Titus Flavius Sulpicianus (or Titus Claudius Sulpicianus) was probably born in Hierapatna, a town on the island of Crete. His family had already produced a Roman magistrate - we do not know who - and therefore belonged to the senatorialaristocracy, so the young man could embark upon a senatorial career (cursus honorum). Again, we don't know much about it, but it is certain that in the early 170s, he was elected as one of the members of the college of Arval brethren (fratres Arvales). This was a very ancient group of twelve priests of senatorial descent that had to perform several religious duties
After a consulship at an unknown date, Sulpicianus served asgovernor of the province of Asia during the reign of the emperor Commodus. This was a prestigious function, and it certainly implies that Sulpicianus belonged to the elite of the empire. This is also indicated by the fact that his daughter Flavia Titiana had married toPublius Helvius Pertinax, one of the best generals of the Roman empire in the age of Marcus Aurelius.
Unfortunately, the days of the noble emperor Marcus Aurelius were gone and his evil (or so it seemed) son Commodus was now ruling the Mediterranean world. His policy was directed against the Senate and many members of the august council were killed. Commodus' autocratic ideas became especially obvious when he was forced to boost his popularity after a terrible fire destroyed the center of Rome in 192. The emperor wanted to gain support from the populace by acting as a gladiator and started to present himself as the RomanHercules. Although Roman senators knew something about imperial extravaganza in the past (the first century had seen a lot worse than this), they found this behavior extremely shocking and several brave courtiers and senators decided that Commodus' crazy reign had to be terminated
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At the same time that Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, had a quarrel with the sixth Ptolemy about his right to the whole country of Syria, a great sedition fell among the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those that were of dignity could not endure to be subject to their equals. However, Onias, one of the high priests, got the better, and cast the sons of Tobias out of the city; who fled to Antiochus, and besought him to make use of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into Judea. The king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favored Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months. But Onias, the high priest, fled to Ptolemy, and received a place from him in the Nomus of Heliopolis, where he built a city resembling Jerusalem, and a temple that was like its temple 1 concerning which we shall speak more in its proper place hereafter
Now Antiochus was not satisfied either with his unexpected taking the city, or with its pillage, or with the great slaughter he had made there; but being overcome with his violent passions, and remembering what he had suffered during the siege, he compelled the Jews to dissolve the laws of their country, and to keep their infants uncircumcised, and to sacrifice swine's flesh upon the altar; against which they all opposed themselves, and the most approved among them were put to death. Bacchides also, who was sent to keep the fortresses, having these wicked commands, joined to his own natural barbarity, indulged all sorts of the extremest wickedness, and tormented the worthiest of the inhabitants, man by man, and threatened their city every day with open destruction, till at length he provoked the poor sufferers by the extremity of his wicked doings to avenge themselves.
Accordingly Matthias, the son of Asamoneus, one of the priests who lived in a village called Modin, armed himself, together with his own family, which had five sons of his in it, and slew Bacchides with daggers; and thereupon, out of the fear of the many garrisons [of the enemy], he fled to the mountains; and so many of the people followed him, that he was encouraged to come down from the mountains, and to give battle to Antiochus's generals, when he beat them, and drove them out of Judea. So he came to the government by this his success, and became the prince of his own people by their own free consent, and then died, leaving the government to Judas, his eldest son
Now Judas, supposing that Antiochus would not lie still, gathered an army out of his own countrymen, and was the first that made a league of friendship with the Romans, and drove Epiphanes out of the country when he had made a second expedition into it, and this by giving him a great defeat there; and when he was warmed by this great success, he made an assault upon the garrison that was in the city, for it had not been cut off hitherto; so he ejected them out of the upper city, and drove the soldiers into the lower, which part of the city was called the Citadel. He then got the temple under his power, and cleansed the whole place, and walled it round about, and made new vessels for sacred ministrations, and brought them into the temple, because the former vessels had been profaned. He also built another altar, and began to offer the sacrifices; and when the city had already received its sacred constitution again, Antiochus died; whose son Antiochus succeeded him in the kingdom, and in his hatred to the Jews also
Antiochus got together fifty thousand footmen, and five thousand horsemen, and fourscore elephants, and marched through Judea into the mountainous parts. He then took Bethsura, which was a small city; but at a place called Bethzacharis, where the passage was narrow, Judas met him with his army. However, before the forces joined battle, Judas's brother Eleazar, seeing the very highest of the elephants adorned with a large tower, and with military trappings of gold to guard him, and supposing that Antiochus himself was upon him, he ran a great way before his own army, and cutting his way through the enemy's troops, he got up to the elephant; yet could he not reach him who seemed to be the king, by reason of his being so high; but still he ran his weapon into the belly of the beast, and brought him down upon himself, and was crushed to death, having done no more than attempted great things, and showed that he preferred glory before life. Now he that governed the elephant was but a private man; and had he proved to be Antiochus, Eleazar had performed nothing more by this bold stroke than that it might appear he chose to die, when he had the bare hope of thereby doing a glorious action; nay, this disappointment proved an omen to his brother [Judas] how the entire battle would end. It is true that the Jews fought it out bravely for a long time, but the king's forces, being superior in number, and having fortune on their side, obtained the victory. And when a great many of his men were slain, Judas took the rest with him, and fled to the toparchy of Gophna. So Antiochus went to Jerusalem, and staid there but a few days, for he wanted provisions, and so he went his way. He left indeed a garrison behind him, such as he thought sufficient to keep the place, but drew the rest of his army off, to take their winter-quarters in Syria .
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http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2850/2850-h/2850-h.htm
TITUS http://www.romanemperors.com/titus.htm
http://www.livius.org/articles/person/flavius-sulpicianus/
rome history https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32624/32624-pdf.pdf
biography http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6400/6400-h/6400-h.htm
MAIN http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44101/44101-h/44101-h.htm
TIMELINE http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-empire/timeline-of-roman-emperors.htm
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