Page:Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, 1842.djvu/62

30 ten, he  was  an  Idumean  by  the  father's  side,  and  an  Arabian  by the  mother's.  But,  as  Africanus,  who  is  also  no  common  writer, says, "  They  who  have  written  more  accurately  respecting  him, say  that  he  was  the  son  of  Antipater,  and  that  the  latter  was  the son  of  a  certain  Herod  of  Ascalon,  one  of  those  called  the  ministers of  the  temple  of  Apollo,  in  that  city.  This  Antipater,  when  a boy,  having  been  taken  prisoner  by  some  Idumean  robbers,  lived with  them,  because  his  father  being  a  poor  man,  was  unable  to pay  his  ransom.  Thus  growing  up  in  their  practices,  he  was afterwards  befriended  by  Hyrcanus  the  high  priest  of  the  Jews. His  son  was  that  Herod  that  flourished  in  the  times  of  our  Saviour. The  government  of  the  Jews,  therefore,  having  devolved on  such  a  man,  the  expectation  of  the  nations  was  now  at  hand, according  to  prophecy;  because  with  him  terminated  the  regular succession  of  governors  and  princes,  from  the  time  of  Moses. For before their  captivity  and  their  transfer  to  Babylon,  they  were  first governed by  Saul  and  David  as  their  kings;  and  before  the  kings, the government  was  administered  by  magistrates  called  judges,) who  came  after  Moses  and  his  successor  Joshua.  After  the  return from  the  captivity  of  Babylon,  they  continued  to  retain  the aristocratical  form  of  government,  together  with  an  oligarchy. The  high  priests  had  then  the  direction  of  affairs,  until  Pompey, the  proconsular  general  of  the  Romans,  took  Jerusalem  by  force of  arms,  and  defiled  the  sacred  places,  entering  the  sanctuary  of the  temple.  Aristobulus,  who  had  been  both  king  and  high priest  by  regular  succession  until  then,  was  sent  with  his  children in  chains  to  Rome,  and  the  priesthood  was  given  to  his  brother Hyrcanus,  whilst  the  whole  nation  of  the  Jews  was  made  tributary to  the  Romans  from  that  time.

But Hyrcanus,  who  was  the  last  of  the  high  priests  by  succession, having  been  soon  after  taken  prisoner  by  the  Parthians,  Herod, as  I  said  before,  had  the government  of  the  Jews  conferred upon him  by  the  senate  of  Rome  and  the  emperor  Augustus. About this  time,  the  advent  of  Christ  being  nigh  at  hand,  the  expected salvation  of  the  nations  received  its  fulfilment,  and  was followed by  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles,  according  to  prophetic  declarations. From this  time  also,  the  princes  and  rulers  of  Judah,