would not otherwise have borne them; and
though he was accused of very great cruelty, and was of an untractable
temper, and prone to wrath, yet still he was one of the family of
Arsaces. However, they made a conspiracy against him, and slew him, and
that, as some say, at a festival, and among their sacrifices; [for it is
the universal custom there to carry their swords with them;] but, as the
more general report is, they slew him when they had drawn him out a
hunting. So they sent ambassadors to Rome, and desired they would send
one of those that were there as pledges to be their king. Accordingly,
Vonones was preferred before the rest, and sent to them [for he seemed
capable of such great fortune, which two of the greatest kingdoms under
the sun now offered him, his own and a foreign one]. However, the
barbarians soon changed their minds, they being naturally of a mutable
disposition, upon the supposal that this man was not worthy to be their
governor; for they could not think of obeying the commands of one that
had been a slave, [for so they called those that had been hostages,] nor
could they bear the ignominy of that name; and this was the more
intolerable, because then the Parthians must have such a king set over
them, not by right of war, but in time of peace. So they presently
invited Artabanus, king of Media, to be their king, he being also of the
race of Arsaces. Artabanus complied with the offer that was made him,
and came to them with an army. So Vonones met him; and at first the
multitude of the Parthians stood on this side, and he put his army in
array; but Artabanus was beaten, and fled to the mountains of Media. Yet
did he a little after gather a great army together, and fought with
Vonones, and beat him; whereupon Vonones fled away on horseback, with a
few of his attendants about him, to Seleucia [upon Tigris]. So when
Artabanus had slain a great number, and this after he had gotten the
victory by reason of the very great dismay the barbarians were in, he
retired to Ctesiphon with a great number of his people; and so he now
reigned over the Parthians. But Vonones fled away to Armenia; and as
soon as he came thither, he had an inclination to have the government of
the country given him, and sent ambassadors to Rome [for that purpose].
But because Tiberius refused it him, and because he wanted courage, and
because the Parthian king threatened him, and sent ambassadors to him to
denounce war against him if he proceeded, and because he had no way to
take to regain any other kingdom, [for the people of authority among the
Armenians about Niphates joined themselves to Artabanus,] he delivered
up himself to Silanus, the president of Syria, who, out of regard to his
education at Rome, kept him in Syria, while Artabanus gave Armenia to
Orodes, one of his own sons.

5. At this time died Antiochus, the king of Commagene; whereupon the
multitude contended with the nobility, and both sent ambassadors to
[Rome]; for the men of power were desirous that their form of government
might be changed into that of a [Roman] province; as were the multitude
desirous to be under kings, as their fathers had been. So the senate
made a decree that Germanicus should be sent to settle the affairs of
the East, fortune hereby taking a proper opportunity for depriving him
of his life; for when he had been in the East, and settled all affairs
there, his life was taken away by the poison which Piso gave him, as
hath been related elsewhere. 7