90
[Whiston sect. 1] [sect. 1] NOW the necessity which Archelaus was under of taking a journey to
Rome was the occasion of new disturbances; for when he had mourned for
his father seven days, 91
and had given a very expensive funeral feast to the multitude, (which custom
is the occasion of poverty to many of the Jews, because they are forced
to feast the multitude; for if any one omits it, he is not esteemed a holy
person,) he put on a white garment, and went up to the temple, where the
people accosted him with various acclamations. He also spake kindly to
the multitude from an elevated seat and a throne of gold, and returned
them thanks for the zeal they had shown about his father's funeral, and
the submission they had made to him, as if he were already settled in the
kingdom; but he told them withal, that he would not at present take upon
him either the authority of a king, or the names thereto belonging, until
Caesar, who is made lord of this whole affair by the testament, confirm
the succession; for that when the soldiers would have set the diadem on
his head at Jericho, he would not accept of it; but that he would make
abundant requitals, not to the soldiers only, but to the people, for their
alacrity and good-will to him, when the superior lords [the Romans] should
have given him a complete title to the kingdom; for that it should be his
study to appear in all things better than his father.
[Whiston sect. 2] [sect. 4] Upon this the multitude were pleased, and presently made a trial
of what he intended, by asking great things of him; for some made a clamor
that he would ease them in their taxes; others, that he would take off
the duties upon commodities; and some, that he would loose those that were
in prison; in all which cases he answered readily to their satisfaction,
in order to get the good-will of the multitude; after which he offered
[the proper] sacrifices, and feasted with his friends. And here it was
that a great many of those that desired innovations came in crowds towards
the evening, and began then to mourn on their own account, when the public
mourning for the king was over. These lamented those that were put to death
by Herod, because they had cut down the golden eagle that had been over
the gate of the temple. Nor was this mourning of a private nature, but
the lamentations were very great, the mourning solemn, and the weeping
such as was loudly heard all over the city, as being for those men who
had perished for the laws of their country, and for the temple. They cried
out that a punishment ought to be inflicted for these men upon those that
were honored by Herod; and that, in the first place, the man whom he had
made high priest should be deprived; and that it was fit to choose a person
of greater piety and purity than he was.
[Whiston sect. 3] [sect. 8] At these clamors Archelaus was provoked, but restrained himself from
taking vengeance on the authors, on account of the haste he was in of going
to Rome, as fearing lest, upon his making war on the multitude, such an
action might detain him at home. Accordingly, he made trial to quiet the
innovators by persuasion, rather than by force, and sent his general in
a private way to them, and by him exhorted them to be quiet. But the seditious
threw stones at him, and drove him away, as he came into the temple, and
before he could say any thing to them. The like treatment they showed to
others, who came to them after him, many of which were sent by Archelaus,
in order to reduce them to sobriety, and these answered still on all occasions
after a passionate manner; and it openly appeared that they would not be
quiet, if their numbers were but considerable. And indeed, at the feast
of unleavened bread, which was now at hand, and is by the Jews called the
Passover, and used to he celebrated with a great number of sacrifices,
an innumerable multitude of the people came out of the country to worship;
some of these stood in the temple bewailing the Rabbins [that had been
put to death], and procured their sustenance by begging, in order to support
their sedition. At this Archclaus was aftrighted, and privately sent a
tribune, with his cohort of soldiers, upon them, before the disease should
spread over the whole multitude, and gave orders that they should constrain
those that began the tumult, by force, to be quiet. At these the whole
multitude were irritated, and threw stones at many of the soldiers, and
killed them; but the tribune fled away wounded, and had much ado to escape
so. After which they betook themselves to their sacrifices, as if they
had done no mischief; nor did it appear to Archelaus that the multitude
could be restrained without bloodshed; so he sent his whole army upon them,
the footmen in great multitudes, by the way of the city, and the horsemen
by the way of the plain, who, falling upon them on the sudden, as they
were offering their sacrifices, destroyed about three thousand of them;
but the rest of the multitude were dispersed upon the adjoining mountains:
these were followed by Archelaus's heralds, who commanded every one to
retire to their own homes, whither they all went, and left the festival.
Ch. 2