hile Herod and Philip had each of them received their own tetrarchy,
and settled the affairs thereof. Herod also built a wall about
Sepphoris, [which is the security of all Galilee,] and made it the
metropolis of the country. He also built a wall round Betharamphtha,
which was itself a city also, and called it Julias, from the name of
the emperor's wife. When Philip also had built Paneas, a city at the
fountains of Jordan, he named it Cesarea. He also advanced the village
Bethsaids, situate at the lake of Gennesareth, unto the dignity of a
city, both by the number of inhabitants it contained, and its other
grandeur, and called it by the name of Julias, the same name with
Caesar's daughter.

2. As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius, was
exercising his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following
accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened
bread, which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to
open the temple-gates just after midnight. When, therefore, those gates
were first opened, some of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem,
and threw about dead men's bodies, in the cloisters; on which account
the Jews afterward excluded them out of the temple, which they had not
used to do at such festivals; and on other accounts also they watched
the temple more carefully than they had formerly done. A little after
which accident Coponius returned to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be
his successor in that government; under whom Salome, the sister of
king Herod, died, and left to Julia, [Caesar's wife,] Jamnia, all its
toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, where is a great
plantation of palm trees, and their fruit is excellent in its kind.
After him came Annius Rufus, under whom died Caesar, the second emperor
of the Romans, the duration of whose reign was fifty-seven years,
besides six months and two days [of which time Antonius ruled together
with him fourteen years; but the duration of his life was seventy-seven
years]; upon whose death Tiberius Nero, his wife Julia's son, succeeded.
He was now the third emperor; and he sent Valerius Gratus to be
procurator of Judea, and to succeed Annius Rufus. This man deprived
Ananus of the high priesthood, and appointed Ismael, the son of Phabi,
to be high priest. He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained
Eleazar, the son of Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high
priest;