THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book I: Chapter 7
HOW POMPEY HAD THE CITY OF JERUSALEM DELIVERED UP
TO HIM BUT TOOK THE TEMPLE BY FORCE. HOW HE WENT INTO
THE HOLY OF HOLIES; AS ALSO WHAT WERE HIS OTHER
EXPLOITS IN JUDEA. 1. At this treatment Pompey was
very angry, and took Aristobulus into custody. And
when he was come to the city, he looked about where he
might make his attack; for he saw the walls were so
firm, that it would be hard to overcome them; and that
the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the
temple, which was within that valley, was itself
encompassed with a very strong wall, insomuch that if
the city were taken, that temple would be a second
place of refuge for the enemy to retire to.
2. Now as be was long in deliberating about this
matter, a sedition arose among the people within the
city; Aristobulus’s party being willing to fight, and
to set their king at liberty, while the party of
Hyrcanus were for opening the gates to Pompey; and the
dread people were in occasioned these last to be a
very numerous party, when they looked upon the
excellent order the Roman soldiers were in. So
Aristobulus’s party was worsted, and retired into the
temple, and cut off the communication between the
temple and the city, by breaking down the bridge that
joined them together, and prepared to make an
opposition to the utmost; but as the others had
received the Romans into the city, and had delivered
up the palace to him, Pompey sent Piso, one of his
great officers, into that palace with an army, who
distributed a garrison about the city, because he
could not persuade any one of those that had fled to
the temple to come to terms of accommodation; he then
disposed all things that were round about them so as
might favor their attacks, as having Hyrcanus’s party
very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance.
3. But Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was
oil the north side of the temple, and the entire
valley also, the army itself being obliged to carry
the materials for that purpose. And indeed it was a
hard thing to fill up that valley, by reason of its
immense depth, especially as the Jews used all the
means possible to repel them from their superior
situation; nor had the Romans succeeded in their
endeavors, had not Pompey taken notice of the seventh
days, on which the Jews abstain from all sorts of work
on a religious account, and raised his bank, but
restrained his soldiers from fighting on those days;
for the Jews only acted defensively on sabbath days.
But as soon as Pompey had filled up the valley, he
erected high towers upon the bank, and brought those
engines which they had fetched from Tyre near to the
wall, and tried to batter it down; and the slingers of
stones beat off those that stood above them, and drove
them away; but the towers on this side of the city
made very great resistance, and were indeed
extraordinary both for largeness and magnificence.
4. Now here it was that, upon the many hardships
which the Romans underwent, Pompey could not but
admire not only at the other instances of the Jews’
fortitude, but especially that they did not at all
intermit their religious services, even when they were
encompassed with darts on all sides; for, as if the
city were in full peace, their daily sacrifices and
purifications, and every branch of their religious
worship, was still performed to God with the utmost
exactness. Nor indeed when the temple was actually
taken, and they were every day slain about the altar,
did they leave off the instances of their Divine
worship that were appointed by their law; for it was
in the third month of the siege before the Romans
could even with great difficulty overthrow one of the
towers, and get into the temple. Now he that first of
all ventured to get over the wall, was Faustus
Cornelius the son of Sylla; and next after him were
two centurions, Furius and Fabius; and every one of
these was followed by a cohort of his own, who
encompassed the Jews on all sides, and slew them, some
of them as they were running for shelter to the
temple, and others as they, for a while, fought in
their own defense.
5. And now did many of the priests, even when they
saw their enemies assailing them with swords in their
hands, without any disturbance, go on with their
Divine worship, and were slain while they were
offering their drink-offerings, and burning their
incense, as preferring the duties about their worship
to God before their own preservation. The greatest
part of them were slain by their own countrymen, of
the adverse faction, and an innumerable multitude
threw themselves down precipices; nay, some there were
who were so distracted among the insuperable
difficulties they were
under, that they set fire to the buildings that
were near to the wall, and were burnt together with
them. Now of the Jews were slain twelve thousand; but
of the Romans very few were slain, but a greater
number was wounded.
6. But there was nothing that affected the nation
so much, in the calamities they were then under, as
that their holy place, which had been hitherto seen by
none, should be laid open to strangers; for Pompey,
and those that were about him, went into the temple
itself 8 whither it was not lawful for any to enter
but the high priest, and saw what was reposited
therein, the candlestick with its lamps, and the
table, and the pouring vessels, and the censers, all
made entirely of gold, as also a great quantity of
spices heaped together, with two thousand talents of
sacred money. Yet did not he touch that money, nor any
thing else that was there reposited; but he commanded
the ministers about the temple, the very next day
after he had taken it, to cleanse it, and to perform
their accustomed sacrifices. Moreover, he made
Hyrcanus high priest, as one that not only in other
respects had showed great alacrity, on his side,
during the siege, but as he had been the means of
hindering the multitude that was in the country from
fighting for Aristobulus, which they were otherwise
very ready to have done; by which means he acted the
part of a good general, and reconciled the people to
him more by benevolence than by terror. Now, among the
Captives, Aristobulus’s father-in-law was taken, who
was also his uncle: so those that were the most guilty
he punished with decollatlon; but rewarded Faustus,
and those with him that had fought so bravely, with
glorious presents, and laid a tribute upon the
country, and upon Jerusalem itself.
7. He also took away from the nation all those
cities that they had formerly taken, and that belonged
to Celesyria, and made them subject to him that was at
that time appointed to be the Roman president there;
and reduced Judea within its proper bounds. He also
rebuilt Gadara, 9 that had been demolished by the
Jews, in order to gratify one Demetrius, who was of
Gadara, and was one of his own freed-men. He also made
other cities free from their dominion, that lay in the
midst of the country, such, I mean, as they had not
demolished before that time; Hippos, and Scythopolis,
as also Pella, and Samaria, and Marissa; and besides
these Ashdod, and Jamnia, and Arethusa; and in like
manner dealt he with the
maritime cities, Gaza, and Joppa, and Dora, and
that which was anciently called Strato’s Tower, but
was afterward rebuilt with the most magnificent
edifices, and had its name changed to Cesarea, by king
Herod. All which he restored to their own citizens,
and put them under the province of Syria; which
province, together with Judea, and the countries as
far as Egypt and Euphrates, he committed to Scaurus as
their governor, and gave him two legions to support
him; while he made all the haste he could himself to
go through Cilicia, in his way to Rome, having
Aristobulus and his children along with him as his
captives. They were two daughters and two sons; the
one of which sons, Alexander, ran away as he was
going; but the younger, Antigonus, with his sisters,
were carried to Rome.
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