§84ὁ δ’ οὐ τετελευτηκότας ἐπὶ σταυρῶν καθαιρεῖν, ζῶντας δ’ ἀνασκολοπίζεσθαι προσέταττεν, οἷς ἀμνηστίαν ἐπ’ ὀλίγον, οὐ τὴν εἰς ἅπαν, ὁ καιρὸς ἐδίδου πρὸς ὑπέρθεσιν τιμωρίας, οὐκ ἄφεσιν παντελῆ.
But he ordered not to take down the dead from the crosses, but to crucify them alive, to whom the occasion gave a temporary amnesty—not a permanent one—for the postponement of punishment, not a complete release.
καὶ ταῦτ’ εἰργάζετο μετὰ τὸ πληγαῖς αἰκίσασθαι ἐν μέσῳ τῷ θεάτρῳ καὶ πυρὶ καὶ σιδήρῳ βασανίσαι.
And he did these things after abusing them with blows in the middle of the theatre and torturing them with fire and iron.
§85καὶ ἡ θέα διενενέμητο· τὰ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτα τῶν θεαμάτων ἄχρι τρίτης ἢ τετάρτης ὥρας ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ ταῦτα ἦν· Ἰουδαῖοι μαστιγούμενοι, κρεμάμενοι, τροχιζόμενοι, καταικιζόμενοι, διὰ μέσης τῆς ὀρχήστρας ἀπαγόμενοι τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ· τὰ δὲ μετὰ τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ἐπίδειξιν ὀρχησταὶ καὶ μῖμοι καὶ αὐληταὶ καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα σκηνικῶν ἀθύρματα ἀγώνων.
And the spectacle had been divided; for the first part of the shows from dawn until the third or fourth hour consisted of these: Jews being scourged, hung, broken on the wheel, maltreated, and led through the middle of the orchestra to their death; and the events after this "fine" exhibition were dancers, mimes, flute-players, and all other amusements of theatrical contests.
§86Καὶ τί ταῦτα μηκύνω;
And why do I prolong these details?
δευτέρα γὰρ ἐπινοεῖται πόρθησις, βουλομένου καὶ τὸ στρατευόμενον πλῆθος ἡμῖν ἐπιτειχίσαι ξένου συκοφαντήματος εὑρέσει.
For a second plundering was devised, since he wished to set even the military multitude against us by the invention of a strange slander.
τὸ δὲ συκοφάντημα ἦν, ὡς τῶν Ἰουδαίων πανοπλίας ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἐχόντων.
And the slander was that the Jews possessed complete suits of armor in their houses.
μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν ἑκατόνταρχον ᾧ μάλιστ’ ἐπίστευε, Κάστον ὄνομα, κελεύει παραλαβόντα τῆς ὑπηκόου τάξεως ἑαυτῷ τοὺς εὐτολμοτάτους στρατιώτας ἐπισπεύδειν καὶ ἄνευ προρρήσεως ἐπεισιόντα ταῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἰκίαις ἐρευνᾶν, μή τις ὅπλων ἐναπόκειται παρασκευή.
Having therefore summoned a centurion whom he most trusted, named Castus, he ordered him, taking the most daring soldiers of his subordinate rank, to hasten and, entering the houses of the Jews without warning, to search whether any store of weapons was laid up within.
καὶ ὁ μὲν συντείνας ἔθει τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐργασόμενος.
And he, exerting himself, ran to perform what had been commanded.
§87οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν οὐκ εἰδότες ἀχανεῖς τὸ πρῶτον εἱστήκεσαν ὑπ’ ἐκπλήξεως, γυναίων καὶ τέκνων αὐτοῖς ἐμπλεκομένων καὶ ῥεομένων δάκρυσι διὰ τὸν ἐπ’ αἰχμαλώτοις φόβον· ὃ γὰρ λοιπὸν τῆς πορθήσεως, τοῦτ’ ἀεὶ προσεδόκων.
But they, not knowing the design, stood speechless at first in astonishment, while their wives and children clung to them and ran with tears through fear of captivity; for they were always expecting what remained of the plundering (namely, captivity).
§88ὡς δ’ ἤκουσαν παρά τινος τῶν ἐρευνώντων· "ποῦ ταμιεύεσθε τὰ ὅπλα; “μικρὸν ἀνέπνευσαν καὶ πάντα καὶ τὰ ἐν μυχοῖς ἀναπετάσαντες ἐπεδείκνυντο, τῇ μὲν ἡδόμενοι, τῇ
But when they heard from one of the searchers, "Where do you store your weapons?", they breathed a little easier and, opening up everything, even the innermost recesses, displayed them, on the one hand rejoicing, and on the other hand groaning.
§89δὲ στένοντες, ἡδόμενοι μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ διελεγχθήσεσθαι τὸ συκοφάντημα ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, δυσχεραίνοντες δέ, ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν αἱ τηλικαῦται διαβολαὶ κατ’ αὐτῶν προπιστεύονται συντιθέμεναι πρὸς ἐχθρῶν, ἔπειτα δ’, ὅτι γύναια κατάκλειστα μηδὲ τὴν αὔλειον προερχόμενα καὶ θαλαμευόμεναι παρθένοι, δι’ αἰδῶ τὰς ἀνδρῶν ὄψεις καὶ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐκτρεπόμεναι, τότε οὐ μόνον ἀσυνήθεσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατιωτικὸν δέος ἐπανατεινομένοις ἐμφανεῖς ἐγένοντο.
They rejoiced indeed at the fact that the slander would be refuted by itself, but they were distressed, first, because such great calumnies, fabricated by enemies, were believed beforehand against them, and secondly, because secluded women who did not even cross the outer door, and virgins kept in their chambers, who out of modesty avoided the gaze of men, even of their closest relatives, then became visible not only to strangers but even to those who threatened them with military terror.
§90γενομένης δ’ ὅμως ἀκριβοῦς ἐρεύνης ὅσον πλῆθος ἀμυντηρίων ὅπλων εὑρέθη;
Yet, when an accurate search had been made, what a quantity of defensive weapons was found?
κράνη, θώρακες, ἀσπίδες, ἐγχειρίδια, κοντοί, παντευχίαι σωρηδὸν προεκομίζοντο;
Were helmets, breastplates, shields, daggers, spears, full suits of armor brought forward in heaps?
καὶ ἐν μέρει τὰ ἑκηβόλα, παλτοί, σφενδόναι, τόξα, βέλη;
And, in turn, missile weapons—javelins, slings, bows, arrows?
τούτων ἁπλῶς οὐδέν· ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν καθ’ ἡμέραν δίαιταν ὀψαρτυτῶν αὐτάρκη μαχαιρίδια.
Simply none of these; indeed, not even enough knives for cooks to prepare their daily food.
§91ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ περὶ τὸν βίον εὐθὺς εὐκολία διεφαίνετο πολυτέλειαν καὶ τὸ ἁβροδίαιτον μὴ προσιεμένων, ἃ πέφυκε γεννᾶν κόρον· κόρου δ’ ὕβρις ἔκγονον, ἡ πάντων κακῶν ἀρχή.
From which also the simplicity of their life was immediately apparent, since they did not admit luxury and soft living, which naturally generate satiety; and of satiety, outrage is the offspring, which is the beginning of all evils.
§92καίτοι γ’ οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τῶν κατὰ τὴν χώραν Αἰγυπτίων ὁπλολογηθέντων ὑπὸ Βάσσου τινός, ᾧ προσέταξεν ὁ Φλάκκος τουτὶ τὸ ἔργον, [ἀλλ’] ἦν τότε ἰδεῖν στόλον μὲν πολὺν νεῶν καταπεπλευκότα καὶ ἐνορμοῦντα τοῖς τοῦ ποταμοῦ λιμέσι, γέμοντα παντοίων ὅπλων, ἀχθοφόρα δ’ ὑποζύγια παμπληθῆ συνδεδεμένων δοράτων φορμηδὸν ἀφ’ ἑκατέρας πλευρᾶς εἰς τὸ ἰσόρροπον, τὰς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου πάσας σχεδὸν ἁρμαμάξας μεστὰς πανοπλιῶν, αἳ στοιχηδὸν ὑπὸ μίαν ὄψιν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν σύνταξιν ἐν κόσμῳ προῄεσαν· τὸ δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν λιμένων καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ὁπλοθήκης, εἰς ἣν ἔδει κατατεθῆναι τὰ ὅπλα, δέκα σταδίων που διάστημα σύμπαν ἔχον.
And yet, not long before, when the Egyptians throughout the country were disarmed by a certain Bassus, to whom Flaccus had entrusted this task, it was possible then to see a large fleet of ships that had sailed down and were anchored in the harbors of the river, full of all kinds of weapons, and countless beasts of burden laden with spears bound together like baskets on each side for the sake of balance, and almost all the carriages from the military camp full of complete armor, which went forward in order, side by side, under one view and in the same arrangement; and the distance between the harbors and the armory in the palace, where the weapons had to be deposited, was about ten stadia in all.
§93τὰς τῶν ταῦτα παρασκευασαμένων οἰκίας ἄξιον ἦν ἐρευνᾶσθαι· πρὸς γὰρ νεωτερισμὸν ὕποπτοι πολλάκις ἀποστάντες ἦσαν, καὶ ἔδει κατὰ μίμησιν τῶν ἱερῶν ἀγώνων τριετηρίδας ἄγειν καινὰς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ συγκομιδῆς ὅπλων τοὺς προεστῶτας, ἵν’ ἢ μὴ κατασκευάζεσθαι φθάνωσιν ἢ ἀντὶ πολλῶν ὀλίγα, καιρὸν οὐκ ἔχοντες εἰς ἀναχώρησιν.
It was the houses of those who had prepared these things that deserved to be searched; for they were often suspected of revolution, having revolted, and the rulers ought, in imitation of the sacred games, to establish new triennial cycles of weapons-collection in Egypt, so that they might either not manage to manufacture them in time, or have only a few instead of many, having no opportunity for retreat.