798 J E W. 
tha, the fourth at Jericho, and the fifth at Sephoris in 
Galilee. Thus was the government changed from a mo¬ 
narchy to an arillocracy ; and the Jews now fell under a 
fet of domineering lords. 
S6on after this, Ariftobulus found means to c-fcape 
from his confinement at Rome, and raifed new troubles in 
Judea,but was again defeated and taken prifoner; his fon 
alio renewed his attempts ; but was in like manner de¬ 
feated, with the lofs of near xo,ooo of his followers; af¬ 
ter which Gabinius, having fettled the affairs of Judea to 
Antipater’s mind, refigned the government of his province 
to Craffus. The only tranfa&ion during his government 
was his plundering the temple of all its money and iacred 
utenfils, amounting in the whole to 10,000 Attic talents, 
i. e. above two millions of our money. After this lacri- 
leg-e, Craffus fet out on his expedition againft Parthia, 
where he perifhed ; and his death was by the Jews inter¬ 
preted as a divine judgment for his impiety. 
The war between Caffar and Pompey afforded the Jews 
fome refpite, and likewife an opportunity of ingratiating 
themfelves with the former, which the politic Antipater 
readily embraced. His fervices were rewarded by the em¬ 
peror. He confirmed Hyrcanus in his priefthood, added 
to it the principality of Judea to be entailed on his pofte- 
rity for ever, and reftored the Jewiih nation to their an- 
cient rights and privileges ; ordering at the fame time a 
pillar to be ereCled, whereon all thefe grants, and his own 
decree, fhould be engraved, which was accordingly done; 
and loan after, when Csefar himfelf came into Judea, he 
granted liberty alfo to fortify the city, and rebuild the 
wall which had been demoliihed by Pompey. 
During the life-time of Caffar, the Jews were fo highly 
favoured, that they could fcavcely be laid to feel the Ro¬ 
man yoke. After his death, however, the nation fell into 
o-reat diforders; which were not finally quelled till Herod, 
Who was created king of Judea by Marc Anthony in 40 
B. C. was fully eltablifhed on the throne by the taking of 
Jerufalem by his allies the Romans in 37 B. C. The im¬ 
mediate confequenc^ of this was another cruel pillage and 
malfacre; then followed the death of Antigonus the fon 
of Ariftobulus, who had for three years maintained his 
•mound againft Herod, put to death his brother Phafael, 
and cut off Hyrcanus’s ears, in order the more effectually 
to incapacitate him for the high-priefthood. 
The Jews gained but little by this change of mafters. 
The new king proved one of the greateft tyrants menti¬ 
oned in hiftory. He began his reign with a cruel perffe- 
cution of thole who had fided with his rival Antigonus ; 
o-reat numbers of whom he put to death, feizingand con- 
iifcating their effeCts for his own ufe. Nay, fuch was his 
jealoufy in this laft refpeCl, that he caufed guards to be 
placed at the city-gates, in order to watch the bodies of 
thofe of the Antigonian faction who were carried out to 
be buried, left fome of their riches fhould he carried along 
with them. His jealoufy next prompted him to decoy Hyr¬ 
canus, the banifhed pontiff, from Parthia, where he had 
taken refuge, that he might put him to death, though 
contrary to, his molt folemn promifes. His cruelty then 
fell upon his own family. He had married Mariamne, 
the daughter of Hyrcanus, vvhofe brother Ariftobulus, a 
young prince of great hopes, was made high-prieft at the 
interceffion of his mother Alexandra. But the tyrant, 
confcious that Ariftobulus had a better right to the king¬ 
dom than himfelf, caufed him foon after to be drowned 
in a bath. The next viCtim wis his beloved queen Mari¬ 
amne herfelf. Herod had been fummoned to appear firft 
before Marc Anthony, and then before Auguffus, in or¬ 
der to clear himfelf from fome'crimes laid to his charge. 
As he was, however, doubtful of the event, he left orders, 
that, in cafe he was condemned, Mariamne fhould be put 
to death. This, together with the death of her father 
and brother, gave her luch an averfion for him, that fhe 
ihowed it. on all occafions. By this conduCt the tyrant’s 
refentment was at lait fo much inflamed, that, having got 
Jjer falfely accufed of infidelity j ihewas condemned to uie, 
and executed accordingly. She fuffered with great refo- 
lution ; hut with her ended all the happinefs of her huf- 
band. His love for Mariamne increafed fo much after her 
death, that for fome time he appeared like one quite dif- 
tra&ed. His remorfe, however, did not get the better of 
his cruelty. - The death of Mariamne was foon followed 
by that of her mother Alexandra, and this by the execu¬ 
tion of feveral other perfons who had joined with her in 
an attempt to fecure the kingdom to the fons of the de- 
ceafed queen. 
Herod, having now freed himfelf,from the greateft part 
of his fuppofed enemies, began to fhowa greater con¬ 
tempt for the Jevvilh ceremo'nies than formerly ; and intro- ’ 
duced a number of heathenifli games, which made him 
odious to his fubje&s. Ten bold fellows at laft took it 
into their heads to enter the theatre where the tyrant was 
celebrating fome games, with daggers concealed under 
their clothes, in order to ftab him or fome,of his retinue. 
In cafe they fhould mifcarry in the attempt,-they had the 
defperate fatisfaftion to think, that, if they perifhed, the 
tyrant would be rendered ftill more odious by the punifh- 
ment inflicted on them. They were not iniftaken : for 
Herod being informed of their defign by one of his foies, 
and caufmg the aflaflins to be put to a molt excruciating 
death, the people were fo much exafperated againft the 
informer, that they cut and tore him to pieces^ and caft 
his ftefli to the dogs. Herod tried in vain to difcover the 
authors of this affront; but at laft, having caufed fome* 
women to be put to the rack, he,extorted from them the 
names of the principal perfons concerned, whom he caufed 
immediately to be put to death with their families.. This 
produced fuch difturbances, that, apprehending nothin^ 
lefs than a general revolt, he fet about fortifying Jerufa¬ 
lem with feveral additional works, rebuilding Samaria, and 
putting garrifons into feveral fortreffes in Judea. Not- 
witbftanding this, however, Herod had fhortly after are 
opportunity of regaining the affections of his fubjeCts in 
fome meafure, by his generofity to them during a famine; 
but, as he foon relapled into his former cruelty, their love 
was again turned into hatred, which continued till his 
death. 
Herod now, about 23 B. C. began to adorn his cities 
with many ftately buildings. The moil remarkable-and 
magnificent of them all, however, was the temple at Je¬ 
rufalem, which he is faid to have raifed to a higher niteh 
of grandeur than even Solomon himfelf had done. "Ten 
thoufand artificers were fet to work, under the direction of 
one thoufand prielis, the belt lkilled in carving, mafonry, 
&c. A thoufand carts were employed in -fetching mate¬ 
rials ; and fuch a number of other hands were employed, 
that every thing was got ready within thefpace of two years. 
After this they fet about pulling down the old building, 
and rearing-tip the new one with the fame expedition; io 
that the Holy Place, or Temple properly fo called, was 
finifhed in a year and a half; during which we are told 
that it never rained in the day-time, but only in the night. 
The remainder was finifhed in fomewhat more than eipiit 
years. The Temple, properly fo called, was-but fixty cu¬ 
bits high, and as many in breadth ; but in the front he 
added two wings or (boulders which projected twenty cu¬ 
bits more on each fide, and which in all made a front of 
120 cubits in length, and as many in height; with a gate 
feventy cubits high and twenty in breadth, but open and 
without any doors. ’ The (tones were white marble, twenty- 
five cubits in length, twelve in height, and nine in breadth*, 
all wrought and polilhed with exquifite beauty: the whole 
relembling a ftately palace, whole middle being confider- 
ably railed above the extremities of each face, made it af¬ 
ford a beautiful villa at a great diftance, to thofe who 
came to the metropolis. Inftead of doors, the gates clofed 
with very coftly veils, enriched with a variety of flower¬ 
ing of gold, lilver, purple, and every thing that was rich 
and curious; and on each fide of the gates were planted 
two ftately columns, from whofe cornices hung golden 
feftoons and vines, with their chillers of grapes, leaves, &c, 
curitmfljc 
