The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. VI. That in his time, according to the Predictions of the Prophets, the Princes of the Jewish Nation who before by succession had held the Principa∣lity, surceased, and that Herod, the First of the Aliens, became their King.

NOw at that time, when Herod, the First of them who by descent was a Forreigner, had obtained the Rule over the Jewish Nation, the Prophecy written by Moses was fulfilled, which said, * 1.1 There shall not want a Prince in Juda, nei∣ther a Leader fail of his Loyns, untill he come for whom it is reserved. Whom he declares to be the expectation of the Gentiles. Indeed the things of that Prophesie hung unaccomplished all the time that it was lawful for the Jews to live under Prin∣ces of their own Nation: who taking their be∣ginning as high as Moses himself, continued down their Reign even to the Empire of Augustus: un∣der whom Herod the First a 1.2 Forreigner had the Government of the Jews granted him by the Ro∣mans: who, as Josephus declares, was by his fa∣thers side an Idumaean; by his mothers, an Arabi∣an: But, as Affricanus, one not of the vulgar sort of Writers, says, they who have been more accurate about his pedegree, say he was the son of Antipater, who was the son of one Herod an Asca∣lonite, who was one of the servants which Ministred in the Temple of Apollo. This Antipater be∣ing taken by Idumaean theeves while he was yet a child, remained a long time among them, because his father being one of a mean Estate was not able to redeem him. And being brought up after their manner of breeding, became at length very fami∣liarly acquainted with Hyrcanus the High-priest of the Jews. This very mans son was that Herod who lived in the time of our Saviour. When therefore the principality of the Jews was come into the hands of this Alien, then was the expecta∣tion of the Gentiles even at the doors, according unto that Prophesie: For then the Line of their Native Princes and Governours was broken off, which had been drawn down by a continued Suc∣cession from Moses himself untill that time. For before they were taken Captives and carried into Babylon, Kings reigned over them, beginning from Saul who was the first, and from David. Before their Kings Princes bore Rule over them, whom they called Judges, beginning their Government after Moses, and his Successour * 1.3 Jesus. After their return from Babylon there ceased not amongst them a form of Government, an Aristocracie together with an Oligarchie, the best ruling, and they but few in number. For the High-Priests had held that preeminence untill Pompey the Roman Captain coming upon them by main force, besieged and ran∣sacked Jerusalem, polluted the Holy places, by en∣tring into the Sanctuaries of the Temple, and sent prisoner to Rome the High-priest whose name was Aristobulus with his sons, who by succession from his Progenitors had continued unto that time both Prince and Priest; and committed the Office of High-priesthood unto his brother Hyrcanus, and from that time ••orth made the whole Jewish Nation become Tributary to the Romans. And in∣deed not long after, Hyrcanus, the last of those to whom the High-priesthood by succession befell, being taken prisoner by the Parthians, Herod the first Forreigner, as I said before, had the Govern∣ment of the Jewish nation delivered to him by the Roman Senate and the Emperour Augustus. Un∣der whom, whenas the presence of Christ was apparent, the long-lookt-for Salvation of the Gen∣tiles was accomplished, and their calling conse∣quently followed, according to the predictions of the Prophets. Since which time the Princes and Ru∣lers of Juda (those I mean who were of Jewish extraction) ceasing, straightway the series and course of the High-preisthood, which among them by order of succession af••er the decrease of the former was always, as it was meet, wont to fall unto the next of bloud, was confounded. Hereof thou hast Josephus a witness worthy of credit, declaring how that Herod, after that he was intrusted with the rule over the Jews by the Romans, assigned them no more High-priests of the antient Priestly Race, but conferred that honour upon certain obscure persons; and how that the same course which Herod had taken in constituting High-priests, was followed by his son Archelaus, and after by the Romans who succeeded him in the Government of Judea. The said Josephus declareth, how that Herod first shut up under his own Privy-Seal the Holy Ro••e of the High-priest, not permitting

the High-priests to keep it any longer in their own custody; and that after him Archelaus; and after Archelaus the Romans did the same. And let these things be spoken by us to evidence the truth of another Prophesie, which by the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus was accomplished. For most plainly and expressly of all other, the Holy Scri∣pture in Daniel describing the number of certain weeks unto Christ the Ruler (whereof we have in another b 1.4 place intreated) foretelleth that after the accomplishment of those weeks the Jewish anointing should be abolished. And this is plain∣ly proved to have been fulfilled at the time when our Saviour Jesus Christ came in the flesh. And let these things necessarily be fore-observed by us for the proof of the truth of the times.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 49. 10.
• a 1.2

  Joseph Scaliger, in his Animadversions upon Eusebius's Chronicon, has sufficiently made it evident, that Herod was no Forreigner. Josephus, in his 20. B. of An∣tiqui••, Chap. 6. call•• Herod 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. a Jew as to his Li••eage. Vales.
• * 1.3

  Jesus otherwise called Jo∣shua.
• b 1.4

  He means his Books of Evange∣lical De∣monstrati∣on. For in the eighth Book of that work he Treats of Daniels weeks, which he affirms were compleated at our Saviours coming, according to the opinion of Africanus. Vales.