Eusebius Book 1, Section 8

1.8.1

VIII. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τοῦ χριστοῦ γεννηθέντος ταῖς προφητείαις ἀκολούθως ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας κατὰ τοὺς δεδηλωμένους χρόνους, Ἡρῴδης ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἐξ ἀνατολῆς μάγων ἀνερωτήσει ὅπῃ εἴη διαπυνθανομένων ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἑορακέναι γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα καὶ τῆς τοσῆσδε πορείας τοῦτ’ αἴτιον αὐτοῖς γεγονέναι, οἷα θεῷ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ τεχθέντι διὰ σπουδῆς πεποιημένοις, οὐ σμικρῶς ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι, ἅτε κινδυνευούσης, ὥς γε δὴ ᾤετο, αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς, διακινηθείς, πυθόμενος τῶν παρὰ τῷ ἔθνει νομοδιδασκάλων ποῦ τὸν Χριστὸν γεννηθήσεσθαι προσδοκῷεν, ὡς ἔγνω τὴν Μιχαίου προφητείαν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ προαναφωνοῦσαν , ἑνὶ προστάγματι τοὺς ὑπομαζίους ἔν τε τῆ Βηθλεὲμ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω παῖδας, κατὰ τὸν ἀπηκριβωμένον αὐτῷ χρόνον παρὰ τῶν μάγων, ἀναιρεθῆναι προστάττει, πάντως που καὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὥς γε ἢν εἰκός, τῆς αὐτῆς τοῖς ὁμήλιξι συναπολαῦσαι συμφορᾶς οἰόμενος. φθάνει γε μὴν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον διακομισθεὶς ὁ παῖς, δι’ ἐπιφανείας ἀγγέλου τὸ μέλλον προμεμαθηκότων αὐτοῦ τῶν γονέων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ ἢ ἱερὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διδάσκει γραφή· ἄξιον δ’ ἐπὶ τούτοις συνιδεῖν τἀπίχειρα τῆς Ἡρῴδου κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ὁμηλίκων αὐτῷ τόλμης, ὡς παραυτίκα, μηδὲ σμικρᾶς ἀναβολῆς γεγενημένης, ἡ θεία δίκη περιόντα ἔτ’ αὐτὸν τῷ βίῳ μετελήλυθεν, τὰ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγὴν διαδεξομένων αὐτὸν ἐπιδεικνῦσα προοίμια. ὡς μὲν οὖν τὰς κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῷ νομισθείσας εὐπραγίας ταῖς κατὰ τὸν οἶκον ἐπαλλήλοις ἠμαύρωσεν συμφοραῖς, γυναικὸς καὶ τέκνων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν μάλιστα πρὸς γένους ἀναγκαιοτάτων τε καὶ φιλτάτων μιαιφονίαις, οὐδὲ οἷόν τε νῦν καταλέγειν, τραγικὴν ἅπασαν δραματουργίαν ἐπισκιαζούσης τῆς περὶ τούτων ὑποθέσεως, ἢν εἰς πλάτος ἐν ταῖς κατ’ αὐτὸν ἱστορίαις ὁ Ἰώσηπος διελήλυθεν· ὡς δ’ ἅμα τῇ κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων νηπίων ἐπιβουλῇ θεήλατος αὐτὸν καταλαβοῦσα μάστιξ εἰς θάνατον συνήλασεν, οὐ χεῖρον καὶ τῶν φωνῶν τοῦ συγγραφέως ἐπακοῦσαι, κατὰ λέξιν ἐν ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς’ Ἀρχαιολογίας τὴν καταστροφὴν τοῦ κατ’ αὐτὸν βίου τοῦτον γράφοντος τὸν τρόπον· “ Ἡρῴδῃ δὲ μειζόνως ἢ νόσος ἐνεπικραίνετο, 168-170 δίκην ὧν παρηνόμησεν ἐκπρασομένου τοῦ θεοῦ. πῦρ μὲν γὰρ μαλακὸν ἦν, οὐχ ὧδε πολλὴν ἀποσημαῖνον τοῖς ἐπαφωμένοις τὴν φλόγωσιν, ὅσην τοῖς ἐντὸς προσετίθει τὴν κάκωσιν, ἐπιθυμία δὲ δεινὴ τοῦ δέξασθαί τι, οὐδὲ ἦν μὴ οὐχ ὑπουργεῖν, καὶ ἕλκωσις τῶν τε ἐντέρων καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ κόλου δειναὶ ἀλγηδόνες καὶ φλέγμα ὑγρὸν περὶ τοὺς πόδας καὶ διαυγές· παραπλησία δὲ καὶ περὶ τὸ ἦτρον κάκωσις ἢν, ναὶ μὴν καὶ τοῦ αἰδοίου αῆφις, σκώληκας ἐμποιοῦσα, πνεύματός τε ὀρθία ἔντασις, καὶ αὐτὴ λίαν ἀηδὴς ἀχθηδόνι τε τῆς ἀποφορᾶς καὶ τῷ πυκνῷ τοῦ ἄσθματος, ἐσπασμένος τε περὶ πᾶν ἢν μέρος, ἰσχὺν οὐχ ὑπομενητὴν προστιθέμενος . ἐλέγετο γοῦν ὑπὸ τῶν θειαζόντων καὶ οἷς ταῦτα προαποφθέγγεσθαι σοφία πρόκειται, ποινὴν τοῦ πολλοῦ καὶ δυσσεβοῦς ταύτην ὁ θεὸς εἰσπράττεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως.”

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VIII. Now when Christ was born, in accordance with the prophecies, at Bethlehem of Judaea at the time mentioned, Herod was asked by the Magi from the East where might he be who was born king of the Jews, for they had seen his star, and this had been the cause of their long journey in their zeal to worship the infant as God. The request caused him to be not a little disturbed at the situation, for, as he thought, his sovereignty was in danger. He therefore inquired from the teachers of the Law among the people where they expected the Christ to be born, and when he learnt the prophecy of Micah, foretelling that it should be in Bethlehem, he gave a comprehensive order to put to death all the infants which were being nursed in Bethlehem and the whole neighbourhood, from two years old and under, according to the time indicated to him by the Magi; supposing, as was natural, that Jesus also would enjoy the same fate as the children of his age. However, the child forestalled the plot by being taken to Egypt, as by the manifestation of an angel his parents had learned beforehand what was to happen. This is also taught by the sacred scripture of the Gospel, but it is worth noticing in this connexion the result of the crime of Herod against the Christ and the children of his age; for immediately, without even a short delay, the justice of God overtook him while he was still in life, showing the prelude of what awaited him when he had passed hence. It is not now possible even to give a summary list of the ways by which he darkened what were reckoned the glories of his reign, by the successive misfortunes of his house, by the foul murder of wife and children and of the rest who were closest to him in family and in affection; for the shadows in their story, which Josephus has narrated at length in the history of Herod, are darker than any in tragic drama. But it is well to hear from the words of that writer how, from the moment of the plot against our Saviour and the other innocents, a scourge sent from God seized him and drove him to death. In the seventeenth book of the Jewish Antiquities he writes of the catastrophe of Herod's life in this way: “But in Herod disease kept growing ever more cruel as God exacted punishment for his crimes. For there was a slow fire which did not give much indication to those who touched him of the burning which within was increasing his evil plight, and an awful desire for nourishment, which it was impossible not to minister to, and ulceration of the intestines, and especially awful pain in the colon, and a moist and transparent dropsy in his feet; similar too was an inflammation of the bladder, and even mortification of the genitals, breeding worms. There was also a shrill acceleration of his breathing, and this was very offensive from the nature of the discharge and rapidity of his breath. He was convulsed in every part with intolerable severity. Thus it was said by those who divined, and whose wisdom it was to pronounce on these things, that God was exacting this penalty from the king for his many impieties.”

1.8.2

Ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῆ δηΛωθείσῃ γραφῆ παρασημαίνεται ὁ προειρημένος· καὶ ἐν τῆ δευτέρᾳ δὲ τῶν Ἱστοριῶν τὰ παραπλήσια περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ παραδίδωσιν, ὧδέ πως γράφων·

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The writer mentioned above gives this account in the treatise quoted; and in the second book of the Histories he gives a similar tradition concerning the same person, writing as follows:

1.8.3

“Ἔνθεν αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα πᾶν ἡ νόσος διαλαβοῦσα ποικίλοις πάθεσιν ἐμέριζεν. πυρετὸς μὲν γὰρ ἦν χλιαρός, κνησμὸς δ’ ἀφόρητος τῆς ἐπιφανείας ὅλης καὶ κόλου αυνεχεῖς ἀλγηδόνες περί τε τοὺς πόδας ὡς ὑδρωπιῶντος οἰδήματα τοῦ τε ἤτρου φλεγμονὴ καὶ δι’ αἰδοίου σηπεδὼν σκώληκα γεννῶσα, πρὸς τούτοις ὀρθόπνοια καὶ δύσπνοια καὶ σπασμοὶ πάντων τῶν μελῶν, ὥστε τοὺς ἐπιθειάζοντας ποινὴν εἷναι τὰ νοσήματα λέγειν. ὁ δὲ παλαίων τοσούτοις πάθεσιν ὅμως τοῦ ξῆν ἀντείχετο, σωτηρίαν τε ἤλπιζεν, καὶ θεραπείας ἐπενόει. διαβὰς γοῦν τὸν Ἰορδάνην τοῖς κατὰ ΚαΛΛιρόην θερμοῖς ἐχρῆτο· ταῦτα δὲ ἔξεισιν μὲν εἰς τὴν Ἀσφαλτῖτιν λίμνην, ὑπὸ γλυκύτητος δέ ἐστι καὶ πότιμα. δόξαν ἐνταῦθα τοῖς ἰατροῖς ἐλαίῳ θερμῷ πᾶν ἀναθάλφαι τὸ σῶμα χαλασθὲν εἰς ἐλαίου πλήρη πύελον, ἐκλύει καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς ἐκλυθεὶς ἀνέστρεφεν. θορύβου δὲ τῶν θεραπόντων γενομένου, πρὸς μὲν τὴν πληγὴν ἀνήνεγκεν, εἰς δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπογνοὺς τὴν σωτηρίαν, τοῖς τε στρατιώταις ἀνὰ δραχμὰς πεντήκοντα ἐκέλευσεν διανεῖμαι καὶ πολλὰ χρήματα τοῖς ἡγεμόσι καὶ τοῖς φίλοις. αὐτὸς δ’ ὑποστρέφων εἰς Ἱεριχοῦντα Ι παραγίνεται, μελαγχολῶν ἤδη καὶ μόνον οὐκ ἀπειλῶν αὐτῷ τι τῷ θανάτῳ· προέκοφεν δ’ εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν ἀθεμίτου πράξεως. τοὺς γὰρ ἀφ’ ἑκάστης κώμης ἐπισήμους ἄνδρας ἐξ ὅλης Ἰουδαίας συναγαγὼν εἰς τὸν καλούμενον ἱππόδρομον ἐκέλευσεν συγκλεῖσαι, προσκαλεσάμενος δὲ Σαλώμην τὴν ἀδελφὴν καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ταύτης Ἀλεξᾶν οἶδα ’ ἔφη ‘ Ἰουδαίους τὸν ἐμὸν ἑορτάσοντας θάνατον, δύναμαι δὲ πενθεῖσθαι δι’ ἑτέρων καὶ λαμπρὸν ἐπιτάφιον σχεῖν, ἂν ὑμεῖς θελήσητε ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐντολαῖς ὑπουργῆσαν. τούσδε τοὺς φρουρουμένους ἄνδρας, ἐπειδὰν ἐκπνεύσω, τάχιστα κτείνατε περιστήσαντες τοὺς στρατιώτας, ἵνα πᾶσα Ἰουδαία καὶ πᾶς οἶκος καὶ ἄκων ἐπ’ ἐμοὶ δακρύσῃ.’ ’’ καὶ μετὰ βραχέα φησίν “ αὖθις δέ, καὶ γὰρ ἐνδείᾳ τροφῆς καὶ βηχὶ σπασμώδει διετείνετο, τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἡσθεὶς φθάσαι τὴν εἱμαρμένην ἐπεβάλλετο· λαβὼν δὲ μῆλον, ᾔτησε καὶ μαχαίριον· εἰώθει γὰρ ἀποτέμνων ἐσθίειν· ἔπειτα περιαθρήσας μή τις ὁ κωλύσων αὐτὸν εἴη, ἐπῆρεν τὴν δεξιὰν ὡς πλήξων ἑαυτόν.’’ A.I. ἐπὶ ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ὁ αὐτὸς ἱστορεῖ συγγραφεὺς ἕτερον αὐτοῦ γνήσιον παῖδα πρὸ τῆς ἐσχάτης τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς, τρίτον ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἤδη προανῃρημένοις, δι’ ἐπιτάξεως ἀνελόντα, παραχρῆμα τὴν ζωὴν οὐ μετὰ σμικρῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἀπορρῆξαι. καὶ τοιοῦτο μὲν τὸ πέρας τῆς Ἡρῴδου γέγονεν τελευτῆς, ποινὴν δικαίαν ἐκτίσαντος ὧν ἀμφὶ τὴν Βηθλεὲμ ἀνεῖλεν παίδων τῆς τοῦ αωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλῆς ἕνεκα· μεθ’ ἢν ἄγγελος ὄναρ ἔπι· στὰς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διατρίβοντι τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπᾶραι ἅμα τῷ παιδὶ καὶ τῆ τούτου μητρὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν παρακελεύεται , τεθνηκέναι δηλῶν τοὺς ἀναζητοῦντας τὴν φυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου. τούτοις δ’ ὁ εὐαγγελιοτὴς ἐπιφέρει λέγων “ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Ἀρχέλαος βασιλεύει ἀντὶ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖ ἀπελθεῖν· χργνατθσυεὶες δὲ κατ’ ὄναρ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη τῆς Γαλιλαίας.’’

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“Then the disease spread through his whole body, and attacked each part with divers sufferings. The fever was low; there was intolerable itching of the whole surface, incessant pain in the colon, his feet were swollen as though with dropsy, there was inflammation of the bladder, and gangrene of the genitals, breeding worms. In addition to this, his breathing was difficult and he was unable to lie down, and there were spasms in every limb, so that the divines said that his illness was a punishment. Yet though he was struggling with such great suffering, he still clung to life, hoping for health and thinking of a cure. So he crossed the Jordan and took the warm baths at Callirrhoe, which flow out into the Dead Sea but are sweet and drinkable. There it was decided by his physicians to warm up his whole body with hot oil by letting it down into a tub full of oil, but he collapsed and turned up his eyes as though dying. A disturbance arose among the attendants, and he recovered from the collapse, but for the future gave up hope of cure and ordered fifty drachmas each to be distributed to the soldiers, and much money to the governors and his friends. He then returned and reached Jericho, full of melancholy and scarcely refraining from the threat of suicide. But he proceeded to plan one more execrable crime; for he brought together the notables from every village in all Judaea and commanded them to be shut up in the so-called Hippodrome. He then summoned Salome, his sister, and her husband, Alexas, and said, ‘I know that the Jews celebrate my death with festivity, but I can be mourned by others and have a splendid funeral if you are willing to administer my commands. Station soldiers around these men who are shut up, and as soon as I expire kill them with all speed, that all Judaea and every house may weep over me even against its will.’” After a little Josephus says: “Later on, racked by lack of food and a convulsive cough, the pains he suffered urged him to anticipate fate. He took an apple and asked for a knife, for it was his custom to peel it and eat it. Then, having looked round lest there should be any to prevent him, he raised his right hand as if he were going to stab himself.” Moreover, the same historian relates that he ordered the murder of another legitimate son before the end of his life, making the third in addition to the two others already put to death, and immediately gave up his life, torn by great agony. Such was the end of Herod: he paid a just penalty for the children whom he murdered at Bethlehem for the sake of his plot against our Saviour. After this an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, who was staying in Egypt, and commanded him to return to Judaea with the child and his mother, and announced that those who sought the life of the little child were dead. The evangelist continues by saying, “Now when he heard that Archelaus was king in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to depart there, and, being warned in a dream, retired to the districts of Galilee.”