Josephus on Pilate: The Wars of the Jews Book II,
Chapter 9, translated by William Whiston, cut and pasted from the version
posted by Peter Kirby, public domain.
2. Now Pilate, who was sent as procurator into Judea by Tiberius, sent
by night those images of Caesar that are called ensigns into Jerusalem.
This excited a very among great tumult among the Jews when it was day;
for those that were near them were astonished at the sight of them, as
indications that their laws were trodden under foot; for those laws do
not permit any sort of image to be brought into the city. Nay, besides
the indignation which the citizens had themselves at this procedure, a
vast number of people came running out of the country. These came
zealously to Pilate to Cesarea, and besought him to carry those ensigns
out of Jerusalem, and to preserve them their ancient laws inviolable;
but upon Pilate's denial of their request, they fell down prostrate
upon the ground, and continued immovable in that posture for five days
and as many nights.
3. On the next day Pilate sat upon his tribunal, in the open market-place, and called to him the multitude, as desirous to give them an answer; and then gave a signal to the soldiers, that they should all by agreement at once encompass the Jews with their weapons; so the band of soldiers stood round about the Jews in three ranks. The Jews were under the utmost consternation at that unexpected sight. Pilate also said to them that they should be cut in pieces, unless they would admit of Caesar's images, and gave intimation to the soldiers to draw their naked swords. Hereupon the Jews, as it were at one signal, fell down in vast numbers together, and exposed their necks bare, and cried out that they were sooner ready to be slain, than that their law should be transgressed. Hereupon Pilate was greatly surprised at their prodigious superstition, and gave order that the ensigns should be presently carried out of Jerusalem.
4. After this he raised another disturbance, by expending that
sacred treasure which is called Corban
upon aqueducts, whereby he brought water from the distance of four
hundred furlongs. At this the multitude had indignation; and when
Pilate was come to Jerusalem, they came about his tribunal, and made a
clamor at it. Now when he was apprized aforehand of this disturbance,
he mixed his own soldiers in their armor with the multitude, and
ordered them to conceal themselves under the habits of private men, and
not indeed to use their swords, but with their staves to beat those
that made the clamor. He then gave the signal from his tribunal [to do
as he had bidden them]. Now the Jews were so sadly beaten, that many of
them perished by the stripes they received, and many of them perished
as trodden to death by themselves; by which means the multitude was
astonished at the calamity of those that were slain, and held their
peace.
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