V. [p. 32.] Acts xii. 19—­23.  “And he (Herod) went down from Judea to Cesarea, and there abode.  And on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them:  and the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man; and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory:  and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”

Joseph.  Antiq. lib. xix. c. 8, sect. 2.  “He went to the city of Cesarea.  Here he celebrated shows in honour of Caesar.  On the second day of the shows, early in the morning, he came into the theatre, dressed in a robe of silver, of most curious workmanship.  The rays of the rising sun, reflected from such a splendid garb, gave him a majestic and awful appearance.  They called him a god; and intreated him to be propitious to them, saying, Hitherto we have respected you as a man; but now we acknowledge you to be more than mortal.  The king neither reproved these persons, nor rejected the impious flattery.  Immediately after this he was seized with pains in his bowels, extremely violent at the very first.  He was carried therefore with all haste to his palace.  These pains continually tormenting him, he expired in five days’ time.”

The reader will perceive the accordancy of these accounts in various particulars.  The place (Cesarea), the set day, the gorgeous dress, the acclamations of the assembly, the peculiar turn of the flattery, the reception of it, the sudden and critical incursion of the disease, are circumstances noticed in both narratives.  The worms mentioned by Saint Luke are not remarked by Josephus; but the appearance of these is a symptom not unusually, I believe, attending the disease which Josephus describes, viz., violent affections of the bowels.

VI. [p. 41.] Acts xxiv. 24.  “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul.”

Joseph.  Antiq. lib. xx. c. 6, sect. 1, 2.  “Agrippa gave his sister Drusilla in marriage to Azizus, king of the Emesenes, when he had consented to be circumcised.—­But this marriage of Drusilla with Azizus was dissolved in a short time after, in this manner:—­When Felix was procurator of Judea, having had a sight of her, he was mightily taken with her.—­She was induced to transgress the laws of her country, and marry Felix.”

Here the public station of Felix, the name of his wife, and the singular circumstance of her religion, all appear in perfect conformity with the evangelist.

VII. [p. 46.] Acts xxv. 13.  “And after certain days king Agrippa and Berenice came to Cesarea to salute Festus.”  By this passage we are in effect told that Agrippa was a king, but not of Judea; for he came to salute Festus, who at this time administered the government of that country at Cesarea.