Chapter 6.
HOW THERE HAPPENED A QUARREL BETWEEN THE JEWS AND THE SAMARITANS;
AND HOW CLAUDIUS PUT AN END TO THEIR DIFFERENCES.FJAJ 20.31
1. NOW there arose a quarrel between the Samaritans and the Jews on
the occasion following: It was the custom of the Galileans, when they came
to the holy city at the festivals, to take their journeys through the country
of the Samaritans; (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.
and at this time there lay, in the road they took, a village that was called
Ginea, which was situated in the limits of Samaria and the great plain,
where certain persons thereto belonging fought with the Galileans, and
killed a great many of them
But when the principal of the Galileans were
informed of what had been done, they came to Cumanus, and desired him to
avenge the murder of those that were killed; but he was induced by the
Samaritans, with money, to do nothing in the matter; upon which the Galileans
were much displeased, and persuaded the multitude of the Jews to betake
themselves to arms, and to regain their liberty, saying that slavery was
in itself a bitter thing, but that when it was joined with direct injuries,
it was perfectly intolerable, And when their principal men endeavored to
pacify them, and promised to endeavor to persuade Cureanus to avenge those
that were killed, they would not hearken to them, but took their weapons,
and entreated the assistance of Eleazar, the son of Dineus, a robber, who
had many years made his abode in the mountains, with which assistance they
plundered many villages of the Samaritans
When Cumanus heard of this action
of theirs, he took the band of Sebaste, with four regiments of footmen,
and armed the Samaritans, and marched out against the Jews, and caught
them, and slew many of them, and took a great number of them alive; whereupon
those that were the most eminent persons at Jerusalem, and that both in
regard to the respect that was paid them, and the families they were of,
as soon as they saw to what a height things were gone, put on sackcloth,
and heaped ashes upon their heads, and by all possible means besought the
seditious, and persuaded them that they would set before their eyes the
utter subversion of their country, the conflagration of their temple, and
the slavery of themselves, their wives, and children, (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.
which would be the consequences of what they were doing; and would alter
their minds, would cast away their weapons, and for the future be quiet,
and return to their own homes
These persuasions of theirs prevailed upon
them
So the people dispersed themselves, and the robbers went away again
to their places of strength; and after this time all Judea was overrun
with robberies.FJAJ 20.32
2. But the principal of the Samaritans went to Ummidius Quadratus, the
president of Syria, who at that time was at Tyre, and accused the Jews
of setting their villages on fire, and plundering them; and said withal,
that they were not so much displeased at what they had suffered, as they
were at the contempt thereby showed the Romans; while if they had received
any injury, they ought to have made them the judges of what had been done,
and not presently to make such devastation, as if they had not the Romans
for their governors; on which account they came to him, in order to obtain
that vengeance they wanted
This was the accusation which the Samaritans
brought against the Jews
But the Jews affirmed that the Samaritans were
the authors of this tumult and fighting, and that, in the first place,
Cumanus had been corrupted by their gifts, and passed over the murder of
those that were slain in silence; - which allegations when Quadratus heard,
he put off the hearing of the cause, and promised that he would give sentence
when he should come into Judea, and should have a more exact knowledge
of the truth of that matter
So these men went away without success
Yet
was it not long ere Quadratus came to Samaria, where, upon hearing the
cause, he supposed that the Samaritans were the authors of that disturbance.
But when he was informed that certain of the Jews were making innovations,
he ordered those to be crucified whom Cumanus had taken captives
From
whence he came to a certain village called Lydda, which was not less than
a city in largeness, and there heard the Samaritan cause a second time
before his tribunal, and there learned from a certain Samaritan that one
of the chief of the Jews, whose name was Dortus, and some other innovators
with him, four in number, persuaded the multitude to a revolt from the
Romans; whom Quadratus ordered to be put to death: but still he sent away
Ananias the high priest, and Ananus the commander [of the temple], in bonds
to Rome, to give an account of what they had done to Claudius Caesar
He
also ordered the principal men, both of the Samaritans and of the Jews,
as also Cumanus the procurator, and Ceier the tribune, to go to Italy to
the emperor, that he might hear their cause, and determine their differences
one with another
But he came again to the city of Jerusalem, out of his
fear that the multitude of the Jews should attempt some innovations; but
he found the city in a peaceable state, and celebrating one of the usual
festivals of their country to God
So he believed that they would not attempt
any innovations, and left them at the celebration of the festival, and
returned to Antioch.FJAJ 20.33
3. Now Cumanus, and the principal of the Samaritans, who were sent to
Rome, had a day appointed them by the emperor whereon they were to have
pleaded their cause about the quarrels they had one with another
But now
Caesar's freed-men and his friends were very zealous on the behalf of Cumanus
and the Samaritans; and they had prevailed over the Jews, unless Agrippa,
junior, who was then at Rome, had seen the principal of the Jews hard set,
and had earnestly entreated Agrippina, the emperor's wife, to persuade
her husband to hear the cause, so as was agreeable to his justice, and
to condemn those to be punished who were really the authors of this revolt
from the Roman government: - whereupon Claudius was so well disposed beforehand,
that when he had heard the cause, and found that the Samaritans had been
the ringleaders in those mischievous doings, he gave order that those who
came up to him should be slain, and that Cureanus should be banished
He
also gave order that Celer the tribune should be carried back to Jerusalem,
and should be drawn through the city in the sight of all the people, and
then should be slain.FJAJ 20.34