Eusebius Book 2, Section 6

2.6.1

VI. μετὰ δὲ τὴν Τιβερίου τελευτὴν Γάϊον τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειληφότα, πολλὰ μὲν εἰς πολλοὺς καὶ ὤα ἐνυβρίσαι, πάντων δὲ μάλιστα τὸ πᾶν Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος οὐ σμικρὰ καταβλάψαι· ἃ καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ πάρεστιν διὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ καταμαθεῖν φωνῶν, ἐν αἷς κατὰ λέξιν ταῦτα γράφει

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(VI.) After the death of Tiberius, Caius received the sovereignty, and inflicted many injuries on many, but above all did he do no small harm to the whole nation of the Jews. This may be learned shortly from his own words, in which he writes exactly as follows: “Now the character of Caius was extremely capricious towards all, but particularly towards the race of Jews. He hated them bitterly: in other cities, beginning with Alexandria, he seized the synagogues and filled them with images and statues of his own form (for by giving permission to others to install them he did in fact put them there). And in Jerusalem the temple, which had hitherto been untouched and held worthy of preservation from all violation, he tried to change and transform to a shrine of his own, to be called that of ‘Gaius the new Zeus manifest.’”

2.6.2

“Τοσαύτη μὲν οὖν τις ἡ τοῦ Γαίου περὶ τὸ ἦθος ἦν ἀνωμαλία πρὸς ἅπαντας, διαφερόντως δὲ πρὸς τὸ Ἰουδαίων γένος, ᾧ χαλεπῶς ἀπ’· εχθανόμενος τὰς μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσιν προσευχάς, ἀπὸ τῶν κατ’ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀρξάμενος, σφετερίζεται, καταπλήσας εἰκόνων καὶ ἀνδριάντων τῆς ἰδίας μορφῆς ὁ γὰρ ἑτέρων ἀνατιθέντων ἐφιείς, αὐτὸς ἱδρύετο δυνάμει), τὸν δ’ ἐν τῇ ἱεροπόλει νεών, ὃς λοιπὸς ἢν ἄψαυστος, ἀσυλίας ἠξιωμένος τῆς πάσης, μεθηρμόζετο καὶ μετεσχημάτιζεν εἰς οἰκεῖον ἱερόν, ἵνα Δῖός Ἐπιφανοῦ Νέου χρηματίζῃ Γαΐου.”

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The same writer narrates in a second treatise entitled On the Virtues innumerable other atrocities, beyond all description, perpetrated on the Jews in Alexandria in the same reign; and Josephus confirms him, showing in the same way that the universal misfortunes of the nation began with the time of Pilate and the crimes against the Saviour. Listen then to the actual words of his statement in the second book of the Jewish War. “Now Pilate, sent as procurator to Judaea by Tiberius, brought into Jerusalem at night the images of Caesar, which are called ensigns. When day came this roused the greatest commotion among the Jews, for they were horrified at what they saw, since their laws had been trampled on; for they do not permit any image to be set up in the city.”

2.6.3

Μυρία μὲν οὖν ἄλλα δεινὰ καὶ πέρα πάσης διηγήσεως ὁ αὐτὸς κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν αυμβεβηκότα Ἰουδαίοις ἐπὶ τοῦ δηλουμένου ἐν δευτέρῳ αυγγράμματιξ ᾧ1 ἐπέγραφεν “ Περὶ ἀρετῶν” ἱστορεῖ· συνᾴδει δ’ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Ἰώσηπος, ὁμοίως ἀπὸ τῶν Πιλάτου χρόνων καὶ τῶν κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος τετολμημένων τὰς κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ ἔθνους ἐνάρξασθαι αημαίνων συμφοράς. δ’ οὖν οἷα καὶ οὗτος ἐν δευτέρῳ τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πολέμου αὐταῖς συλλαβαῖς δηλοῖ λέγων

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Now comparing this with the writing of the Gospels, you will see that it was not long before they were overtaken by the evils which they uttered in the presence of Pilate himself, when they shouted out that they had no other king than Caesar only. The same writer then goes on to relate another misfortune which overtook them, as follows: “And after this he roused another commotion by expending the sacred treasure, called Corban, for an aqueduct which he brought from a distance of three hundred stadia. Popular indignation was aroused at this, and when Pilate came to Jerusalem the people stood round with howls of execration; but he had foreseen their disturbance and had mixed with the crowd armed soldiers disguised in civilian clothes, with orders not to use their swords but to club those who had shouted. He gave the signal for this from his judgment-seat; and as the Jews were smitten many perished from the blows, many from being trampled upon by their fellows in their flight, and the mob, overcome at the calamity of those who perished, was silent.”

2.6.4

“Πεμφθεὶς δὲ εἰς Ἰουδαίαν ἐπίτροπος ὑπὸ 2, 169 Τιβερίου Πιλᾶτος νύκτωρ κεκαλυμμένας εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα παρεισκομίζει τὰς Καίσαρος εἰκόνας· σημαῖας καλοῦνται. τοῦτο μεθ’ ἡμέραν μεγίστην ταραχὴν ἤγειρεν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. οἵ τε γὰρ ἐγγὺς πρὸς τὴν ὄφιν ἐξεπλάγησαν, ὡς πεπατημένων τῶν νόμων· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀξιοῦσιν ἐν τῆ πόλει δείκηλον τίθεσθαι.”

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The same writer shows that besides this innumerable other revolts were started in Jerusalem itself, affirming that from that time risings and war and the mutual contrivance of evil never ceased in the city and throughout Judaea, until the time when the siege under Vespasian came upon them as the last scene of all. Thus the penalty of God pursued the Jews for their crimes against Christ.

2.6.5

Ταῦτα δὲ συγκρίνας τῇ τῶν εὐαγγελίων γραφῆ, εἴσῃ ὡς οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν αὐτοὺς μετῆλθεν ἢν ἔρρηξαν ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ Πιλάτου φωνήν, δι’ ἦς οὐκ ἄλλον ἢ μόνον ἔχειν ἐπεβόων Καίσαρα βασιλέα. εἶτα δὲ καὶ ἄλλην ἑξῆς ὁ αὐτὸς αυγγραξεὺς ἱστορεῖ μετελθεῖν αὐτοὺς συμφορὰν ἐν τούτοις “μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ταραχὴν ἑτέραν ἐκίνει, τὸν ἱερὸν θησαυρὸν, καλεῖται ’δε κορβανᾶς, εἰς καταγωγὴν ὑδάτων ἐξαναλίσκων· κατῄει δὲ ἀπὸ τριακοσίων σταδίων. πρὸς τοῦτο τοῦ πλήθους ἀγανάκτησις ἢν, καὶ τοῦ Πιλάτου παρόντος εἰς ἀγανάκτησις περιατάντες ἅμα κατεβόων. ὁ δὲ προῄδει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν ταραχὴν καὶ τῷ πλήθει τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐνόπλους, ἐσθήσεσιν ἰδιωτικαῖς κεκαλυμμένους, ἐγκαταμίξας καὶ ξίφει μὲν χρήσασθαι κωλύσας, ξύλοις δὲ παίειν τοὺς κεκραγότας ἐγκελευσάμενος, αύνθημα δίδωαιν ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος. τυπτόμενοι δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πολλοὶ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν πληγῶν, πολλοὶ δὲ ὑπὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ φυγῇ καταπατηθέντες ἀπώλοντο, πρὸς δὲ τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν ἀνηρημένων καταπλαγὲν τὸ πλῆθος ἐσιώπησεν.”

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2.6.6

Επὶ τούτοις μυρίας ἄλλας ἐν αὐτοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις κεκινῆαθαι νεωτεροποιίας ὁ αὐτὸς ἐμφαίνει, παριστὰς ὡς οὐδαμῶς ἐξ ἐκείνου διέλιπον τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ἅπασαν στάσεις καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ κακῶν ἐπάλληλοι μηχαναί, εἰς ὅτε τὸ πανύστατον ἡ κατὰ Οὐεσπασιανὸν αὐτοὺς μετῆλθεν πολιορκία. Ἰουδαίους μὲν οὖν ὧν κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ τετολμήκασιν, ταύτῃ πῃ τὰ ἐκ τῆς θείας μετῄει δίκης.

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