another, exceeded two thousand five hundred. Yet did
all this seem to the Romans, when they were thus destroyed ten thousand
several ways, to be a punishment beneath their deserts. After this
Caesar came to Berytus, [4] which is a city of Phoenicia, and a Roman
colony, and staid there a longer time, and exhibited a still more
pompous solemnity about his father's birthday, both in the magnificence
of the shows, and in the other vast expenses he was at in his devices
thereto belonging; so that a great multitude of the captives were here
destroyed after the same manner as before.

2. It happened also about this time, that the Jews who remained at
Antioch were under accusations, and in danger of perishing, from the
disturbances that were raised against them by the Antiochians; and this
both on account of the slanders spread abroad at this time against them,
and on account of what pranks they had played not long before; which
I am obliged to describe without fail, though briefly, that I may the
better connect my narration of future actions with those that went
before.

3. For as the Jewish nation is widely dispersed over all the habitable
earth among its inhabitants, so it is very much intermingled with
Syria by reason of its neighborhood, and had the greatest multitudes in
Antioch by reason of the largeness of the city, wherein the kings, after
Antiochus, had afforded them a habitation with the most undisturbed
tranquillity; for though Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, laid
Jerusalem waste, and spoiled the temple, yet did those that succeeded
him in the kingdom restore all the donations that were made of brass to
the Jews of Antioch, and dedicated them to their synagogue, and granted
them the enjoyment of equal privileges of citizens with the Greeks
themselves; and as the succeeding kings treated them after the same
manner, they both multiplied to a great number, and adorned their temple
gloriously by fine ornaments, and with great magnificence, in the use of
what had been given them. They also made proselytes of a great many of
the Greeks perpetually, and thereby after a sort brought them to be
a portion of their own body. But about this time when the present war
began, and Vespasian was newly sailed to Syria, and all men had taken
up a great hatred against the Jews, then it was that a certain person,
whose name was Antiochus, being one of the Jewish nation, and greatly
respected on account of his father, who was gover