Page:Selections. Translated by H. St. J. Thackeray (1919).djvu/80

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for the city of Sepphoris—the chief ornament of all Galilee—and called it Autocratoris;[1] another city, Betharamphtha, he enclosed in the same way and called it Julias after the name of the Emperor's consort.[2] Philip restored Paneas at the sources of the Jordan and renamed it Cæsarea;[3] he also promoted the village of Bethsaida on the Lake of Gennesaret to the rank of a city, increasing its population[4] and general opulence, and gave it the name of the Emperor's daughter Julia.—Ant. XVIII. 1. 1 and 2. 1 (1-6, 26-28). (25) Pilate offends Jewish susceptibilities in the matter of (i) the Emperor's busts, (ii) the Corban money

c. AD. 26 Now Pilate, the governor[5] of Judæa, having occasion to transfer a (Roman) army from Cæsarea into winter quarters in Jerusalem, conceived the idea of annulling Jewish legislation by bringing within the city walls the Emperor's busts which were attached to the standards; whereas the very making of images is forbidden us by the Law.[6] For this reason former governors used to make their entry into the city with standards from which these ornaments were absent. Pilate was the first to bring the images into Jerusalem and erect them there. This was done without the knowledge of the citizens because the army entered by night. As soon as they knew of it, they came in crowds to Cæsarea, and for many days petitioned for the removal of the images. Pilate stood firm, because to comply would be[7] tantamount to high treason against Cæsar, and on the sixth: more exactly "procurator," as in B.J. parallel pass. ([Greek: epitropos]).]

  1. i.e. "Imperial" (city).
  2. Julia.
  3. Cæsarea Philippi (Matt. xvi. 13; Mark viii. 27).
  4. Or, perhaps, "because of its large population."
  5. [Greek: hêgemôn
  6. Ex. xx. 4; Deut. iv. 16, etc.
  7. Or "their request was."