[480] Jewish exclusiveness always roused Roman indignation, and 'hatred of the human race' was the usual charge against Christians (see _Ann._ xv. 44). [481] The strict regulations of Deut. xxii. &c. give a strange irony to this slander. Most of these libels originated in Alexandria. [482] 'A people,' says the elder Pliny, 'distinguished by their contemptuous atheism.' [483] _Agnati_, as used here and in _Germ._ 19 means a child born after the father has made his will and therein specified the number of his children. The mere birth of such a child invalidated any earlier will that the father had made, but the fact of its birth might be concealed by making away with the baby. This crime seems to have been not uncommon, but there is no evidence that 'exposure of infants' was permitted. [484] Josephus also alludes to this belief that the corruption of disease chained the soul to the buried body, while violent death freed it to live for ever in the air and protect posterity. [485] Under the kings cremation was an honourable form of burial, but in Babylon the Jews came to regard fire as a sacred element which should not be thus defiled. [486] This was over the door of the Temple. Aristobulus gave it as a present to Pompey. [487] Plutarch shared this error, which seems somehow to have been based on a misinterpretation of the Feast of Tabernacles, at which they were to 'take ... the fruit of goodly trees, ... and willows of the brook; and ... rejoice before the Lord your God seven days' (Lev. xxiii. 40). [488] Over Coele-Syria, from the range of Lebanon. [489] i.e. from Mount Hermon, nearly 9,000 feet high. [490] Merom; Gennesareth; the Dead Sea. [491] 'Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain' (Gen. xix. 24). [492] These were not concentric, but an enemy approaching from the north-west would have to carry all three before reaching the temple, which stood on Mount Moriah at the eastern extremity of the city. [493] Cp. Luke i. 8-10, where Zacharias entered the temple to burn incense, 'and the whole multitude of the people were praying without.' [494] The Seleucids. [495] Antiochus Epiphanes (176-164 B.C.). [496] This was really in the reign of Antiochus II (260-245 B.C.). [497] Of the Hasmonean or Maccabean family. [498] 63 B.C. when he was called in to decide between Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus. [499] At the invitation of the Maccabean Antigonus, who thus recovered the throne.