|
There were three factions in this city. The first was composed
of men of worth and gravity; of these Julius Capellus was the
head. Now he, as well as all his companions, Herod the son of
Miarus, and Herod the son of Gamalus, and Compsus the son of
Compsus; (for as to Compsus's brother Crispus, who had once been
governor of the city under the great king [Agrippa] he was
beyond Jordan in his own possessions;) all these persons before
named gave their advice, that the city should then continue in
their allegiance to the Romans and to the king. But Pistus, who
was guided by his son Justus, did not acquiesce in that
resolution; otherwise he was himself naturally of a good and
virtuous character. But the second faction was composed of the
most ignoble persons, and was determined for war. But as for
Justus, the son of Pistus, who was the head of the third faction,
although he pretended to be doubtful about going to war, yet was
he really desirous of innovation, as supposing that he should
gain power to himself by the change of affairs. He therefore came
into the midst of them, and endeavored to inform the multitude
that "the city Tiberius had ever been a city of Galilee, and that
in the days of Herod the tetrarch, who had built it, it had
obtained the principal place, and that he had ordered that the
city Sepphoris should be subordinate to the city Tiberias; that
they had not lost this preeminence even under Agrippa the father,
but had retained it until Felix was procurator of Judea. But he
told them, that now they had been so unfortunate as to be made a
present by Nero to Agrippa, junior; and that, upon Sepphoris's
submission of itself to the Romans, that was become the capital
city of Galilee, and that the royal library and the archives were
now removed from them." When he had spoken these things, and a
great many more, against king Agrippa, in order to provoke the
people to a revolt, he added that "this was the time for them to
take arms, and join with the Galileans as their confederates
(whom they might command, and who would now willingly assist
them, out of the hatred they bare to the people of Sepphoris;
because they preserved their fidelity to the Romans), and to
gather a great number of forces, in order to punish them." And as
he said this, he exhorted the multitude, [to go to war;] for his
abilities lay in making harangues to the people, and in being too
hard in his speeches for such as opposed him, though they advised
what was more to their advantage, and this by his craftiness and
his fallacies, for he was not unskilful in the learning of the
Greeks; and in dependence on that skill it was, that he undertook
to write a history of these affairs, as aiming, by this way of
haranguing, to disguise the truth. But as to this man, and how
ill were his character and conduct of life, and how he and his
brother were, in great measure, the authors of our destruction, I
shall give the reader an account in the progress of my narration.
So when Justus had, by his persuasions, prevailed with the
citizens of Tiberias to take arms, nay, and had forced a great
many so to do against their wills, he went out, and set the
villages that belonged to Gadara and Hippos on fire; which
villages were situated on the borders of Tiberias, and of the
region of Scythopolis.
|
|