Tacitus, Annals 12.54
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/421
Context
Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56-ca. 120 C.E.) was an ancient historian of
the Roman Empire held in high esteem by scholars today. He enjoyed a successful career
as a prominent lawyer, a rising official in both the civic and provincial spheres, and
eventually suffect consul in 97 C.E. and then governor of Asia in 112-113 C.E. His major
historical works, Histories and so-called Annals (“From
the Departure of Augustus the God,” ab excessu divi Augusti), offered
a detailed narrative with penetrating political analysis of the Imperial government and
its ruling class from the death of Augustus through the Flavian dynasty, probably the
death of Domitian (14-96 C.E.). In this passage, Tacitus gives his version of the
Jewish-Samaritan conflict in ca. 52 C.E. that led to intervention by the Syrian governor
Quadratus and eventually the condemnation of the governor Cumanus by the emperor
Claudius. The two named procurators of Judaea, Felix and Cumanus, are otherwise attested
at Caesarea, which witnessed tensions during this conflict.
Text
At non frater eius, cognomento Felix, pari moderatione agebat, iam
pridem Iudaeae impositus et cuncta malefacta sibi impune ratus tanta potentia subnixo.
Sane praebuerant Iudaei speciem motus orta seditione, postquam <…..> cognita caede
eius haud obtemperatum esset, manebat metus ne quis principum eadem imperitaret. Atque
interim Felix intempestivis remediis delicta accendebat, aemulo ad deterrima Ventidio,
cui pars provinciae habebatur, ita divisis ut huic Galilaeorum natio, Felici Samaritae
parerent, discordes olim et tum contemptu regentium minus coercitis odiis. Igitur
raptare inter se, immittere latronum globos, componere insidias et aliquando proeliis
congredi, spoliaque et praedas ad procuratores referre. Hique primo laetari, mox
gliscente pernicie cum arma militum interiecissent, caesi milites; arsissetque bello
provincia, ni Quadratus Syriae rector subvenisset. nec diu adversus Iudaeos, qui in
necem militum proruperant, dubitatum quin capite poenas luerent: Cumanus et Felix
cunctationem adferebant, quia Claudius causis rebellionis auditis ius statuendi etiam de
procuratoribus dederat. Sed Quadratus Felicem inter iudices ostentavit, receptum in
tribunal, quo studia accusantium deterrerentur; damnatusque flagitiorum quae duo
deliquerant Cumanus, et quies provinciae reddita.1
Textual Note
Ed. Pelham and Fisher 1956Translation
Not acting with the same moderation, however, was his brother,
surnamed Felix, who had for some time held the governorship of Judaea, and thought that
he could enact any evil without penalty because he was bolstered by such great power.
The Jews, it is true, had given signs of unrest in a rebellious uprising following
<Gaius’s mandate that an image of himself be erected in the Temple, and though> the
news of his murder had rendered their compliance needless, the fear remained that some
emperor might issue a similar order. Meanwhile, Felix was promoting crime by poorly
timed remedies, and he had as his rival in the most depraved acts Ventidius Cumanus, his
colleague in the other part of the province, which was so divided that the Galileans
were subject to him and the Samaritans to Felix. These peoples had long been in
disagreement, and now, out of contempt for their rulers, their hatred was even less
restrained. Accordingly, they pillaged each other, sent in bands of thieves, assembled
ambushes and sometimes joined in battle, and brought the spoil and loot to the
procurators. At first these two rejoiced over it, but as the damage grew they intervened
with armed forces; the soldiers were killed; and the province would have been ablaze in
war if Quadratus the governor of Syria had not come to the rescue. With regard to the
Jews, who had gone so far as to slay the slay the soldiers, there was no hesitation that
they would suffer capital punishment. Cumanus and Felix brought about further delay,
because Claudius, when he heard the causes of the rebellion, had granted authority for
deciding the case of the procurators themselves. Quadratus, however, revealed Felix to
be among the judges, having admitted him to the tribunal to dampen the zeal of the
prosecutors. So Cumanus was condemned of the crimes that the two had committed, and
quiet returned to the province.2
Translation Note
Adapted from Jackson 1937Works Cited
- 1 Cornelius Tacitus, P. Cornelii Taciti Annalium ab Excessu divi augusti libri, ed. H. F. Pelham and Charles Dennis Fisher, 2nd ed., 2 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1951), bk: 12, ch: 54.
- 2 Cornelius Tacitus, Tacitus. The Histories; The Annals, trans. Clifford Herschel Moore and John Jackson, 4 vols., Loeb Classical Library (London & New York: Heinemann / Putnam, 1925), vol: 3, p: 392-395.
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “Tacitus, Annals 12.54,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/421.
Show full citation information...
Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “Tacitus, Annals 12.54.” 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 June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/421.About this Entry
Entry Title: Tacitus, Annals 12.54
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, “Tacitus, Annals 12.54”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “Tacitus, Annals 12.54”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by Joseph L. Rife
- URNs and other metadata added by Joseph L. Rife
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife