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[365]
And thus was Antigonus brought back into Judea by the king of the
Parthians, and received Hyrcanus and Phasaelus for his prisoners; but he
was greatly cast down because the women had escaped, whom he intended to
have given the enemy, as having promised they should have them, with the
money, for their reward: but being afraid that Hyrcanus, who was under
the guard of the Parthians, might have his kingdom restored to him by the
multitude, he cut off his ears, and thereby took care that the high priesthood
should never come to him any more, because he was maimed, while the law
required that this dignity should belong to none but such as had all their
members entire 1
But now one cannot but here admire the fortitude of Phasaelus, who, perceiving
that he was to be put to death, did not think death any terrible thing
at all; but to die thus by the means of his enemy, this he thought a most
pitiable and dishonorable thing; and therefore, since he had not his hands
at liberty, but the bonds he was in prevented him from killing himself
thereby, he dashed his head against a great stone, and thereby took away
his own life, which he thought to be the best thing he could do in such
a distress as he was in, and thereby put it out of the power of the enemy
to bring him to any death he pleased. It is also reported, that when he
had made a great wound in his head, Antigonus sent physicians to cure it,
and, by ordering them to infuse poison into the wound, killed him. However,
Phasaelus hearing, before he was quite dead, by a certain woman, that his
brother Herod had escaped the enemy, underwent his death cheerfully, since
he now left behind him one who would revenge his death, and who was able
to inflict punishment on his enemies.
2
1 This law of Moses, that the priests were to be "without blemish," as to all the parts of their bodies, is in Leviticus 21:17-24
2 HOW HEROD GOT AWAY FROM THE KING OF ARABIA AND MADE HASTE TO GO INTO EGYPT AND THENCE WENT AWAY IN HASTE ALSO TO ROME; AND HOW, BY PROMISING A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY TO ANTONY HE OBTAINED OF THE SENATE AND OF CAESAR TO BE MADE KING OF THE JEWS.
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