THE WORLD WERE IN TROUBLES BEFORE THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

ASSASINATION of Caesar by Cassius and Brutus

There, was at this time a mighty war raised IN JUDEA among the Romans upon the sudden and treacherous slaughter of Caesar by Cassius and Brutus, after he had held the government for three years and seven months

Upon this murder there were very great agitations, and the great men were mightily at difference one with another, and every one betook himself to that party where they had the greatest hopes of their own, of advancing themselves.

 Judeans bring in seven hundred talents; whereupon Antipater, out of his dread of assasination threats, parted the raising of this sum among his sons

Now Herod, in the first place, mitigated the passion   by bringing his share out of Galilee, which was a hundred talents, on which account he was in the highest favor with him; and when he reproached the rest for being tardy, he was angry at the cities themselves; so he made slaves of Gophna and Emmaus,  exacting his tribute; but Antipater prevented the ruin of this man, and of the other cities, and got into Cassius's favor by bringing in a hundred talents immediately.

 However, Antipater was so much afraid of the power and cunning of the man, that he went beyond Jordan, in order to get an army to guard himself against his treacherous designs;

 Phasaelus,  was the guardian of Jerusalem, and Herod intrusted with the weapons of war, and this by a great many excuses and oaths, and persuaded them to procure his reconciliation to his father. Thus was he preserved again by Antipater,







THE CIVIL WAR OF ROME
 Upon the war between Cassius and Brutus on one side, against the younger Caesar [Augustus] and Antony on the other, 

Cassius and Marcus got together an army out of Judea; and because Herod was likely to have a great share in providing necessaries, 

HEROD WAS  APPOINTED PROCURATOR OF JUDEA BY THE ROMAN SENATE
they then made him procurator of all Judea, and gave him an army of foot and horse. Cassius promised him also, that after the war was over, he would make him king of Judea. 





Antipater I the Idumaean (died 43 BC) was the founder of the Herodian Dynasty and father of Herod the Great. , he was the son of Antipas 

 Suspicion of poisoning Antipater,  Herod would be quiet, who indeed came upon him with an army presently, in order to revenge his father's death; but, upon hearing the advice of his brother Phasaelus,  made a pompous funeral for his father.

 So Herod went to Samaria, 
after which at the [Pentecost] festival, he Herod returned to Jerusalem, having his armed men with him Herod despised the pretense, and  gave command, and came in by night. Upon which , and bewailed Antipater; Herod also made him believe , although he had much ado to restrain his passion at him; however, he did himself bewail the murder of his father in his letters to Cassius, who, on other accounts, also hated . Cassius sent him word back that he should avenge his father's death upon him, and privately gave order to the tribunes that were under him, that they should assist Herod in a righteous action he was about


 The war in the town of Laodicea by Cassius, the men of power were gotten together from all quarters, Herod allotted this time for the punishment of the enemies of Romehus.  Malichus the suspected enemywas at Tyre, he resolved to withdraw his son privately from among the Tyrians, who was a hostage there, while he got ready to walh away into Judea; the despair he was in of escaping excited him to think of greater things; for he hoped that he should raise the nation to a revolt from the Romans, while Cassius was busy about the war against Antony, and that he should easily depose Hyrcanus, and get the crown for himself. 

 Herod foresaw what he was so zealous about orders Cassius had given them, and went out of the city with their swords in their hands upon the sea-shore, where they encompassed Malichus round about, and killed him with many wounds. Upon which Hyrcanus was immediately affrighted, till he swooned away and fell down at the surprise he was in; and it was with difficulty that he was recovered, when he asked who it was that had killed Malichus. And when one of the tribunes replied that it was done by the command of Cassius, "Then," said he, "Cassius hath saved both me and my country, by cutting off one that was laying plots against them both." Whether he spake according to his own sentiments, or whether his fear was such that he was obliged to commend the action by saying so, is uncertain; however, by this method Herod inflicted punishment upon Malichus.

 When Cassius was gone out of Syria, another sedition arose at Jerusalem, wherein Felix assaulted Phasaelus with an army, that he might revenge the death of Malichus upon Herod, by falling upon his brother. Now Herod happened then to be with Fabius, the governor of Damascus, and as he was going to his brother's assistance, he was detained by sickness; in the mean time, Phasaelus was by himself too hard for Felix, and reproached Hyrcanus on account of his ingratitude, both for what assistance he had afforded Malichus, and for overlooking Malichus's brother, when he possessed himself of the fortresses; for he had gotten a great many of them already, and among them the strongest of them all, Masada.


 When Herod had fought against these in the avenues of Judea, he was conqueror in the battle, and drove away Antigonus, and returned to Jerusalem, beloved by every body for the glorious action he had done; 

 . But when Caesar and Antony had slain Cassius near Philippi, and Caesar was gone to Rome, and Antony to Egypt with Cleopatra, the great men of the Jews came also, and accused Phasaelus and Herod, that they kept the government by force, and that Hyrcanus had no more than an honorable name. Herod appeared ready to answer this accusation; and having made Antony his friend by the large sums of money which he gave him, he brought him to such a temper as not to hear the others speak against him; and thus did they part at this time.