按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
latter end of the 4th year of Claudius; so that this famine
foretold by Agabus happened upon the 5th; 6th; and 7th years of
Claudius; as says Valesius on Euseb。 II。 12。 Of this famine also;
and queen Helena's supplies; and her monument; see Moses
Churenensis; p。 144; 145; where it is observed in the notes that
Pausanias mentions that her monument also。
(6) This privilege of wearing the tiara upright; or with the tip
of the cone erect; is known to have been of old peculiar to great
kings; from Xenophon and others; as Dr。 Hudson observes here。
(7) This conduct of Izates is a sign that he was become either a
Jew; or an Ebionite Christian; who indeed differed not much from
proper Jews。 See ch。 6。 sect。 1。 However; his supplications were
heard; and he was providentially delivered from that imminent
danger he was in。
(8) These pyramids or pillars; erected by Helena; queen of
Adiabene; near Jerusalem; three in number; are mentioned by
Eusebius; in his Eccles。 Hist。 B。 II。 ch。 12; for which Dr。
Hudson refers us to Valesius's notes upon that place。They are
also mentioned by Pausanias; as hath been already noted; ch。 2。
sect。 6。 Reland guesses that that now called Absalom's Pillar may
be one of them。
(9) This Theudas; who arose under Fadus the procurator; about
A。D。 45 or 46; could not be that Thendas who arose in the days of
the taxing; under Cyrenius; or about A。D。 7; Acts v。 36; 37。 Who
that earlier Theudas was; see the note on B。 XVII。 ch。 10。 sect。
5。
(10) This and。 many more tumults and seditions which arose at the
Jewish festivals; in Josephus; illustrate the cautious procedure
of the Jewish governors; when they said; Matthew 26:5; 〃Let us
not take Jesus on the feast…day; lest there be an up roar among
the people;〃 as Reland well observes on tins place。 Josephus also
takes notice of the same thing; Of the War; B。 I。 ch。 4。 sect。 3。
(11) This constant passage of the Galileans through the country
of Samaria; as they went to Judea and Jerusalem; illustrates
several passages in the Gospels to the same purpose; as Dr。
Hudson rightly observes。 See Luke 17:11; John 4:4。 See also
Josephus in his own Life; sect。 52; where that journey is
determined to three days。
(12) Our Savior had foretold that the Jews' rejection of his
gospel would bring upon them; among other miseries; these three;
which they themselves here show they expected would be the
consequences of their present tumults and seditions: the utter
subversion of their country; the conflagration of their temple;
and the slavery of themselves; their wives; and children See Luke
21:6…24。
(13) This Simon; a friend of Felix; a Jew; born in Cyprus; though
he pretended to be a magician; and seems to have been wicked
enough; could hardly be that famous Simon the magician; in the
Acts of the Apostles; 8:9; etc。; as some are ready to suppose。
This Simon mentioned in the Acts was not properly a Jew; but a
Samaritan; of the town of Gittae; in the country of Samaria; as
the Apostolical Constitutions; VI。 7; the Recognitions of
Clement; II。 6; and Justin Martyr; himself born in the country of
Samaria; Apology; I。 34; inform us。 He was also the author; not
of any ancient Jewish; but of the first Gentile heresies; as the
forementioned authors assure us。 So I suppose him a different
person from the other。 I mean this only upon the hypothesis that
Josephus was not misinformed as to his being a Cypriot Jew; for
otherwise the time; the name; the profession; and the wickedness
of them both would strongly incline one to believe them the very
same。 As to that Drusilla; the sister of Agrippa; junior; as
Josephus informs us here; and a Jewess; as St。 Luke informs us;
Acts 24:24; whom this Simon mentioned by Josephus persuaded to
leave her former husband; Azizus; king of Emesa; a proselyte of
justice; and to marry Felix; the heathen procurator of Judea;
Tacitus; Hist。 V。 9; supposes her to be a heathen; and the
grand…daughter of Antonius and Cleopatra; contrary both to St。
Luke and Josephus。 Now Tacitus lived somewhat too remote; both as
to time and place; to be compared with either of those Jewish
writers; in a matter concerning the Jews in Judea in their own
days; and concerning a sister of Agrippa; junior; with which
Agrippa Josephus was himself so well acquainted。 It is probable
that Tacitus may say true; when he informs us that this Felix
(who had in all three wives; or queens; as Suetonius in Claudius;
sect。 28; assures us) did once marry such a grandchild of
Antonius and Cleopatra; and finding the name of one of them to
have been Drusilla; he mistook her for that other wife; whose
name he did not know。
(14) This eruption of Vesuvius was one of the greatest we have in
history。 See Bianchini's curious and important observations on
this Vesuvius; and its seven several great eruptions; with their
remains vitrified; and still existing; in so many different
strata under ground; till the diggers came to the antediluvian
waters; with their proportionable interstices; implying the
deluge to have been above two thousand five hundred years before
the Christian era; according to our exactest chronology。
(15) This is now wanting。
(16) This also is now wanting。
(17) This duration of the reign of Claudius agrees with Dio; as
Dr。 Hudson here remarks; as he also remarks that Nero's name;
which was at first L。 Domitius Aenobarbus; after Claudius had
adopted him was Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus。 This
Soleus as 'own Life; sect。 11; as also' by Dio Cassius andTaeims;
as Dr。 Hudson informs us。
(18) This agrees with Josephus's frequent accounts elsewhere in
his own Life; that Tibetans; and Taricheae; and Gamala were under
this Agrippa; junior; till Justus; the son of Pistus; seized for
the Jews; upon the breaking out of the war。
(19) This treacherous and barbarous murder of the good high
priest Jonathan; by the contrivance of this wicked procurator;
Felix; was the immediate occasion of the ensuing murders by the
Sicarii or ruffians; and one great cause of the following horrid
cruelties and miseries of the Jewish nation; as Josephus here
supposes; whose excellent reflection on the gross wickedness of
that nation; as the direct cause of their terrible destruction;
is well worthy the attention of every Jewish and of every
Christian reader。 And since we are soon coming to the catalogue
of the Jewish high priests; it may not be amiss; with Reland; to
insert this Jonathan among them; and to transcribe his particular
catalogue of the last twenty…eight high priests; taken out of
Josephus; and begin with Ananelus; who was
made by Herod the Great。 See Antiq。 B。 XV。 ch。 2。 sect。 4;
and the note there。
1。 Ananelus。
2。 Aristobulus。
3。 Jesus; the son of Fabus。
4。 Simon; the son of Boethus。
5。 Marthias; the son of Theophiltu。
6。 Joazar; the son of Boethus。
7。 Eleazar; the son of Boethus。
8。 Jesus; the son of Sic。
9。 'Annas; or' Ananus; the son of Seth。
10。 Ismael; the son of Fabus。
11。 Eleazar; the son of Ananus。
12。 Simon; the son of Camithus。
13。 Josephus Caiaphas; the son…in…law to Ananus。
14。 Jonathan; the son of Ananus。
15。 Theophilus; his brother; and son of Ananus。
16。 S