BOOK II.
PART III.
CHAPTER XVIII-XXVI.
CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII-XXVI.
CHAPTER XVIII.
But on Exodus we are acquainted with the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth
books of questions and answers, also with that On the Tabernacle and that
On the Ten Commandments, and the four books On the Laws which refer especially
to the principal divisions of the Ten Commandments, and another On Animals
Intended for Sacrifice and On the Kinds of Sacrifice, and another On the Rewards
Fixed in the Law for the Good and On the Punishments and Curses Fixed for the
Wicked.
In addition to all these, there are extant also some single-volumed works of his,
as for instance the work On Providence and the book composed by him On the Jews and
the Statesmen, and still further Alexander or On the Possession of Reason by the
Irrational Animals.
Besides these, there is a work On the Proposition that Every Wicked Man is a
Slave, to which is subjoined the work On the Proposition that Every Good Man is
Free.
After these was composed by him the work On the Contemplative Life or On
Suppliants, from which we have drawn the facts concerning the life of the apostolic
men, and still further the interpretation of the Hebrew names in the Law and in the
Prophets are said to be the result of his industry.
And he is said to have read in the presence of the whole Roman Senate during
the reign of Claudius the work which he had written when he came to Rome under
Caius concerning Caius' hatred of the gods, and to which, with ironical
reference to its character, he had given the title On the Virtues.
And his discourses were so much admired as to be deemed worthy of a place in the
libraries.
At this time, while Paul was completing his journey from Jerusalem and roundabout
unto Illyricum, Claudius drove the Jews out of Rome, and Aquila and Priscilla,
leaving Rome with the other Jews, came to Asia, and their abode with the
Apostle Paul, who was confirming the churches of that region whose foundations
he had newly laid.
The Sacred Book of the Acts informs us also of these things.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE CALAMITY WHICH BEFELL THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM ON THE DAY OF THE PASSOVER.
While Claudius was still Emperor, it happened that so great a tumult and
disturbance took place in Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover, that thirty
thousand of those Jews alone who were forcibly crowded together at the gate of
the Temple perished, being trampled under foot by one another.
Thus the festival became a season of mourning for all the nation, and there was
weeping in every house.
These things are related literally by Josephus.
But Claudius appointed Agrippa, son of Agrippa, king of the Jews,
having sent Felix as procurator of the whole country of Samaria and Galilee,
and of the land called Perea.
And after he had reigned thirteen years and eight months, he died, and left Nero
as his successor in the empire.
CHAPTER XX.
THE EVENTS WHICH TOOK PLACE IN JERUSALEM DURING THE REIGN OF NERO.
Josephus again, in the twentieth book of his Antiquities, relates the quarrel which
arose among the priests during the reign of Nero, while Felix was procurator of
Judea.
His words are as follows.
There arose a quarrel between the high priests on the one hand, and the priests
and leaders of the people of Jerusalem on the other.
And each of them collected a body of the boldest and most restless men,
and put himself at their head, and whenever they met they hurled
invectives and stones at each other.
And there was no one that would interpose, but these things were done at will,
as if in a city destitute of a ruler.
And so great was the shamelessness and audacity of the high priests that they
dared to send their servants to the threshing floors to seize the tithes due
to the priests.
And thus those of the priests that were poor were seen to be perishing of want.
In this way did the violence of the factions prevail over all justice.
And the same author again relates that about the same time there sprang up in
Jerusalem a certain kind of robbers, who by day, as he says, and in the middle
of the city slew those who met them.
For especially at the feasts they mingled with the multitude, and with short swords,
which they concealed under their garments, they stabbed the most distinguished men.
And when they fell, the murderers themselves were among those who expressed
their indignation.
And thus on account of the confidence which was reposed in them by all,
they remained undiscovered.
The first that was slain by them was Jonathan the High Priest, and after him
many were killed every day, until the fear became worse than the evil itself,
each one as in battle hourly expecting death.
Chapter 21.
The Egyptian, who is mentioned also in the Acts of the Apostles.
After other matters, he proceeds as follows.
But the Jews were afflicted with a greater plague than these by the Egyptian false
prophet.
For there appeared in the land an imposter, who aroused faith in himself as
a prophet and collected about thirty thousand of those whom he had deceived,
and led them from the desert to the so-called Mount of Olives, whence he was
prepared to enter Jerusalem by force and to overpower the Roman garrison and seize
the government of the people, using those who made the attack with him as
bodyguards.
But Felix anticipated his attack, and went out to meet him with the Roman
legionaries, and all the people joined in the defense, so that when the battle was
fought the Egyptian fled with a few followers, but the most of them were
destroyed or taken captive.
Josephus relates these events in the second book of his history, but it is
worthwhile comparing the account of the Egyptian given here with that contained in
the Acts of the Apostles.
In the time of Felix it was said to Paul by the centurion in Jerusalem,
when the multitude of the Jews raised a disturbance against the apostle,
Art not thou he who before these days made an uproar, and led out into the wilderness
four thousand men that were murderers?
These are the events which took place in the time of Felix.
Chapter 22.
Paul, having been sent bound from Judea to Rome, made his defense, and was acquitted
of every charge.
Festus was sent by Nero to be Felix's successor.
Under him Paul, having made his defense, was sent bound to Rome.
Aristarchus was with him, whom he also somewhere in his epistles quite naturally
calls his fellow prisoner.
And Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, brought his history to a close
at this point, after stating that Paul spent two whole years at Rome as a
prisoner at large, and preached the word of God without restraint.
Thus, after he had made his defense, it is said that the apostle was sent again
upon the ministry of preaching, and that upon coming to the same city a
second time he suffered martyrdom.
In this imprisonment he wrote his second epistle to Timothy, in which he mentions
his first defense and his impending death.
But hear his testimony on these matters.
At my first answer, he says, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me.
I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the
preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear,
and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
He plainly indicates in these words that on the former occasion, in order that the
preaching might be fulfilled by him, he was rescued from the mouth of the lion,
referring in this expression to Nero, as is probable on account of the latter's
cruelty.
He did not therefore afterward add the similar statement, he will rescue me from
the mouth of the lion, for he saw in the spirit that his end would not be long
delayed.
Wherefore, he adds to the words, and he delivered me from the mouth of the
lion, this sentence, the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work,
and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, indicating his speedy martyrdom,
which he also foretells still more clearly in the same epistle when he writes,
for I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
In his second epistle to Timothy, moreover, he indicates that Luke was with
him when he wrote, but at his first defense, not even he.
Whence it is probable that Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles at that time,
continuing his history down to the period when he was with Paul.
But these things have been adduced by us to show that Paul's martyrdom did not take
place at the time of that Roman sojourn which Luke records.
It is probable, indeed, that as Nero was more disposed to mildness in the
beginning, Paul's defense of his doctrine was more easily received, but that when he
had advanced to the commission of lawless deeds of daring, he made the Apostles as
well as others the subjects of his attacks.
But after Paul, in consequence of his appeal to Caesar, had been sent to Rome by
Festus, the Jews, being frustrated in their hope of entrapping him by the snares
which they had laid for him, turned against James, the brother of the Lord,
to whom the Episcopal seat at Jerusalem had been entrusted by the Apostles,
the following daring measures were undertaken by them against him.
Leading him into their midst, they demanded of him that he should renounce
faith in Christ in the presence of all the people.
But, contrary to the opinion of all, with a clear voice and with greater
boldness than they had anticipated, he spoke out before the whole multitude
and confessed that our Savior and Lord Jesus is the Son of God.
But they were unable to bear longer the testimony of the man who, on accounts of
the excellence of ascetic virtue and of piety which he exhibited in his life,
was esteemed by all as the most just of men, and consequently they slew him.
Opportunity for this deed of violence was furnished by the prevailing anarchy,
which was caused by the fact that Festus had died just at this time in Judea,
and that the province was thus without a governor and head.
The manner of James' death has been already indicated by the above-quoted
words of Clement, who records that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and
was beaten to death with a club.
But Hegesippus, who lived immediately after the apostles, gives the most
accurate account in the fifth book of his memoirs.
He writes as follows.
James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the church
in conjunction with the apostles.
He has been called the just by all from the time of our Savior to the present day,
for there were many that bore the name of James.
He was holy from his mother's womb, and he drank no wine nor strong drink,
nor did he eat flesh.
No razor came upon his head, he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not
use the bath.
He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place, for he wore not woolen but
linen garments.
And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found
upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like
those of a camel, in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of
God and asking forgiveness for the people.
Because of his exceeding great justice he was called the just, and oblius,
which signifies in Greek bulwark of the people, and justice, in accordance with
what the prophets declare concerning him.
Now some of the seven sects, which existed among the people and which have been
mentioned by me in the memoirs, asked of him, What is the gate of Jesus?
And he replied that he was the Savior.
On account of these words, some believed that Jesus is the Christ, but the sects
mentioned above did not believe either in a resurrection or in one's coming to give
to every man according to his works.
But as many as believed did so on account of James.
Therefore, when many even of the rulers believed, there was a commotion among the
Jews and scribes and Pharisees, who said that there was danger that the
whole people would be looking for Jesus as the Christ.
Coming therefore in a body to James, they said, We entreat thee, restrain the
people, for they are gone astray in regard to Jesus as if he were the Christ.
We entreat thee to persuade all that have come to the feast of the Passover
concerning Jesus, for we all have confidence in thee.
For we bear thee witness, as do all the people, that thou art just and dost not
respect persons.
Do thou therefore persuade the multitude not to be led astray concerning Jesus?
For the whole people and all of us also have confidence in thee.
Stand therefore upon the pinnacle of the temple, that from that high position thou
mayest be clearly seen, and that thy words may be readily heard by all the people.
For all the tribes, with the Gentiles also, are come together on account of the
Passover.
The aforesaid scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle
of the temple and cried out to him, and said, Thou just one, in whom we ought
all to have confidence, forasmuch as the people are led astray after Jesus,
the crucified one, declare to us what is the gate of Jesus.
And he answered with a loud voice, Why do ye ask me concerning Jesus,
the Son of Man?
He himself sitteth in heaven at the right hand of the great power, and is about to
come upon the clouds of heaven.
And when many were fully convinced and gloried in the testimony of James,
and said, Hosanna to the Son of David, these same scribes and Pharisees said
again to one another, We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus,
but let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid to
believe him.
And they cried out, saying, O, O, the just man is also in error!
And they fulfilled the promise, Let us take away the just man,
because he is troublesome to us.
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
So they went up and threw down the just man, and said to each other, Let us stone
James the just.
And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall.
But he turned and knelt down, and said, I entreat thee, Lord God our Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And while they were thus stoning him, one of the priests of the sons of Rechab,
the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet,
cried out, saying, Cease, what do ye?
The just one prayeth for you.
And one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat out
clothes, and struck the just man on the head, and thus he suffered martyrdom.
And they buried him on the spot, by the temple, and his monument still
remains by the temple.
He became a true witness, both to Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ.
And immediately Vespasian besieged them.
These things are related at length by Hegesippus, who is in agreement with
Clement.
James was so admirable a man, and so celebrated among all for his justice,
that the more sensible even of the Jews were of the opinion that this was the
cause of the siege of Jerusalem, which happened to them immediately after
his martyrdom, for no other reason than their daring act against him.
Josephus, at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings, where he
says, These things happened to the Jews to avenge James the just, who was a brother
of Jesus, that is called the Christ, for the Jews slew him, although he was a
most just man.
And the same writer records his death also in the 20th book of his Antiquities in the
following words, But the emperor, when he learned of the death of Festus,
sent Albinus to be procurator of Judea.
But the younger Ananus, who, as we have already said, had obtained the high
priesthood, was of an exceedingly bold and reckless disposition.
He belonged moreover to the sect of the Sadducees, who are the most cruel of all
the Jews in the execution of judgment, as we have already shown.
Ananus, therefore, being of this character, and supposing that he had a
favorable opportunity on account of the fact that Festus was dead, and Albinus was
still on the way, called together the Sanhedrin, and brought before them the
brother of Jesus, the so-called Christ, James by name, together with some others,
and accused them of violating the law, and condemned them to be stoned.
But those in the city who seemed most moderate and skilled in the law were very
angry at this, and sent secretly to the king, requesting him to order Ananus to
cease such proceedings.
For he had not done right even this first time.
And certain of them also went to meet Albinus, who was journeying from
Alexandria, and reminded him that it was not lawful for Ananus to summon the
Sanhedrin without his knowledge.
And Albinus, being persuaded by their representations, wrote in anger to Ananus,
threatening him with punishment.
And the king, Agrippa, in consequence, deprived him of the high priesthood,
which he had held three months, and appointed Jesus the son of Domnius.
These things are recorded in regard to James, who is said to be the author of the
first of the so-called Catholic epistles.
But it is to be observed that when it is disputed, at least not many of the
ancients have mentioned it, as is the case likewise with the epistle that bears the
name of Jude, which is also one of the seven so-called Catholic epistles.
Nevertheless, we know that these also, with the rest, have been read publicly in
very many churches.
Chapter 24.
Ananus, the first bishop of the church of Alexandria, after Mark.
When Nero was in the eighth year of his reign, Ananus succeeded Mark the
Evangelist in the administration of the parish of Alexandria.
Chapter 25.
The persecution under Nero in which Paul and Peter were honored at Rome with
martyrdom in behalf of religion.
When the government of Nero was now firmly established, he began to plunge into
unholy pursuits and armed himself even against the religion of the God of the
universe.
To describe the greatness of his depravity does not lie within the plan of the
present work.
As there are many indeed that have recorded his history in most accurate
narratives, everyone may at his pleasure learn from them the coarseness of the
man's extraordinary madness, under the influence of which, after he had
accomplished the destruction of so many myriads without any reason, he ran into
such blood guiltiness that he did not spare even his nearest relatives and
dearest friends, but destroyed his mother and his brothers and his wife,
with very many others of his own family as he would private and public enemies,
with various kinds of deaths.
But with all these things, this particular in the catalogue of his crimes was still
wanting that he was the first of the emperors who showed himself an enemy of
the divine religion.
The Roman Tertullian is likewise a witness of this.
He writes as follows.
Examine your records.
There you will find that Nero was the first that persecuted this doctrine,
particularly then when, after subduing all the East, he exercised his cruelty against
all at Rome.
We glory in having such a man, the leader, in our punishment.
For whoever knows him can understand that nothing was condemned by Nero unless it
was something of great excellence.
Thus publicly announcing himself as the first among God's chief enemies,
he was led on to the slaughter of the apostles.
It is, therefore, recorded that Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter
likewise was crucified under Nero.
This account of Peter and Paul is substantiated by the fact that their names
are preserved in the cemeteries of that place even to the present day.
It is confirmed likewise by Caius, a member of the church, who arose under
Zephyrinus, bishop of Rome.
He, in a published disputation with Proclus, the leader of the Phrygian
heresy, speaks as follows concerning the places where the sacred corpses of the
aforesaid apostles are laid.
And that they both suffered martyrdom at the same time is stated by Dionysius,
bishop of Corinth, in his epistle to the Romans, in the following words.
You have thus by such an admonition bound together the planting of Peter and of Paul
at Rome and Corinth.
For both of them planted and likewise taught us in our Corinth.
And they taught together in like manner in Italy, and suffered martyrdom at the same
time.
I have quoted these things in order that the truth of the history might be still
more confirmed.
Chapter 26.
The Jews, afflicted with innumerable evils, commenced the last war against the
Romans.
Josephus again, after relating many things in connection with the calamity which came
upon the whole Jewish nation, records, in addition to many other circumstances,
that a great many of the most honorable among the Jews were scourged in Jerusalem
itself and then crucified by Florus.
It happened that he was procurator of Judea when the war began to be kindled in
the twelfth year of Nero.
Josephus says that at the time a terrible commotion was stirred up throughout all
Syria in consequence of the revolt of the Jews, and that everywhere the latter were
destroyed without mercy, like enemies, by the inhabitants of the cities,
so that one could see cities filled with unburied corpses and the dead bodies of
the aged scattered about with the bodies of infants, and women without even a
covering for their nakedness, and the whole province full of indescribable
calamities, while the dread of those things that were threatened was greater
than the sufferings themselves which they anywhere endured.
Such is the account of Josephus, and such was the condition of the Jews at
that time.
End of Book 2, Part 3.