m, on account of the family they were of, in case he
had himself offended the Romans by what he had done. Out of Herod's
fear of this it was that he, by giving Antony a great deal of money,
endeavored to persuade him to have Antigonus slain, which if it were
once done, he should be free from that fear. And thus did the government
of the Asamoneans cease, a hundred twenty and six years after it was
first set up. This family was a splendid and an illustrious one, both on
account of the nobility of their stock, and of the dignity of the
high priesthood, as also for the glorious actions their ancestors had
performed for our nation; but these men lost the government by
their dissensions one with another, and it came to Herod, the son of
Antipater, who was of no more than a vulgar family, and of no eminent
extraction, but one that was subject to other kings. And this is what
history tells us was the end of the Asamonean family.

BOOK XV. Containing The Interval Of Eighteen Years.

From The Death Of Antigonus To The Finishing Of The Temple By Herod.

CHAPTER 1. Concerning Pollio And Sameas. Herod Slays The Principal Of
Antigonus's Friends, And Spoils The City Of Its Wealth. Antony Beheads
Antigonus.

1. How Sosius and Herod took Jerusalem by force; and besides that, how
they took Antigonus captive, has been related by us in the foregoing
book. We will now proceed in the narration. And since Herod had now
the government of all Judea put into his hands, he promoted such of the
private men in the city as had been of his party, but never left off
avenging and punishing every day those that had chosen to be of the
party of his enemies. But Pollio the Pharisee, and Sameas, a disciple
of his, were honored by him above all the rest; for when Jerusalem was
besieged, they advised the citizens to receive Herod, for which advice
they were well requited. But this Pollio, at the time when Herod was
once upon his trial of life and death, foretold, in way of reproach, to
Hyrcanus and the other judges, how this Herod, whom they suffered now
to escape, would afterward inflict punishment on them all; which had its
completion in time, while God fulfilled the words he had spoken.

2. At this time Herod, now he had got Jerusalem under his power, carried
off all the royal ornaments, and spoiled the wealthy men of what they
had gotten; and when, by these means, he had heaped together a great
quantity of silver and gold, he gave it all to