The auncient ecclesiasticall histories of the first six hundred yeares after Christ, wrytten in the Greeke tongue by three learned historiographers, Eusebius, Socrates, and Euagrius. Eusebius Pamphilus Bishop of Cæsarea in Palæstina vvrote 10 bookes. Socrates Scholasticus of Constantinople vvrote 7 bookes. Euagrius Scholasticus of Antioch vvrote 6 bookes. VVhereunto is annexed Dorotheus Bishop of Tyrus, of the liues of the prophetes, apostles and 70 disciples. All which authors are faithfully translated out of the Greeke tongue by Meredith Hanmer, Maister of Arte and student in diuinitie. Last of all herein is contayned a profitable chronographie collected by the sayd translator, the title whereof is to be seene in the ende of this volume, with a copious index of the principall matters throughout all the histories

CAP. X.

How that Agrippa otherwise called Herode, persecuting the Apostles, and extolling him selfe, felt the heauy hand of God, to his destruction.

THe enterprises of the king, against the Apostles of Christ, passed not long vnpunished. For immediatly after his priuy practises agaynst the Apostles (as it is in the Actes) when he was in Caesarea, vpon an high solemne day, arayed in a gorgeous, and princely robe, prea∣ching vnto the people from his lofty tribunall seate, the plague of God (as messenger of iustice) apprehended him. and when as the whole multitude in compasse, had showted to his prayse, that to their hearing the voyce of God, and not of man proceeded from him▪ the Angell of the Lorde (as the Scripture witnesseth) smote him, so that he was consumed of wormes, and miserably fi∣nished* 1.1 his mortal life. And that consent is worthy of memory, which is found betwene holy Scri∣pture in this miraculous fact, and the history of Iosephus, wher he deliuereth vnto vs a manifest te∣stimony of the trueth, to witt, in the ninetenth booke of Iudaicall Antiquities, writing this mira∣cle in these wordes: Novv vvas the thirde yeare of his Lieuetenantshipp throughout all Iudaea,* 1.2 come to an ende, vvhen he vvent to Caesarea, vvhich of olde vvas called the tovvre of Straton. there he published spectacles, and stageplayes in the honour of Caesar, and ordayned a solemne feaste day, for his prosperous affayres. Vnto this feaste frequented the vvhole multitude of those vvhich vvere chiefe in that prouince, and aduanced to highest promotion, and dignity. The se∣conde day of these spectacles, the king putting on a robe of siluer, vvonderfully vvrought, at the davvning of the day came to the theatre, vvhere his siluer robe, by reflexe of the sunne beames being lightned, yelded so gorgeous a glistring to the eye, that the shining thereof seemed terri∣ble, and intollerable to the behoulders. Flatterers forthvvith, one, one thing, an other, an other thing, bolted out such sentences, as turned in the ende to his confusion, saluting him for God,

and adding thervvithal, be gratious, though hitherto vve haue feared thee as man, yet hēceforth vve confesse thee to be aboue mortall nature. These thinges the king rebuked not, neither re∣pelled this impious flatterie. But vvhen he a litle after looked about, he behelde an Angell han∣ging* 1.3 ouer his head. The same foorthvvith he supposed to be a messenger of euill, vvho before vvas of goodnesse. Sodenly he felt him selfe pricked at the hart vvith extreme vehemencie of paine in his bovvels, & heauily beholding his friendes, saide: I vvhich seeme to you a God, am* 1.4 novve constrayned to end the race of this lyfe. fatal destinie hath founde fault, vvith your fonde flatteries, vvhich of late you sounded to my prayse. I vvhich vvas saluted immortall, am novve caryed avvay, redy to yeelde vp the ghost. I his destinie no doubt is to be borne vvithall, vvhich God hath decreed. For vve haue liued not miserably, but in that prosperous estate vvhich is ter∣med blessed. VVhen he had vttered these vvordes he sickned more & more. Then vvas he care∣fully, & circūspectly caried, vnto the Palace. but the rumor vvas spred abroad, ouer al the con∣trey,* 1.5 that vvithout peraduenture, he vvould dye shortly. The multitude foorthvvith together vvith vvomen, and children, couered vvith sackcloth, after their contrey manner, made suppli∣cation vnto God for their king, so that all sounded of sorovve, and lamentation. The king lying in an high lodging, and beholding the people prostrate vpon their knees, could not re∣frayne frō teares. But after that he had ben vexed, the space of fiue dayes, vvith bitter gnavving of his bovvels, he ended this lyfe, being the fiftie, and fourth yere, of his age, and the seuenth of his raigne. For the space of foure yeres he raigned vnder Caius Caesar, gouerning the tetrarchie of Philip three yeres. And the fourth yere, that vvhich he tooke of Herode. the other three yeres, he passed vnder Claudius Caesar. These thinges I deepely way that Iosephus, and others toge∣ther with the diuine scriptures, hath truely alleaged. But if any seme to mislyke with them selues toutching the name of the kyng, the tyme it selfe, and the Actes do declare him, to be the same, so that eyther by the error of the writer, the name was changed, or that he had two names, as many others haue had.

The censure of the translatour toutching the doubt raysed about the name of Herode, vvhiche vvas smitten of the Angell vvith mortalitie.

EVsebius in this former chapiter seemeth to cleare a certayne doubt, which may rise about the name of this king, whether he were called Herode (as Luke writeth in the Actes of the Apstles) or Agrippa, as Iosephus euery where termeth him. Luke saythi Herode the king stretched forth his hand &c. Act. 12. Agayne, Luke sayth: Herode went downe from Iud•••• to Caesarea. Eusebius, and Iosephus do say, that Agrippa after he had continued three yeres in the kingdome of Iudaea, went downe to Caesarea. Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 7. Luke sayth: Vpon a day appointed, Herode arrayed him selfe in royall apparel, and sate on the iudgement seate, and made an oration vnto the people, & the people gaue a shoute, saying: The voyce of God, and not of man. Eusebius and Iosephus say: Agrippa the seconde day of these spectacles, or stageplayes, putting on a robe of siluer which glistered &c. The flatterers saluted him for God. Luke sayth: The Angell of the Lord smote him. Eusebius sayth: He behelde an Angell hanging ouer his head. Iosephus sayth: he sawe an Owle sit ouer his head, and forthwith he supposed her to be a messenger of ill lucke▪ last of all Luke sayth: He vvas eaten of vvormes and gaue vp the ghost. Eusebius and Iosephus say: that he was pricked at the hart with extreme payne, and bitter gnawing of the bowelles. all which circumstances ••ende to one effecte▪ the greatest disagreement that I see, is, in the name. By perusing the histories of Iosephus & Eusebius, I can not perceaue, that there were more Hero∣des, frō the birth of Christ (which were kinges of the Iewes) vnto the vtter ouerthrowe of Ierusalē, vn∣der Titus, and Vespasian, (when ••s their kinges, and highpriestes were quite cut of) then two: the first: Herode the Idumaean, who slue the infantes, called also Herode the great. The seconde: Herode the Te∣trarche, called Herodes minor, whose beginninges and endinges, the reader may beholde in the Chro∣nographie printed in the ende of this present volume. Eusebius (lib. 2. cap. 4. also in his Chronicon, and Iosephus, Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 11. & 14. & bell. Iud. lib. 1. cap. 10. 11.) do write: that Agrippa (toutching whom this present doubt doth rise) being the sonne of Aristobulus, nephew to Herode the great, brother to Herodias came to Rome, the yere before Tiberius died, and was a suter vnto the Emperour Tiberius, for some office or other. Tiberius vpon displeasure conceaued agaynst him, clapt him in prison. This A∣grippa after the death of Tiberius, grew in such fauour & credite with Caius Caligula (who succeeded

Tiberius) That he accused Herode the Tetrarche before the Emperour of treason, for whiche crime Herode (being conuinced) together with Herodias was commaunded to perpetuall banishment, and he appointed king of the Iewes. This Agrippa was king seuen yeres, foure vnder Caius Caligula, and three vnder Claudius. of Claudius ••e obtayned, besides his other dominions as Iosephus doth witnesse (Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 5.) the kingdome which Herode his graundefather had ouer Iudaea, and Samaria, & withall the Tetrarchie of Lysanias▪ his ende and maner of death Luke, Eusebius, and Iosephus, haue here descri∣bed to be very lamentable. the tyme very well agreeth, his death to haue bene in the fourth yere of Clau∣dius, An. Christi. 46. though they differ in the name, Luke only calleth him Herode, all other writers call him Agrippa. Yet in Iosephus (Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 5.) I finde, that this Agrippa had to his brother on He∣rode. Agrippa (sayth he) begged of Claudius, for his brother Herode, the kingdome of Chalcis. Agayne Iosephus sayth there met Agrippa certayne kinges, Pariter & Herodes frater eius, qui & ipse Chalcidis habebat imperium: and with all his brother Herode, whiche also was king of Chalcis. lib. 19. Antiq. cap. 7. Claudius wrote vnto the president of Alexandria, in the behalfe of the Iewes, supplicantibus sibi regibus, Agrippa, pariter & Herode, at the request both of Agrippa and Herode the kinges. Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 5. agayne in the same place Claudius him selfe in his edict, sayth: Peten∣tibus me regibus, Agrippa, & Herode Charissimis &c. libenter hoc praebui: when as Agrippa and Herode, our deare princes, made the petition vnto me, I willingly condescended therunto. I finde more∣ouer mention made, that this Herode suruiued his brother Agrippa. Iosephus writeth thus Antiquit. lib. 20. cap. 1. Herode the brother of the late deseased Agrippa, then king of Chalcis, requested of Claudius Caesar, autoritie ouer the temple, the ordayning of Priestes, all vvhiche he obtayned. a litle after it foloweth: Herode remoued Canthara from the highpriesthoode, and substituted Iosoph the sonne of Camus. Moreouer Iosephus sayth: Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 7. that after the departure of his brother, he conspired the death of Sylas. this is all, that I finde to haue ben done by this Herod. finally he died in his bed, his ende being come without any manifest or knowen disease. Iosephus sayth: Desunctus est Herodes frater regis Agrippae maioris, octauo anno Claudij principatus, cuius re∣gnum, Claudius Agrippae iuueni dedit. Herode the brother of king Agrippae the greater, died the. 8. yeere, of the raigne of Claudius, whose kingdome Claudius assigned vnto yong Agrippa Antiq. lib. 20. cap. 5. bell. Iud. lib. 1. cap. 10. 11. VVe may in no wise think that Luke erred herein, he might peraduēture meane this Herode, who had some doing in the tēple, some dealing among the priests, some autoritie ouer the Iewes, who was carefull for them, together with his brother Agrippa. but his ende hath no affinitie, with that of Luke if we may credite Iosephus, who no doubt (being a Iewe then liuing) was most skilfull, and best seene in the Iewish affaires▪ wherfore to reconcile this dissagrement. let vs call him Herode with Luke, & Agrippa with Eusebius and Iosephus. nay lesse that we seeme contrary to our selues, in taking contrary partes, let vs make them frendes and ioyning their handes together, name the childe Herode Agrippa, which Eusebius meant, when he gathered the summarie of his chapiters saying: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, howe that Agrippa and Herode persecuting the Apostles. Eusebius also in the later ende of the chapiter, supposeth the name either to haue ben changed, by some error of the writer, or els that he was, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, called after two names. In as much as hitherto in this our censure, together with the other writers, we haue layd downe the names of the kinges which gouerned the Iewes since the birth of Christ: there remaineth yet one (which Eusebius lib. 2. cap. 19. toutcheth) to be spoken of, that the reader may finde the history, layd downe in an ample, and perfect maner▪ the same is Agrippa the yonger or lesser. After Herode the Idumaean, or the great which raigned 37. yeres (foure only after the birth of Christ) succeded Archelaus, which continewed king nyne yeares. The thirde, after the birth of Christ was Herode the Tetrarche, who raigned 24. yeres. The fourth was Agrippa maior (touching whose name this controuer sie rose) who raigned seuen yeres. The fifth and the last was Agrippa minor, sonne to the former Agrippa, whom the Angel stroke. this Agrippa raigned. 26. yeres to the destruction of Ierusalem, and the vtter ouerthrowe of the Iewes. Iosephus writeth of him (Antiq. lib. 19. cap. 8.) that he was but 17. yeres olde when his father died. This was he before whome Paul pleaded in the Actes of the Apostles when he sayd: I thinke my selfe happie king Agrippa, because I shall aun∣svvere this day before thee &c. because thou hast knovvledge of all customes, and questions, vvhiche are among the Ievves. In the ende Paul sayd: O king Agrippa beleuest thou the pro∣phetes? I knovve that thou beleuest. then Agrippa sayd vnto Paul: almost thou persvvadest me to be a Christian &c. ƲƲhen all was done, Agrippa sayd to Festus, this man might haue ben loo∣sed, if he had not appealed vnto Caesar. Act. 20. He began his raigne vnder Claudius, he continewed the raigne of Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, & part of the raigne of Vespasian, and his sonne Titus. Iose∣phus

commendeth him for diuers vertues, he exhorted the Iewes to cutt of all sedition, and not to venture vpon that most dangerous warres, with the Romaynes: volens & Romanis conseruare Iu∣daeos, & Iudaeis templum at{que} patriam, willing, or being desirous, to saue for the Romaynes the Iewes, & for the Iewes the temple, & their natiue soyle. bell. Iud. lib. 2. cap. 17. He entertayned Vespasian, in the time of the warres at Tiberias. Ioseph. bell. Iud. lib. 3. cap. 16. Ioyning with Vespasian at the siege of Ga∣mala, he is wounded in the arme with a stone, out of a sling. bell. Iud. lib. 4. cap. 1. He is sent to Rome by Vespasian (who then was but generall captayne) vnto Galba the Emperour, and hearing by the way that Galba was dead, and that Otho succeded him, went on his iourney neuerthelesse. bell. Iud. lib. 5. cap. 6. His last ende I finde no where written▪ but toutching the kingdome, the rule, & the gouernement of the Iewes, after the vtter ruine, and ouerthrowe of Ierusalem, with the confusion of the Iewes: Vespa∣sianus wrote vnto Tiberius Maximus liuetenant of Iudaea, that he should sel all the lande of the Iewes, reseruing only a place called Massada, vnto certayne souldiers, Ioseph. bell. Iud. lib. 7. cap. 26. Nowe (gentle reader) thou mayest hereby note the wisdome and prouidence of God toutching this wicked broode, that as Iosephus (Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 11.) writeth: Inter centum annorum spacium, cuncta Herodis origo consumpta est, within the compasse of one hundred yeres, all the progeny of Herode was rooted out.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. 12.
• * 1.2

  Ioseph. Anti. lib. 19. cap. 7.
• * 1.3

  This Angell in Iosephus is an Ovvle.
• * 1.4

  The oration of Herode Agrippa a litle before his death.
• * 1.5

  If thou had∣dest lyued vvell, no doubt thou sholdest haue died vvel▪ thy life vvas very ill, thine end farre vvorse. Herode A∣grippa king of the Ievves seuen yeres. He vvas cal∣led somtimes Herod, som∣times Agrip∣pa.