History of the Jews, Vol. 2 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 2 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
Unfortunately, Agrippa, whose change of fortune had been an offense in
the eyes of the Alexandrians, touched at their capital upon his return
from Rome to Judæa (July, 38), and his presence roused the enemies
of the Judæans to fresh conspiracies. These began with a farce, but
ended for the Judæans in terrible earnest. At first Agrippa and his
race were insultingly jeered at. A harmless fool, Carabas, was tricked
out in a crown of papyrus and a cloak of plaited rushes; a whip was
given him for a scepter, and he was placed on an eminence for a throne,
where he was saluted by all passers-by as Marin (which, in the Chaldaic
tongue, denotes "our master"). This was followed by the excitable mob's
rushing at the dawn of the next day into the synagogues, carrying
with them busts of the emperor, with the pretext of dedicating these
places of worship to Caligula. In addition to this, at the importunate
instance of the conspirators, the governor, Flaccus, was induced to
withdraw from the Judæan inhabitants of Alexandria what they had held
so gratefully from the first emperors--the right of citizenship. This
was a terrible blow to the Judæans of Alexandria, proud as they were of
their privileges, and justly entitled to the credit of having enriched
this metropolis by their learning, their wealth, their love of art and
their spirit of commerce equally with the Greeks. They were cruelly
driven out of the principal parts of the city of Alexandria, and were
forced to congregate in the Delta, or harbor of the town. The mob,
greedy for spoil, dashed into the deserted houses and work-shops, and
plundered, destroyed and annihilated what had been gathered together by
the industry of centuries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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