in soldier,
finding the sacred book of the law, tore it to pieces, and threw it into
the fire. [14] Hereupon the Jews were in great disorder, as if their
whole country were in a flame, and assembled themselves so many of them
by their zeal for their religion, as by an engine, and ran together with
united clamor to Cesarea, to Cumanus, and made supplication to him that
he would not overlook this man, who had offered such an affront to God,
and to his law; but punish him for what he had done. Accordingly, he,
perceiving that the multitude would not be quiet unless they had a
comfortable answer from him, gave order that the soldier should be
brought, and drawn through those that required to have him punished, to
execution, which being done, the Jews went their ways.

3. After this there happened a fight between the Galileans and the
Samaritans; it happened at a village called Geman, which is situate in
the great plain of Samaria; where, as a great number of Jews were going
up to Jerusalem to the feast [of tabernacles,] a certain Galilean was
slain; and besides, a vast number of people ran together out of Galilee,
in order to fight with the Samaritans. But the principal men among
them came to Cumanus, and besought him that, before the evil became
incurable, he would come into Galilee, and bring the authors of this
murder to punishment; for that there was no other way to make the
multitude separate without coming to blows. However, Cumanus postponed
their supplications to the other affairs he was then about, and sent the
petitioners away without success.

4. But when the affair of this murder came to be told at Jerusalem, it
put the multitude into disorder, and they left the feast; and without
any generals to conduct them, they marched with great violence to
Samaria; nor would they be ruled by any of the magistrates that were set
over them, but they were managed by one Eleazar, the son of Dineus, and
by Alexander, in these their thievish and seditious attempts. These
men fell upon those that were ill the neighborhood of the Acrabatene
toparchy, and slew them, without sparing any age, and set the villages
on fire.

5. But Cumanus took one troop of horsemen, called the troop of
Sebaste, out of Cesarea, and came to the assistance of those that were
spoiled; he also seized upon a great number of those that followed
Eleazar, and slew more of them. And as for the rest of the multitude of
those that went so zealously to fight wi