r's captivity, and exhibited everywhere the remarkable
tendency of the Jewish race to an increase disproportionate to that of
the population among which they are settled. The Jewish element became
perpetually larger and more important in Babylonia and Mesopotamia,
in spite of the draughts which were made upon it by Seleucus and other
Syrian princes. Under the Parthians, it would seem that the Mesopotamian
Jews enjoyed generally the same sort of toleration, and the same
permission to exercise a species of self-government, which Jews and
Christians enjoy now in many parts of Turkey. They formed a recognized
community, had some cities which were entirely their own, possessed
a common treasury, and from time to time sent up to Jerusalem the
offerings of the people under the protection of a convoy of 30,000 or
40,000 men. The Parthian kings treated them well, and no doubt valued
them as a counterpoise to the disaffected Greeks and Syrians of this
part of their Empire. They had no grievance of which to complain, and it
might have been thought very unlikely that any troubles would arise
in connection with them; but circumstances seemingly trivial threw
the whole community into commotion, and led on to disasters of a very
lamentable character.

Two young Jews, Asinai and Anilai, brothers, natives of Nearda, the city
in which the treasury of the community was established, upon suffering
some ill-treatment at the hands of the manufacturer who employed them,
gave up their trade, and, withdrawing to a marshy district between two
arms of the Euphrates, made up their minds to live by robbery. A band of
needy youths soon gathered about them, and they became the terror of
the entire neighborhood. They exacted a blackmail from the peaceable
population of shepherds and others who lived near them, made occasional
plundering raids to a distance, and required an acknowledgment
(bakhshish) from travellers. Their doings having become notorious, the
satrap of Babylonia marched against them with an army, intending to
surprise them on the Sabbath, when it was supposed that they would not
fight; but his approach was discovered, it was determined to disregard
the obligation of Sabbatical rest, and the satrap was himself surprised
and completely defeated. Artabanus, having heard of the disaster, made
overtures to the brothers, and, after receiving a visit from them at his
court, assigned to Asinai, the elder of the two, the entire government
of the