Fadus and the High Priest’s Robes

After the death of King Agrippa, which we related in the previous book, Claudius Caesar sent Cassius Longinus to succeed Marsus. He did this as a favor to the memory of King Agrippa, who while he was alive had often asked him by letter not to let Marsus govern Syria any longer. When Fadus arrived in Judea as procurator, he found the Jews who lived in Perea at odds with the people of Philadelphia over the boundaries of a village called Mia, which was full of warlike men. The Jews of Perea had taken up arms without the consent of their leading men and had killed many of the Philadelphians. When Fadus learned of this, he was greatly provoked that they had not left the decision to him, if they thought the Philadelphians had wronged them, but had gone straight to arms. So he seized three of their leading men, who were also the ones responsible for the outbreak, and ordered them to be bound. Afterward he had one of them, whose name was Hannibal, put to death, and he banished the other two, Amaram and Eleazar. [a]

Not long afterward Tholomaeus, the robber chief, was brought to him in chains and put to death, but not before he had done enormous harm to Idumea and the Arabs. From then on the whole of Judea was cleared of robber bands by the care and foresight of Fadus.

At this time too, by command of the emperor, Fadus sent for the high priests and the leading men of Jerusalem. He urged them to deposit the long robe and the sacred vestments, which by custom no one but the high priest may wear, in Antonia, the fortress, so that they would be under the authority of the Romans, as they had been before. The Jews did not dare contradict him. But they appealed to Fadus and to Longinus (for Longinus had also come to Jerusalem, bringing a large army with him, for fear that Fadus’s orders would force the Jewish people into revolt). They asked, first, to be allowed to send envoys to Caesar to petition him that they might keep the sacred vestments under their own control; and second, that the Romans would wait until they knew what answer Claudius would give. The Romans replied that they would let them send their envoys, provided they handed over their sons as hostages. The Jews readily agreed and gave the hostages, and the envoys were sent. When the envoys arrived in Rome, the younger Agrippa, the son of the late king, learned why they had come; for he was living with Claudius Caesar, as we said before. He urged Caesar to grant the Jews what they asked about the sacred vestments and to send word to Fadus to that effect.

So Claudius called for the envoys and told them that he granted their request. He told them to give their thanks to Agrippa, since he was doing this at Agrippa’s request. And along with his answer he gave them the following letter: “Claudius Caesar Germanicus, holding the power of a tribune for the fifth time, consul designate for the fourth time, hailed imperator for the tenth time, father of his country, to the magistrates, council and people of Jerusalem and to the whole nation of the Jews, greeting. My friend Agrippa, whom I brought up and have with me, a man of the greatest piety, has presented your envoys to me. They have come to thank me for the care I have taken of your nation, and they have asked, earnestly and eagerly, that the sacred vestments and the crown be under your control. I grant this, as that most excellent man Vitellius, who is very dear to me, did before me. I have agreed to this, in the first place, because of my own piety and because I want every people to worship according to the customs of their ancestors. And I have done it also because I know that I will please King Herod himself and Aristobulus the younger. I know their devotion to me and their goodwill toward you; I have the strongest ties of friendship with them, and I hold them in honor as men of the finest character. I have written about these matters to Cuspius Fadus, my procurator. The bearers of this letter are Cornelius son of Cero, Trypho son of Theudion, Dorotheus son of Nathanael, and John son of John. Written four days before the Kalends, in the consulship of Rufus and Pompeius Silvanus.” [g]

Herod also, the brother of the late Agrippa, who at that time had been entrusted with the rule of Chalcis, asked Claudius Caesar for authority over the temple and the sacred funds and for the right to choose the high priests, and he obtained everything he asked for. From that time on this authority remained with all his descendants until the end of the war. And so Herod removed the high priest surnamed Cantheras and gave the succession to that honor to Joseph son of Camei. [k]