them
secret, not only out of his good-will to them, but out of a necessary
regard to his own preservation also. But when the king knew the thing,
by his sister's information, he sent men to the places where he had the
intimation they were concealed, and ordered both them, and those that
were accused as guilty with them, to be slain, insomuch that there were
now none at all left of the kindred of Hyrcanus, and the kingdom was
entirely in Herod's own power, and there was nobody remaining of such
dignity as could put a stop to what he did against the Jewish laws.

CHAPTER 8. How Ten Men Of The Citizens [Of Jerusalem] Made A Conspiracy
Against Herod, For The Foreign Practices He Had Introduced, Which Was A
Transgression Of The Laws Of Their Country. Concerning The Building Of
Sebaste And Cesarea, And Other Edifices Of Herod.

1. On this account it was that Herod revolted from the laws of his
country, and corrupted their ancient constitution, by the introduction
of foreign practices, which constitution yet ought to have been
preserved inviolable; by which means we became guilty of great
wickedness afterward, while those religious observances which used to
lead the multitude to piety were now neglected; for, in the first place,
he appointed solemn games to be celebrated every fifth year, in honor
of Caesar, and built a theater at Jerusalem, as also a very great
amphitheater in the plain. Both of them were indeed costly works, but
opposite to the Jewish customs; for we have had no such shows delivered
down to us as fit to be used or exhibited by us; yet did he celebrate
these games every five years, in the most solemn and splendid manner.
He also made proclamation to the neighboring countries, and called men
together out of every nation. The wrestlers also, and the rest of those
that strove for the prizes in such games, were invited out of every
land, both by the hopes of the rewards there to be bestowed, and by the
glory of victory to be there gained. So the principal persons that were
the most eminent in these sorts of exercises were gotten together, for
there were very great rewards for victory proposed, not only to those
that performed their exercises naked, but to those that played the
musicians also, and were called Thymelici; and he spared no pains to
induce all persons, the most famous for such exercises, to come to this
contest for victory. He also proposed no small rewards to those who ran
for the prizes in