August 18, 2025 • 18 mins
Discover the fascinating insights of Josephus in this collection, featuring three compelling parts. (1) Against Apion serves as a robust two-volume defense of Judaism, contrasting its ancient roots with the more recent traditions of the Greeks. Josephus tackles anti-Judean claims made by the Greek writer Apion and addresses myths attributed to Manetho. (2) Discourse To The Greeks Concerning Hades explores Josephuss perspectives on the afterlife, countering the predominant beliefs of his Greco-Roman contemporaries. This discourse, while traditionally linked to Josephus, has been more accurately reassigned to the church father Hippolytus in later scholarship. (3) The Life of Josephus, penned around 94-99 CE, offers an autobiographical glimpse into the authors life, revisiting pivotal events of the War in response to criticisms from Justus of Tiberias. Immerse yourself in this rich tapestry of history, philosophy, and personal reflection.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Part two of the Life of Josephus. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Marianne The Life of Josephus by Flavius Josephus,
translated by William Wiston, Part two eleven. But Gamala persevered
(00:28):
in his allegiance to the Romans for the reason following. Philip,
the son of Jacamus, who was their governor under King Agrippa,
had been unexpectedly preserved when the royal palace at Jerusalem
had been besieged. But as he fled away, had fallen
into another danger, and that was of being killed by
(00:49):
Manahem and the robbers that were with him. But certain
Babylonians who were of his kindred and were then in Jerusalem,
hindered the robbers from executing their desire. So Philip stayed
there four days, and fled away on the fifth, having
disguised himself with fictitious hair, that he might not be discovered.
(01:10):
And when he was come to one of the villages
to him belonging, but one that was situated at the
borders of the citadel of Gamala. He sent to some
of those that were under him and commanded them to
come to him. But God himself hindered that his intention,
and this for his own advantage, also, for had it
not happened, so he had certainly perished, for fever having
(01:34):
seized upon him. Immediately he wrote to Agrippa and Bernice,
and gave them to one of his freedmen to carry
them to Varus, who at this time was procurator of
the kingdom, which the king and his sister had entrusted
him withal while they were gone to Beartus with an
intention of meeting Jesseus. When Varus had received these letters
(01:56):
of Philip and had learned that he was preserved, he
was very uneasy at it, as supposing that he should
appear useless to the King and his sister. Now Philip
was come. He therefore produced the carrier of the letters
before the multitude and accused him of forging the same,
and said that he spake falsely when he related that
(02:16):
Philip was at Jerusalem fighting among the Jews against the Romans.
So he slew him, And when this freedman of Philip
did not return again, Philip was doubtful what should be
the occasion of his stay, and sent a second messenger
with letters, that he might, upon his return, inform him
what had befallen the other that had been sent before,
(02:37):
and why he tarried so long. Verus accused this messenger
also when he came of telling a falsehood, and slew him,
for he was puffed up by the Syrians that were
at Caesarea and had great expectations, for they said that
Agrippa would be slain by the Romans for the crimes
which the Jews had committed, and that he should himself
(02:59):
take the government as derived from their kings. For VARs
was by confession of all of the royal family as
being a descendant of Sohamus, who had enjoyed a tetrarchy
about Labanus, for which reason it was that he was
puffed up and kept the letters to himself. He contrived
(03:20):
also that the king should not meet with those writings,
by guarding all the passes, lest any one should escape
and inform the king what had been done. He moreover
slew many of the Jews in order to gratify the
Syrians of Caesarea. He had a mind also to join
with the Trachonites in Batania, and to take up arms
(03:41):
and make an assault upon the Babylonian Jews that were
at Ecbatana, for that was the name they went by.
He therefore called to him twelve of the Jews of
Caesarea of the best character, and ordered them to go
to Ecbatana and inform their countrymen who dwelt there, that
Vara Hath heard that you intend to march against the king,
(04:03):
but not believing that report, he had sent us to
persuade you to lay down your arms, and that this
compliance will be a sign that he did well, not
to give credit to those that raised the reports concerning you.
He also enjoined them to send seventy of their principal
men to make a defense for them as to the
accusation laid against them. So, when the twelve messengers came
(04:27):
to their countrymen at Ekatana and found that they had
no designs of innovation at all, they persuaded them to
send the seventy men also, who, not at all suspecting
what would come, sent them accordingly. So these seventy men
went down to Caesarea together with the twelve ambassadors, where
VARs met them with the king's forces and slew them
(04:48):
all together with the twelve ambassadors, and made an expedition
against the Jews of Ecbatana. But one there was of
the seventy, who escaped and made haste to inform the
Jews of their coming, upon which they took their arms
with their wives and children, and retired to the citadel
at Gamala, leaving their own villages full of all sorts
(05:09):
of good things, and having many ten thousands of cattle therein.
When Philip was informed of these things, he also came
to the citadel of Gamala, and when he was come,
the multitude cried aloud and desired him to resume the
government and to make an expedition against Varis and the
Syrians of Caesarea, for it was reported that they had
(05:31):
slain the king. But Philip restrained their zeal and put
them in mind of the benefits the king had bestowed
upon them, and told them how powerful the Romans were,
and said it was not for their advantage to make
war with them. And at length he prevailed with them.
But now when the king was acquainted with Varis' design,
(05:51):
which was to cut off the Jews of Caesarea, being
many ten thousands, with their wives and children, and all
in one day he called to him Equaculus Modius, and
sent him to be Varus's successor. As we have elsewhere related,
But still Philip kept possession of the citadel of Gamala
and of the country adjoining to it, which thereby continued
(06:15):
in their allegiance to the Romans. Twelve. Now, as soon
as I was come into Galilee, and had learned this
state of things by the information of such as told
me of them, I wrote to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem
about them, and required their direction what I should do.
Their direction was that I should continue there, and that
(06:38):
if my fellow legatees were willing, I should join with
them in the care of Galilee. But those of my
fellow legatees, having gotten great riches from those ties, which
as priests were their dues and were given to them,
determined to return to their own country. Yet when I
desired them to stay so long that we might first
(06:59):
settle the public affairs, they complied with me. So I
removed together with them from the city of Cephoris, and
came to a certain Tiberius, and desired that the principal
men of the city would come to me. And when
they were come, just as himself being also with them,
I told them that I was sent to them by
the people of Jerusalem as a legatee, together with these
(07:22):
other priests, in order to persuade them to demolish that
house which Herod the Tetrarch had built there, and which
had the figures of living creatures in it, although our
laws have forbidden us to make any such figures, and
I desired that they would give us leave to do
so immediately. But for a good while Capellus and the
principal men belonging to the city would not give us leave,
(07:44):
but were at length entirely overcome by us, and were
induced to be of our opinion. So Jesus, the son
of Sapheus, one of those whom we have already mentioned
as the leader of the seditious tumult of mariners and
poor people, prevented us and took with him certain Galileans
and set the entire palace on fire, and thought he
(08:05):
should get a great deal of money thereby, because he
saw some of the roofs gilt with gold. They also
plundered a great deal of the furniture, which was done
without our approbation. For after we had discoursed with Capellus
and the principal men of the city. We departed from
Bethmass and went to the upper Galilee. But Jesus and
(08:25):
his party slew all the Greeks that were inhabitants of Tiberius,
and as many others as were their enemies before the
war began thirteen. When I understood this state of things,
I was greatly provoked and went down to Tiberius and
took all the care I could of the royal furniture
to recover all that could be recovered from such as
(08:47):
had plundered it. They consisted of candlesticks made of Corinthian brass,
and of royal tables, and of a great quantity of
uncoined silver. And I resolved to preserve whatsoever can to
my hand for the king. So I sent for ten
of the principal men of the Senate, and for Capellus,
the son of Antilus, and committed the furniture to them,
(09:10):
with this charge that they should part with it to
nobody else but to myself. From thence, I and my
fellow legates Wenda Gilchalla to John as desirous to know
his intentions, and soon saw that he was for innovations,
and had a mind to the principality. For he desired
me to give him authority to carry off that corn
(09:32):
which belonged to Caesar and lay in the villages of
Upper Galilee. And he pretended that he would expend what
it came to in building the walls of his own city.
But when I perceived what he endeavored at and what
he had in his mind, I said I would not
permit him to do so, for that I thought either
to keep it for the Romans or for myself. Now
(09:52):
I was entrusted with the public affairs there by the
people of Jerusalem. But when he was not able to
prevail with me, he he betook himself to my fellow legates,
for they had no sagacity in providing for futurity, and
were very ready to take bribes. So he corrupted them
with money to decree that all that corn which was
(10:12):
within his province should be delivered to him, While I,
who was but one, was outvoted by two and held
my tongue. Then did John introduce another cunning contrivance of his,
For he said that those Jews who inhabited Cesarea Philippi
and were shut up by the order of the king's
deputy there had sent to him to desire him that,
(10:35):
since they had no oil that was pure for their use,
he would provide a sufficient quantity of such oil for them,
lest they should be forced to make use of oil
that came from the Greeks and thereby transgressed their own laws.
Now this was said by John not out of his
regard to religion, but out of his most flagrant desire
of gain. For he knew that two sextaries were sold
(10:57):
with them of Caesarea for one drachma, but that at
Geshala fourscore sex taxes were sold for four sectaries. So
he gave order that all the oil which was there
should be carried away, as having my permission for so doing,
which yet I did not grant him voluntarily, but only
out of fear of the multitude, since if I had
(11:19):
forbidden him, I should have been stoned by them. When
I had therefore permitted this to be done by John,
he gained vast sums of money by this his knavery fourteen.
But when I had dismissed my fellow legates and sent
them back to Jerusalem, I took care to have arms provided,
and the cities fortified, And when I had sent for
(11:43):
the most hearty among the robbers, I saw that it
was not in my power to take their arms from them.
But I persuaded the multitude to allow them money as pay,
and told them it was better for them to give
them a little willingly, rather than to be forced to
overlook them when they plundered their goods from them. And
when I had obliged them to take an oath not
(12:04):
to come into that country unless they were invited to come,
or else, when they had not had their pay given them,
I dismissed them and charged them neither to make an
expedition against the Romans, nor against those their neighbors that
lay round about them. For my first care was to
keep Galilee in peace. So I was willing to have
the principle of the Galileans in all seventy as hostages
(12:28):
for their fidelity, but still under the notion of friendship. Accordingly,
I made them my friends and companions as I journeyed,
and set them to judge causes, and with their approbation,
it was that I gave my sentences, while I endeavored
not to mistake what justice required, and to keep my
hands clear of all bribery in those determinations fifteen, I
(12:54):
was now about the thirtieth year of my age, in
which time of life it is a hard thing for
any one to escape the calumnies of the envious. Although
he restrained himself from fulfilling all unlawful desires, especially where
a person is in great authority, yet did I preserve
every woman free from injuries? And as to what presents
(13:14):
were offered me, I despised them as not standing in
need of them. Nor indeed would I take those ties
which were due to me as a priest from those
that brought them. Yet do I confess that I took
part of the spoils of those Syrians who inhabited the
cities that adjoined to us when I had conquered them,
and that I sent them to my kindred at Jerusalem.
(13:37):
Although when twice I took Sepphoris by force, and Tiberius
four times, and Gadara once, and when I had subdued
and taken John, who often laid treacherous snares for me,
I did not punish with death either him or any
of the people forenamed, as the progress of this discourse
will show. And on this account I suppose it was
(14:00):
that God, who was never unacquainted with those who do
as they ought to do, delivered me still out of
the hands of these my enemies, and afterwards preserved me
when I fell into those many dangers which I shall
relate hereafter sixteen Now the multitude of the Galileans had
that great kindness for me and fidelity to me, that
(14:23):
when their cities were taken by force, and their wives
and children carried into slavery, they did not so deeply
lament for their own calamities as they were solicitous for
my preservation. But when John saw this, he envied me
and wrote to me, desiring that I would give him
leave to come down and make use of the hot
baths of Tiberius for the recovery of the health of
(14:45):
his body. Accordingly, I did not hinder him, as having
no suspicion of any wicked designs of his, And I
wrote to those to whom I had committed the administration
of the affairs of Tiberius by name, that they should
provide a lodging for John, and for such as should
come with him, and should procure him what necessary soever
he should stand in need of. Now at this time.
(15:07):
My abode was in a village of Galilee, which is
named Cuns seventeen. But when John was come to the
city of Tiberius, he persuaded the men to revolt from
their fidelity to me and to adhere to him. And
many of them gladly received that invitation of his, as
ever fond of innovations, and by nature disposed to changes
(15:30):
and delighting his seditions. But they were chiefly Justice and
his father Pistus, that were earnest for their revolt from
Me and their adherents to John. But I came upon
them and prevented them. For a messenger had come to
me from Silas, whom I had made governor of Tiberius,
as I have said already, and had told me of
(15:51):
the inclinations of the people of Tiberius, and advised me
to make haste thither, for that if I made any delay,
the city would come under another's jurisdiction. Upon the receipt
of this letter of Silas, I took two hundred men
along with me and traveled all night, having sent before
a messenger to let the people of Tiberius know that
(16:12):
I was coming to them. When I came near the city,
which was early in the morning. The multitude came out
to meet me, and John came with them and saluted me,
but in a most disturbing manner, as being afraid that
my coming was to call him to an account for
what I was now sensible he was doing. So, he
in great haste went to his lodging. But when I
(16:35):
was in the open place of the city, having dismissed
the guards I had about me, excepting one and ten
armed men that were with him, I attempted to make
a speech to the multitude of the people of Tiberius,
and standing on a certain elevated place, I entreated them
not to be so hasty in their revolt, for that
such a change in their behavior would be to their reproach,
(16:57):
and that they would then justify to be suspected by
those that should be their governors hereafter, as if they
were not likely to be faithful to them neither. Eighteen
But before I had spoken all I designed, I heard
one of my own domestics bidding me come down, for
that it was not a proper time to take care
of retaining the good will of the people of Tiberius,
(17:19):
but to provide for my own safety and escape my
enemies there. For John had chosen the most trustye of
those armed men that were about him out of those
thousand that he had with him, and had given them
orders when he sent them to kill me, having learned
that I was alone, excepting some of my domestics. So
those that were sent came as they were ordered, and
(17:40):
they had executed what they came about. Had I not
leaped down from the elevation, I stood on and with
one of my guards, whose name was James, been carried
out of the crowd upon the back of one Herod
of Tiberius, and guided by him down to the lake,
where I seized a ship and got into it and
escaped my enemies unexpectedly and came to Terracha see end
(18:02):
of Part two.
Part two of the Life of Josephus. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Marianne The Life of Josephus by Flavius Josephus,
translated by William Wiston, Part two eleven. But Gamala persevered
(00:28):
in his allegiance to the Romans for the reason following. Philip,
the son of Jacamus, who was their governor under King Agrippa,
had been unexpectedly preserved when the royal palace at Jerusalem
had been besieged. But as he fled away, had fallen
into another danger, and that was of being killed by
(00:49):
Manahem and the robbers that were with him. But certain
Babylonians who were of his kindred and were then in Jerusalem,
hindered the robbers from executing their desire. So Philip stayed
there four days, and fled away on the fifth, having
disguised himself with fictitious hair, that he might not be discovered.
(01:10):
And when he was come to one of the villages
to him belonging, but one that was situated at the
borders of the citadel of Gamala. He sent to some
of those that were under him and commanded them to
come to him. But God himself hindered that his intention,
and this for his own advantage, also, for had it
not happened, so he had certainly perished, for fever having
(01:34):
seized upon him. Immediately he wrote to Agrippa and Bernice,
and gave them to one of his freedmen to carry
them to Varus, who at this time was procurator of
the kingdom, which the king and his sister had entrusted
him withal while they were gone to Beartus with an
intention of meeting Jesseus. When Varus had received these letters
(01:56):
of Philip and had learned that he was preserved, he
was very uneasy at it, as supposing that he should
appear useless to the King and his sister. Now Philip
was come. He therefore produced the carrier of the letters
before the multitude and accused him of forging the same,
and said that he spake falsely when he related that
(02:16):
Philip was at Jerusalem fighting among the Jews against the Romans.
So he slew him, And when this freedman of Philip
did not return again, Philip was doubtful what should be
the occasion of his stay, and sent a second messenger
with letters, that he might, upon his return, inform him
what had befallen the other that had been sent before,
(02:37):
and why he tarried so long. Verus accused this messenger
also when he came of telling a falsehood, and slew him,
for he was puffed up by the Syrians that were
at Caesarea and had great expectations, for they said that
Agrippa would be slain by the Romans for the crimes
which the Jews had committed, and that he should himself
(02:59):
take the government as derived from their kings. For VARs
was by confession of all of the royal family as
being a descendant of Sohamus, who had enjoyed a tetrarchy
about Labanus, for which reason it was that he was
puffed up and kept the letters to himself. He contrived
(03:20):
also that the king should not meet with those writings,
by guarding all the passes, lest any one should escape
and inform the king what had been done. He moreover
slew many of the Jews in order to gratify the
Syrians of Caesarea. He had a mind also to join
with the Trachonites in Batania, and to take up arms
(03:41):
and make an assault upon the Babylonian Jews that were
at Ecbatana, for that was the name they went by.
He therefore called to him twelve of the Jews of
Caesarea of the best character, and ordered them to go
to Ecbatana and inform their countrymen who dwelt there, that
Vara Hath heard that you intend to march against the king,
(04:03):
but not believing that report, he had sent us to
persuade you to lay down your arms, and that this
compliance will be a sign that he did well, not
to give credit to those that raised the reports concerning you.
He also enjoined them to send seventy of their principal
men to make a defense for them as to the
accusation laid against them. So, when the twelve messengers came
(04:27):
to their countrymen at Ekatana and found that they had
no designs of innovation at all, they persuaded them to
send the seventy men also, who, not at all suspecting
what would come, sent them accordingly. So these seventy men
went down to Caesarea together with the twelve ambassadors, where
VARs met them with the king's forces and slew them
(04:48):
all together with the twelve ambassadors, and made an expedition
against the Jews of Ecbatana. But one there was of
the seventy, who escaped and made haste to inform the
Jews of their coming, upon which they took their arms
with their wives and children, and retired to the citadel
at Gamala, leaving their own villages full of all sorts
(05:09):
of good things, and having many ten thousands of cattle therein.
When Philip was informed of these things, he also came
to the citadel of Gamala, and when he was come,
the multitude cried aloud and desired him to resume the
government and to make an expedition against Varis and the
Syrians of Caesarea, for it was reported that they had
(05:31):
slain the king. But Philip restrained their zeal and put
them in mind of the benefits the king had bestowed
upon them, and told them how powerful the Romans were,
and said it was not for their advantage to make
war with them. And at length he prevailed with them.
But now when the king was acquainted with Varis' design,
(05:51):
which was to cut off the Jews of Caesarea, being
many ten thousands, with their wives and children, and all
in one day he called to him Equaculus Modius, and
sent him to be Varus's successor. As we have elsewhere related,
But still Philip kept possession of the citadel of Gamala
and of the country adjoining to it, which thereby continued
(06:15):
in their allegiance to the Romans. Twelve. Now, as soon
as I was come into Galilee, and had learned this
state of things by the information of such as told
me of them, I wrote to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem
about them, and required their direction what I should do.
Their direction was that I should continue there, and that
(06:38):
if my fellow legatees were willing, I should join with
them in the care of Galilee. But those of my
fellow legatees, having gotten great riches from those ties, which
as priests were their dues and were given to them,
determined to return to their own country. Yet when I
desired them to stay so long that we might first
(06:59):
settle the public affairs, they complied with me. So I
removed together with them from the city of Cephoris, and
came to a certain Tiberius, and desired that the principal
men of the city would come to me. And when
they were come, just as himself being also with them,
I told them that I was sent to them by
the people of Jerusalem as a legatee, together with these
(07:22):
other priests, in order to persuade them to demolish that
house which Herod the Tetrarch had built there, and which
had the figures of living creatures in it, although our
laws have forbidden us to make any such figures, and
I desired that they would give us leave to do
so immediately. But for a good while Capellus and the
principal men belonging to the city would not give us leave,
(07:44):
but were at length entirely overcome by us, and were
induced to be of our opinion. So Jesus, the son
of Sapheus, one of those whom we have already mentioned
as the leader of the seditious tumult of mariners and
poor people, prevented us and took with him certain Galileans
and set the entire palace on fire, and thought he
(08:05):
should get a great deal of money thereby, because he
saw some of the roofs gilt with gold. They also
plundered a great deal of the furniture, which was done
without our approbation. For after we had discoursed with Capellus
and the principal men of the city. We departed from
Bethmass and went to the upper Galilee. But Jesus and
(08:25):
his party slew all the Greeks that were inhabitants of Tiberius,
and as many others as were their enemies before the
war began thirteen. When I understood this state of things,
I was greatly provoked and went down to Tiberius and
took all the care I could of the royal furniture
to recover all that could be recovered from such as
(08:47):
had plundered it. They consisted of candlesticks made of Corinthian brass,
and of royal tables, and of a great quantity of
uncoined silver. And I resolved to preserve whatsoever can to
my hand for the king. So I sent for ten
of the principal men of the Senate, and for Capellus,
the son of Antilus, and committed the furniture to them,
(09:10):
with this charge that they should part with it to
nobody else but to myself. From thence, I and my
fellow legates Wenda Gilchalla to John as desirous to know
his intentions, and soon saw that he was for innovations,
and had a mind to the principality. For he desired
me to give him authority to carry off that corn
(09:32):
which belonged to Caesar and lay in the villages of
Upper Galilee. And he pretended that he would expend what
it came to in building the walls of his own city.
But when I perceived what he endeavored at and what
he had in his mind, I said I would not
permit him to do so, for that I thought either
to keep it for the Romans or for myself. Now
(09:52):
I was entrusted with the public affairs there by the
people of Jerusalem. But when he was not able to
prevail with me, he he betook himself to my fellow legates,
for they had no sagacity in providing for futurity, and
were very ready to take bribes. So he corrupted them
with money to decree that all that corn which was
(10:12):
within his province should be delivered to him, While I,
who was but one, was outvoted by two and held
my tongue. Then did John introduce another cunning contrivance of his,
For he said that those Jews who inhabited Cesarea Philippi
and were shut up by the order of the king's
deputy there had sent to him to desire him that,
(10:35):
since they had no oil that was pure for their use,
he would provide a sufficient quantity of such oil for them,
lest they should be forced to make use of oil
that came from the Greeks and thereby transgressed their own laws.
Now this was said by John not out of his
regard to religion, but out of his most flagrant desire
of gain. For he knew that two sextaries were sold
(10:57):
with them of Caesarea for one drachma, but that at
Geshala fourscore sex taxes were sold for four sectaries. So
he gave order that all the oil which was there
should be carried away, as having my permission for so doing,
which yet I did not grant him voluntarily, but only
out of fear of the multitude, since if I had
(11:19):
forbidden him, I should have been stoned by them. When
I had therefore permitted this to be done by John,
he gained vast sums of money by this his knavery fourteen.
But when I had dismissed my fellow legates and sent
them back to Jerusalem, I took care to have arms provided,
and the cities fortified, And when I had sent for
(11:43):
the most hearty among the robbers, I saw that it
was not in my power to take their arms from them.
But I persuaded the multitude to allow them money as pay,
and told them it was better for them to give
them a little willingly, rather than to be forced to
overlook them when they plundered their goods from them. And
when I had obliged them to take an oath not
(12:04):
to come into that country unless they were invited to come,
or else, when they had not had their pay given them,
I dismissed them and charged them neither to make an
expedition against the Romans, nor against those their neighbors that
lay round about them. For my first care was to
keep Galilee in peace. So I was willing to have
the principle of the Galileans in all seventy as hostages
(12:28):
for their fidelity, but still under the notion of friendship. Accordingly,
I made them my friends and companions as I journeyed,
and set them to judge causes, and with their approbation,
it was that I gave my sentences, while I endeavored
not to mistake what justice required, and to keep my
hands clear of all bribery in those determinations fifteen, I
(12:54):
was now about the thirtieth year of my age, in
which time of life it is a hard thing for
any one to escape the calumnies of the envious. Although
he restrained himself from fulfilling all unlawful desires, especially where
a person is in great authority, yet did I preserve
every woman free from injuries? And as to what presents
(13:14):
were offered me, I despised them as not standing in
need of them. Nor indeed would I take those ties
which were due to me as a priest from those
that brought them. Yet do I confess that I took
part of the spoils of those Syrians who inhabited the
cities that adjoined to us when I had conquered them,
and that I sent them to my kindred at Jerusalem.
(13:37):
Although when twice I took Sepphoris by force, and Tiberius
four times, and Gadara once, and when I had subdued
and taken John, who often laid treacherous snares for me,
I did not punish with death either him or any
of the people forenamed, as the progress of this discourse
will show. And on this account I suppose it was
(14:00):
that God, who was never unacquainted with those who do
as they ought to do, delivered me still out of
the hands of these my enemies, and afterwards preserved me
when I fell into those many dangers which I shall
relate hereafter sixteen Now the multitude of the Galileans had
that great kindness for me and fidelity to me, that
(14:23):
when their cities were taken by force, and their wives
and children carried into slavery, they did not so deeply
lament for their own calamities as they were solicitous for
my preservation. But when John saw this, he envied me
and wrote to me, desiring that I would give him
leave to come down and make use of the hot
baths of Tiberius for the recovery of the health of
(14:45):
his body. Accordingly, I did not hinder him, as having
no suspicion of any wicked designs of his, And I
wrote to those to whom I had committed the administration
of the affairs of Tiberius by name, that they should
provide a lodging for John, and for such as should
come with him, and should procure him what necessary soever
he should stand in need of. Now at this time.
(15:07):
My abode was in a village of Galilee, which is
named Cuns seventeen. But when John was come to the
city of Tiberius, he persuaded the men to revolt from
their fidelity to me and to adhere to him. And
many of them gladly received that invitation of his, as
ever fond of innovations, and by nature disposed to changes
(15:30):
and delighting his seditions. But they were chiefly Justice and
his father Pistus, that were earnest for their revolt from
Me and their adherents to John. But I came upon
them and prevented them. For a messenger had come to
me from Silas, whom I had made governor of Tiberius,
as I have said already, and had told me of
(15:51):
the inclinations of the people of Tiberius, and advised me
to make haste thither, for that if I made any delay,
the city would come under another's jurisdiction. Upon the receipt
of this letter of Silas, I took two hundred men
along with me and traveled all night, having sent before
a messenger to let the people of Tiberius know that
(16:12):
I was coming to them. When I came near the city,
which was early in the morning. The multitude came out
to meet me, and John came with them and saluted me,
but in a most disturbing manner, as being afraid that
my coming was to call him to an account for
what I was now sensible he was doing. So, he
in great haste went to his lodging. But when I
(16:35):
was in the open place of the city, having dismissed
the guards I had about me, excepting one and ten
armed men that were with him, I attempted to make
a speech to the multitude of the people of Tiberius,
and standing on a certain elevated place, I entreated them
not to be so hasty in their revolt, for that
such a change in their behavior would be to their reproach,
(16:57):
and that they would then justify to be suspected by
those that should be their governors hereafter, as if they
were not likely to be faithful to them neither. Eighteen
But before I had spoken all I designed, I heard
one of my own domestics bidding me come down, for
that it was not a proper time to take care
of retaining the good will of the people of Tiberius,
(17:19):
but to provide for my own safety and escape my
enemies there. For John had chosen the most trustye of
those armed men that were about him out of those
thousand that he had with him, and had given them
orders when he sent them to kill me, having learned
that I was alone, excepting some of my domestics. So
those that were sent came as they were ordered, and
(17:40):
they had executed what they came about. Had I not
leaped down from the elevation, I stood on and with
one of my guards, whose name was James, been carried
out of the crowd upon the back of one Herod
of Tiberius, and guided by him down to the lake,
where I seized a ship and got into it and
escaped my enemies unexpectedly and came to Terracha see end
(18:02):
of Part two.
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