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[499]
And this was the miserable calamity which at this time befell the
Jews at Alexandria. Hereupon Cestius thought fit no longer to lie still,
while the Jews were everywhere up in arms; so he took out of Antioch the
twelfth legion entire, and out of each of the rest he selected two thousand,
with six cohorts of footmen, and four troops of horsemen, besides those
auxiliaries which were sent by the kings; of which Antiochus sent two thousand
horsemen, and three thousand footmen, with as many archers; and Agrippa
sent the same number of footmen, and one thousand horsemen; Sohemus also
followed with four thousand, a third part whereof were horsemen, but most
part were archers, and thus did he march to Ptolemais. There were also
great numbers of auxiliaries gathered together from the [free] cities,
who indeed had not the same skill in martial affairs, but made up in their
alacrity and in their hatred to the Jews what they wanted in skill. There
came also along with Cestius Agrippa himself, both as a guide in his march
over the country, and a director what was fit to be done; so Cestius took
part of his forces, and marched hastily to Zabulon, a strong city of Galilee,
which was called the City of Men, and divides the country of Ptolemais
from our nation; this he found deserted by its men, the multitude having
fled to the mountains, but full of all sorts of good things; those he gave
leave to the soldiers to plunder, and set fire to the city, although it
was of admirable beauty, and had its houses built like those in Tyre, and
Sidon, and Berytus. After this he overran all the country, and seized upon
whatsoever came in his way, and set fire to the villages that were round
about them, and then returned to Ptolemais. But when the Syrians, and especially
those of Berytus, were busy in plundering, the Jews pulled up their courage
again, for they knew that Cestius was retired, and fell upon those that
were left behind unexpectedly, and destroyed about two thousand of them.
1
1 Spanheim notes on the place, that this later Antiochus, who was called Epiphaues, is mentioned by Dio, LIX. p. 645, and that he is mentioned by Josephus elsewhere twice also, B.V. ch. 11. sect. 3; and Antiq. B. XIX. ch. 8. sect. I.
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