Gaius Caesar so grossly abused the fortune he had arrived
at as to represent himself to be a god and to desire to
be so called. . . . He sent Petronius
with an army to Jerusalem to place his statues in the Temple
and commanded him that, in case the Jews would not admit
them, he should kill those who opposed it and carry all
the rest of the nation into captivity. . . .
The Jews got together in great numbers with their wives
and children. . . and begged Petronius first for their laws,
and in the next place, for themselves. And when they insisted
on their law and the custom of their country, and how it
was not only not permitted for them to make either an image
of God or indeed any man and put it in any lesser part of
the country, much less in the Temple itself, Petronius replied,
'And am I not also,' said he, 'bound to keep the laws of
my own lord? For if I transgress his orders and spare you,
I will perish, . . . for I am under command as much as you.
. . . Will you then make war against Caesar?' The Jews said,
'We offer sacrifices twice a day for Caesar and for the
Roman people,' but that if he would place the images among
them, he must first sacrifice the whole Jewish nation. .
. .
At this Petronius was astonished and had sympathy for them
on account of the inexpressible sense of religion the men
were under and their courage which made them ready to die
for it. . . . Petronius immediately sent a letter to Caesar
and informed him. . . that. . . he must permit them to observe
their law and countermand his previous orders. Gaius answered
that letter in a violent way and threatened to have Petronius
put to death for his being so late in the execution of his
orders. But it happened that those who brought Gaius's letter
were tossed by a storm and were detained on the sea for
three months, while others who brought the news of Gaius's
death had a good voyage.
