[Sidenote:  Jos.  Jew.  War, I, 22:2c-4] But Mariamne’s hatred toward him was as great as his love for her.  She, indeed, had a just cause for indignation for what he had done, while her freedom of speech was the result of his affection for her.  So she openly reproached him for what he had done to her grandfather Hyrcanus and to her brother Aristobulus.  For he had not spared this Aristobulus, though he was but a lad, for after he had given him the high priesthood at the age of seventeen, Herod caused him to be slain immediately after he had conferred that honor upon him; for when Aristobulus had put on the holy garments and had approached to the altar at a festival, the assembled multitude wept for joy.  Thereupon the lad was sent by night to Jericho, and there in a swimming-pool at Herod’s command was held under water by the Gauls until he was drowned.  For these reasons Mariamne reproached Herod, and railed at his sister and his mother most abusively.  He was dumb on account of his affection for her, but the women were vexed exceedingly at her and charged her with being false to him, for they thought that this would be most likely to arouse Herod’s anger.  When, therefore, he was about to take a journey abroad, he intrusted his wife to Joseph, his sister Salome’s husband.  He also gave him a secret injunction that, if Antony should slay him [Herod], Joseph should slay Mariamne.  But Joseph without any evil intention and in order to demonstrate the king’s love for his wife disclosed this secret to her.  And when Herod came back, and when they talked together, he confirmed his love to her by many oaths and assured her that he had never loved any other woman as he had her.  “To be sure,” said she, “you proved your love to me by the injunctions you gave Joseph when you commanded him to kill me!” When Herod heard that this secret was discovered, he was like a distracted man, and said that Joseph would never have disclosed his injunction unless he had seduced her.  Made insane by his passion and leaping out of bed, he ran about the palace in a wild manner.  Meantime his sister Salome improved the opportunity for false accusations and to confirm the suspicion about Joseph.  So in his ungovernable jealousy and rage Herod commanded both of them to be slain immediately.  But as soon as his passion was over, he repented for what he had done; and indeed his passionate desire for Mariamne was so ardent that he could not think that she was dead, but in his distress he talked to her as if she were still alive.

[Sidenote:  Jos.  Jew.  War, I, 23:1a, d, 2a, c-3a] Now Mariamne’s sons inherited their mother’s hate; and when they considered the greatness of Herod’s crime toward her, they were as suspicious of their father as of an enemy.  This state of theirs increased as they grew to be men.  And when Herod had been poisoned with calumnies against them, he recalled Antipater, his son by Doris, from exile as a defence against his other sons, and began to treat him in every way with more distinction