The life and work of St. Paul

528 THE LIFE AND WOBK OF ST. PAUL.
but even if, during those seven days of enforced idleness, he confined himself
there to the utmost extent, and even if the other Nazarites abstained from
divulging the secret of a name so famous, it was impossible that he should
escape the eyes of the myriads who daily wandered through the Temple court*
and took part in its multitudinous ceremonies.
For the Jews at that period were in a most inflammable state of mind, and
the tremors of the earthquake were already felt which was soon to rend the
earth under their feet, and shake their Temple and city into irretrievable ruin.
On the death of Herod Agrippa I., 1 Claudius, thinking that his son was too
him under
young to succeed to the government of so turbulent a people, kept
his own eye at Rome, and appointed Cuspius Fadus to the Procuratorship of
Judaea. To secure an additional hold upon the Jews, he ordered that the
crown of Agrippa, and, what was of infinitely greater importance, the "golden
robes " of the High Priest, should be locked up under the care of the Romans
in the Tower of Antonia. So deep was the fury of the Jews at the thought
that those holy vestments should be under the impure care of Gentiles, that
the order could only be enforced by securing the presence at Jerusalem of
C. Cassius Longinus, the Prsefect of Syria, with an immense force. Claudius
almost immediately afterwards cancelled the order, at the entreaty of a
deputation from Jerusalem, supported by the influence of the young Agrippa.
Claudius had owed to Agrippa's father his very empire, and since the youth
inherited all the beauty, talent, and versatility of his family, he was a great
favourite at the Imperial Court. Fadus had been succeeded by Tiberius
Alexander, a nephew of Philo, 2 who was peculiarly hateful to the Jews
because he was a renegade from their religion. He was superseded by
Cumanus, and about the same time Agrippa II. was invested with the little
kingdom of Chalcis, vacant by the death of his uncle Herod, and also with
the functions of guarding the Temple and the Corban, and nominating to the
High Priesthood.3 The Procuratorship of Cumanus marked the commencement
of terrible disturbances. At the very first Passover at which he was
. present an event occurred which was a terrible omen of the future. Just as
at this day the Turkish soldiers are always prepared to pour down from the
house of the Turkish Governor on the first occurrence of any discord between
the Greek and Latin Churches, so it was the custom of the Roman commandant
of the Tower of Antonia to post detachments of soldiers along the
roof of the cloister which connected the fortress with the Temple area ready
at any moment to rush down the stairs and plunge into the very midst of
the crowded worshippers. What occurred on this occasion was singularly
characteristic. While standing there at guard, one of the Roman soldiers,
weary of having nothing to do, and disgusted with watching what he despised
as the mummeries of these hateful Jews, expressed his contempt for them by
a gesture of the most insulting indecency.* Instantly the Jews were plunged
into a paroxysm of fury. They cursed the new Procurator, and began to pelt
1 A.D. 44. * Josephus calls him Oavnturuararot (e. Ap. L 2).
4.P. 49. JOB. ft. / U. 12, 1; 4ntt. xx. 5, 3.