ejected
our city; and as for the temple, he no longer esteemed it sufficiently
pure for him to inhabit therein, but brought the Romans upon us, and
threw a fire upon the city to purge it; and brought upon us, our wives,
and children, slavery, as desirous to make us wiser by our calamities.

6. These works, that were done by the robbers, filled the city with all
sorts of impiety. And now these impostors and deceivers persuaded the
multitude to follow them into the wilderness, and pretended that they
would exhibit manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by
the providence of God. And many that were prevailed on by them suffered
the punishments of their folly; for Felix brought them back, and then
punished them. Moreover, there came out of Egypt [20] about this time to
Jerusalem one that said he was a prophet, and advised the multitude of
the common people to go along with him to the Mount of Olives, as it
was called, which lay over against the city, and at the distance of five
furlongs. He said further, that he would show them from hence how, at
his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down; and he promised
them that he would procure them an entrance into the city through those
walls, when they were fallen down. Now when Felix was informed of these
things, he ordered his soldiers to take their weapons, and came against
them with a great number of horsemen and footmen from Jerusalem, and
attacked the Egyptian and the people that were with him. He also slew
four hundred of them, and took two hundred alive. But the Egyptian
himself escaped out of the fight, but did not appear any more. And again
the robbers stirred up the people to make war with the Romans, and
said they ought not to obey them at all; and when any persons would not
comply with them, they set fire to their villages, and plundered them.

7. And now it was that a great sedition arose between the Jews that
inhabited Cesarea, and the Syrians who dwelt there also, concerning
their equal right to the privileges belonging to citizens; for the Jews
claimed the pre-eminence, because Herod their king was the builder of
Cesarea, and because he was by birth a Jew. Now the Syrians did not deny
what was alleged about Herod; but they said that Cesarea was formerly
called Strato's Tower, and that then there was not one Jewish
inhabitant. When the presidents of that country heard of these
disorders, they caught the authors of them on both sides, and tormente