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ON this account it was that Herod revolted from the laws of his country,
and corrupted their ancient constitution, by the introduction of foreign
practices, which constitution yet ought to have been preserved inviolable;
by which means we became guilty of great wickedness afterward, while those
religious observances which used to lead the multitude to piety were now
neglected; for, in the first place, he appointed solemn games to be celebrated
every fifth year, in honor of Caesar, and built a theater at Jerusalem,
as also a very great amphitheater in the plain. Both of them were indeed
costly works, but opposite to the Jewish customs; for we have had no such
shows delivered down to us as fit to be used or exhibited by us; yet did
he celebrate these games every five years, in the most solemn and splendid
manner. He also made proclamation to the neighboring countries, and called
men together out of every nation. The wrestlers also, and the rest of those
that strove for the prizes in such games, were invited out of every land,
both by the hopes of the rewards there to be bestowed, and by the glory
of victory to be there gained. So the principal persons that were the most
eminent in these sorts of exercises were gotten together, for there were
very great rewards for victory proposed, not only to those that performed
their exercises naked, but to those that played the musicians also, and
were called Thymelici; and he spared no pains to induce all persons, the
most famous for such exercises, to come to this contest for victory. He
also proposed no small rewards to those who ran for the prizes in chariot
races, when they were drawn by two, or three, or four pair of horses. He
also imitated every thing, though never so costly or magnificent, in other
nations, out of an ambition that he might give most public demonstration
of his grandeur. Inscriptions also of the great actions of Caesar, and
trophies of those nations which he had conquered in his wars, and all made
of the purest gold and silver, encompassed the theater itself; nor was
there any thing that could be subservient to his design, whether it were
precious garments, or precious stones set in order, which was not also
exposed to sight in these games. He had also made a great preparation of
wild beasts, and of lions themselves in great abundance, and of such other
beasts as were either of uncommon strength, or of such a sort as were rarely
seen. These were prepared either to fight with one another, or that men
who were condemned to death were to fight with them. And truly foreigners
were greatly surprised and delighted at the vastness of the expenses here
exhibited, and at the great dangers that were here seen; but to natural
Jews, this was no better than a dissolution of those customs for which
they had so great a veneration.
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It appeared also no better than an instance of barefaced impiety, to throw
men to wild beasts, for the affording delight to the spectators; and it
appeared an instance of no less impiety, to change their own laws for such
foreign exercises: but, above all the rest, the trophies gave most distaste
to the Jews; for as they imagined them to be images, included within the
armor that hung round about them, they were sorely displeased at them,
because it was not the custom of their country to pay honors to such images.