The Jewish War

[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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When Pompey and the Senate fled across the Adriatic, Caesar became master of Rome and the Empire. He at once released Aristobulus from prison, put two legions at his disposal, and sent him post-haste to Syria, in the hope that he would easily bring over that province and the whole Judean area to his side. But malace frustrated both Aristobulus' enthusiasm and Caesar's hopes: Aristobulus was poisoned by Pompey's adherents, and for a long time was even denied burial in his native land, his body lying preserved in honey till Antony delivered it to the Jews to be buried in the royal sepulchers. Death came also to his son Alexander by the axe of Scipio in Antioch, by order of Pompey, after he had been tried for the damage he had done to the Romans. His brother and sisters were taken under the wing of Ptolemy, son of Mennaeus and ruler of Chalcis under Lebanon, who sent his son Philippine to fetch them from Ascalon. Philippine tore Antigonus and his sisters away from Aristobulus' widow, and after taking them to his father fell in love with the younger and married her ― only to be killed on her account by his father, who after murdering his son married Alexandra himself! This marriage made him take still greater care of her brother and sister.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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On Pompey's death Antipater changed sides and courted Caesar, and when Mithridates of Pergamum while leading an army to Egypt was warned off of the Pelusion Approaches and held up at Ascalon, as a friend of the Arabs he persuaded them to assist, and arrived himself with 5,000 infantry. He further won the support of two influential Syrians, the Ptolemy resident in Lebanon, and Jamblichus, who easily induced the towns in their neighborhood to join the war. All doubt dispelled by the additional strength which Antipater had provided, Mithridates pushed on to Pelusium, and finding the way barred laid siege to the town. In the assault too chief honors went to Antipater; he broached the wall in front of him and was the first to dash into the town followed by his men. Pelusium fell; but as Mithridates advanced he was again held up by the Egyptian who occupied the district called Onias. But Antipater induced them not only not to oppose the army but even to furnish supplies; consequently at Memphis too the people refrained from opposition and volunteered service under Mithridates. He now rounded the Delta and met the rest of the Egyptians in battle at a place called 'Jews Camp'. As the fight raged he with the entire right wing was in grave danger, when he was rescued by Antipater who, after routing his opponents of the left where he was in command, made his way round by the river bank. He fell on Mithridates pursuers, killed a great many and pursued the survivors so far that he even took their camp. He lost only 80 of his own men, whereas Mithridates in the rout had lost about eight hundred. Saved thus from imminent destruction, he bore whole-hearted testimony before Caesar to Antipater's achievements.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Thereupon Caesar by praise and promise incited the veteran to face further hazards on his behalf. In all these he proved himself the most intrepid of fighters, and wounded again and again he bore on almost every part of his body the marks of his valor. Later, when order had been restored in Egypt and Caesar returned to Syria, he bestowed Roman citizenship on him and exempted him from taxation, and by other honors and marks of friendship made him an object lesson to all. For his sake also Caesar confirmed the high priesthood of Hyrcanus.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Chapter 2

Herod's Rise to Power

Soon after this Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, had an interview with Caesar which had the unexpected result of winning Antipater further advancement. His wisest course would have been to express grief for his father, who was thought to have been poisoned because of his brother, and not to mix his appeals for sympathy with an outburst of bitterness. But he went on to accuse Hyrcanus and Antipater, openly alleging that in a most iniquitous fashion they had driven him and his sisters right out of their native land; that in their insolence they had treated the whole nation outrageously; that they had sent assistance to Caesar in Egypt, not out of loyalty to him, but through fear springing from old differences and in the hope that their friendship with Pompey would be forgotten. Antipater retorted by throwing off his garments and exposing his countless scars. Of his loyalty to Caesar, he said, he need say nothing; his body shouted it aloud without his saying a word. The impudence of Antigonus passed belief; the son of an enemy of Rome ― and a fugitive from Rome ― inheriting from his father a craving for revolution and sedition, he had the sauce to accuse other people before the Roman commander, and to try and feather his own nest when he was lucky to be alive! His present lust for power did not arise from his being in want; his ambition was to stir up sedition among the Jews and so to bite the hand that fed him. Having listened to both, Caesar declared Hyrcanus the better candidate for the high priesthood, and allowed Antipater to choose his own office. Antipater left it to the bestower of the honor to decide in magnitude, and was appointed commissioner for all Judea, with authority to rebuild the demolished walls of the mother-city. These honors Caesar ordered to be engraved in the Capital, to commemorate his own justice and Antipater's splendid services.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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As soon as Antipater had escorted Caesar out of Palestine he returned to Judea. Then he began by re-erecting the wall of the capital which Pompey had demolished, and proceeded to suppress disturbances in various parts of the country, using in every case both threats and advice ― if they supported Hyrcanus they would live in prosperity and quiet, enjoying their own property and general peace; but if they were deluded by the frigid hopes of those who for private profit were eager for revolution, they would find him not a protector but a master, Hyrcanus not a king but an autocrat, and Caesar and the Romans not leaders and friends but enemies; they would never stand by while the Jews turned out of office the man they had appointed. While he talked in this way he was organizing the country along his own lines, knowing that Hyrcanus was too lethargic and spineless to be a real king. Phasael, his eldest son, he appointed governor of Jerusalem and district; the next one, Herod, he sent with equal authority into Galilee, though he was quite young.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Herod, overflowing with energy, soon found scope for his active spirit. Finding that Hezekiah, a bandit chief was overrunning the district adjoining Syria with a very large gang, he caught and executed him along with many of his bandits. This stroke won Herod the gratitude of the Syrians; in all the villages and in the towns his praises were sung ― had he not won back for them their peace and property? A further result was that he became known to Sextus Caesar, a kinsman of the great Caesar and governor of Syria. His reputation also served to arouse a spirit of friendly rivalry in his brother Phasael, who became steadily more popular in Jerusalem and by force of personality kept the City quiet without any blundering misuse of his powers. Consequently Antipater was revered by the nation as if he were king, and honored by all as undisputed head of the state; yet his own loyalty and faithfulness to Hyrcanus remained unchanged.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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But in prosperity there is no way of avoiding jealousy. Hyrcanus, though he did not show it, was cut to the heart by the fame of the young men; he was grieved most of all by Herod's achievements and by the stream of messengers announcing one success after another. His bitterness was aggravated by the malignity of numerous courtiers, offended by the moderation, either of the sons or of Antipater; to the three of them had gone by default the management of affairs, while Hyrcanus sat helpless, retaining only the name of king without his oun authority. How long would he be so foolish as to rear kings to his own hurt? They no longer pretended to be viceroys but were the unquestioned heads of the state, while he had ceased to count; for without his having given any order, verbal or written, Herod had put all these people to death in defiance of the Jewish Law. If he was not king but a private citizen still, he ought to be put in the dock and in the king's presence justify his breach of the ancestral laws which forbade execution without trial. By these suggestions Hyrcanus was gradually inflamed, and at last in an outburst of fury he sent for Herod to stand his trial. Advised by his father and emboldened by the success of his own policy, Herod posted garrisons about Galilee and presented himself in Jerusalem, accompanied by a strong escort ― not so swollen a force as to suggest the intention of dethroning Hyrcanus, nor small enough to leave him helpless in face of jealousy. But Sextus Caesar, fearing that the young man would run into a hornet's nest, sent Hyrcanus a categorical letter to acquit Herod of the charge of homicide. The king, who was an admirer of Herod was in any case anxious to do this, found him not guilty.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Herod, believing that the king was mortified by his escape, withdrew to Sextus' headquarters in Damascus, with the intention of disobeying if summoned again. The malignant courtiers renewed their incitement of Hyrcanus, alleging that Herod had gone away in a rage and was ready to attack him. Swallowing the bait the king was at a loss what to do, as he saw the superiority of his opponent. But when Sextus Caesar actually appointed Herod commander-in-chief of Coele Syria and Samaria and not only the loyalty of the people but the forces at his disposal made him formidable, Hyrcanus was paralyzed with fear, every minute expecting Herod to march against him with an army at his back. And he guessed right. Herod, furious at the threat implied at his trial, collected an army and set out for Jerusalem to dethrone Hyrcanus. And he would soon have done it, if his father and brother had not hurried out and calmed him down, urging him to confine his revenge to threats and ferocity and to spare the king under whom he had grown so powerful. If he felt sore at being put in the dock, he ought at the same time to be grateful for his acquittal, and not, when the sword had been hanging over his head, to be ungrateful for his escape. And if it was true that in war God held the balance, Herod's military strength would be outweighed by the wrong he was doing. So he had better not be too certain of victory when he was going to join battle with his king and comrade, often his benefactor, who had never been harsh, except when he had been driven by malignant advisers to try to scare him with a shadow of injustice. Thus advised Herod gave way, satisfied that he had made his future secure by giving the people a demonstration of his power.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Meanwhile near Apamea peace was shattered for the Romans and civil war broke out. Caecilius Bassus in loyalty to Pompey treacherously killed Sextus Caesar and took over his army. Caesar's other generals in revenge for the murder assailed Bassus with all their forces. Antipater, for the sake of the dead Caesar and the living, both friends of his, sent them assistance by his sons. While the war dragged on, Murcus arrived from Italy as successor to Sextus. It was at this time that Rome's great war broke out through the action of Cassius and Brutus, who treacherously murdered Caesar when he had held supreme power for only three years and seven months. A tremendous upheaval resulted from the murder and the most powerful citizens were divided into two camps, every man joining the party that promised him most. Cassius in particular went to Syria to take over the forces near Apamea. He patched up the quarrel between Bassus and Murcus and between the opposing legions, and brought the siege of Apamea to an end. Then taking command of the troops himself, he went from town to town levying tribute and demanding more money than they were in a position to pay. When the Jews were ordered to contribute 700 talents, Antipater, frightened by Cassius' threats, divided the responsibility for its speedy collection among his sons and some of his acquaintances, including Malichus, one of his enemies, in view of the pressing necessity. The first to satisfy Cassius was Herod, who brought his quota of one hundred talents from Galilee and earned Cassius' hearty approval. The others Cassius abused for their slowness, and then poured forth his fury on the unfortunate towns. Gophna, Emmaus, and two less important places he enslaved, and he was on the point of executing Malichus for his failure to levy the tribute at once, when his death and the destruction of the other towns were prevented by Antipater's prompt appeasement of Cassius with a present of one hundred talents.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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When, however, Cassius was out of the way, Malichus, so far from showing gratitude to Antipater, devised a plot against the man who had so often saved him, anxious as he was to remove this obstacle to his career of crime. Antipater, alarmed at the strength and cunning of the man, crossed the Jordan with the intention of raising a force to crush the plot. Caught in the act, Malichus by sheer impudence got the better of Antipater's sons: Phasael, warden of Jerusalem, and Herod, responsible for arms and equipment, were deceived by a stream of excuses and oaths into undertaking to intercede on his behalf with their father. Thus Malichus was saved a second time by Antipater, who persuaded Murcus, then governor of Syria, to abandon his intention of executing him as a revolutionary.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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When war was declared on Cassius and Brutus by young Caesar and Antony, Cassius and Murcus raised an army in Syria, and as they hoped for valuable assistance from Herod they put him for the time being in charge of Coele Syria with a body of horse and foot under his command, Cassius promising that when the war was won he would make him king of Judea. Antipater's destruction was the direct outcome of the actual and prospective dominance of his son. Fearing Herod's rise, Malichus bribed one of the royal cup-bearers to give Antipater poison. It was a triumph for the scheming Malichus; for after the banquet Antipater died. He had at all times shown energy and initiative in the management of affairs, above all in putting Hyrcanus back on his throne and keeping him there. Malichus, suspected of the poisoning, quieted the angry citizens by denying it and made himself more secure by raising a body of infantry; he did not suppose that Herod would take it lying down, and indeed Herod arrived almost instantaneously with an army to avenge his father. But as his brother Phasael advised him not to settle accounts with the man openly, for fear of provoking a riot, he accepted Malichus' explanation for the time being and agreed that no suspicion attached to him. Then he performed the funeral rites for his father with magnificent ceremonial.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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He next turned his attention to Samaria which was torn by party strife, and after putting matters there to rights turned back to Jerusalem, to attend the feast, accompanied by his armed forces. Hyrcanus, at the instance of Malichus who had panicked at Herod's approach, sent orders that he was not to bring foreigners among the nationals when they were purified. Herod showed his contempt for the pretext and for the man who issued the order by entering during the night. Malichus again approached him and bewailed Antipater. Herod met cunning with cunning, though he could hardly contain his anger; but he sent letters deploring his father's murder to Cassius, who hated Malichus already. Cassius wrote back that he should settle accounts with his father's killer, and gave secret instructions to his tribunes to help Herod 'pay a debt of honor'.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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After Cassius' capture of Laodicea, the leading men of every district gathered at his headquarters, bringing him crowns and other gifts. This was the moment chosen by Herod for his revenge. Malichus was suspicious, and when he was in Tyre, where his son was held as a hostage, he determined to get him out by stealth, and made arrangements for his own escape to Judea. His slender chances of survival acted as a spur; his ambition soared, and he saw himself leading his nation in revolt against the Romans while Cassius had his hands full with the war against Antony, and setting the crown on his own brow after quickly disposing of Hyrcanus.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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But fate had the last laugh. Herod, perceiving his game, invited him and Hyrcanus to dinner, and then calling one of his attendant slaves sent him home as if to prepare the meal, but really to warn the tribunes to come out and put the ambush into effect. They had not forgotten Cassius' instructions and came out to the sea-shore in front of the city sword in hand, and there surrounded Malichus and hacked him to death. Hyrcanus promptly fainted from shock and collapsed; when at last he recovered consciousness and asked Herod who has killed Malichus, one of the tribunes answered 'Cassius' orders'. 'Then Cassius,' replied Hyrcanus, 'has saved me and my country too, by destroying the mortal enemy of both,' Whether he really thought this or was too frightened to dispute an accomplished fact, will never be known. Anyway, Herod's account with Malichus was now settled.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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When Cassius withdrew from Syria strife again broke out in Jerusalem. Helix, backed by a body of soldiers, rose against Phasael with intention of avenging Malichus by punishing Herod through his brother. As it happened, Herod was with Fabius the Roman general at Damascus, and though anxious to help he was immobilized by sickness. Meanwhile Phasael overpowered Helix without assistance, and denounced the ingratitude of Hyrcanus in collaborating with Helix and permitting Malichus' brother to seize the forts. He had indeed seized many of these, among them the strongest of all, Masada. But he was helpless against the might of Herod, who as soon as he was well again recaptured all the forts and kicked him out of Masada groveling. Next he expelled from Galilee Marion the autocrat of Tyre, who had already possessed himself of three of the strongholds, sparing every Tyrian he captured and even sending some away laden with gifts, so ensuring that the citizens were devoted to him and bitterly hostile to their own ruler. Marion had received his authority from Cassius, who had appointed an autocratic ruler in every district; through hatred of Herod he had brought back from exile Aristobulus' son Antigonus ― in any case he could not resist Fabius, who had been bribed by Antigonus to work for his recall. All expenses were met by Ptolemy, the brother-in-law of Antigonus. These confederates Herod met and defeated at the approaches to Judea; then banishing Antigonus again he went back to Jerusalem to receive universal congratulations on his success. Even those who had hitherto regarded him coldly now warmed toward him in view of his marriage into the family of Hyrcanus. He had previously married a Jewess of good birth, named Doris, who had born him a son, Antipater; now he wedded Mariamme, daughter of Alexander the son of Aristobulus, and granddaughter of Hyrcanus, so becoming a connection of the king.

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