Commentary Upon Acts, Part 3 – Part 6
PART III. The Jewish Story.
Sect. I. Herod and Herodias before the Emperour.
WEe are now to present to Caius as bloody a woman as hee was a man; Herodias, that hath committed as much murder in taking away but one mans life, Iohn the Baptist, as hee hath done in all his: And when these two are met together, the two Princes of crueltie and bloudinesse that either sex could then afford, are met together. You may remember that not long since wee left Her and her Herod (for husband I may not call him) shipped for Rome to purchase, if possible, the Emperours good respect, and with that, an augmentation of their dignity and dominion. Agrippa, knowing of this their journey, and suspecting that as it began in envy and emulation to him, so would it terminate, if they could compasse it, to his disadvantage, hee sendeth his servant Fortunatus after them with letters to the Emperor, either because himselfe was not yet at leasure to come, or in policy trying how his letters would speed and bee entertained before hee ventured his owne person. At Baiae they all met before Caesar, and Agrippaes complaint by writing meeteth theirs by word of mouth. Hee layeth to Herods charge, confederacy with Seianus at Rome and with Artabanus in Parthia, and an armory and magazine at his owne home, sufficient to furnish 7000. men, all which laid together could not but breed a just suspition of his revolting. Herod not being able upon questioning, to deny the last thing that hee was charged withall about his armes, gave Caius presumption to conclude the truth of all the other: whereupon hee adjudgeth him to Perpetuall banishment to Lions in France: and thus (thanke Herodias) by his looking for a greater dignitie and honour, hee lost that which hee had already.
Herodias, Caesar would have spared Herodias for Agrippaes sake as being his sister, but shee refused the curtesie, and chose to suffer the same fortune with her husband; and but very justly neither, for shee had brought him to it. And shee could not in civility refuse to take part with him in his misery, as hee had done with her in her folly, that had caused it; both their estates, dignities and dominions Caius bestoweth upon Agrippa to their greater vexation; and so wee leave them going to Lions, there to thinke, and repent too late, how wholesome the counsell was that was given them by the Baptist and that they tooke it not.
Sect. II. The Alexandrian Iewes still perplexed.
And now let us returne from Rome to Alexandria, where the last yeer we left the Jews in so extreme misery and distresse, and now it is to bee suspected wee shall find them in the same still. Being so oppressed, plundred and massacred by Flaccus as wee have heard, their utmost refuge is to petition to the Emperour, but a miserable refuge you must needs thinke it will prove when they cannot doe it but by Flaccus his permission and assistance. When they made this motion and request to him (foolish men to expect such curtesie from their greatest enemie) hee taketh on him to approve of their intention, promiseth to speed their petition the best he could, but when hee had it, pretending to have sent it away, hee keepeth and suppresseth it, and answered neither his promise nor their expectation, either in haste or in assisting. Thus do the poore Jewes lie waiting in uncertaine hopes but in certaine misery, looking for some comfortable answer from Rome to their petition, which is still at Alexandria. But at last comes their old friend and countreyman Agrippa to Rome with the old grudge in his bosome against Flaccus for his base usage of him at his last being there, and hee promotes their cause to Caesar with the best excuses hee can make for them, and with some bitter accusing of their enemie the Governour.
Sect. III. Flaccus his downfall.
Whether it were the prevalency of Agrippaes letters with the Emperor, or the divine vengeance upon this unjust & murderous governour, or both, or some other conjoyned, Caius ere long sent Bassus a Centurion, with his band into Alexandria, to apprehend Faccus: Hee stole in by night into the Citie, lest his approach (had it been detected) should have bred commotion, and meeting with a Souldier in the darke, and inquiring for the chiefe Captaine, that hee might acquaint him with the cause of his comming, and obtaine his assistance with his Souldiers if there should bee any resistance, hee was informed that Flaccus and hee were both at supper with Stephanio one of the freemen of Tiberius. Thither hee getteth with all secrecy, and scouting before the house, hee sendeth in one of his Souldiers habited in the garbe of a Servingman, that hee might the more safely thrust in among the servitors to see what store of company was there, and when hee heard by him that it was but small, hee bursteth in with his men and apprehendeth him. I leave to the reader to imagine the contrary operation that this suddaine action had with Flaccus and with the Jewes. It was now the time of the feast of Tabernacles with them, but the feast was intermitted because of their common misery, but now somewhat solaced by the event of this feast of Flaccus. Hee is hurried away to Rome in the beginning of winter, and there tried, and condemned to perpetuall banishment in the Ile of Andros, where what became of him you shall heare the next yeere.
Sect. IIII. The Iewes of Alexandria still distressed.
Flaccus the Jewes enemie at Alexandria, they are thus happily rid of, but a worse, if worse may bee, springeth, as it were out of his corruption at Rome. Helicon a Servant of Tiberius whilst hee lived, and now of Caius, a fit man for such a master, the more to ingratiate himselfe into the Princes favour (yet had hee it already in no ordinary measure) bendeth himselfe with the utmost of his Rhetorick and eloquence, skill and flattery to traduce the people and religion of the Jewes, and to make them odious, and himselfe the more acceptable to the Emperour. The envious Alexandrians having by their Ambassadours espied this advantage, do spur him forward who needed no incitation: with great presents and greater promises they urge him on to prosecute that malitious accusation that hee had begun: which he performed accordingly, with a renewed impetuousnesse, added to his present spleene by his future expectation, and present fee. The miserable Jewes thus betrayed, lie under distresse and under the Emperours displeasure for a season, and could not learne from whence it proceeded: But at last they addresse a number of petitioners to Rome to make their peace with Helicon, if possible, and to make an humble remonstrance to the Emperour of their state and grievances, and a petition for some remedy and redresse. Their Legation and Ambassy they indeed presented not to the Prince till the next yeere, yet since Philo saith that they tooke their voyage in the very depth and middle of winter, it was not unproper to mention their preparation and setting forth, this yeer, and you shall heare of their businesse, and the successe of it, when the next yeer comes in.
THE CHRISTIAN HISTORY, THE JEWISH, and the ROMAN, FOR The Yeare of Christ 41. And of Caius Caligula 4. Being the Yeare of the World 3968. And of the City of Rome, 793. Consuls Caius Caesar III. solus.
London, Printed by R. C. for Andrew Crooke, 1645.
ACTS. Chap. XI.
Vers. 9. Now they which were scattered abroad, &c.
IN this fourth yeare of Caius, and forty first of our Saviour, wee conjecture these occurrences to have been in the Church: namely Antiochs receiving the Gospel: Barnabas his being sent from Ierusalem, and preaching there to the conversion of many: his going to Tarsus to hearken out Saul: and his bringing him thither: and there did they two spend a whole year in preaching, which whole year may very probably bee concluded to have been the next yeare after this that wee have in hand, or in the first of Claudius, in which yeare Aga…us prophecyed of the great famine which was to come, which befell in the second of Claudius, as wee observed and proved before. So that wee may hence take up the time of these Ministers dispersion and preaching up and downe, which were scattered at the death of Stephen; namely, that they had been in this employment and travail for the space of six whole yeares or thereabouts: And in this time they had gone over Iudea, Samaria, and Galilee, and were now got out of the Land of Canaan into Phaenicia, Cyprus, and Syria, and yet preached the Gospel to none but Jews onelyonly.
Ver. 20. Men of Cyprus and Cyreno.
Men of these places by Originall, but of Ierusalem, on some other part of Canaan by education and residence, as Simon, Alexander, and Rufus were. Marke 15.21, and Barnaba…, Acts 4.36.
Sect. They spake unto the Grecians.
Gr. To the Hellenists: This word is not opposed to the word Iewes in the preceding verse, but it is a part of the same story: for that telleth of their preaching to the Jews in Phenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch; and this telleth of the fruit of their Ministery to the Jews in Antioch, that it was to the conversion of many of them. That sheweth that they came to Antioch, and preached to Jewes onelyonly, this sheweth who they were that came to Antioch, and how they preached to the Hellenists, which must bee understood in the same sense with the former. But he calleth them Hellenists, because they were Jewe… of the Corporation or enfranchisement of the City, for Antioch was a Syr… grecian City.
Ver. 22. They sent forth Barnabas.
Hee himself was an Hellenist, being a man of Cyprus; and he was to bee a fellow helper to the Apostle of the Gentiles for their conversion. and therefore hee a very fit man to goe to this Gentile City, who comming thither and seeing a great conversion of all sorts of people, Gentiles as well as Jews, hee goeth over to Tarsus to seeke the Doctor of the Gentiles, to bring him over thither to a work agreeable to that his function, to preach to the Gentiles.