Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of
sorrows.
Wars of the Jews Book II
CHAPTER 14.
FESTUS SUCCEEDS FELIX WHO IS SUCCEEDED
BY ALBINUS AS HE IS BY FLORUS; WHO BY THE BARBARITY OF HIS GOVERNMENT
FORCES THE JEWS INTO THE WAR
11. NOW it was that Festus succeeded Felix as
procurator, and made it his business to correct those that made
disturbances in the country. So he caught the greatest part of the
robbers, and destroyed a great many of them. But then Albinus, who
succeeded Festus, did not execute his office as the other had done; nor
was there any sort of wickedness that could be named but he had a hand
in it. Accordingly, he did not only, in his political capacity, steal
and plunder every one's substance, nor did he only burden the whole
nation with taxes, but he permitted the relations of such as were in
prison for robbery, and had been laid there, either by the senate of
every city, or by the former procurators, to redeem them for money; and
no body remained in the prisons as a malefactor but he who gave him
nothing. At this time it was that the enterprises of the seditious at
Jerusalem were very formidable; the principal men among them purchasing
leave of Albinus to go on with their seditious practices; while that
part of the people who delighted in disturbances joined themselves to
such as had fellowship with Albinus; and every one of these wicked
wretches were encompassed with his own band of robbers, while he
himself, like an arch-robber, or a tyrant, made a figure among his
company, and abused his authority over those about him, in order to
plunder those that lived quietly. The effect of which was this, that
those who lost their goods were forced to hold their peace, when they
had reason to show great indignation at what they had suffered; but
those who had escaped were forced to flatter him that deserved to be
punished, out of the fear they were in of suffering equally with the
others. Upon the Whole, nobody durst speak their minds, but tyranny was
generally tolerated; and at this time were those seeds sown which
brought the city to destruction.
2. And although such was the character of
Albinus, yet did Gessius Florus who succeeded him, demonstrate him to
have been a most excellent person, upon the comparison; for the former
did the greatest part of his rogueries in private, and with a sort of
dissimulation; but Gessius did his unjust actions to the harm of the
nation after a pompons manner; and as though he had been sent as an
executioner to punish condemned malefactors, he omitted no sort of
rapine, or of vexation; where the case was really pitiable, he was most
barbarous, and in things of the greatest turpitude he was most impudent.
Nor could any one outdo him in disguising the truth; nor could any one
contrive more subtle ways of deceit than he did. He indeed thought it
but a petty offense to get money out of single persons; so he spoiled
whole cities, and ruined entire bodies of men at once, and did almost
publicly proclaim it all the country over, that they had liberty given
them to turn robbers, upon this condition, that he might go shares with
them in the spoils they got. Accordingly, this his greediness of gain
was the occasion that entire toparchies were brought to desolation, and
a great many of the people left their own country, and fled into foreign
provinces.
3. And truly, while Cestius Gallus was president
of the province of Syria, nobody durst do so much as send an embassage
to him against Florus; but when he was come to Jerusalem, upon the
approach of the feast of unleavened bread, the people came about him not
fewer in number than three millions these besought him to commiserate
the calamities of their nation, and cried out upon Florus as the bane of
their country. But as he was present, and stood by Cestius, he laughed
at their words. However, Cestius, when he had quieted the multitude, and
had assured them that he would take care that Florus should hereafter
treat them in a more gentle manner, returned to Antioch. Florus also
conducted him as far as Cesarea, and deluded him, though he had at that
very time the purpose of showing his anger at the nation, and procuring
a war upon them, by which means alone it was that he supposed he might
conceal his enormities; for he expected that if the peace continued, he
should have the Jews for his accusers before Caesar; but that if he
could procure them to make a revolt, he should divert their laying
lesser crimes to his charge, by a misery that was so much greater; he
therefore did every day augment their calamities, in order to induce
them to a rebellion.
4. Now at this time it happened that the
Grecians at Cesarea had been too hard for the Jews, and had obtained of
Nero the government of the city, and had brought the judicial
determination: at the same time began the war, in the twelfth year of
the reign of Nero, and the seventeenth of the reign of Agrippa, in the
month of Artemisins [Jyar.] Now the occasion of this war was by no means
proportionable to those heavy calamities which it brought upon us. For
the Jews that dwelt at Cesarea had a synagogue near the place, whose
owner was a certain Cesarean Greek: the Jews had endeavored frequently
to have purchased the possession of the place, and had offered many
times its value for its price; but as the owner overlooked their offers,
so did he raise other buildings upon the place, in way of affront to
them, and made working-shops of them, and left them but a narrow
passage, and such as was very troublesome for them to go along to their
synagogue. Whereupon the warmer part of the Jewish youth went hastily to
the workmen, and forbade them to build there; but as Florus would not
permit them to use force, the great men of the Jews, with John the
publican, being in the utmost distress what to do, persuaded Florus,
with the offer of eight talents, to hinder the work. He then, being
intent upon nothing but getting money, promised he would do for them all
they desired of him, and then went away from Cesarea to Sebaste, and
left the sedition to take its full course, as if he had sold a license
to the Jews to fight it out.
5. Now on the next day, which was the seventh
day of the week, when the Jews were crowding apace to their synagogue, a
certain man of Cesarea, of a seditious temper, got an earthen vessel,
and set it with the bottom upward, at the entrance of that synagogue,
and sacrificed birds. This thing provoked the Jews to an incurable
degree, because their laws were affronted, and the place was polluted.
Whereupon the sober and moderate part of the Jews thought it proper to
have recourse to their governors again, while the seditious part, and
such as were in the fervor of their youth, were vehemently inflamed to
fight. The seditions also among the Gentiles of Cesarea stood ready for
the same purpose; for they had, by agreement, sent the man to sacrifice
beforehand [as ready to support him;] so that it soon came to blows.
Hereupon Jucundus, the master of the horse, who was ordered to prevent
the fight, came thither, and took away the earthen vessel, and
endeavored to put a stop to the sedition; but when he was overcome
by the violence of the people of Cesarea, the Jews caught up their books
of the law, and retired to Narbata, which was a place to them belonging,
distant from Cesarea sixty furlongs. But John, and twelve of the
principal men with him, went to Florus, to Sebaste, and made a
lamentable complaint of their case, and besought him to help them; and
with all possible decency, put him in mind of the eight talents they had
given him; but he had the men seized upon, and put in prison, and
accused them for carrying the books of the law out of Cesarea.
6. Moreover, as to the citizens of Jerusalem,
although they took this matter very ill, yet did they restrain their
passion; but Florus acted herein as if he had been hired, and blew up
the war into a flame, and sent some to take seventeen talents out of the
sacred treasure, and pretended that Caesar wanted them. At this the
people were in confusion immediately, and ran together to the temple,
with prodigious clamors, and called upon Caesar by name, and besought
him to free them from the tyranny of Florus. Some also of the seditious
cried out upon Florus, and cast the greatest reproaches upon him, and
carried a basket about, and begged some spills of money for him, as for
one that was destitute of possessions, and in a miserable condition. Yet
was not he made ashamed hereby of his love of money, but was more
enraged, and provoked to get still more; and instead of coming to
Cesarea, as he ought to have done, and quenching the flame of war, which
was beginning thence, and so taking away the occasion of any
disturbances, on which account it was that he had received a reward [of
eight talents], he marched hastily with an army of horsemen and footmen
against Jerusalem, that he might gain his will by the arms of the
Romans, and might, by his terror, and by his threatenings, bring the
city into subjection.
7. But the people were desirous of making Florus
ashamed of his attempt, and met his soldiers with acclamations, and put
themselves in order to receive him very submissively. But he sent Capito,
a centurion, beforehand, with fifty soldiers, to bid them go back, and
not now make a show of receiving him in an obliging manner, whom they
had so foully reproached before; and said that it was incumbent on them,
in case they had generous souls, and were free speakers, to jest upon
him to his face, and appear to be lovers of liberty, not only in words,
but with their weapons also. With this message was the multitude amazed;
and upon the coming of Capito's horsemen into the midst of them, they
were dispersed before they could salute Florus, or manifest their
submissive behavior to him. Accordingly, they retired to their own
houses, and spent that night in fear and confusion of face.
8. Now at this time Florus took up his quarters
at the palace; and on the next day he had his tribunal set before it,
and sat upon it, when the high priests, and the men of power, and those
of the greatest eminence in the city, came all before that tribunal;
upon which Florus commanded them to deliver up to him those that had
reproached him, and told them that they should themselves partake of the
vengeance to them belonging, if they did not produce the criminals; but
these demonstrated that the people were peaceably disposed, and they
begged forgiveness for those that had spoken amiss; for that it was no
wonder at all that in so great a multitude there should be some more
daring than they ought to be, and, by reason of their younger age,
foolish also; and that it was impossible to distinguish those that
offended from the rest, while every one was sorry for what he had done,
and denied it out of fear of what would follow: that he ought, however,
to provide for the peace of the nation, and to take such counsels as
might preserve the city for the Romans, and rather for the sake of a
great number of innocent people to forgive a few that were guilty, than
for the sake of a few of the wicked to put so large and good a body of
men into disorder.
9. Florus was more provoked at this, and called
out aloud to the soldiers to plunder that which was called the Upper
Market-place, and to slay such as they met with. So the soldiers, taking
this exhortation of their commander in a sense agreeable to their desire
of gain, did not only plunder the place they were sent to, but forcing
themselves into every house, they slew its inhabitants; so the citizens
fled along the narrow lanes, and the soldiers slew those that they
caught, and no method of plunder was omitted; they also caught many of
the quiet people, and brought them before Florus, whom he first
chastised with stripes, and then crucified. Accordingly, the whole
number of those that were destroyed that day, with their wives and
children, (for they did not spare even the infants themselves,) was
about three thousand and six hundred. And what made this calamity the
heavier was this new method of Roman barbarity; for Florus ventured then
to do what no one had done before, that is, to have men of the
equestrian order whipped and nailed to the cross before his
tribunal; who, although they were by birth Jews, yet were they of Roman
dignity notwithstanding.
Wars of the Jews Book II
CHAPTER 15.
CONCERNING BERNICE'S PETITION TO
FLORUS, TO SPARE THE JEWS, BUT IN VAIN; AS ALSO HOW, AFTER THE SEDITIOUS
FLAME WAS QUENCHED, IT WAS KINDLED AGAIN BY FLORUS
1. ABOUT this very time king Agrippa was going to Alexandria, to
congratulate Alexander upon his having obtained the government of Egypt
from Nero; but as his sister Bernice was come to Jerusalem, and saw the
wicked practices of the soldiers, she was sorely affected at it, and
frequently sent the masters of her horse and her guards to Florus, and
begged of him to leave off these slaughters; but he would not comply
with her request, nor have any regard either to the multitude of those
already slain, or to the nobility of her that interceded, but only to
the advantage he should make by this plundering; nay, this violence of
the soldiers brake out to such a degree of madness, that it spent itself
on the queen herself; for they did not only torment and destroy those
whom they had caught under her very eyes, but indeed had killed herself
also, unless she had prevented them by flying to the palace, and had
staid there all night with her guards, which she had about her for fear
of an insult from the soldiers. Now she dwelt then at Jerusalem, in
order to perform a vow which she had made to God; for it is usual with
those that had been either afflicted with a distemper, or with any other
distresses, to make vows; and for thirty days before they are to offer
their sacrifices, to abstain from wine, and to shave the hair of their
head. Which things Bernice was now performing, and stood barefoot before
Florus's tribunal, and besought him [to spare the Jews]. Yet could she
neither have any reverence paid to her, nor could she escape without
some danger of being slain herself.
2. This happened upon the sixteenth day of the month Artemisius [Jyar].
Now, on the next day, the multitude, who were in a great agony, ran
together to the Upper Market-place, and made the loudest lamentations
for those that had perished; and the greatest part of the cries were
such as reflected on Florus; at which the men of power were aftrighted,
together with the high priests, and rent their garments, and fell down
before each of them, and besought them to leave off, and not to provoke
Florus to some incurable procedure, besides what they had already
suffered. Accordingly, the multitude complied immediately, out of
reverence to those that had desired it of them, and out of the hope they
had that Florus would do them no more injuries.
3. So Florus was troubled that the disturbances were over, and
endeavored to kindle that flame again, and sent for the high priests,
with the other eminent persons, and said the only demonstration that the
people would not make any other innovations should be this, that they
must go out and meet the soldiers that were ascending from Cesarea,
whence two cohorts were coming; and while these men were exhorting the
multitude so to do, he sent beforehand, and gave directions to the
centurions of the cohorts, that they should give notice to those that
were under them not to return the Jews' salutations; and that if they
made any reply to his disadvantage, they should make use of their
weapons. Now the high priests assembled the multitude in the temple, and
desired them to go and meet the Romans, and to salute the cohorts very
civilly, before their miserable case should become incurable. Now the
seditious part would not comply with these persuasions; but the
consideration of those that had been destroyed made them incline to
those that were the boldest for action.
4. At this time it was that every priest, and every servant of God,
brought out the holy vessels, and the ornamental garments wherein they
used to minister in sacred things. The harpers also, and the singers of
hymns, came out with their instruments of music, and fell down before
the multitude, and begged of them that they would preserve those holy
ornaments to them, and not provoke the Romans to carry off those sacred
treasures. You might also see then the high priests themselves, with
dust sprinkled in great plenty upon their heads, with bosoms deprived of
any covering but what was rent; these besought every one of the eminent
men by name, and the multitude in common, that they would not for a
small offense betray their country to those that were desirous to have
it laid waste; saying, "What benefit will it bring to the soldiers to
have a salutation from the Jews? or what amendment of your affairs will
it bring you, if you do not now go out to meet them? and that if they
saluted them civilly, all handle would be cut off from Florus to begin a
war; that they should thereby gain their country, and freedom from all
further sufferings; and that, besides, it would be a sign of great want
of command of themselves, if they should yield to a few seditious
persons, while it was fitter for them who were so great a people to
force the others to act soberly."
5. By these persuasions, which they used to the multitude and to the
seditious, they restrained some by threatenings, and others by the
reverence that was paid them. After this they led them out, and they met
the soldiers quietly, and after a composed manner, and when they were
come up with them, they saluted them; but when they made no answer, the
seditious exclaimed against Florus, which was the signal given for
falling upon them. The soldiers therefore encompassed them presently,
and struck them with their clubs; and as they fled away, the horsemen
trampled them down, so that a great many fell down dead by the strokes
of the Romans, and more by their own violence in crushing one another.
Now there was a terrible crowding about the gates, and while every body
was making haste to get before another, the flight of them all was
retarded, and a terrible destruction there was among those that fell
down, for they were suffocated, an broken to pieces by the multitude of
those that were uppermost; nor could any of them be distinguished by his
relations in order to the care of his funeral; the soldiers also who
beat them, fell upon those whom they overtook, without showing them any
mercy, and thrust the multitude through the place called Bezetha, as
they forced their way, in order to get in and seize upon the temple, and
the tower Antonia. Florus also being desirous to get those places into
his possession, brought such as were with him out of the king's palace,
and would have compelled them to get as far as the citadel [Antonia;]
but his attempt failed, for the people immediately turned back upon him,
and stopped the violence of his attempt; and as they stood upon the tops
of their houses, they threw their darts at the Romans, who, as they were
sorely galled thereby, because those weapons came from above, and they
were not able to make a passage through the multitude, which stopped up
the narrow passages, they retired to the camp which was at the palace.
6. But for the seditious, they were afraid lest Florus should come
again, and get possession of the temple, through Antonia; so they got
immediately upon those cloisters of the temple that joined to Antonia,
and cut them down. This cooled the avarice of Florus; for whereas he was
eager to obtain the treasures of God [in the temple], and on that
account was desirous of getting into Antonia, as soon as the cloisters
were broken down, he left off his attempt; he then sent for the high
priests and the sanhedrim, and told them that he was indeed himself
going out of the city, but that he would leave them as large a garrison
as they should desire. Hereupon they promised that they would make no
innovations, in case he would leave them one band; but not that which
had fought with the Jews, because the multitude bore ill-will against
that band on account of what they had suffered from it; so he changed
the band as they desired, and, with the rest of his forces, returned to
Cesarea.
Wars of the Jews Book II
CHAPTER 16.
.......5. When Agrippa had spoken thus, both he
and his sister wept, and by their tears repressed a great deal of the
violence of the people; but still they cried out, that they would not
fight against the Romans, but against Florus, on account of what they
had suffered by his means. To which Agrippa replied, that what they had
already done was like such as make war against the Romans; "for you have
not paid the tribute which is due to Caesar and you have cut off the
cloisters [of the temple] from joining to the tower Antonia. You will
therefore prevent any occasion of revolt if you will but join these
together again, and if you will but pay your tribute; for the citadel
does not now belong to Florus, nor are you to pay the tribute money to
Florus."
Wars of the Jews Book II
CHAPTER 17.
HOW THE WAR OF THE JEWS WITH THE ROMANS
BEGAN, AND CONCERNING MANAHEM
1. THIS advice the people hearkened to, and went
up into the temple with the king and Bernice, and began to rebuild the
cloisters; the rulers also and senators divided themselves into the
villages, and collected the tributes, and soon got together forty
talents, which was the sum that was deficient. And thus did Agrippa then
put a stop to that war which was threatened. Moreover, he attempted to
persuade the multitude to obey Florus, until Caesar should send one to
succeed him; but they were hereby more provoked, and cast reproaches
upon the king, and got him excluded out of the city; nay, some of the
seditious had the impudence to throw stones at him. So when the king saw
that the violence of those that were for innovations was not to be
restrained, and being very angry at the contumelies he had received, he
sent their rulers, together with their men of power, to Florus, to
Cesarea, that he might appoint whom he thought fit to collect the
tribute in the country, while he retired into his own kingdom.
2. And at this time it was that some of those
that principally excited the people to go to war made an assault upon a
certain fortress called Masada. They took it by treachery, and slew the
Romans that were there, and put others of their own party to keep it. At
the same time Eleazar, the son of Ananias the high priest, a very bold
youth, who was at that time governor of the temple, persuaded those that
officiated in the Divine service to receive no gift or sacrifice for any
foreigner. And this was the true beginning of our war with the Romans;
for they rejected the sacrifice of Caesar on this account; and when many
of the high priests and principal men besought them not to omit the
sacrifice, which it was customary for them to offer for their princes,
they would not be prevailed upon. These relied much upon their
multitude, for the most flourishing part of the innovators assisted
them; but they had the chief regard to Eleazar, the governor of the
temple.
3. Hereupon the men of power got together, and
conferred with the high priests, as did also the principal of the
Pharisees; and thinking all was at stake, and that their calamities were
becoming incurable, took counsel what was to be done. Accordingly, they
determined to try what they could do with the seditious by words, and
assembled the people before the brazen gate, which was that gate of the
inner temple [court of the priests] which looked toward the sun-rising.
And, in the first place, they showed the great indignation they had at
this attempt for a revolt, and for their bringing so great a war upon
their country; after which they confuted their pretense as
unjustifiable, and told them that their forefathers had adorned their
temple in great part with donations bestowed on them by foreigners, and
had always received what had been presented to them from foreign
nations; and that they had been so far from rejecting any person's
sacrifice (which would be the highest instance of impiety,) that they
had themselves placed those donation about the temple which were still
visible, and had remained there so long a time; that they did now
irritate the Romans to take arms against them, and invited them to make
war upon them, and brought up novel rules of a strange Divine worship,
and determined to run the hazard of having their city condemned for
impiety, while they would not allow any foreigner, but Jews only, either
to sacrifice or to worship therein. And if such a law should be
introduced in the case of a single private person only, he would have
indignation at it, as an instance of inhumanity determined against him;
while they have no regard to the Romans or to Caesar, and forbid even
their oblations to be received also; that however they cannot but fear,
lest, by thus rejecting their sacrifices, they shall not be allowed to
offer their own; and that this city will lose its principality, unless
they grow wiser quickly, and restore the sacrifices as formerly, and
indeed amend the injury [they have offered foreigners] before the report
of it comes to the ears of those that have been injured.
4. And as they said these things, they produced
those priests that were skillful in the customs of their country, who
made the report that all their forefathers had received the sacrifices
from foreign nations. But still not one of the innovators would hearken
to what was said; nay, those that ministered about the temple would not
attend their Divine service, but were preparing matters for beginning
the war. So the men of power perceiving that the sedition was too hard
for them to subdue, and that the danger which would arise from the
Romans would come upon them first of all, endeavored to save themselves,
and sent ambassadors, some to Florus, the chief of which was Simon the
son of Ananias; and others to Agrippa, among whom the most eminent were
Saul, and Antipas, and Costobarus, who were of the king's kindred; and
they desired of them both that they would come with an army to the city,
and cut off the seditious before it should be too hard to be subdued.
Now this terrible message was good news to Florus; and because his
design was to have a war kindled, he gave the ambassadors no answer at
all. But Agrippa was equally solicitous for those that were revolting,
and for those against whom the war was to be made, and was desirous to
preserve the Jews for the Romans, and the temple and metropolis for the
Jews; he was also sensible that it was not for his own advantage that
the disturbances should proceed; so he sent three thousand horsemen to
the assistance of the people out of Auranitis, and Batanea, and
Trachonitis, and these under Darius, the master of his horse, and Philip
the son of Jacimus, the general of his army.
5. Upon this the men of power, with the high
priests, as also all the part of the multitude that were desirous of
peace, took courage, and seized upon the upper city [Mount Sion;] for
the seditious part had the lower city and the temple in their power; so
they made use of stones and slings perpetually against one another, and
threw darts continually on both sides; and sometimes it happened that
they made incursions by troops, and fought it out hand to hand, while
the seditious were superior in boldness, but the king's soldiers in
skill. These last strove chiefly to gain the temple, and to drive those
out of it who profaned it; as did the seditious, with Eleazar, besides
what they had already, labor to gain the upper city. Thus were there
perpetual slaughters on both sides for seven days' time; but neither
side would yield up the parts they had seized on.
6. Now the next day was the festival of
Xylophory; upon which the custom was for every one to bring wood for the
altar (that there might never be a want of fuel for that fire which was
unquenchable and always burning). Upon that day they excluded the
opposite party from the observation of this part of religion. And when
they had joined to themselves many of the Sicarii, who crowded in among
the weaker people, (that was the name for such robbers as had under
their bosoms swords called Sicae,) they grew bolder, and carried their
undertaking further; insomuch that the king's soldiers were overpowered
by their multitude and boldness; and so they gave way, and were driven
out of the upper city by force. The others then set fire to the house of
Ananias the high priest, and to the palaces of Agrippa and Bernice;
after which they carried the fire to the place where the archives were
reposited, and made haste to burn the contracts belonging to their
creditors, and thereby to dissolve their obligations for paying their
debts; and this was done in order to gain the multitude of those who had
been debtors, and that they might persuade the poorer sort to join in
their insurrection with safety against the more wealthy; so the keepers
of the records fled away, and the rest set fire to them. And when they
had thus burnt down the nerves of the city, they fell upon their
enemies; at which time some of the men of power, and of the high
priests, went into the vaults under ground, and concealed themselves,
while others fled with the king's soldiers to the upper palace, and shut
the gates immediately; among whom were Ananias the high priest, and the
ambassadors that had been sent to Agrippa. And now the seditious were
contented with the victory they had gotten, and the buildings they had
burnt down, and proceeded no further.
7. But on the next day, which was the fifteenth
of the month Lous, [Ab,] they made an assault upon Antonia, and besieged
the garrison which was in it two days, and then took the garrison, and
slew them, and set the citadel on fire; after which they marched to the
palace, whither the king's soldiers were fled, and parted themselves
into four bodies, and made an attack upon the walls. As for those that
were within it, no one had the courage to sally out, because those that
assaulted them were so numerous; but they distributed themselves into
the breast-works and turrets, and shot at the besiegers, whereby many of
the robbers fell under the walls; nor did they cease to fight one with
another either by night or by day, while the seditious supposed that
those within would grow weary for want of food, and those without
supposed the others would do the like by the tediousness of the siege.
8. In the mean time, one Manahem, the son of
Judas, that was called the Galilean, (who was a very cunning sophister,
and had formerly reproached the Jews under Cyrenius, that after God they
were subject to the Romans,) took some of the men of note with him, and
retired to Masada, where he broke open king Herod's armory, and gave
arms not only to his own people, but to other robbers also. These he
made use of for a guard, and returned in the state of a king to
Jerusalem; he became the leader of the sedition, and gave orders for
continuing the siege; but they wanted proper instruments, and it was not
practicable to undermine the wall, because the darts came down upon them
from above. But still they dug a mine from a great distance under one of
the towers, and made it totter; and having done that, they set on fire
what was combustible, and left it; and when the foundations were burnt
below, the tower fell down suddenly. Yet did they then meet with another
wall that had been built within, for the besieged were sensible
beforehand of what they were doing, and probably the tower shook as it
was undermining; so they provided themselves of another fortification;
which when the besiegers unexpectedly saw, while they thought they had
already gained the place, they were under some consternation. However,
those that were within sent to Manahem, and to the other leaders of the
sedition, and desired they might go out upon a capitulation: this was
granted to the king's soldiers and their own countrymen only, who went
out accordingly; but the Romans that were left alone were greatly
dejected, for they were not able to force their way through such a
multitude; and to desire them to give them their right hand for their
security, they thought it would be a reproach to them; and besides, if
they should give it them, they durst not depend upon it; so they
deserted their camp, as easily taken, and ran away to the royal towers,
- that called Hippicus, that called Phasaelus, and that called Mariamne.
But Manahem and his party fell upon the place whence the soldiers were
fled, and slew as many of them as they could catch, before they got up
to the towers, and plundered what they left behind them, and set fire to
their camp. This was executed on the sixth day of the month Gorpieus
[Elul].
9. But on the next day the high priest was
caught where he had concealed himself in an aqueduct; he was slain,
together with Hezekiah his brother, by the robbers: hereupon the
seditious besieged the towers, and kept them guarded, lest any one of
the soldiers should escape. Now the overthrow of the places of strength,
and the death of the high priest Ananias, so puffed up Manahem, that he
became barbarously cruel; and as he thought he had no antagonist to
dispute the management of affairs with him, he was no better than an
insupportable tyrant; but Eleazar and his party, when words had passed
between them, how it was not proper when they revolted from the Romans,
out of the desire of liberty, to betray that liberty to any of their own
people, and to bear a lord, who, though he should be guilty of no
violence, was yet meaner than themselves; as also, that in case they
were obliged to set some one over their public affairs, it was fitter
they should give that privilege to any one rather than to him; they made
an assault upon him in the temple; for he went up thither to worship in
a pompous manner, and adorned with royal garments, and had his followers
with him in their armor. But Eleazar and his party fell violently upon
him, as did also the rest of the people; and taking up stones to attack
him withal, they threw them at the sophister, and thought, that if he
were once ruined, the entire sedition would fall to the ground. Now
Manahem and his party made resistance for a while; but when they
perceived that the whole multitude were falling upon them, they fled
which way every one was able; those that were caught were slain, and
those that hid themselves were searched for. A few there were of them
who privately escaped to Masada, among whom was Eleazar, the son of
Jairus, who was of kin to Manahem, and acted the part of a tyrant at
Masada afterward. As for Manahem himself, he ran away to the place
called Ophla, and there lay skulking in private; but they took him
alive, and drew him out before them all; they then tortured him with
many sorts of torments, and after all slew him, as they did by those
that were captains under him also, and particularly by the principal
instrument of his tyranny, whose name was Apsalom.
10. And, as I said, so far truly the people
assisted them, while they hoped this might afford some amendment to the
seditious practices; but the others were not in haste to put an end to
the war, but hoped to prosecute it with less danger, now they had slain
Manahem. It is true, that when the people earnestly desired that they
would leave off besieging the soldiers, they were the more earnest in
pressing it forward, and this till Metilius, who was the Roman general,
sent to Eleazar, and desired that they would. give them security to
spare their lives only; but agreed to deliver up their arms, and what
else they had with them. The others readily complied with their
petition, sent to them Gorion, the son of Nicodemus, and Ananias, the
son of Sadduk, and Judas, the son of Jonathan, that they might give them
the security Of their right hands, and of their oaths; after which
Metilius brought down his soldiers; which soldiers, while they were in
arms, were not meddled with by any of the seditious, nor was there any
appearance of treachery; but as soon as, according to the articles of
capitulation, they had all laid down their shields and their swords, and
were under no further suspicion of any harm, but were going away,
Eleazar's men attacked them after a violent manner, and encompassed them
round, and slew them, while they neither defended themselves, nor
entreated for mercy, but only cried out upon the breach of their
articles of capitulation and their oaths. And thus were all these men
barbarously murdered, excepting Metilius; for when he entreated for
mercy, and promised that he would turn Jew, and be circumcised, they
saved him alive, but none else. This loss to the Romans was but light,
there being no more than a few slain out of an immense army; but still
it appeared to be a prelude to the Jews' own destruction, while men made
public lamentation when they saw that such occasions were afforded for a
war as were incurable; that the city was all over polluted with such
abominations, from which it was but reasonable to expect some vengeance,
even though they should escape revenge from the Romans; so that the city
was filled with sadness, and every one of the moderate men in it were
under great disturbance, as likely themselves to undergo punishment for
the wickedness of the seditious; for indeed it so happened that this
murder was perpetrated on the sabbath day, on which day the Jews have a
respite from their works on account of Divine worship.
Wars of the Jews Book II
CHAPTER 18.
THE CALAMITIES AND SLAUGHTERS THAT CAME
UPON THE JEWS.
1. NOW the people of Cesarea had slain the Jews
that were among them on the very same day and hour [when the soldiers
were slain], which one would think must have come to pass by the
direction of Providence; insomuch that in one hour's time above twenty
thousand Jews were killed, and all Cesarea was emptied of its Jewish
inhabitants; for Florus caught such as ran away, and sent them in bonds
to the galleys. Upon which stroke that the Jews received at Cesarea, the
whole nation was greatly enraged; so they divided themselves into
several parties, and laid waste the villages of the Syrians, and their
neighboring cities, Philadelphia, and Sebonitis, and Gerasa, and Pella,
and Scythopolis, and after them Gadara, and Hippos; and falling upon
Gaulonitis, some cities they destroyed there, and some they set on fire,
and then went to Kedasa, belonging to the Tyrians, and to Ptolemais, and
to Gaba, and to Cesarea; nor was either Sebaste [Samaria] or Askelon
able to oppose the violence with which they were attacked; and when they
had burnt these to the ground; they entirely demolished Anthedon and
Gaza; many also of the villages that were about every one of those
cities were plundered, and an immense slaughter was made of the men who
were caught in them.
2. However, the Syrians were even with the Jews
in the multitude of the men whom they slew; for they killed those whom
they caught in their cities, and that not only out of the hatred they
bare them, as formerly, but to prevent the danger under which they were
from them; so that the disorders in all Syria were terrible, and every
city was divided into two armies, encamped one against another, and the
preservation of the one party was in the destruction of the other; so
the day time was spent in shedding of blood, and the night in fear,
which was of the two the more terrible; for when the Syrians thought
they had ruined the Jews, they had the Judaizers in suspicion also; and
as each side did not care to slay those whom they only suspected on the
other, so did they greatly fear them when they were mingled with the
other, as if they were certainly foreigners. Moreover, greediness of
gain was a provocation to kill the opposite party, even to such as had
of old appeared very mild and gentle towards them; for they without fear
plundered the effects of the slain, and carried off the spoils of those
whom they slew to their own houses, as if they had been gained in a set
battle; and he was esteemed a man of honor who got the greatest share,
as having prevailed over the greatest number of his enemies. It was then
common to see cities filled with dead bodies, still lying unburied, and
those of old men, mixed with infants, all dead, and scattered about
together; women also lay amongst them, without any covering for their
nakedness: you might then see the whole province full of inexpressible
calamities, while the dread of still more barbarous practices which were
threatened was every where greater than what had been already
perpetrated.
3. And thus far the conflict had been between
Jews and foreigners; but when they made excursions to Scythopolis, they
found Jew that acted as enemies; for as they stood in battle-array with
those of Scythopolis, and preferred their own safety before their
relation to us, they fought against their own countrymen; nay, their
alacrity was so very great, that those of Scythopolis suspected them.
These were afraid, therefore, lest they should make an assault upon the
city in the night time, and, to their great misfortune, should thereby
make an apology for themselves to their own people for their revolt from
them. So they commanded them, that in case they would confirm their
agreement and demonstrate their fidelity to them, who were of a
different nation, they should go out of the city, with their families to
a neighboring grove; and when they had done as they were commanded,
without suspecting any thing, the people of Scythopolis lay still for
the interval of two days, to tempt them to be secure; but on the third
night they watched their opportunity, and cut all their throats, some as
they lay unguarded, and some as they lay asleep. The number that was
slain was above thirteen thousand, and then they plundered them of all
that they had.
4. It will deserve our relation what befell
Simon; he was the son of one Saul, a man of reputation among the Jews.
This man was distinguished from the rest by the strength of his body,
and the boldness of his conduct, although he abused them both to the
mischieving of his countrymen; for he came every day and slew a great
many of the Jews of Scythopolis, and he frequently put them to flight,
and became himself alone the cause of his army's conquering. But a just
punishment overtook him for the murders he had committed upon those of
the same nation with him; for when the people of Scythopolis threw their
darts at them in the grove, he drew his sword, but did not attack any of
the enemy; for he saw that he could do nothing against such a multitude;
but he cried out after a very moving manner, and said, "O you people of
Scythopolis, I deservedly suffer for what I have done with relation to
you, when I gave you such security of my fidelity to you, by slaying so
many of those that were related to me. Wherefore we very justly
experience the perfidiousness of foreigners, while we acted after a most
wicked manner against our own nation. I will therefore die, polluted
wretch as I am, by nine own hands; for it is not fit I should die by the
hand of our enemies; and let the same action be to me both a punishment
for my great crimes, and a testimony of my courage to my commendation,
that so no one of our enemies may have it to brag of, that he it was
that slew me, and no one may insult upon me as I fall." Now when he had
said this, he looked round about him upon his family with eyes of
commiseration and of rage (that family consisted of a wife and children,
and his aged parents); so, in the first place, he caught his father by
his grey hairs, and ran his sword through him, and after him he did the
same to his mother, who willingly received it; and after them he did the
like to his wife and children, every one almost offering themselves to
his sword, as desirous to prevent being slain by their enemies; so when
he had gone over all his family, he stood upon their bodies to be seen
by all, and stretching out his right hand, that his action might be
observed by all, he sheathed his entire sword into his own bowels. This
young man was to be pitied, on account of the strength of his body and
the courage of his soul; but since he had assured foreigners of his
fidelity [against his own countrymen], he suffered deservedly.
5. Besides this murder at Scythopolis, the other
cities rose up against the Jews that were among them; those of Askelon
slew two thousand five hundred, and those of Ptolemais two thousand, and
put not a few into bonds; those of Tyre also put a great number to
death, but kept a greater number in prison; moreover, those of Hippos,
and those of Gadara, did the like while they put to death the boldest of
the Jews, but kept those of whom they were afraid in custody; as did the
rest of the cities of Syria, according as they every one either hated
them or were afraid of them; only the Antiochtans the Sidontans, and
Apamians spared those that dwelt with them, and would not endure either
to kill any of the Jews, or to put them in bonds. And perhaps they
spared them, because their own number was so great that they despised
their attempts. But I think the greatest part of this favor was owing to
their commiseration of those whom they saw to make no innovations. As
for the Gerasans, they did no harm to those that abode with them; and
for those who had a mind to go away, they conducted them as far as their
borders reached.
6. There was also a plot laid against the Jews
in Agrippa's kingdom; for he was himself gone to Cestius Gallus, to
Antioch, but had left one of his companions, whose name was Noarus, to
take care of the public affairs; which Noarus was of kin to king Sohemus.
Now there came certain men seventy in number, out of Batanea, who were
the most considerable for their families and prudence of the rest of the
people; these desired to have an army put into their hands, that if any
tumult should happen, they might have about them a guard sufficient to
restrain such as might rise up against them. This Noarus sent out some
of the king's armed men by night, and slew all those [seventy] men;
which bold action he ventured upon without the consent of Agrippa, and
was such a lover of money, that he chose to be so wicked to his own
countrymen, though he brought ruin on the kingdom thereby; and thus
cruelly did he treat that nation, and this contrary to the laws also,
until Agrippa was informed of it, who did not indeed dare to put him to
death, out of regard to Sohemus; but still he put an end to his
procuratorship immediately. But as to the seditious, they took the
citadel which was called Cypros, and was above Jericho, and cut the
throats of the garrison, and utterly demolished the fortifications. This
was about the same time that the multitude of the Jews that were at
Machorus persuaded the Romans who were in garrison to leave the place,
and deliver it up to them. These Romans being in great fear, lest the
place should be taken by force, made an agreement with them to depart
upon certain conditions; and when they had obtained the security they
desired, they delivered up the citadel, into which the people of
Macherus put a garrison for their own security, and held it in their own
power.
7. But for Alexandria, the sedition of the
people of the place against the Jews was perpetual, and this from that
very time when Alexander [the Great], upon finding the readiness of the
Jews in assisting him against the Egyptians, and as a reward for such
their assistance, gave them equal privileges in this city with the
Grecians themselves; which honorary reward Continued among them under
his successors, who also set apart for them a particular place, that
they might live without being polluted [by the Gentiles], and were
thereby not so much intermixed with foreigners as before; they also gave
them this further privilege, that they should be called Macedonians.
Nay, when the Romans got possession of Egypt, neither the first Caesar,
nor any one that came after him, thought of diminishing the honors which
Alexander had bestowed on the Jews. But still conflicts perpetually
arose with the Grecians; and although the governors did every day punish
many of them, yet did the sedition grow worse; but at this time
especially, when there were tumults in other places also, the disorders
among them were put into a greater flame; for when the Alexandrians had
once a public assembly, to deliberate about an embassage they were
sending to Nero, a great number of Jews came flocking to the theater;
but when their adversaries saw them, they immediately cried out, and
called them their enemies, and said they came as spies upon them; upon
which they rushed out, and laid violent hands upon them; and as for the
rest, they were slain as they ran away; but there were three men whom
they caught, and hauled them along, in order to have them burnt alive;
but all the Jews came in a body to defend them, who at first threw
stones at the Grecians, but after that they took lamps, and rushed with
violence into the theater, and threatened that they would burn the
people to a man; and this they had soon done, unless Tiberius Alexander,
the governor of the city, had restrained their passions. However, this
man did not begin to teach them wisdom by arms, but sent among them
privately some of the principal men, and thereby entreated them to be
quiet, and not provoke the Roman army against them; but the seditious
made a jest of the entreaties of Tiberius, and reproached him for so
doing.
8. Now when he perceived that those who were for
innovations would not be pacified till some great calamity should
overtake them, he sent out upon them those two Roman legions that were
in the city, and together with them five thousand other soldiers, who,
by chance, were come together out of Libya, to the ruin of the Jews.
They were also permitted not only to kill them, but to plunder them of
what they had, and to set fire to their houses. These soldiers rushed
violently into that part of the city that was called Delta, where the
Jewish people lived together, and did as they were bidden, though not
without bloodshed on their own side also; for the Jews got together, and
set those that were the best armed among them in the forefront, and made
a resistance for a great while; but when once they gave back, they were
destroyed unmercifully; and this their destruction was complete, some
being caught in the open field, and others forced into their houses,
which houses were first plundered of what was in them, and then set on
fire by the Romans; wherein no mercy was shown to the infants, and no
regard had to the aged; but they went on in the slaughter of persons of
every age, till all the place was overflowed with blood, and fifty
thousand of them lay dead upon heaps; nor had the remainder been
preserved, had they not be-taken themselves to supplication. So
Alexander commiserated their condition, and gave orders to the Romans to
retire; accordingly, these being accustomed to obey orders, left off
killing at the first intimation; but the populace of Alexandria bare so
very great hatred to the Jews, that it was difficult to recall them, and
it was a hard thing to make them leave their dead bodies.
9. And this was the miserable calamity which at
this time befell the Jews at Alexandria. Hereupon Cestius thought fit no
longer to lie still, while the Jews were everywhere up in arms; so he
took out of Antioch the twelfth legion entire, and out of each of the
rest he selected two thousand, with six cohorts of footmen, and four
troops of horsemen, besides those auxiliaries which were sent by the
kings; of which Antiochus sent two thousand horsemen, and three thousand
footmen, with as many archers; and Agrippa sent the same number of
footmen, and one thousand horsemen; Sohemus also followed with four
thousand, a third part whereof were horsemen, but most part were
archers, and thus did he march to Ptolemais. There were also great
numbers of auxiliaries gathered together from the [free] cities, who
indeed had not the same skill in martial affairs, but made up in their
alacrity and in their hatred to the Jews what they wanted in skill.
There came also along with Cestius Agrippa himself, both as a guide in
his march over the country, and a director what was fit to be done; so
Cestius took part of his forces, and marched hastily to Zabulon, a
strong city of Galilee, which was called the City of Men, and divides
the country of Ptolemais from our nation; this he found deserted by its
men, the multitude having fled to the mountains, but full of all sorts
of good things; those he gave leave to the soldiers to plunder, and set
fire to the city, although it was of admirable beauty, and had its
houses built like those in Tyre, and Sidon, and Berytus. After this he
overran all the country, and seized upon whatsoever came in his way, and
set fire to the villages that were round about them, and then returned
to Ptolemais. But when the Syrians, and especially those of Berytus,
were busy in plundering, the Jews pulled up their courage again, for
they knew that Cestius was retired, and fell upon those that were left
behind unexpectedly, and destroyed about two thousand of them.
10. And now Cestius himself marched from Ptolemais, and came to Cesarea;
but he sent part of his army before him to Joppa, and gave order, that
if they could take that city [by surprise] they should keep it; but that
in case the citizens should perceive they were coming to attack them,
that they then should stay for him, and for the rest of the army. So
some of them made a brisk march by the sea-side, and some by land, and
so coming upon them on both sides, they took the city with ease; and as
the inhabitants had made no provision beforehand for a flight, nor had
gotten any thing ready for fighting, the soldiers fell upon them, and
slew them all, with their families, and then plundered and burnt the
city. The number of the slain was eight thousand four hundred. In like
manner, Cestius sent also a considerable body of horsemen to the
toparchy of Narbatene, that adjoined to Cesarea, who destroyed the
country, and slew a great multitude of its people; they also plundered
what they had, and burnt their villages.
11. But Cestius sent Gallus, the commander of
the twelfth legion, into Galilee, and delivered to him as many of his
forces as he supposed sufficient to subdue that nation. He was received
by the strongest city of Galilee, which was Sepphoris, with acclamations
of joy; which wise conduct of that city occasioned the rest of the
cities to be in quiet; while the seditious part and the robbers ran away
to that mountain which lies in the very middle of Galilee, and is
situated over against Sepphoris; it is called Asamon. So Gallus brought
his forces against them; but while those men were in the superior parts
above the Romans, they easily threw their darts upon the Romans, as they
made their approaches, and slew about two hundred of them. But when the
Romans had gone round the mountains, and were gotten into the parts
above their enemies, the others were soon beaten; nor could they who had
only light armor on sustain the force of them that fought them armed all
over; nor when they were beaten could they escape the enemies' horsemen;
insomuch that only some few concealed themselves in certain places hard
to be come at, among the mountains, while the rest, above two thousand
in number, were slain.
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