The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 02 : $b Israel, India, Persia, Phoenicia, Minor Nations of Western Asia
World history
Samaritan made them repel his advances with scorn. A legend grew up
in the Christian church about the name of Simon, surnamed Magus, who
became the type of all charlatans, and the name of simony has since
been given to all traffic in holy things.
The reciprocal antipathy of Jews and Samaritans was a source of
embarrassment to the Roman government. Some Galileans, on their way
to Jerusalem for the feasts, passed through Samaria and quarrelled
with the inhabitants. The men of Jerusalem, led by a robber chieftain,
pillaged Samaria. Cumanus, the procurator, was called upon to
intervene, and decided in favour of the Samaritans. The Jews accused
him of taking bribes, and appealed first to the governor of Syria and
then to the emperor. The young Agrippa, who stood high in the good
graces of Claudius, contrived that the Jews should win their suit, and
Cumanus was banished.
[Sidenote: [52-62 A.D.]]
From the government of this same Cumanus, Josephus dates the disorders
which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem. He had, nevertheless,
treated the religious scruples of the Jews with great consideration,
going so far as to inflict capital punishment on a Roman soldier who
had torn up a copy of the Pentateuch while engaged in suppressing a
riot. The sway of Rome was not oppressive, and the government confined
itself to protecting the public peace against adventurers who lived
on plunder under the cloak of religion, and fanatics who endeavoured
to stir up the people by promising to work miracles before them. One
of these induced thirty thousand persons to follow him to the Mount
of Olives, that thence they might see the walls of Jerusalem fall
at his behest. Felix, the procurator, sent soldiers to disperse the
multitudes, and the prophet took to flight. But it was always the same
story. “Judea,” says Josephus, “was full of robbers and sorcerers who
deceived the people, and not a day passed in which Felix did not punish
some of one sort or the other. But the robbers continued to stir up the
people to rebel against the Romans, giving over to fire and plunder the
villages of those who refused to rejoin them.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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