Luckily, this sacrifice was not needed. Before the statue was even built, Caligula had been murdered and a new emperor – Claudius – was in power. Philo continued to speak for the Jewish people.

Seneca soon fell foul of Emperor Caligula, who only let him live because he was told that Seneca's health meant that he would probably die soon anyway. When Claudius took the throne, things got ...