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Photius, Library 238.316b24-41

   https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/404

Context

Photius I was ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople in 858-867 and 877-886, as well as an unparalleled intellectual luminary for his age. Apart from his distinguished ecclesiastical career, he engaged in polymathic teaching and research, supported by his vast personal library. Photius wrote an expansive compendium of classical writings in 280 volumes or codices, his Library (Βιβλιοθήκη) or Thousandsfold Book (Μυριόβιβλον), which included epitomes, excerpts, and commentaries mainly on historical, rhetorical, and theological works, many of which are otherwise lost. In his long account of Josephus (codex 238), he summarizes the testimony concerning Herod Agrippa in Jewish Antiquities, including the execution of St. James and St. Peter, and Agrippa’s own death purportedly by poisoning at Caesarea in 44 C.E.

Text

Τοῦτον τὸν Ἀγρίππαν πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ μέγαν Ἀγρίππαν καλοῦσι, καὶ εἰς τὸ μάλιστα κεχαρισμένον Ἰώσηπός φησιν Ἰουδαίων ἄρξαι. Οὗτος ἐκείνοις, ὡς ἔοικε, χαριζόμενος καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ ἀνεῖλε, καὶ τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν μαθητῶν Πέτρον ἐπεχείρησεν, εἰ καὶ διήμαρτεν, ἀνελεῖν. Οὗτος ἐσθῆτα ἀργύρου πεποιημένην περιθέμενος καὶ τῷ πλήθει δημηγορήσας, ἐπεὶ φωνὰς παρ’ αὐτῶν μετὰ τὸ ὑπερβολὴν κολακείας ἔχειν καὶ ἀσεβείας εἰς ἔσχατον ἥκειν ἀκούων οὐκ ἐπετίμησε, παραυτίκα δίκην δίδωσιν· ἀλγήματος γὰρ αὐτῷ κατὰ γαστέρα σφοδροῦ γεγονότος δι’ ἡμερῶν ε´ τὸν βίον κατέστρεψεν, ἄγων ἀπὸ γενέσεως ἔτος δ´ καὶ ν´, τῆς δὲ βασιλείας ζ´, ὧν δ´ Γαΐου βασιλεύοντος ἦρξε, τὰ μὲν γ´ τὴν Φιλίππου ἔχων τετραρχίαν, τῷ δ´ δὲ προσλαβὼν καὶ τὴν Ἡρώδου, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ γ´ ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου, ἐν οἷς Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Σαμαρείαν καὶ Καισάρειαν Καίσαρος δόντος προσεκτήσατο.1

Textual Note

Ed. Bekker 1824-1825 with ref. to Henry 1959

Translation

This Agrippa they also call Agrippa the Great to differentiate him from his son [Herod Agrippa II], and Josephus says that he ruled the Jews by granting them exceptional favor. It was as a favor to them that he even did away with James the brother of John by the sword, and he attempted to do away with Peter, the leader of the Disciples, but he failed. (Agrippa), dressed in robes woven from silver, delivered a speech to the multitude and, after he heard their words moving beyond exaggerated flattery even to extreme impiety but did not criticize (them), immediately suffered punishment. For a violent pain struck him in the stomach and after five days he died. He was in the 54th year of his life, the seventh of his reign during which he had ruled four years under Gaius [Caligula], occupied the tetrarchy of Philip [II] for three years and in year four added the tetrarchy of Herod [Antipas], and (ruled) the remaining three years under Claudius. During that time by grant of the emperor he also acquired Judaea, Samaria, and Caesarea.2

Translation Note

Trans. J. L. Rife with ref. to Henry 1959

Works Cited

  • 1 Photius, Photii Bibliotheca, ed. Immanuel Bekker, 2 vols. (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1824), bk: 238, p: 316b24-41.Link to Zotero Bibliographic RecordLink to HathiTrust Bibliographic record
  • 2 Photius, Photius: Bibliothèque, ed. René Henry and Jacques Schamp, 2nd printing, 9 vols., Collection Byzantine (Paris: Société d’édition «Les belles lettres», 1959), vol: 5, p: 149-150.Link to Zotero Bibliographic Record
About This Text

 

How to Cite This Entry

Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 238.316b24-41,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published April 28, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/404.

Bibliography:

Joseph L. Rife, “Photius, Library 238.316b24-41.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published April 28, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/404.

About this Entry

Entry Title: Photius, Library 238.316b24-41

Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:

  • Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
  • Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
  • David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “Photius, Library 238.316b24-41”
  • Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Photius, Library 238.316b24-41”

Additional Credit:

  • Testimonium edited by Joseph L. Rife
  • TEI record created by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium translated by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium transcribed by Joseph L. Rife
  • Testimonium identified by Joseph L. Rife
  • Editorial review by Joseph L. Rife
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