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 but Was born five years after Christ’s passion, and was thirty-five years old at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Q. Was Herod of the seed or blood-royal of the tribe of Judah?

A. Herod was a man of Idumea, and being rich, politic, Kind ambitious, and very comely, every way qualified for a courtier, that Hyrcanous, king of Judea, of the house of David, gave to him his daughter in marriage, and made him governor in Galilee; and when Hyrcanus was taken prisoner by the Partisans, and carried to that country, Herod tied to Rome, and there, by the favour of Mark Antony obtained the kingdom of Judea, though his father in-law was still alive in Parthia. No sooner had he taken possession of the kingdom of Judea, than be caused all the blood-royal to be put to death, as likewise his wife Mariamne, with forty of the principal men of Judea, and all the Sanhedrim, of twenty-two Senators, that ruled the people; and burnt all the chronicles, and genealogies of all the kings and princes of Judea, causing Nicholas Damascens to draw out his pedigree, and to affirm that he descended from the ancient kings of that country; yet when! all this was done, Jesus, of the same house and line of David, was born in Bethleham; and then was exactly fulfilled the prophecy of old Jacob, that the sceptre, &c.

Q. Was there not several imposters that took the advantage, and declared themselves to be Christ?

A. As all the traditions of the ancient Jews pointed at the coming of the Messias in the reign of Augustus, and all the people had such expectation of him, that several imposters took upon them that they were Christ, and led away much people, as Judas Goselins, and another Judas, both lewd