The Mortal Wound to the Beast's Head
(Our view is that the beast (the persecuting power of the Roman Empire) received the mortal blow to its head by defeat in the persecution over Stephen led by Caiaphas, Pilate, and Saul (Paul). The persecution collapsed by removal of Pilate and Caiphas from office, and the conversion of Saul to the faith. The wound healed when Nero came to the throne and renewed perecution of the church, thus releasing the beat and dragon from the pit/tartarus. The following is the historical account by Josephus of Caiphas' and Pilate's removal from office.)
Excerpts from Josephus Antiquities of the Jews
Bk. XVIII, Chpt. iv
Pilate and Caiaphas Deposed by Vittelius
HOW THE SAMARITANS MADE A
TUMULT AND PILATE DESTROYED MANY OF THEM; HOW PILATE WAS ACCUSED AND
WHAT THINGS WERE DONE BY VITELLIUS RELATING TO THE JEWS AND THE
PARTHIANS.
1. BUT the nation of the Samaritans did not escape without tumults.
The man who excited them to it was one who thought lying a thing of
little consequence, and who contrived every thing so that the
multitude might be pleased; so he bid them to get together upon
Mount Gerizzim, which is by them looked upon as the most holy of all
mountains, and assured them, that when they were come thither, he
would show them those sacred vessels which were laid under that
place, because Moses put them there (12) So they came thither armed,
and thought the discourse of the man probable; and as they abode at
a certain village, which was called Tirathaba, they got the rest
together to them, and desired to go up the mountain in a great
multitude together; but Pilate prevented their going up, by seizing
upon file roads with a great band of horsemen and foot-men, who fell
upon those that were gotten together in the village; and when it
came to an action, some of them they slew, and others of them they
put to flight, and took a great many alive, the principal of which,
and also the most potent of those that fled away, Pilate ordered to
be slain.
2. But when this tumult was appeased, the Samaritan senate sent an
embassy to Vitellius, a man that had been consul, and who was now
president of Syria, and accused Pilate of the murder of those that
were killed; for that they did not go to Tirathaba in order to
revolt from the Romans, but to escape the violence of Pilate. So
Vitellius sent Marcellus, a friend of his, to take care of the
affairs of Judea, and ordered Pilate to go to Rome, to answer before
the emperor to the accusations of the Jews. So Pilate, when he had
tarried ten years in Judea, made haste to Rome, and this in
obedience to the orders of Vitellius, which he durst not contradict;
but before he could get to Rome Tiberius was dead.
3. But Vitellius came into Judea, and went up to Jerusalem; it was
at the time of that festival which is called the Passover. Vitellius
was there magnificently received, and released the inhabitants of
Jerusalem from all the taxes upon the fruits that were bought and
sold, and gave them leave to have the care of the high priest's
vestments, with all their ornaments, and to have them under the
custody of the priests in the temple, which power they used to have
formerly, although at this time they were laid up in the tower of
Antonia, the citadel so called, and that on the occasion following:
There was one of the [high] priests, named Hyrcanus; and as there
were many of that name, he was the first of them; this man built a
tower near the temple, and when he had so done, he generally dwelt
in it, and had these vestments with him, because it was lawful for
him alone to put them on, and he had them there reposited when he
went down into the city, and took his ordinary garments; the same
things were continued to be done by his sons, and by their sons
after them. But when Herod came to be king, he rebuilt this tower,
which was very conveniently situated, in a magnificent manner; and
because he was a friend to Antonius, he called it by the name of
Antonia. And as he found these vestments lying there, he retained
them in the same place, as believing, that while he had them in his
custody, the people would make no innovations against him. The like
to what Herod did was done by his son Archelaus, who was made king
after him; after whom the Romans, when they entered on the
government, took possession of these vestments of the high priest,
and had them reposited in a stone-chamber, under the seal of the
priests, and of the keepers of the temple, the captain of the guard
lighting a lamp there every day; and seven days before a festival
(13) they were delivered to them by the captain of the guard, when
the high priest having purified them, and made use of them, laid
them up again in the same chamber where they had been laid up
before, and this the very next day after the feast was over. This
was the practice at the three yearly festivals, and on the fast day;
but Vitellius put those garments into our own power, as in the days
of our forefathers, and ordered the captain of the guard not to
trouble himself to inquire where they were laid, or when they were
to be used; and this he did as an act of kindness, to oblige the
nation to him. Besides which, he also deprived Joseph, who was also
called Caiaphas, of the high priesthood, and appointed Jonathan the
son of Ananus, the former high priest, to succeed him. After which,
he took his journey back to Antioch.
4. Moreover, Tiberius sent a letter to Vitellius, and commanded him
to make a league of friendship with Artabanus, the king of Parthia;
for while he was his enemy, he terrified him, because he had taken
Armenia away from him, lest he should proceed further, and told him
he should no otherwise trust him than upon his giving him hostages,
and especially his son Artabanus. Upon Tiberius's writing thus to
Vitellius, by the offer of great presents of money, he persuaded
both the king of Iberia and the king of Albania to make no delay,
but to fight against Artabanus; and although they would not do it
themselves, yet did they give the Scythians a passage through their
country, and opened the Caspian gates to them, and brought them upon
Artabanus. So Armenia was again taken from the Parthians, and the
country of Parthis was filled with war, and the principal of their
men were slain, and all things were in disorder among them: the
king's son also himself fell in these wars, together with. many ten
thousands of his army. Vitellius had also sent such great sums of
money to Artabanus's father's kinsmen and friends, that he had
almost procured him to be slain by the means of those bribes which
they had taken. And when Artabanus perceived that the plot laid
against him was not to be avoided, because it was laid by the
principal men, and those a great many in number, and that it would
certainly take effect, - when he had estimated the number of those
that were truly faithful to him, as also of those who were already
corrupted, but were deceitful in the kindness they professed to him,
and were likely, upon trial, to go over to his enemies, he made his
escape to the upper provinces, where he afterwards raised a great
army out of the Dahae and Sacre, and fought with his enemies, and
retained his principality.
5. When Tiberius had heard of these things, he desired to have a
league of friendship made between him and Artabanus; and when, upon
this invitation, he received the proposal kindly, Artabanus and
Vitellius went to Euphrates, and as a bridge was laid over the
river, they each of them came with their guards about them, and met
one another on the midst of the bridge. And when they had agreed
upon the terms of peace Herod, the tetrarch erected a rich tent on
the midst of the passage, and made them a feast there. Artabanus
also, not long afterward, sent his son Darius as an hostage, with
many presents, among which there was a man seven cubits tall, a Jew
he was by birth, and his name was Eleazar, who, for his tallness,
was called a giant. After which Vitellius went to Antioch, and
Artabanus to Babylon; but Herod [the tetrarch] being desirous to
give Caesar the first information that they had obtained hostages,
sent posts with letters, wherein he had accurately described all the
particulars, and had left nothing for the consular Vitellius to
inform him of. But when Vitellius's letters were sent, and Caesar
had let him know that he was acquainted with the affairs already,
because Herod had given him an account of them before, Vitellius was
very much troubled at it; and supposing that he had been thereby a
greater sufferer than he really was, he kept up a secret anger upon
this occasion, till he could be revenged on him, which he was after
Caius had taken the government.
6. About this time it was that Philip, Herod's ' brother, departed
this life, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius, (14)
after he had been tetrarch of Trachonitis and Gaulanitis, and of the
nation of the Bataneans also, thirty-seven years. He had showed
himself a person of moderation and quietness in the conduct of his
life and government; he constantly lived in that country which was
subject to him; he used to make his progress with a few chosen
friends; his tribunal also, on which he sat in judgment, followed
him in his progress; and when any one met him who wanted his
assistance, he made no delay, but had his tribunal set down
immediately, wheresoever he happened to be, and sat down upon it,
and heard his complaint: he there ordered the guilty that were
convicted to be punished, and absolved those that had been accused
unjustly. He died at Julias; and when he was carried to that
monument which he had already erected for himself beforehand, he was
buried with great pomp. His principality Tiberius took, (for he left
no sons behind him,) and added it to the province of Syria, but gave
order that the tributes which arose from it should be collected, and
laid up in his tetrachy.
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