At length Augustus summoned the representatives of the nation and
Nicholaus of Damascus, who spoke for Archelaus, to plead before him in
the temple of Apollo. Augustus apportioned Herod's dominions among his
sons in accordance with the provisions of his latest will. Archelaus
received the lion's share: for ten years he was ethnarch of Idumaea,
Judaea and Samaria, with a yearly revenue of 600 talents. Antipas became
tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, with a revenue of 200 talents. Philip,
who had been left in charge of Palestine pending the decision and had
won the respect of Varus, became tetrarch of Batanaea, Trachonitis and
Auranitis, with 100 talents. His subjects included only a sprinkling of
Jews. Up to his death (A.D. 34) he did nothing to forfeit the favour of
Rome. His coins bore the heads of Augustus and Tiberius, and his
government was worthy of the best Roman traditions--he succeeded where
proconsuls had failed. His capital was Caesarea Philippi, where Pan had
been worshipped from ancient times, and where Augustus had a temple
built by Herod the Great.
33. _Archelaus._--Augustus had counselled Archelaus to deal gently with
his subjects. But there was an outstanding feud between him and them;
and his first act as ethnarch was to remove the high priest on the
ground of his sympathy with the rebels. In violation of the Law he
married a brother's widow, who had already borne children, and in
general he showed himself so fierce and tyrannical that the Jews joined
with the Samaritans to accuse him before the emperor. Archelaus was
summoned to Rome and banished to Gaul; his territory was entrusted to a
series of procurators (A.D. 6-41), among whom was an apostate Jew, but
none with any pretension even to a semi-legitimate authority. Each
procurator represented not David but Caesar. The Sanhedrin had its
police and powers to safeguard the Jewish religion; but the procurator
had the appointment of the high priests, and no capital sentence could
be executed without his sanction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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