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1. At this time there were great disturbances in the country, and
that in many places; and the opportunity that now offered itself
induced a great many to set up for kings. And indeed in Idumea
two thousand of Herod's veteran soldiers got together, and armed
and fought against those of the king's party; against whom
Achiabus, the king's first cousin, fought, and that out of some
of the places that were the most strongly fortified; but so as to
avoid a direct conflict with them in the plains. In Sepphoris
also, a city of Galilee, there was one Judas (the son of that
arch-robber Hezekias, who formerly overran the country, and had
been subdued by king Herod); this man got no small multitude
together, and brake open the place where the royal armor was laid
up, and armed those about him, and attacked those that were so
earnest to gain the dominion.
2. In Perea also, Simon, one of the servants to the king, relying
upon the handsome appearance and tallness of his body, put a
diadem upon his own head also; he also went about with a company
of robbers that he had gotten together, and burnt down the royal
palace that was at Jericho, and many other costly edifices
besides, and procured himself very easily spoils by rapine, as
snatching them out of the fire. And he had soon burnt down all
the fine edifices, if Gratus, the captain of the foot of the
king's party, had not taken the Trachonite archers, and the most
warlike of Sebaste, and met the man. His footmen were slain in
the battle in abundance; Gratus also cut to pieces Simon himself,
as he was flying along a strait valley, when he gave him an
oblique stroke upon his neck, as he ran away, and brake it. The
royal palaces that were near Jordan at Betharamptha were also
burnt down by some other of the seditious that came out of Perea.
3. At this time it was that a certain shepherd ventured to set
himself up for a king; he was called Athrongeus. It was his
strength of body that made him expect such a dignity, as well as
his soul, which despised death; and besides these qualifications,
he had four brethren like himself. He put a troop of armed men
under each of these his brethren, and made use of them as his
generals and commanders, when he made his incursions, while he
did himself act like a king, and meddled only with the more
important affairs; and at this time he put a diadem about his
head, and continued after that to overrun the country for no
little time with his brethren, and became their leader in killing
both the Romans and those of the king's party; nor did any Jew
escape him, if any gain could accrue to him thereby. He once
ventured to encompass a whole troop of Romans at Emmaus, who were
carrying corn and weapons to their legion; his men therefore shot
their arrows and darts, and thereby slew their centurion Arius,
and forty of the stoutest of his men, while the rest of them, who
were in danger of the same fate, upon the coming of Gratus, with
those of Sebaste, to their assistance, escaped. And when these
men had thus served both their own countrymen and foreigners, and
that through this whole war, three of them were, after some time,
subdued; the eldest by Archelaus, the two next by falling into
the hands of Gratus and Ptolemeus; but the fourth delivered
himself up to Archelaus, upon his giving him his right hand for
his security. However, this their end was not till afterward,
while at present they filled all Judea with a piratic war.
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