Page 13
CHAP. XI. What hath been testified concerning John the Baptist, and concerning Christ.
a 1.1 THe sacred History of the Gospel also mentions the beheading of John the Baptist, by Herod Junior, to have been not long after this. To which also agrees Josephus, who both makes mention particularly of Herodias by name, and also ex∣presly declares, how that Herod, having put away his former wife lawfully married to him, took this woman his brothers wife by force from him being yet alive, and married her: she was the daughter of Arethas King of the Arabians: and that upon her account, Herod having slain John, went to war with Arethas, incensed at the disgrace of his daughter. In which war, he relates that Herod and his whole Army were vanquished in a Battel, and that these things befell him upon account of his cruelty towards John. The same Josephus does agree with the Evangelical History in the account it gives of this John, especially as to his confessing him to have been a most righteous man and a Baptist. He says further, that Herod was depri∣ved of his Kingdom for the sake of this Herodias, and was▪ together with her banisht to b 1.2 Vienna a City of Gallia. All this he relates in his eighteenth Book of Antiquities, where also he writes these very words concerning John:
But some of the Jews judged Herods Army to have been over∣thrown by God, he avenging justly on him the murther of John called the Baptist. For him Herod had slain, who was a good man, and one that exhorted the Jews to the exercise of virtue, commanding them to deal justly with one ano∣ther, and to behave themselves piously towards God, and so to come to be baptized. For Baptism, said he, was then onely well-pleasing to God, when it was used, not for the excusing of some certain offences, but in order to the cleansing of the body, the soul being before purified by righteousness. Now when many flockt to him from every quarter (for they were strangely taken with hearing of such dis∣courses) Herod fearing least through the power∣full perswasion of the man, his subjects should revolt, (for they seemed ready to doe any thing that he advised) judged it better to cut him off before any innovation hapned by him, than, after it was come to pass, and had greatly endangered his affairs, to repent he did not when it was too late. Upon this very mistrust of He∣rods, he being put into bonds, was sent to the foresaid Castle of Machaerous and there slain.Thus far he concerning John. The same Authour in the same Book makes mention also of our Sa∣viour in these words;
About that time there was one Jesus, a wise man, if he may be called a man; for he wrought wonderfull miracles, and taught all that with delight would embrace the truth. He had many followers, both Jews and Gentiles. This was he that was * 1.3 called Christ. Whom though he was accused by the chief men of our Nation, and Pilate condemned him to be crucified, yet those who at first loved him forbore not to worship him. For he ap∣peared unto them alive on the third day, as the holy Prophets had predicted, who foretold these and many more wonderfull things concer∣ning him. And till this day that Sect continues, which of Him are called Christians.Seeing there∣fore that this Writer, being a Jew born and bred, has in his works recorded thus much of our Saviour and John the Baptist, what evasion can remain to the Forgers of those Acts against them, that they should not evidently be proved to be the most im∣pudent of men? But thus far of these matters.