AM 5564
Year 64 of the divine Incarnation
When Nero had ended his life in disgrace, Vespasian was proclaimed Roman emperor by the armies throughout Judaea. But
Galba, who was in command in Iberia, arrived in Rome and held
power for seven months. Otho, a highly placed Roman official, slew
him and held power over Rome for three months. After Vitellius
killed him, he held power for eight months. When Vespasian's
brother Sabinus, who was spending time in Rome, fled to the Capitol out of fear of his brother's proclamation as emperor,
Vitellius killed him in the precinct of the temple of Zeus, after
surrounding the man and burning the temple.
2
The above-mentioned Vitellius was straight away killed by
Vespasian's younger son Domitian, whom his father had dispatched
for this purpose. After leaving behind his elder son Titus, who had
concluded
3 the war against the Jews, Vespasian arrived in Greece,
taking pleasure (so the Greek story goes) at what he had heard from
Apollonios of Tyana concerning the length of time of his reign and
other words of praise; he met him in Egypt upon Apollonios' return
from the Indians and the Brahman Gymnosophists who lived there.
4
So then he arrived in Greece and quelled the cities in rebellion; and
from there he arrived in Rome, exercising rule in a way that was
both decent and entirely opposed to Nero's. For he brought life back
to normal and restored the city's legal system, and through his sons
Domitian and Cyrenalius,
5 he brought to terms the barbarians who
were in rebellion: Broxyloi, Britons, Dacians, Sarmatai.
From Eusebios
6
Titus besieged the Jews, devastated Jerusalem and killed 60,000
men. Josephos also says that 1,100,000 perished by famine and the
sword, and another 30,000 of the captives were sold off. He states
that the feast of Passover was responsible for the great number of
people that happened to be in the city. During the festival, the
whole nation had come together and were hemmed into the city
as if they were in a prison.
7 For it was necessary that those who
had plotted against our Saviour during the days of Passover should
suffer punishment for what they dared at no time other but then.
Vespasian restored the Capitol, which had been set on fire.
There was rebellion in Alexandria.
8
The Colossus of Rhodes was erected from bronze, 127 feet in
height.
9
There was a great plague throughout Rome, so that over the
course of many days over 10,000 people died daily.
In Cyprus, three cities collapsed in an earthquake.
10
After sending out colonies, Vespasian died of a disease.
11
The bishop of Antioch was Ignatios Theophoros 30 years.
12
Footnotes
2 Cf. Eutrop. 7.16-18.
3 Text: EKTEAEcapTa. Possibly emend to EKTEAEOOVTa ('in order to conclude').
4 Cf. Philost. Apollonios 5.27, 41; Suet. Vesp. 7.1.
5 That is, Cerealis.
6 Eus. 2.187a. Cf. HE 3.5.4-5; Jos. jW 6.428.
7 Jos. JW 6.421-8.
8 Cf. Eus. 2.186i, 188ab
9 Above, p. 402 (= Moss. 333.15), Synk. states that the Colossus of
Rhodes collapsed much earlier in an earthquake; he apparently confused the
Colossus of Rhodes with the colossus in Rome set up along the 'Sacred
Way' and completed by the emperor Vespasian. Originally dedicated to
Nero, it was rededicated to the sun. For the confusion of this colossus with
the Colossus of Rhodes, see also Chron. pasch. 464.13-14; Kedr. i.
377.15-16. For a description of Vespasian's colossus, see Suet. Vesp. 18;
Pliny, NH 34.18.45; Cass. Dio 66.15.1. Cf. also the parallel notice in Eus.
2.188d: 'Colossus erectus habens altitudinis pedes CVII' (but '128 Ellen' in
Eus.Arm 2.217.
10 Cf. Eus. 2.I88hg.
11 Cf. Eus. 2.I88i; Cass. Dio 66.17.1-3; Suet. Vesp. 24.
12 Cf. Eus. 2.I86f, 194h (40 years); [Greek Text] 74.26 (32 years).
