Hyrcanus, etc. That accordingly he then reviewed
those parts of this work, and gave the public a more faithful, complete,
and accurate account of the facts therein related; and honestly
corrected the errors he had before run into.

[2] Who these Upper Barbarians, remote from the sea, were, Josephus
himself will inform us, sect. 2, viz. the Parthians and Babylonians,
and remotest Arabians [of the Jews among them]; besides the Jews beyond
Euphrates, and the Adiabeni, or Assyrians. Whence we also learn that
these Parthians, Babylonians, the remotest Arabians, [or at least the
Jews among them,] as also the Jews beyond Euphrates, and the Adiabeni,
or Assyrians, understood Josephus's Hebrew, or rather Chaldaic, books of
The Jewish War, before they were put into the Greek language.

[3] That these calamities of the Jews, who were our Savior's murderers,
were to be the greatest that had ever been seen the beginning of the
world, our Savior had directly foretold, Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19; Luke
21:23, 24; and that they proved to be such accordingly, Josephus is here
a most authentic witness.

[4] Titus.

[5] These seven, or rather five, degrees of purity, or purification, are
enumerated hereafter, B. V. ch. 5. sect. 6. The Rabbins make ten degrees
of them, as Reland there informs us.

BOOK I.

Containing The Interval Of One Hundred And Sixty-Seven
Years.

From The Taking Of Jerusalem By Antiochus Epiphanes,
To The Death Of Herod The Great.

CHAPTER 1.

How The City Jerusalem Was Taken, And The Temple Pillaged
[By Antiochus Epiphanes]. As Also Concerning The Actions Of
The Maccabees, Matthias And Judas; And Concerning The Death
Of Judas.

1. At the same time that Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, had a
quarrel with the sixth Ptolemy about his right to the whole country of
Syria, a great sedition fell among the men of power in Judea, and they
had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those
that were of dignity could not endure to be subject to their equals.
However, Onias, one of the high priests, got the better, and cast the
sons of Tobias out of the city; who fled to Antiochus, and besought
him to make use of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into
Judea. The king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them,
and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force,
and slew a great multitude of those that