1
[
647]
NOW Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this
because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was
in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and
had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children,
whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief
also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved
to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should be well again,
and resolved to have him slain [in a public manner].
[
648]
There also now happened to him, among his other calamities, a certain
popular sedition. There were two men of learning in the city [Jerusalem,]
who were thought the most skillful in the laws of their country, and were
on that account had in very great esteem all over the nation; they were,
the one Judas, the son of Sepphoris, and the other Mattbias, the son of
Margalus. There was a great concourse of the young men to these men when
they expounded the laws, and there got together every day a kind of an
army of such as were growing up to be men. Now when these men were informed
that the king was wearing away with melancholy, and with a distemper, they
dropped words to their acquaintance, how it was now a very proper time
to defend the cause of God, and to pull down what had been erected contrary
to the laws of their country; for it was unlawful there should be any such
thing in the temple as images, or faces, or the like representation of
any animal whatsoever. Now the king had put up a golden eagle over the
great gate of the temple, which these learned men exhorted them to cut
down; and told them, that if there should any danger arise, it was a glorious
thing to die for the laws of their country; because that the soul was immortal,
and that an eternal enjoyment of happiness did await such as died on that
account; while the mean-spirited, and those that were not wise enough to
show a right love of their souls, preferred a death by a disease, before
that which is the result of a virtuous behavior.
[
651]
At the same time that these men made this speech to their disciples,
a rumor was spread abroad that the king was dying, which made the young
men set about the work with greater boldness; they therefore let themselves
down from the top of the temple with thick cords, and this at midday, and
while a great number of people were in the temple, and cut down that golden
eagle with axes. This was presently told to the king's captain of the temple,
who came running with a great body of soldiers, and caught about forty
of the young men, and brought them to the king. And when he asked them,
first of all, whether they had been so hardy as to cut down the golden
eagle, they confessed they had done so; and when he asked them by whose
command they had done it, they replied, at the command of the law of their
country; and when he further asked them how they could be so joyful when
they were to be put to death, they replied, because they should enjoy greater
happiness after they were dead.
2
[
654]
At this the king was in such an extravagant passion, that he overcame
his disease [for the time,] and went out, and spake to the people; wherein
he made a terrible accusation against those men, as being guilty of sacrilege,
and as making greater attempts under pretense of their law, and he thought
they deserved to be punished as impious persons. Whereupon the people were
afraid lest a great number should be found guilty and desired that when
he had first punished those that put them upon this work, and then those
that were caught in it, he would leave off his anger as to the rest. With
this the king complied, though not without difficulty, and ordered those
that had let themselves down, together with their Rabbins, to be burnt
alive, but delivered the rest that were caught to the proper officers,
to be put to death by them.
[
656]
After this, the distemper seized upon his whole body, and greatly
disordered all its parts with various symptoms; for there was a gentle
fever upon him, and an intolerable itching over all the surface of his
body, and continual pains in his colon, and dropsical turnouts about his
feet, and an inflammation of the abdomen, and a putrefaction of his privy
member, that produced worms. Besides which he had a difficulty of breathing
upon him, and could not breathe but when he sat upright, and had a convulsion
of all his members, insomuch that the diviners said those diseases were
a punishment upon him for what he had done to the Rabbins. Yet did he struggle
with his numerous disorders, and still had a desire to live, and hoped
for recovery, and considered of several methods of cure. Accordingly, he
went over Jordan, and made use of those hot baths at Callirrhoe, which
ran into the lake Asphaltitis, but are themselves sweet enough to be drunk.
And here the physicians thought proper to bathe his whole body in warm
oil, by letting it down into a large vessel full of oil; whereupon his
eyes failed him, and he came and went as if he was dying; and as a tumult
was then made by his servants, at their voice he revived again. Yet did
he after this despair of recovery, and gave orders that each soldier should
have fifty drachmae a-piece, and that his commanders and friends should
have great sums of money given them.
[
659]
He then returned back and came to Jericho, in such a melancholy state
of body as almost threatened him with present death, when he proceeded
to attempt a horrid wickedness; for he got together the most illustrious
men of the whole Jewish nation, out of every village, into a place called
the Hippodrome, and there shut them in. He then called for his sister Salome,
and her husband Alexas, and made this speech to them: "I know well
enough that the Jews will keep a festival upon my death however, it is
in my power to be mourned for on other accounts, and to have a splendid
funeral, if you will but be subservient to my commands. Do you but take
care to send soldiers to encompass these men that are now in custody, and
slay them immediately upon my death, and then all Judea, and every family
of them, will weep at it, whether they will or no."
[
661]
These were the commands he gave them; when there came letters from
his ambassadors at Rome, whereby information was given that Acme was put
to death at Caesar's command, and that Antipater was condemned to die;
however, they wrote withal, that if Herod had a mind rather to banish him,
Caesar permitted him so to do. So he for a little while revived, and had
a desire to live; but presently after he was overborne by his pains, and
was disordered by want of food, and by a convulsive cough, and endeavored
to prevent a natural, death; so he took an apple, and asked for a knife
for he used to pare apples and eat them; he then looked round about to
see that there was nobody to hinder him, and lift up his right hand as
if he would stab himself; but Achiabus, his first cousin, came running
to him, and held his hand, and hindered him from so doing; on which occasion
a very great lamentation was made in the palace, as if the king were expiring.
As soon as ever Antipater heard that, he took courage, and with joy in
his looks, besought his keepers, for a sum of money, to loose him and let
him go; but the principal keeper of the prison did not only obstruct him
in that his intention, but ran and told the king what his design was; hereupon
the king cried out louder than his distemper would well bear, and immediately
sent some of his guards and slew Antipater; he also gave order to have
him buried at Hyrcanium, and altered his testament again, and therein made
Archclaus, his eldest son, and the brother of Antipas, his successor, and
made Antipas tetrarch.
[
665]
So Herod, having survived the slaughter of his son five days, died,
having reigned thirty-four years since he had caused Antigonus to be slain,
and obtained his kingdom; but thirty-seven years since he had been made
king by the Romans. Now as for his fortune, it was prosperous in all other
respects, if ever any other man could be so, since, from a private man,
he obtained the kingdom, and kept it so long, and left it to his own sons;
but still in his domestic affairs he was a most unfortunate man. Now, before
the soldiers knew of his death, Salome and her husband came out and dismissed
those that were in bonds, whom the king had commanded to be slain, and
told them that he had altered his mind, and would have every one of them
sent to their own homes. When these men were gone, Salome, told the soldiers
[the king was dead], and got them and the rest of the multitude together
to an assembly, in the amphitheater at Jericho, where Ptolemy, who was
intrusted by the king with his signet ring, came before them, and spake
of the happiness the king had attained, and comforted the multitude, and
read the epistle which had been left for the soldiers, wherein he earnestly
exhorted them to bear good-will to his successor; and after he had read
the epistle, he opened and read his testament, wherein Philip was to inherit
Trachonitis, and the neighboring countries, and Antipas was to be tetrarch,
as we said before, and Archelaus was made king. He had also been commanded
to carry Herod's ring to Caesar, and the settlements he had made, sealed
up, because Caesar was to be lord of all the settlements he had made, and
was to confirm his testament; and he ordered that the dispositions he had
made were to be kept as they were in his former testament.
[
670]
So there was an acclamation made to Archelaus, to congratulate him
upon his advancement; and the soldiers, with the multitude, went round
about in troops, and promised him their good-will, and besides, prayed
God to bless his government. After this, they betook themselves to prepare
for the king's funeral; and Archelaus omitted nothing of magnificence therein,
but brought out all the royal ornaments to augment the pomp of the deceased.
There was a bier all of gold, embroidered with precious stones, and a purple
bed of various contexture, with the dead body upon it, covered with purple;
and a diadem was put upon his head, and a crown of gold above it, and a
secptre in his right hand; and near to the bier were Herod's sons, and
a multitude of his kindred; next to which came his guards, and the regiment
of Thracians, the Germans. also and Gauls, all accounted as if they were
going to war; but the rest of the army went foremost, armed, and following
their captains and officers in a regular manner; after whom five hundred
of his domestic servants and freed-men followed, with sweet spices in their
hands: and the body was carried two hundred furlongs, to Herodium, where
he had given order to be buried. And this shall suffice for the conclusion
of the life of Herod.