History of Dor. 83 



addition to his own general information in regard to the events 

 concerned. It is probable that Josephus dealt quite freely with his 

 sources in this part of the Antiquities (as elsewhere) and that we 

 ought to asci'ibe more to his free composition than Holscher is 

 inclined to do. 



This edict of Petronius is probably the composition of some 

 author used by Josephus as his source. Doubtless some such edict 

 was i^romulgated, and the one given here is a fairly good repre- 

 sentation of its general j^urport. Ancient historians felt free to 

 compose such letters where they had no access to the original 

 copies*. 



It is of interest to notice that in 42 A. D. there lived in Dor 

 Jews sufficient in number to maintain a synagogue of their own. 

 As in other cities in the Greek world they appear to have been none 

 too popular with the citizens of the place. Agrippa I aj^pears as 

 the protagonist of the Jews in cities beyond his own realm. This 

 he could do effectually because of the favor he had won with Clau- 

 dius. Josephus does not give the sequel to his story ; he has ful- 

 filled his purpose in indicating the favorable attitude of the Romans 

 toward the Jews, especially as this is illustrated in Agrippa's rela- 

 tions with the Roman governor and Avith the emperor. 



CONTRA APIOXEM II, 9. 



Josephus {Contra Apioneni II, 9) refers to a fable quoted by 

 Apion from a Greek author whose name appears in manuscripts as 

 Mnafeas\ This story relates how, while the Jews were at war 

 with the Idumeans, a cei'tain Zabidus came out of Dora, a city of 

 Idumea. Zabidus promised to deliver Apollo, the god of Dora, into 

 the hands of the Jews, and to bring the god into the temple, if 

 they would all depart thence. To this the Jews agreed. There- 

 upon Zabidus set three rows of lamps on a wooden frame, which 

 he fastened about him. The Jews, when he passed by them at a 

 distance, thought they beheld a walking star. In this way Zabidus 

 gained entrance into the temple, and carried off to Dora the golden 

 head of an ass that was there. 



' See the discussion of literary liabits of ancient narrators in Torrey, Ezra 

 Studies, pp. 148 ff. 



^ Niese conjectures Mnaseas, the pupil of Eratosthenes, c. 200 B. C. 

 (Schur., G.J.V. II, 7). 



