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For as the Jewish nation is widely dispersed over all the habitable
earth among its inhabitants, so it is very much intermingled with Syria
by reason of its neighborhood, and had the greatest multitudes in Antioch
by reason of the largeness of the city, wherein the kings, after Antiochus,
had afforded them a habitation with the most undisturbed tranquillity;
for though Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, laid Jerusalem waste, and
spoiled the temple, yet did those that succeeded him in the kingdom restore
all the donations that were made of brass to the Jews of Antioch, and dedicated
them to their synagogue, and granted them the enjoyment of equal privileges
of citizens with the Greeks themselves; and as the succeeding kings treated
them after the same manner, they both multiplied to a great number, and
adorned their temple gloriously by fine ornaments, and with great magnificence,
in the use of what had been given them. They also made proselytes of a
great many of the Greeks perpetually, and thereby after a sort brought
them to be a portion of their own body. But about this time when the present
war began, and Vespasian was newly sailed to Syria, and all men had taken
up a great hatred against the Jews, then it was that a certain person,
whose name was Antiochus, being one of the Jewish nation, and greatly respected
on account of his father, who was governor of the Jews at Antioch
1
came upon the theater at a time when the people of Antioch were assembled
together, and became an informer against his father, and accused both him
and others that they had resolved to burn the whole city in one night;
he also delivered up to them some Jews that were foreigners, as partners
in their resolutions. When the people heard this, they could not refrain
their passion, but commanded that those who were delivered up to them should
have fire brought to burn them, who were accordingly all burnt upon the
theater immediately. They did also fall violently upon the multitude of
the Jews, as supposing that by punishing them suddenly they should save
their own city. As for Antiochus, he aggravated the rage they were in,
and thought to give them a demonstration of his own conversion, arm of
his hatred of the Jewish customs, by sacrificing after the manner of the
Greeks; he persuaded the rest also to compel them to do the same, because
they would by that means discover who they were that had plotted against
them, since they would not do so; and when the people of Antioch tried
the experiment, some few complied, but those that would not do so were
slain. As for Ailtiochus himself, he obtained soldiers from the Roman commander,
and became a severe master over his own citizens, not permitting them to
rest on the seventh day, but forcing them to do all that they usually did
on other days; and to that degree of distress did he reduce them in this
matter, that the rest of the seventh day was dissolved not only at Antioch,
but the same thing which took thence its rise was done in other cities
also, in like manner, for some small time.