The Murder of Antipater

About this very time it happened that the affairs of Syria were thrown into great disorder, for the following reason. Caecilius Bassus, one of Pompey’s party, formed a treacherous plot against Sextus Caesar and killed him, and then took over his army and made himself master of affairs. So a great war arose around Apamea, as Caesar’s generals came against him with an army of cavalry and infantry. Antipater also sent them help, and his sons with it, remembering the kindnesses they had received from Caesar; for that reason he thought it only just to demand punishment on his behalf and to take vengeance on the man who had murdered him. As the war dragged on for a long time, Murcus came from Rome to take over Sextus’s province. But Caesar was killed by Cassius and Brutus in the senate house, after he had held power for three years and six months. This, however, is told elsewhere. [a]

The war that arose over Caesar’s death had now begun, and the leading men had all gone off, some one way and some another, to raise armies. Cassius came from Rome into Syria to take over the camp at Apamea, and having raised the siege, he brought both Bassus and Murcus over to his side. He then went through the cities collecting weapons and soldiers, and laid heavy taxes on them. Judea he oppressed most of all, demanding 700 talents of silver from it. When Antipater saw the state in such alarm and disorder, he divided up the collection of that sum and gave each of his two sons a share to gather; part of it was to be collected by Malichus, who was ill-disposed toward him, and part by others. Because Herod was the first to collect what was required of him from Galilee, he stood in the highest favor with Cassius; for he thought it prudent to cultivate the Romans now and to win their goodwill at the expense of others. Meanwhile the officials of the other cities were sold as slaves together with their citizens, and Cassius reduced four cities to slavery at that time, the two most powerful of which were Gophna and Emmaus, and besides these Lydda and Thamna. Cassius was so angry with Malichus that he would have killed him, for he had already gone after him, had not Hyrcanus, through Antipater, sent him 100 talents of his own and so checked his anger against him. [b]

But after Cassius had left Judea, Malichus plotted against Antipater, thinking that his death would be the security of Hyrcanus’s rule. His design did not escape Antipater, however; when he became aware of it, he withdrew beyond the Jordan and gathered an army, partly of Arabs and partly of his own countrymen. Malichus, being a very cunning man, denied that he had plotted against him, and defended himself with oaths both to Antipater and to his sons, saying that while Phasael held Jerusalem with a garrison and Herod had charge of the weapons, he could never have conceived of any such thing, seeing how hopeless it would be. So Malichus was reconciled to Antipater, and they came to terms. This was when Murcus was governor of Syria. Murcus, too, perceiving that this Malichus was stirring up trouble in Judea, went so far that he very nearly killed him; but at Antipater’s intercession he spared him. [e]

Antipater little thought that in saving Malichus he had saved his own murderer. For now Cassius and Murcus had gathered an army and entrusted the whole care of it to Herod. They made him general of Coele-Syria, gave him a fleet of ships and a force of cavalry and infantry, and promised that after the war they would make him king of Judea; for war had by then broken out between them and Antony and the young Caesar. Malichus, who now feared Antipater more than ever, put him out of the way. With an offer of money he persuaded Hyrcanus’s cupbearer, at whose table they were both dining, to kill him with poison. When this was done, he kept armed men about him and put the affairs of the city in order. When Antipater’s sons, Herod and Phasael, learned of this plot against their father and were indignant at it, Malichus again denied everything and disowned any knowledge of the murder. So died Antipater, a man distinguished for piety and justice and for his love of his country. One of his sons, Herod, resolved at once to avenge their father’s death, and was marching against Malichus with an army for that purpose. But the elder son, Phasael, thought it better to get the man into their hands by cunning, so that they might not appear to be starting a civil war in the country. So he accepted Malichus’s defense of himself, and pretended to believe that he had had no hand in the violent death of his father Antipater, and he built a fine monument for his father. Herod, meanwhile, went to Samaria, and finding the city in a bad state, he restored it and settled the people’s quarrels. [f]

A little later, as a festival was approaching, Herod came into Jerusalem with his soldiers. Malichus was alarmed at this and persuaded Hyrcanus not to let him enter the city. Hyrcanus agreed, and gave as his pretext for keeping him out that a crowd of foreigners ought not to be admitted while the people were purifying themselves. But Herod paid little attention to the messengers sent to him; he entered the city by night and struck fear into Malichus. Even so, Malichus did not drop his former pretense in the least, but wept for Antipater and lamented him aloud as his friend, while secretly he kept a guard about his person. Herod and his friends thought it best not to expose Malichus’s hypocrisy openly, but to show him signs of friendship in return, to keep him from suspecting them. [j]

Herod, however, sent to Cassius and told him of his father’s murder. Cassius, who knew what kind of man Malichus was, sent back word that he should avenge his father’s death, and he also sent secretly to the tribunes of his army at Tyre, ordering them to assist Herod in carrying out a very just design of his. When Cassius had taken Laodicea, they all went to him together, bringing him crowns and money, and Herod expected that Malichus would be punished when he arrived there. But Malichus, near Tyre in Phoenicia, grew suspicious of the matter and planned some greater attempt. Since his son was then a hostage at Tyre, he went into that city resolved to steal him away secretly and march from there into Judea; and while Cassius was hurrying to march against Antony, he meant to bring the nation to revolt and seize the government for himself. But Providence opposed his plans. Herod, being a shrewd man and seeing what his intention was, sent a servant there ahead of him, in appearance to get a supper ready, for he had said earlier that he would entertain them all there, but in reality to the tribunes, whom he persuaded to go out against Malichus with their daggers. So they went out, met the man near the city on the seashore, and stabbed him to death. Hyrcanus was so astonished at what had happened that he lost the power of speech. When with some difficulty he had recovered himself, he asked Herod’s people what had happened and who it was that had killed Malichus. When they said it had been done by Cassius’s command, he praised the deed, for Malichus was a very wicked man and a plotter against his own country. This was the punishment Malichus suffered for the wicked thing he had done to Antipater. [k]

But when Cassius had marched out of Syria, disturbances broke out in Judea. Helix, who had been left at Jerusalem with an army, made a sudden attack on Phasael, and the people themselves rose in arms. Herod was on his way to Fabius, the governor at Damascus, and wanted to hurry to his brother’s help, but he was held back by an illness that seized him. In the meantime Phasael by himself got the better of Helix, shut him up in the tower, and then let him go under terms. Phasael also complained of Hyrcanus, that although he had received a great many benefits from them, he was supporting their enemies; for Malichus’s brother had made many places revolt and held them with garrisons, Masada in particular, the strongest fortress of all. Herod, recovered from his illness, came against him, took from him all the places he had seized, and let him also go under terms. [l]