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1. Now Claudius Caesar, by these decrees of his which were sent
to Alexandria, and to all the habitable earth, made known what
opinion he had of the Jews. So he soon sent Agrippa away to take
his kingdom, now he was advanced to a more illustrious dignity
than before, and sent letters to the presidents and procurators
of the provinces that they should treat him very kindly.
Accordingly, he returned in haste, as was likely he would, now
lie returned in much greater prosperity than he had before. He
also came to Jerusalem, and offered all the sacrifices that
belonged to him, and omitted nothing which the law required;
on which account he ordained that many of the Nazarites should
have their heads shorn. And for the golden chain which had been
given him by Caius, of equal weight with that iron chain
wherewith his royal hands had been bound, he hung it up within
the limits of the temple, over the treasury, that it might
be a memorial of the severe fate he had lain under, and a
testimony of his change for the better; that it might be a
demonstration how the greatest prosperity may have a fall, and
that God sometimes raises up what is fallen down: for this chain
thus dedicated afforded a document to all men, that king Agrippa
had been once bound in a chain for a small cause, but recovered
his former dignity again; and a little while afterward got out of
his bonds, and was advanced to be a more illustrious king than he
was before. Whence men may understand that all that partake of
human nature, how great soever they are, may fall; and that those
that fall may gain their former illustrious dignity again.
2. And when Agrippa had entirely finished all the duties of the
Divine worship, he removed Theophilus, the son of Ananus, from
the high priesthood, and bestowed that honor of his on Simon the
son of Boethus, whose name was also Cantheras whose daughter king
Herod married, as I have related above. Simon, therefore, had the
[high] priesthood with his brethren, and with his father, in like
manner as the sons of Simon, the son of Onias, who were three,
had it formerly under the government of the Macedonians, as we
have related in a former book.
3. When the king had settled the high priesthood after this
manner, he returned the kindness which the inhabitants of
Jerusalem had showed him; for he released them from the tax upon
houses, every one of which paid it before, thinking it a good
thing to requite the tender affection of those that loved him. He
also made Silas the general of his forces, as a man who had
partaken with him in many of his troubles. But after a very
little while the young men of Doris, preferring a rash attempt
before piety, and being naturally bold and insolent, carried a
statue of Caesar into a synagogue of the Jews, and erected it
there. This procedure of theirs greatly provoked Agrippa; for it
plainly tended to the dissolution of the laws of his country. So
he came without delay to Publius Petronius, who was then
president of Syria, and accused the people of Doris. Nor did he
less resent what was done than did Agrippa; for he judged it a
piece of impiety to transgress the laws that regulate the actions
of men. So he wrote the following letter to the people of Doris
in an angry strain: "Publius Petronius, the president under
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, to the magistrates
of Doris, ordains as follows: Since some of you have had the
boldness, or madness rather, after the edict of Claudius Caesar
Augustus Germanicus was published, for permitting the Jews to
observe the laws of their country, not to obey the same, but have
acted in entire opposition thereto, as forbidding the Jews to
assemble together in the synagogue, by removing Caesar's statue,
and setting it up therein, and thereby have offended not only the
Jews, but the emperor himself, whose statue is more commodiously
placed in his own temple than in a foreign one, where is the
place of assembling together; while it is but a part of natural
justice, that every one should have the power over the place
belonging peculiarly to themselves, according to the
determination of Caesar, - to say nothing of my own
determination, which it would be ridiculous to mention after the
emperor's edict, which gives the Jews leave to make use of their
own customs, as also gives order that they enjoy equally the
rights of citizens with the Greeks themselves, - I therefore
ordain that Proculus Vitellius, the centurion, bring those men to
me, who, contrary to Augustus's edict, have been so insolent as
to do this thing, at which those very men, who appear to be of
principal reputation among them, have an indignation also, and
allege for themselves, 'that it was not done with their consent,
but by the violence of the multitude, that they may give an
account of what hath been done. I also exhort the principal
magistrates among them, unless they have a mind to have this
action esteemed to be done with their consent, to inform the
centurion of those that were guilty of it, and take care that no
handle be hence taken for raising a sedition or quarrel among
them; which those seem to me to treat after who encourage such
doings; while both I myself, and king Agrippa, for whom I have
the highest honor, have nothing more under our care, than that
the nation of the Jews may have no occasion given them of getting
together, under the pretense of avenging themselves, and become
tumultuous. And that it may be more publicly known what Augustus
hath resolved about this whole matter, I have subjoined those
edicts which he hath lately caused to be published at Alexandria,
and which, although they may be well known to all, yet did king
Agrippa, for whom I have the highest honor, read them at that
time before my tribunal, and pleaded that the Jews ought not to
be deprived of those rights which Augustus hath granted them. I
therefore charge you, that you do not, for the time to come, seek
for any occasion of sedition or disturbance, but that every one
be allowed to follow their own religious customs."
4. Thus did Petronius take care of this matter, that such a
breach of the law might be corrected, and that no such thing
might be attempted afterwards against the Jews. And now king
Agrippa took the [high] priesthood away from Simon Cantheras, and
put Jonathan, the son of Ananus, into it again, and owned that he
was more worthy of that dignity than the other. But this was not
a thing acceptable to him, to recover that his former dignity. So
he refused it, and said, "O king! I rejoice in the honor that
thou hast for me, and take it kindly that thou wouldst give me
such a dignity of thy own inclinations, although God hath judged
that I am not at all worthy of the high priesthood. I am
satisfied with having once put on the sacred garments; for I then
put them on after a more holy manner than I should now receive
them again. But if thou desirest that a person more worthy than
myself should have this honorable employment, give me leave to
name thee such a one. I have a brother that is pure from all sin
against God, and of all offenses against thyself; I recommend him
to thee, as one that is fit for this dignity." So the king was
pleased with these words of his, and passed by Jonathan, and,
according to his brother's desire, bestowed the high priesthood
upon Matthias. Nor was it long before Marcus succeeded Petronius,
as president of Syria.
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