THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
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 wereskillful 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 partof 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.
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