disorder which prevailed at this period was constantly growing worse and worse. The country was infested with robbers and Sicarii ;* and, although Albinus exerted himself to apprehend them, he immediately released those from whom he could obtain money, and punished such only as were unable to gratify his avarice. The chief priests began to encroach on the rights of the lower priests. They sent their servants to the threshing-floors, and took away by force the tithes which belonged to the common priests. The deposed high-priest Ananus, who was the richest man in the nation, and had purchased the favor of Albinus, surpassed all his contemporaries in violence and rapine. Even the procurator himself did not hesitate to promote theft and murder, when it contributed to his own interest; and he might have been regarded, without impropriety, as the head and instigator of all the robbers in the country. He was succeeded, in the year 65 A. C., by Gessius Florus, compared with whom, even the unprincipled Albinus was a good man.† This political firebrand was the personification of all evil, without so much as one redeeming quality. He concentrated in himself all the vices of his predecessors, and added to them many peculiarly his own. He was not only tyrannical, cruel, and avaricious, but his avarice was utterly insatiable. He readily afforded protection to all robbers who would divide their spoil with him; and * The Sicarii were a set of secret assassins that sprang up during the procuratorship of Felix. They soon became more numerous and formidable than the robbers; perpetrating the most atrocious murders, even in the temple and in the public streets, and yet escaping detection. They carried daggers concealed under their garments; and, mingling in a crowd, they would despatch their victims by a secret thrust, and immediately conceal themselves among the multitude, and evade observation. They were called Sicarii from the sica, or short dagger, which they made use of. It was said that Albinus should have been grateful to Florus, for proving that he was not the basest of mankind, by the evidence that a baser existed; that he had a respect for virtue, by his condescending to commit those robberies in private which his successor perpetrated in public; and that he had human feeling, by his abstaining from blood where he could gain nothing by murder: while Florus disdained alike concealment and cause, and slaughtered for the brutal pleasure of the sword. nothing was wanting but an official proclamation giving permission for all to rob, who were willing to bring a share of their plunder to the procurator. The Jews had been ill used and oppressed by former governors; but Florus inflicted cruelties upon them deliberately, and by system. The appointment of such a man to the supreme civic office, was calculated to inflame the popular discontent, and foment the gathering elements of rebellion into a storm of national vengeance. CHAPTER IV. Provocations offered to the Jews-Popular Commotion-Outbreak of the Jewish War-Campaign of Vespasian-Vespasian declared Emperor of Rome. In the year 66 A. C., the twelfth year of the reign of Nero, and the second of the procuratorship of Florus, the imperial edict was received at Cesarea, by which the Syrian and Greek inhabitants of that city were raised above the Jews, and became entitled to the first rank as citizens. Soon after, a Cesarean Greek, who owned a piece of land directly in front of the Jewish synagogue, began to erect a building upon it, which left the Jews a very narrow passage to their place of worship. The young Jews at first molested the workmen; but after Florus had taken measures to prevent their interference, John, a publican, with many other Jews of the first rank, went to the procurator, and gave him eight talents to prohibit the further progress of the work. This Florus promised to do, but he soon after went to Seflaste, (Samaria,) without having performed his promise; and it was thus made to appear as though he had sold the Jews permission to vindicate their rights by arms. They however remained quiet.* Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 14. disorder which prevailed at this period was constantly growing worse and worse. The country was infested with robbers and Sicarii ;* and, although Albinus exerted himself to apprehend them, he immediately released those from whom he could obtain money, and punished such only as were unable to gratify his avarice. The chief priests began to encroach on the rights of the lower priests. They sent their servants to the threshing-floors, and took away by force the tithes which belonged to the common priests. The deposed high-priest Ananus, who was the richest man in the nation, and had purchased the favor of Albinus, surpassed all his contemporaries in violence and rapine. Even the procurator himself did not hesitate to promote theft and murder, when it contributed to his own interest; and he might have been regarded, without impropriety, as the head and instigator of all the robbers in the country. He was succeeded, in the year 65 A. C., by Gessius Florus, compared with whom, even the unprincipled Albinus was a good man.† This political firebrand was the personification of all evil, without so much as one redeeming quality. He concentrated in himself all the vices of his predecessors, and added to them many peculiarly his own. He was not only tyrannical, cruel, and avaricious, but his avarice was utterly insatiable. He readily afforded protection to all robbers who would divide their spoil with him; and * The Sicarii were a set of secret assassins that sprang up during the procuratorship of Felix. They soon became more numerous and formidable than the robbers; perpetrating the most atrocious murders, even in the temple and in the public streets, and yet escaping detection. They carried daggers concealed under their garments; and, mingling in a crowd, they would despatch their victims by a secret thrust, and immediately conceal themselves among the multitude, and evade observation. They were called Sicarii from the sica, or short dagger, which they made use of. It was said that Albinus should have been grateful to Florus, for proving that he was not the basest of mankind, by the evidence that a baser existed; that he had a respect for virtue, by his condescending to commit those robberies in private which his successor perpetrated in public; and that he had human feeling, by his abstaining from blood where he could gain nothing by murder: while Florus disdained alike concealment and cause, and slaughtered for the brutal pleasure of the sword. nothing was wanting but an official proclamation giving permission for all to rob, who were willing to bring a share of their plunder to the procurator. The Jews had been ill used and oppressed by former governors; but Florus inflicted cruelties upon them deliberately, and by system. The appointment of such a man to the supreme civic office, was calculated to inflame the popular discontent, and foment the gathering elements of rebellion into a storm of national vengeance. CHAPTER IV. Provocations offered to the Jews-Popular Commotion-Outbreak of the Jewish War-Campaign of Vespasian-Vespasian declared Emperor of Rome. In the year 66 A. C., the twelfth year of the reign of Nero, and the second of the procuratorship of Florus, the imperial edict was received at Cesarea, by which the Syrian and Greek inhabitants of that city were raised above the Jews, and became entitled to the first rank as citizens. 1; Soon after, a Cesarean Greek, who owned a piece of land directly in front of the Jewish synagogue, began to erect a building upon it, which left the Jews a very narrow passage to their place of worship. The young Jews at first molested the workmen ; but after Florus had taken measures to prevent their interference, John, a publican, with many other Jews of the first rank, went to the procurator, and gave him eight talents to prohibit the further progress of the work. This Florus promised to do, but he soon after went to Seflaste, (Samaria,) without having performed his promise; and it was thus made to appear as though he had sold the Jews permission to vindicate their rights by arms. They however remained quiet.* Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 14. But, on the next day, which was the Sabbath, a certain Cesarean, to insult the Jews, turned over an earthen vessel near the entrance of the synagogue, and began to sacrifice birds on the bottom of it. The Jews were very much irritated by this outrage on their sacred rites, and the more moderate among them thought of applying to the magistrates for protection; but the enraged multitude prepared themselves to fight, and they were soon met by a number of Greeks and Syrians, who had instigated the Cesarean to make the offensive offering. Jucundus, the Roman master of horse, hastened to quell the tumult; but he was repelled by the superior numbers of Cesareans. The Jews then took their sacred books from the synagogue, and carried them to Narbata, about sixty stadia from Cesarea. In the mean time, the publican John, with twelve other distinguished Jews, went to Sebaste to lay their grievances before the procurator: but as soon as they arrived, Florus put them all in prison, because they had removed their sacred books from Cesarea.* This arbitrary measure of the procurator caused great excitement at Jerusalem, but there was yet no appearance of sedition. Florus therefore, in order to exasperate the feelings of the people, and if possible provoke them to rebellion, sent to Jerusalem, and demanded seventeen talents from the sacred treasury for the use of the emperor. This had the desired effect: a tumult was excited, and reproaches and insults were openly cast upon the procurator. Florus now approached the city in person, with a body of horse and foot, to enforce his demand. The people went out to meet him, with the intention of paying him every mark of respect, and saluting him with the customary shout of joy ; but he, instead of receiving their homage, ordered his cavalry to drive them back into the city. The next day, he demanded from his throne the surrender of those who had joined in the reproaches which had been cast upon him. He would listen to no apology, or palliation, or petition for par Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 14, 5. |