Eusebius Book 2, Section 21

2.21.1

ΧΧΙ. Ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις ἐπιφέρει μεθ’ ἕτερα λέγων· “ μείζονι δὲ τούτων πληγῇ Ἰουδαίους ἐκάκωσεν ὁ Αἰγύπτιος φευδοπροφήτης . παραγενόμενος γὰρ εἰς τὴν χώραν ἄνθρωπος γόης καὶ προφήτου πίστιν ἐπιθεὶς ἑαυτῷ, περὶ τρισμυρίους μὲν ἀθροίζει τῶν ἠπατημένων, περιαγαγὼν δ’ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας εἰς τὸ Ἐλαιῶν καλούμενον ὄρος, ἐκεῖθεν οἷός τε ἢν εἰς Ἱεροαόλυμα παρελθεῖν βιάζεσθαι καὶ κρατήσας τῆς τε Ῥωμαϊκῆς φρουρᾶς καὶ τοῦ δήμου τυραννικῶς χρώμενος τοῖς συνεισπεσοῦσιν δορυφόροις. φθάνει δ’ αὐτοῦ τὴν ὁρμὴν Φῆλιξ, ὑπαντιάσας μετὰ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ὁπλι- καὶ πᾶς ὁ δῆμος συνεφήψατο τῆς ὥστε συμβολῆς γενομένης τὸν μὲν φυγεῖν μετ’ ὀλίγων, διαφθαρῆναι δὲ καὶ ζωγρηθῆναι πλείστους τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ.”

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XXI. He continues his narrative after other details as follows: “The Egyptian false prophet afflicted the Jews with a worse scourge than this, for this man appeared in the country as a sorcerer and secured for himself the faith due to a prophet. He assembled about thirty thousand who had been deceived and led them round from the wilderness to the mount called Olivet, where he was in a position to force an entry into Jerusalem and overpower the Roman garrison and the people by a despotic use of the soldiers who had joined him. But Felix, anticipating his attack, met him with the Roman forces, and all the people agreed in defense, so that when battle was joined the Egyptian fled with a few men and the greater part of those with him were destroyed or captured."

2.21.2

Ταῦτα ἐν τῆ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Ἱατοριῶν ὁ Ἰώσηπος· ἐπιστῆσαι δὲ ἄξιον τοῖς ἐνταῦθα κατὰ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον δεδηλωμένοις καὶ τοῖς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι τῶν ἀποατόλων, ἔνθα κατὰ Φήλικα πρὸς τοῦ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις χιλιάρχου εἴρηται τῷ Παύλῳ, ὅπη· νίκα κατεστασίαζεν αὐτοῦ τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πλῆθος· “οὐκ ἄρα αὖ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναατατώαας καὶ ἐξαγαγὼν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τοὺς τετρακιαχιλίους ἄνδρας τῶν αικαρίων; ’’ ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατὰ Φήλικα τοιαῦτα.

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Josephus relates this in the second book of the Wars, but it is worth noting what is said about the Egyptian there and in the Acts of the Apostles, where, in the time of Felix, the centurion at Jerusalem said to Paul, when the mob of the Jews was rioting against him, “Art thou not that Egyptian who before these days made an uproar and led out into the wilderness four thousand men of the Sicarii?” Such was the course of events under Felix.