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I : The First Revolt, A.D. 66–74
away from their fields, there would be no planting. Under these circumstances, the petitioners pointed out, enforced tax collection would lead to increased brigandage. The incident bears examining in some detail to illustrate the problem of timely communications with Rome; it may help explain why the local authorities in Judaea felt empowered to deal with crises as they saw fit. In the winter of A.D. 39–40, the Syrian legate, Petronius, received an order from Caligula to erect his statue in the Temple at Jerusalem. In order to enforce this order, the legate proceeded to Palestine with two legions. During April and May of 40, there were negotiations with the Jews over this matter in Ptolemais. Petronius thereupon sent his first report on the issue back to Caligula. In June, Caligula received the report and replied that he should expedite matters to preempt any coordinated Jewish actions. In August, Petronoius received the reply but hesitated to make a decision, faced with the prospect of sweeping passive resistance throughout the land, with the consequent (and most troubling) stoppage of the sowing season, thereby a reduction in tax revenues. Petronius was able to procrastinate by interpreting Caligula’s order as requiring the creation of an effigy, which required a long time to arrange. At the end of September A.D. 40, Agrippa I visited Caligula in Puteoli, learned about the tense situation in Judaea and asked for Caligula’s forbearance. Caligula then sent instructions to Petronius to hold back on erecting the statue. In the beginning of November, Petronius negotiated with a delegation of prominent Jewish representatives in Tiberias at the commencement of the sowing season. Petronius next sent a request to the emperor begging him not to order construction and installation of the statues. By the end of November, Petronius received Caligula’s instructions abandoning the project. However, Caligula received Petronius’s petition by January 1, 41, and, changing his mind about the statue business, apparently planning to send a likeness of himself directly to Ptolemais for transport to Jerusalem, sent orders for the recalcitrant Petronius to commit suicide. However, on January 24, 41, Caligula was assassinated. At the beginning of March Petronius received the news about Caligula’s death; it was only a month later, early April 41 that he received Caligula’s order to kill himself. Agrippa I was a ray of hope, a king who genuinely respected and honored Jewish customs and was an able diplomat. He knew how to balance homage to the Romans with a desire of his subjects for religious autonomy. Significantly, Agrippa I’s coins minted in outlying areas contained taboo personal images, while those minted in Jerusalem did not. Agrippa I lacked the haughty attitude towards his people that made his grandfather, Herod the Great, such a monster in the eyes of some. He had genuine charm. However, his fiscal policies seem to have been reckless, leaving the finances of his kingdom in disarray upon his death.