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[324]
WHEN these affairs had been thus settled by Caesar, a certain young
man, by birth a Jew, but brought up by a Roman freed-man in the city Sidon,
ingrafted himself into the kindred of Herod, by the resemblance of his
countenance, which those that saw him attested to be that of Alexander,
the son of Herod, whom he had slain; and this was an incitement to him
to endeavor to obtain the government; so he took to him as an assistant
a man of his own country, (one that was well acquainted with the affairs
of the palace, but, on other accounts, an ill man, and one whose nature
made him capable of causing great disturbances to the public, and one that
became a teacher of such a mischievous contrivance to the other,) and declared
himself to be Alexander, and the son of Herod, but stolen away. by one
of those that were sent to slay him, who, in reality, slew other men, in
order to deceive the spectators, but saved both him and his brother Aristobulus.
Thus was this man elated, and able to impose on those that came to him;
and when he was come to Crete, he made all the Jews that came to discourse
with him believe him [to be Alexander]. And when he had gotten much money
which had been presented to him there, he passed over to Melos, where he
got much more money than he had before, out of the belief they had that
he was of the royal family, and their hopes that he would recover his father's
principality, and reward his benefactors; so he made haste to Rome, and
was conducted thither by those strangers who entertained him. He was also
so fortunate, as, upon his landing at Dicearchia, to bring the Jews that
were there into the same delusion; and not only other people, but also
all those that had been great with Herod, or had a kindness for him, joined
themselves to this man as to their king. The cause of it was this, that
men were glad of his pretenses, which were seconded by the likeness of
his countenance, which made those that had been acquainted with Alexander
strongly to believe that he was no other but the very same person, which
they also confirmed to others by oath; insomuch that when the report went
about him that he was coming to Rome, the whole multitude of the Jews that
were there went out to meet him, ascribing it to Divine Providence that
he has so unexpectedly escaped, and being very joyful on account of his
mother's family. And when he was come, he was carried in a royal litter
through the streets; and all the ornaments about him were such as kings
are adorned withal; and this was at the expense of those that entertained
him. The multitude also flocked about him greatly, and made mighty acclamations
to him, and nothing was omitted which could be thought suitable to such
as had been so unexpectedly preserved.
Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.
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- LSJ, ὁμο-πράγμων
- LSJ, παρόρμ-ημα
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