Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume I/Church History of Eusebius/Book II/Chapter 5

Philo&#8217;s Embassy to Caius in Behalf of the Jews.

1. has given us an account, in five books, of the misfortunes of the Jews under Caius. Upon this work, see Sch&#252;rer, p. 855 sqq. According to him, the whole work embraced five books, and probably bore the title &#960;&#949;&#961;&#8054; &#7936;&#961;&#949;&#964;&#8182;&#957; &#954;&#945;&#8054; &#960;&#961;&#949;&#963;&#946;&#949;&#8055;&#945;&#962; &#960;&#961;&#8056;&#962; &#915;&#8364;&#970;&#959;&#957;. Eusebius cites what seems to be the same work under these two different titles in this and in the next chapter; and the conclusion that they were but one work is confirmed by the fact that Eusebius (in chap. 18) mentions the work under the title On the Virtues, which he says that Philo humorously prefixed to his work, describing the impiety of Caius. The omission of the title &#7969; &#960;&#961;&#949;&#963;&#946;&#949;&#8055;&#945; in so complete a catalogue of Philo&#8217;s works makes its identification with &#960;&#949;&#961;&#8054; &#7936;&#961;&#949;&#964;&#8182;&#957; very probable. Of the five, only the third and fourth are extant,&#8212;&#949;&#7984;&#962; &#934;&#955;&#8364;&#954;&#954;&#959;&#957;, Adversus Flaccum, and &#960;&#949;&#961;&#8054; &#960;&#961;&#949;&#963;&#946;&#949;&#8055;&#945;&#962; &#960;&#961;&#8056;&#962; &#915;&#8364;&#970;&#959;&#957;, de legatione ad Cajum (found in Mangey&#8217;s ed. Vol. II. p. 517&#8211;600). Book I., which is lost, contained, probably, a general introduction; Book II., which is also lost, contained an account of the oppression of the Jews during the time of Tiberius, by Sejanus in Rome, and by Pilate in Judea (see below, note 9); Book III., Adversus Flaccum (still extant), contains an account of the persecution of the Jews of Alexandria at the beginning of the reign of Caius; Book IV., Legatio ad Cajum (still extant), describes the sufferings which came upon the Jews as a result of Caius&#8217; command that divine honors should everywhere be paid him; Book V., the &#960;&#945;&#955;&#953;&#957;&#969;&#948;&#8055;&#945; (which is lost), contained an account of the change for the better in the Jews&#8217; condition through the death of Caius, and the edict of toleration published by Claudius. Upon the other works of Philo, see chap. 18, below. He recounts at the same time the madness of Caius: how he called himself a god, and performed as emperor innumerable acts of tyranny; and he describes further the miseries of the Jews under him, and gives a report of the embassy upon which he himself was sent to Rome in behalf of his fellow-countrymen in Alexandria; how when he appeared before Caius in behalf of the laws of his fathers he received nothing but laughter and ridicule, and almost incurred the risk of his life.

2. Josephus also makes mention of these things in the eighteenth book of his Antiquities, in the following words: &#8220;A sedition having arisen in Alexandria between the Jews that dwell there and the Greeks, three deputies were chosen from each faction and went to Caius.

3. One of the Alexandrian deputies was Apion, who uttered many slanders against the Jews; among other things saying that they neglected the honors due to C&#230;sar. For while all other subjects of Rome erected altars and temples to Caius, and in all other respects treated him just as they did the gods, they alone considered it disgraceful to honor him with statues and to swear by his name.

4. And when Apion had uttered many severe charges by which he hoped that Caius would be aroused, as indeed was likely, Philo, the chief of the Jewish embassy, a man celebrated in every respect, a brother of Alexander the Alabarch, and not unskilled in philosophy, was prepared to enter upon a defense in reply to his accusations.

5. But Caius prevented him and ordered him to leave, and being very angry, it was plain that he meditated some severe measure against them. And Philo departed covered with insult and told the Jews that were with him to be of good courage; for while Caius was raging against them he was in fact already contending with God.&#8221;

6. Thus far Josephus. And Philo himself, in the work On the Embassy which he wrote, describes accurately and in detail the things which were done by him at that time. But I shall omit the most of them and record only those things which will make clearly evident to the reader that the misfortunes of the Jews came upon them not long after their daring deeds against Christ and on account of the same.

7. And in the first place he relates that at Rome in the reign of Tiberius, Sejanus, who at that time enjoyed great influence with the emperor, made every effort to destroy the Jewish nation utterly; and that in Judea, Pilate, under whom the crimes against the Saviour were committed, attempted something contrary to the Jewish law in respect to the temple, which was at that time still standing in Jerusalem, and excited them to the greatest tumults.