Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/443

 I S K A E L 427 ing about the realization of the kingdom of God (Jos., Ant., xviii. 1, 1). As the transition to the new order of things was going on, the census of Quiriniua took place (6-7 A.D.) ; it occasioned an immense excitement, which, however, was successfully allayed. On the withdrawal of Quirinius, Coponius remained behind as procurator of Judaea; he was followed, under Augustus, by Marcus Ambivius and Annius Rufus; under Tiberius, by Valerius Gratus (15-26 A.D.) and Pontius Pilatus (26-36 A.D.); under Caligula, by Marcellus (36-37) and Manillas (37-41 A.D.). The pro curators were subordinate to the imperial legati of Syria ; they resided in Cyesarea, and visited Jerusalem on special occasions only. They had command of the military, and their chief business was the maintenance of the peace and the care of the revenue. They interested themselves in affairs of religion only in so far as these had a political side ; the temple citadel Antonia was constantly garrisoned with a cohort. The administration of justice appears to have been left to a very considerable extent in the hands of the synedrium, but it was not allowed to give effect to any capital sentence. At the head of the native authorities staod at this time not so much the actual high priest as the college of the chief priests. The actual office of high priest had lost its political importance in consequence of the frequency with which its holders were changed ; thus, for example, Annas had more influence than Caiaphas. The principle of interfering as little as possible with the religious liberty of the Jews was rudely assailed by the emperor Caius, who, like a second Antiochus, after various minor vexations, gave orders that his image should be set up in the temple of Jerusalem as in others elsewhere. It was entirely through the courage and tact of the Syrian governor P. Petrontus that the execution of these orders was temporarily postponed until the emperor was induced grippal. by Agrippa I. to withdraw them. Caius soon afterwards died, and under the rule of Agrippa L, to whom the govern ment of the entire kingdom of his grandfather was com mitted by Claudius, the Jews enjoyed much prosperity ; in every respect the king was all they could wish. This very prosperity seems, however, to have caused them fresh danger. For it made them feel the government by procu rators, which was resumed after the death of Agrippa I., to be particularly hard to bear, whatever the individual characters of these might be. They were Cuspius Fadus (from 44, under whom Theudas), Tiberius Alexander (the Romanized nephew of Pliilo, till 48), Cumanus (48-52, under whom the volcano already began to give dangerous signs of activity), and Felix (52-60). Felix, who has the honour to be pilloried in the pages of Tacitus, contrived to make the dispeace permanent. The influence of the two older parties, both of which were equally interested in the maintenance of the existing order, and in that interest were being drawn nearer to each other, diminished day by day. The masses broke loose completely from the authority of the scribes ; the ruling nobility adapted itself better to the times ; under the circumstances which then prevailed, it is not surprising that they became thoroughly secular and did not shrink from the employment of directly im moral means for the attainment of their ends. The zealots became the dominant party. It was a combination of noble and base elements ; superstitious enthusiasts (Acts xxL 38) and political assassins, the so-called sicarii, were conjoined with honest but fanatical patriots. Felix favoured the sicarii in order that he might utilize them ; against the others his hostility raged with indiscriminating cruelty, yet without being able to check them. The anarchy which he left behind him as a legacy was beyond the control of his able successor Porcius Festus (60-62), and the last two procurators, Albinns (62-64) and Gessius Florus, acted as Procu- rators re if it had been their special business to encourage and pro mote it. All the bonds of social order were dissolved ; no property was secure ; the assassins alone prospered, and the procurators went shares with them in the profits. It was inevitable that deep resentment against the Dissatis- Romans should be felt in every honest heart. At last it faction found expression. During his visit to Jerusalem in May ^f 1. 66 Florus laid hands upon the temple treasure ; the Jews g 0vern. allowed themselves to go so far as to make a joke about it, ment. which he avenged by giving over a portion of the city to be plundered, and crucifying a number of the inhabitants. He next insisted upon their kissing the rod, ordering that a body of troops which was approaching should be met and welcomed. At the persuasion of their leaders the Jews forced themselves even to this ; but a constant suc cession of fresh insults and cruelties followed, till patience was quite exhausted at last, and in a violent street fight the Romans were so handled that the procurator withdrew from the town, leaving only the cohort in Antonia. Once again was an attempt at pacification made by Agrippa II., who hastened from Alexandria with this purpose, but the Jews could not bring themselves to make submission to Gessius Florus. It so happened that at this juncture the fortress of Masada on the Dead Sea fell into the hands of the Zealots ; the courage of the party of action rose, and at the instance of the hot-headed Eleazar the son of Ananias, a man, still young, of highest priestly family, the sacrifice on behalf of the emperor was discontinued, i.e., revolt was Revolt, declared. But the native authorities continued opposed to a war. At their request King Agrippa sent soldiers to Jerusalem ; at first they appeared to have some effect, but ultimately they were glad to make their escape in safety from the city. The cohort in Antonia was in like manner unable to hold its own ; freedom was given it to withdraw ; but, contrary to the terms of capitulation, it was put to the sword. The war party now signalized its triumph over all elements of opposition from within by the murder of the high priest Ananias. A triumph was gained also over the outer foe. The Syrian legate, Cestius Gallus, appeared before Jerusalem in the autumn of 66, but after a short period raised the siege ; his deliberate withdrawal was changed into a preci pitate flight in an attack made by the Jews at Bethhoron. The revolt now spread irresistibly through all ranks and classes of the population, and the aristocracy found it expedient itself to assume the leadership. An autonomous government was organized, with the noblest members of the community at its head ; of these the most important was the high priest Ananus. Meanwhile Nero entrusted the conduct cf the Jewish war to Vespasian, his best general. In the spring of 67 he began his task in Galilee, where the historian Josephus had command of the insurgents. The Jews entirely dis trusted him and he them ; in a short time the Romans were masters of Galilee, only a few strong places holding Affairs in out against them. Josephus was besieged in Jotapata, Galilee and taken prisoner ; the other places also were unable to hold out long. Such of the champions of freedom in Galilee as escaped betook themselves to Jerusalem ; amongst these was the Zealot leader John of Giscala. There they told the story of their misfortunes, of which they laid the blame upon Josephus, and upon the aristocratic government as having no heart for the common cause and having and in treachery for their motto. The Zealots now openly aimed Jerusa- at the overthrow of the existing government, but Ananus em- bravely withstood them, and pressed so hard on them that they summoned the Idumseans into the city to their aid. These honourable fanatics indeed withdrew again as soon as they had discovered that they wares being used for sinister designs; but in the meanwhile they had