Favor at Rome

When Titus had put down the disturbances in Judea, he judged that the fields I had at Jerusalem would be of no use to me, because a Roman garrison was to be stationed there, and he gave me other land in the plain. When he was about to set sail for Rome, he took me on board with him and showed me every honor. When we arrived in Rome, Vespasian took great care of me. He gave me lodging in the house he had lived in before he became emperor; he honored me with Roman citizenship and gave me a yearly allowance of money; and he went on honoring me until he departed this life, never lessening his kindness toward me. This brought me into danger through envy. A Jew named Jonathan, who had stirred up a revolt in Cyrene and persuaded two thousand of the local people to join him, brought them to ruin; and when he was put in chains by the governor of that country and sent to the emperor, he claimed that I had sent him weapons and money. But he could not hide from Vespasian that he was lying. Vespasian condemned him to death, and he was handed over and executed. After that, too, those who envied my good fortune often brought accusations against me, but by the providence of God I escaped them all. I also received from Vespasian a gift of a considerable estate in Judea. About this time I divorced my wife, being displeased with her character, though she had borne me three children. Two of them have died; one, whom I named Hyrcanus, is living. After this I married a wife who had lived in Crete but was a Jew by birth, the daughter of most noble parents, among the most distinguished in that country. In character she surpassed many women, as her later life showed. By her I had two sons: Justus, the elder, and after him Simonides, who was also called Agrippa. Such were my domestic affairs. The emperors’ favor toward me continued unchanged. When Vespasian died, Titus, who succeeded to the government, kept up the same honor for me as his father had, and when accusations were often brought against me, he did not believe them. Domitian, who succeeded Titus, increased the honors he paid me still further. He punished the Jews who had accused me, and he ordered that a slave, a eunuch who was my son’s tutor, be punished for accusing me. He also made my land in Judea free of taxes, which is the greatest mark of honor to the one who receives it. And Domitia, Caesar’s wife, never stopped doing me kindnesses. These are the things I have done throughout my whole life; let others judge my character from them as they please. To you, Epaphroditus, most excellent of men, I have now delivered the whole record of the Antiquities, and here, for the present, I bring my account to a close. [a]