The Life of Flavius Josephus | Page 7

four days, and fled away on the fifth, having disguised himself with fictitious hair,
that he might not be discovered; and when he was come to one of the villages to him
belonging, but one that was situated at the borders of the citadel of Gamala, he sent to
some of those that were under him, and commanded them to come to him. But God
himself hindered that his intention, and this for his own advantage also; for had it not so
happened, he had certainly perished. For a fever having seized upon him immediately, he
wrote to Agrippa and Bernice, and gave them to one of his freed-men to carry them to
Varus, who at this time was procurator of the kingdom, which the king and his sister had
intrusted him withal, while they were gone to Berytus with an intention of meeting
Gessius. When Varus had received these letters of Philip, and had learned that he was
preserved, he was very uneasy at it, as supposing that he should appear useless to the king
and his sister, now Philip was come. He therefore produced the carrier of the letters
before the multitude, and accused him of forging the same; and said that he spake falsely
when he related that Philip was at Jerusalem, fighting among the Jews against the
Romans. So he slew him. And when this freed-man of Philip did not return again, Philip
was doubtful what should be the occasion of his stay, and sent a second messenger with
letters, that he might, upon his return, inform him what had befallen the other that had
been sent before, and why he tarried so long. Varus accused this messenger also, when he
came, of telling a falsehood, and slew him. For he was puffed up by the Syrians that were
at Caesarea, and had great expectations; for they said that Agrippa would be slain by the
Romans for the crimes which the Jews had committed, and that he should himself take
the government, as derived from their kings; for Varus was, by the confession of all, of
the royal family, as being a descendant of Sohemus, who had enjoyed a tetrarchy about
Libanus; for which reason it was that he was puffed up, and kept the letters to himself. He
contrived, also, that the king should not meet with those writings, by guarding all the

passes, lest any one should escape, and inform the king what had been done. He
moreover slew many of the Jews, in order to gratify the Syrians of Cesarea. He had a
mind also to join with the Trachonites in Batanea, and to take up arms and make an
assault upon the Babylonian Jews that were at Ecbatana; for that was the name they went
by. He therefore called to him twelve of the Jews of Cesarea, of the best character, and
ordered them to go to Ecbatana, and inform their countrymen who dwelt there, That
Varus hath heard that "you intend to march against the king; but, not believing that report,
he hath sent us to persuade you to lay down your arms, and that this compliance will be a
sign that he did well not to give credit to those that raised the report concerning you." He
also enjoined them to send seventy of their principal men to make a defense for them as
to the accusation laid against them. So when the twelve messengers came to their
countrymen at Ecbatana, and found that they had no designs of innovation at all, they
persuaded them to send the seventy men also; who, not at all suspecting what would
come, sent them accordingly. So these seventy went down to Caesarea, together with the
twelve ambassadors; where Varus met them with the king's forces, and slew them all,
together with the [twelve] (9) ambassadors, and made an expedition against the Jews of
Ecbatana. But one there was of the seventy who escaped, and made haste to inform the
Jews of their coming; upon which they took their arms, with their wives and children, and
retired to the citadel at Gamala, leaving their own villages full of all sorts of good things,
and having many ten thousands of cattle therein. When Philip was informed of these
things, he also came to the citadel of Gamala; and when he was come, the multitude cried
aloud, and desired him to resume the government, and to make an expedition against
Varus, and the Syrians of Cesarea; for it was reported that they had slain the king. But
Philip restrained their zeal, and put them in mind of the benefits the king had bestowed
upon them; and told them how powerful the Romans were, and said it was not for their
advantage to make war with them; and