Antiquities Book 20, Chapter 9
Concerning Albinus Under Whose Procuratorship James Was Slain; As Also What Edifices Were Built By Agrippa.
1. And now Cæsar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into
Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high
priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of
Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that
this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who
had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had
himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never
happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who,
as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in
his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees,
23 who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the
Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this
disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his
authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so
he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the
brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some
others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an
accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be
stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens,
and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they
disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring
him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he
had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to
meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed
him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without
his consent. 24 Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and
wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to
punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high
priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus,
the son of Damneus, high priest.
2. Now as soon as Albinus was come to the city of Jerusalem, he used all
his endeavors and care that the country might be kept in peace, and this
by destroying many of the Sicarii. But as for the high priest, Ananias
25 he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had
obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; for he
was a great hoarder up of money: he therefore cultivated the friendship
of Albinus, and of the high priest [Jesus], by making them presents; he
also had servants who were very wicked, who joined themselves to the
boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing-floors, and took
away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence, and did not
refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the
other high priests acted in the like manner, as did those his servants,
without any one being able to prohibit them; so that [some of the]
priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died
for want of food.
3. But now the Sicarii went into the city by night, just before the
festival, which was now at hand, and took the scribe belonging to the
governor of the temple, whose name was Eleazar, who was the son of
Ananus [Ananias] the high priest, and bound him, and carried him away
with them; after which they sent to Ananias, and said that they would
send the scribe to him, if he would persuade Albinus to release ten of
those prisoners which he had caught of their party; so Ananias was
plainly forced to persuade Albinus, and gained his request of him. This
was the beginning of greater calamities; for the robbers perpetually
contrived to catch some of Ananias's servants; and when they had taken
them alive, they would not let them go, till they thereby recovered some
of their own Sicarii. And as they were again become no small number,
they grew bold, and were a great affliction to the whole country.
4. About this time it was that king Agrippa built Cæsarea Philippi
larger than it was before, and, in honor of Nero, named it Neronlas. And
when he had built a theater at Berytus, with vast expenses, he bestowed
on them shows, to be exhibited every year, and spent therein many ten
thousand [drachmae]; he also gave the people a largess of corn, and
distributed oil among them, and adorned the entire city with statues of
his own donation, and with original images made by ancient hands; nay,
he almost transferred all that was most ornamental in his own kingdom
thither. This made him more than ordinarily hated by his subjects,
because he took those things away that belonged to them to adorn a
foreign city. And now Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, became the successor
of Jesus, the son of Damneus, in the high priesthood, which the king had
taken from the other; on which account a sedition arose between the high
priests, with regard to one another; for they got together bodies of the
boldest sort of the people, and frequently came, from reproaches, to
throwing of stones at each other. But Ananias was too hard for the rest,
by his riches, which enabled him to gain those that were most ready to
receive. Costobarus also, and Saulus, did themselves get together a
multitude of wicked wretches, and this because they were of the royal
family; and so they obtained favor among them, because of their kindred
to Agrippa; but still they used violence with the people, and were very
ready to plunder those that were weaker than themselves. And from that
time it principally came to pass that our city was greatly disordered,
and that all things grew worse and worse among us.
5. But when Albinus heard that Gessius Florus was coming to succeed him,
he was desirous to appear to do somewhat that might be grateful to the
people of Jerusalem; so he brought out all those prisoners who seemed to
him to be most plainly worthy of death, and ordered them to be put to
death accordingly. But as to those who had been put into prison on some
trifling occasions, he took money of them, and dismissed them; by which
means the prisons were indeed emptied, but the country was filled with
robbers.
6. Now as many of the Levites, 26 which is a tribe of ours, as were
singers of hymns, persuaded the king to assemble a sanhedrim, and to
give them leave to wear linen garments, as well as the priests for they
said that this would be a work worthy the times of his government, that
he might have a memorial of such a novelty, as being his doing. Nor did
they fail of obtaining their desire; for the king, with the suffrages of
those that came into the sanhedrim, granted the singers of hymns this
privilege, that they might lay aside their former garments, and wear
such a linen one as they desired; and as a part of this tribe ministered
in the temple, he also permitted them to learn those hymns as they had
besought him for. Now all this was contrary to the laws of our country,
which, whenever they have been transgressed, we have never been able to
avoid the punishment of such transgressions.
7. And now it was that the temple was finished. So when the people saw
that the workmen were unemployed, who were above eighteen thousand and
that they, receiving no wages, were in want because they had earned
their bread by their labors about the temple; and while they were
unwilling to keep by them the treasures that were there deposited, out
of fear of [their being carried away by] the Romans; and while they had
a regard to the making provision for the workmen; they had a mind to
expend these treasures upon them; for if any one of them did but labor
for a single hour, he received his pay immediately; so they persuaded
him to rebuild the eastern cloisters. These cloisters belonged to the
outer court, and were situated in a deep valley, and had walls that
reached four hundred cubits [in length], and were built of square and
very white stones, the length of each of which stones was twenty cubits,
and their height six cubits. This was the work of king Solomon, 27 who
first of all built the entire temple. But king Agrippa, who had the care
of the temple committed to him by Claudius Cæsar, considering that it is
easy to demolish any building, but hard to build it up again, and that
it was particularly hard to do it to these cloisters, which would
require a considerable time, and great sums of money, he denied the
petitioners their request about that matter; but he did not obstruct
them when they desired the city might be paved with white stone. He also
deprived Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, of the high priesthood, and gave it
to Matthias, the son of Theophilus, under whom the Jews' war with the
Romans took its beginning.
Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high
priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of
Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that
this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who
had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had
himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never
happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who,
as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in
his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees,
23 who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the
Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this
disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his
authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so
he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the
brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some
others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an
accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be
stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens,
and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they
disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring
him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he
had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to
meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed
him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without
his consent. 24 Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and
wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to
punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high
priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus,
the son of Damneus, high priest.
2. Now as soon as Albinus was come to the city of Jerusalem, he used all
his endeavors and care that the country might be kept in peace, and this
by destroying many of the Sicarii. But as for the high priest, Ananias
25 he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had
obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; for he
was a great hoarder up of money: he therefore cultivated the friendship
of Albinus, and of the high priest [Jesus], by making them presents; he
also had servants who were very wicked, who joined themselves to the
boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing-floors, and took
away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence, and did not
refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the
other high priests acted in the like manner, as did those his servants,
without any one being able to prohibit them; so that [some of the]
priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died
for want of food.
3. But now the Sicarii went into the city by night, just before the
festival, which was now at hand, and took the scribe belonging to the
governor of the temple, whose name was Eleazar, who was the son of
Ananus [Ananias] the high priest, and bound him, and carried him away
with them; after which they sent to Ananias, and said that they would
send the scribe to him, if he would persuade Albinus to release ten of
those prisoners which he had caught of their party; so Ananias was
plainly forced to persuade Albinus, and gained his request of him. This
was the beginning of greater calamities; for the robbers perpetually
contrived to catch some of Ananias's servants; and when they had taken
them alive, they would not let them go, till they thereby recovered some
of their own Sicarii. And as they were again become no small number,
they grew bold, and were a great affliction to the whole country.
4. About this time it was that king Agrippa built Cæsarea Philippi
larger than it was before, and, in honor of Nero, named it Neronlas. And
when he had built a theater at Berytus, with vast expenses, he bestowed
on them shows, to be exhibited every year, and spent therein many ten
thousand [drachmae]; he also gave the people a largess of corn, and
distributed oil among them, and adorned the entire city with statues of
his own donation, and with original images made by ancient hands; nay,
he almost transferred all that was most ornamental in his own kingdom
thither. This made him more than ordinarily hated by his subjects,
because he took those things away that belonged to them to adorn a
foreign city. And now Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, became the successor
of Jesus, the son of Damneus, in the high priesthood, which the king had
taken from the other; on which account a sedition arose between the high
priests, with regard to one another; for they got together bodies of the
boldest sort of the people, and frequently came, from reproaches, to
throwing of stones at each other. But Ananias was too hard for the rest,
by his riches, which enabled him to gain those that were most ready to
receive. Costobarus also, and Saulus, did themselves get together a
multitude of wicked wretches, and this because they were of the royal
family; and so they obtained favor among them, because of their kindred
to Agrippa; but still they used violence with the people, and were very
ready to plunder those that were weaker than themselves. And from that
time it principally came to pass that our city was greatly disordered,
and that all things grew worse and worse among us.
5. But when Albinus heard that Gessius Florus was coming to succeed him,
he was desirous to appear to do somewhat that might be grateful to the
people of Jerusalem; so he brought out all those prisoners who seemed to
him to be most plainly worthy of death, and ordered them to be put to
death accordingly. But as to those who had been put into prison on some
trifling occasions, he took money of them, and dismissed them; by which
means the prisons were indeed emptied, but the country was filled with
robbers.
6. Now as many of the Levites, 26 which is a tribe of ours, as were
singers of hymns, persuaded the king to assemble a sanhedrim, and to
give them leave to wear linen garments, as well as the priests for they
said that this would be a work worthy the times of his government, that
he might have a memorial of such a novelty, as being his doing. Nor did
they fail of obtaining their desire; for the king, with the suffrages of
those that came into the sanhedrim, granted the singers of hymns this
privilege, that they might lay aside their former garments, and wear
such a linen one as they desired; and as a part of this tribe ministered
in the temple, he also permitted them to learn those hymns as they had
besought him for. Now all this was contrary to the laws of our country,
which, whenever they have been transgressed, we have never been able to
avoid the punishment of such transgressions.
7. And now it was that the temple was finished. So when the people saw
that the workmen were unemployed, who were above eighteen thousand and
that they, receiving no wages, were in want because they had earned
their bread by their labors about the temple; and while they were
unwilling to keep by them the treasures that were there deposited, out
of fear of [their being carried away by] the Romans; and while they had
a regard to the making provision for the workmen; they had a mind to
expend these treasures upon them; for if any one of them did but labor
for a single hour, he received his pay immediately; so they persuaded
him to rebuild the eastern cloisters. These cloisters belonged to the
outer court, and were situated in a deep valley, and had walls that
reached four hundred cubits [in length], and were built of square and
very white stones, the length of each of which stones was twenty cubits,
and their height six cubits. This was the work of king Solomon, 27 who
first of all built the entire temple. But king Agrippa, who had the care
of the temple committed to him by Claudius Cæsar, considering that it is
easy to demolish any building, but hard to build it up again, and that
it was particularly hard to do it to these cloisters, which would
require a considerable time, and great sums of money, he denied the
petitioners their request about that matter; but he did not obstruct
them when they desired the city might be paved with white stone. He also
deprived Jesus, the son of Gamaliel, of the high priesthood, and gave it
to Matthias, the son of Theophilus, under whom the Jews' war with the
Romans took its beginning.