THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book II: Chapter 21
CONCERNING JOHN OF GICHALA. JOSEPHUS USES
STRATAGEMS AGAINST THE PLOTS JOHN LAID AGAINST HIM AND
RECOVERS CERTAIN CITIES WHICH HAD REVOLTED FROM HIM.
1. NOW as Josephus was thus engaged in the
administration of the affairs of Galilee, there arose
a treacherous person, a man of Gischala, the son of
Levi, “whose name was John. His character was that of
a very cunning and very knavish person, beyond the
ordinary rate of the other men of eminence there, and
for wicked practices he had not his fellow any where.
Poor he was at first, and for a long time his wants
were a hinderance to him in his wicked designs. He was
a ready liar, and yet very sharp in gaining credit to
his fictions: he thought it a point of virtue to
delude people, and would delude even such as were the
dearest to him. He was a hypocritical pretender to
humanity, but where he had hopes of gain, he spared
not the shedding of blood: his desires were ever
carried to great things, and he encouraged his hopes
from those mean wicked tricks which he was the author
of. He had a peculiar knack at thieving; but in some
time he got certain companions in his impudent
practices; at first they were but few, but as he
proceeded on in his evil course, they became still
more and more numerous. He took care that none of his
partners should be easily caught in their rogueries,
but chose such out of the rest as had the strongest
constitutions of body, and the greatest courage of
soul, together with great skill in martial affairs; as
he got together a band of four hundred men, who came
principally out of the country of Tyre, and were
vagabonds that had run away from its villages; and by
the means of these he laid waste all Galilee, and
irritated a considerable number, who were in great
expectation of a war then suddenly to arise among
them.
2. However, John’s want of money had hitherto
restrained him in his ambition after command, and in
his attempts to advance himself. But when he saw that
Josephus was highly pleased with the activity of his
temper, he persuaded him, in the first place, to
intrust him with the repairing of the walls of his
native city, [Gischala,] in which work he got a great
deal of
money from the rich citizens. He after that
contrived a very shrewd trick, and pretending that the
Jews who dwelt in Syria were obliged to make use of
oil that was made by others than those of their own
nation, he desired leave of Josephus to send oil to
their borders; so he bought four amphorae with such
Tyrian money as was of the value of four Attic
drachmae, and sold every half-amphora at the same
price. And as Galilee was very fruitful in oil, and
was peculiarly so at that time, by sending away great
quantities, and having the sole privilege so to do, he
gathered an immense sum of money together, which money
he immediately used to the disadvantage of him who
gave him that privilege; and, as he supposed, that if
he could once overthrow Josephus, he should himself
obtain the government of Galilee; so he gave orders to
the robbers that were under his command to be more
zealous in their thievish expeditions, that by the
rise of many that desired innovations in the country,
he might either catch their general in his snares, as
he came to the country’s assistance, and then kill
him; or if he should overlook the robbers, he might
accuse him for his negligence to the people of the
country. He also spread abroad a report far and near
that Josephus was delivering up the administration of
affairs to the Romans; and many such plots did he lay,
in order to ruin him.
3. Now at the same time that certain young men of
the village Dabaritta, who kept guard in the Great
Plain laid snares for Ptolemy, who was Agrippa’s and
Bernice’s steward, and took from him all that he had
with him; among which things there were a great many
costly garments, and no small number of silver cups,
and six hundred pieces of gold; yet were they not able
to conceal what they had stolen, but brought it all to
Josephus, to Tarichee. Hereupon he blamed them for the
violence they had offered to the king and queen, and
deposited what they brought to him with Eneas, the
most potent man of Taricheae, with an intention of
sending the things back to the owners at a proper
time; which act of Josephus brought him into the
greatest danger; for those that had stolen the things
had an indignation at him, both because they gained no
share of it for themselves, and because they perceived
beforehand what was Josephus’s intention, and that he
would freely deliver up what had cost them so much
pains to the king and queen. These ran away by night
to their several villages, and declared to all men
that Josephus was going to betray them: they also
raised great disorders in all the neighboring cities,
insomuch that in the
morning a hundred thousand armed men came running
together; which multitude was crowded together in the
hippodrome at Taricheae, and made a very peevish
clamor against him; while some cried out, that they
should depose the traitor; and others, that they
should burn him. Now John irritated a great many, as
did also one Jesus, the son of Sapphias, who was then
governor of Tiberias. Then it was that Josephus’s
friends, and the guards of his body, were so
affrighted at this violent assault of the multitude,
that they all fled away but four; and as he was
asleep, they awaked him, as the people were going to
set fire to the house. And although those four that
remained with him persuaded him to run away, he was
neither surprised at his being himself deserted, nor
at the great multitude that came against him, but
leaped out to them with his clothes rent, and ashes
sprinkled on his head, with his hands behind him, and
his sword hanging at his neck. At this sight his
friends, especially those of Tarichae, commiserated
his condition; but those that came out of the country,
and those in their neighborhood, to whom his
government seemed burdensome, reproached him, and bid
him produce the money which belonged to them all
immediately, and to confess the agreement he had made
to betray them; for they imagined, from the habit in
which he appeared, that he would deny nothing of what
they suspected concerning him, and that it was in
order to obtain pardon that he had put himself
entirely into so pitiable a posture. But this humble
appearance was only designed as preparatory to a
stratagem of his, who thereby contrived to set those
that were so angry at him at variance one with another
about the things they were angry at. However, he
promised he would confess all: hereupon he was
permitted to speak, when he said,” I did neither
intend to send this money back to Agrippa, nor to gain
it myself; for I did never esteem one that was your
enemy to be my friend, nor did I look upon what would
tend to your disadvantage to be my advantage. But, O
you people of Tariehete, I saw that your city stood in
more need than others of fortifications for your
security, and that it wanted money in order for the
building it a wall. I was also afraid lest the people
of Tiberias and other cities should lay a plot to
seize upon these spoils, and therefore it was that I
intended to retain this money privately, that I might
encompass you with a wall. But if this does not please
you, I will produce what was brought me, and leave it
to you to plunder it; but if I have conducted myself
so well as to please you, you may if you please punish
your benefactor.” 4. Hereupon the people of Taricheae
loudly commended him; but those ofTiberias, with the
rest of the company, gave him hard names, and
threatened what they would do to him; so both sides
left off quarrelling with Josephus, and fell on
quarrelling with one another. So he grew bold upon the
dependence he had on his friends, which were the
people of Taricheae, and about forty thousand in
number, and spake more freely to the whole multitude,
and reproached them greatly for their rashness; and
told them, that with this money he would build walls
about Taricheae, and would put the other cities in a
state of security also; for that they should not want
money, if they would but agree for whose benefit it
was to be procured, and would not suffer themselves to
be irritated against him who procured it for them.
5. Hereupon the rest of the multitude that had been
deluded retired; but yet so that they went away angry,
and two thousand of them made an assault upon him in
their armor; and as he was already gone to his own
house, they stood without and threatened him. On which
occasion Josephus again used a second stratagem to
escape them; for he got upon the top of his house, and
with his right hand desired them to be silent, and
said to them, “I cannot tell what you would have, nor
can hear what you say, for the confused noise you
make;” but he said that he would comply with all their
demands, in case they would but send some of their
number in to him that might talk with him about it.
And when the principal of them, with their leaders,
heard this, they came into the house. He then drew
them to the most retired part of the house, and shut
the door of that hall where he put them, and then had
them whipped till every one of their inward parts
appeared naked. In the mean time the multitude stood
round the house, and supposed that he had a long
discourse with those that were gone in about what they
claimed of him. He had then the doors set open
immediately, and sent the men out all bloody, which so
terribly aftrighted those that had before threatened
him, that they threw away their arms and ran away.
6. But as for John, his envy grew greater [upon
this escape of Josephus], and he framed a new plot
against him; he pretended to be sick, and by a
letter desired that Josephus would give him leave
to use the hot baths that were at Tiberias, for the
recovery of his health. Hereupon Josephus, who
hitherto suspected nothing of John’s plots against
him, wrote to the governors of the city, that they
would provide a lodging and necessaries for John;
which favors, when he had made use of, in two days’
time he did what he came about; some he corrupted with
delusive frauds, and others with money, and so
persuaded them to revolt from Josephus. This Silas,
who was appointed guardian of the city by Josephus,
wrote to him immediately, and informed him of the plot
against him; which epistle when Josephus had received,
he marched with great diligence all night, and came
early in the morning to Tiberias; at which time the
rest of the multitude met him. But John, who suspected
that his coming was not for his advantage, sent
however one of his friends, and pretended that he was
sick, and that being confined to his bed, he could not
come to pay him his respects. But as soon as Josephus
had got the people of Tiberias together in the
stadium, and tried to discourse with them about the
letters that he had received, John privately sent some
armed men, and gave them orders to slay him. But when
the people saw that the armed men were about to draw
their swords, they cried out; at which cry Josephus
turned himself about, and when he saw that the swords
were just at his throat, he marched away in great
haste to the sea-shore, and left off that speech which
he was going to make to the people, upon an elevation
of six cubits high. He then seized on a ship which lay
in the haven, and leaped into it, with two of his
guards, and fled away into the midst of the lake.
7. But now the soldiers he had with him took up
their arms immediately, and marched against the
plotters; but Josephus was afraid lest a civil war
should be raised by the envy of a few men, and bring
the city to ruin; so he sent some of his party to tell
them, that they should do no more than provide for
their own safety; that they should not kill any body,
nor accuse any for the occasion they had afforded [of
disorder]. Accordingly, these men obeyed his orders,
and were quiet; but the people of the neighboring
country, when they were informed of this plot, and of
the plotter, they got together in great multitudes to
oppose John. But he prevented their attempt, and fled
away to Gischala, his native city, while the Galileans
came running out of their several cities to Josephus;
and as they were now become many ten thousands of
armed men, they cried out,
that they were come against John the common plotter
against their interest, and would at the same time
burn him, and that city which had received him.
Hereupon Josephus told them that he took their
good-will to him kindly, but still he restrained their
fury, and intended to subdue his enemies by prudent
conduct, rather than by slaying them; so he excepted
those of every city which had joined in this revolt
with John, by name, who had readily been shown him by
these that came from every city, and caused public
proclamation to be made, that he would seize upon the
effects of those that did not forsake John within five
days’ time, and would burn both their houses and their
families with fire. Whereupon three thousand of John’s
party left him immediately, who came to Josephus, and
threw their arms down at his feet. John then betook
himself, together with his two thousand Syrian
runagates, from open attempts, to more secret ways of
treachery. Accordingly, he privately sent messengers
to Jerusalem, to accuse Josephus, as having to great
power, and to let them know that he would soon come as
a tyrant to their metropolis, unless they prevented
him. This accusation the people were aware of
beforehand, but had no regard to it. However, some of
the grandees, out of envy, and some of the rulers
also, sent money to John privately, that he might be
able to get together mercenary soldiers, in order to
fight Josephus; they also made a decree of themselves,
and this for recalling him from his government, yet
did they not think that decree sufficient; so they
sent withal two thousand five hundred armed men, and
four persons of the highest rank amongst them; Joazar
the son of Nomicus, and Ananias the son of Sadduk, as
also Simon and Judas the sons of Jonathan, all very
able men in speaking, that these persons might
withdraw the good-will of the people from Josephus.
These had it in charge, that if he would voluntarily
come away, they should permit him to [come and] give
an account of his conduct; but if he obstinately
insisted upon continuing in his government, they
should treat him as an enemy. Now Josephus’s friends
had sent him word that an army was coming against him,
but they gave him no notice beforehand what the reason
of their coming was, that being only known among some
secret councils of his enemies; and by this means it
was that four cities revolted from him immediately,
Sepphoris, and Gamala, and Gischala, and Tiberias. Yet
did he recover these cities without war; and when he
had routed those four commanders by stratagems, and
had taken the most potent of their warriors, he sent
them to Jerusalem; and the people [of Galilee] had
great indignation at them, and were in a zealous
disposition to slay, not only these forces, but those
that sent them also, had not these forces prevented it
by running away. 8. Now John was detained afterward
within the walls of Gischala, by thefear he was in of
Josephus; but within a few days Tiberias revolted
again, the people within it inviting king Agrippa [to
return to the exercise of his authority there]. And
when he did not come at the time appointed, and when a
few Roman horsemen appeared that day, they expelled
Josephus out of the city. Now this revolt of theirs
was presently known at Taricheae; and as Josephus had
sent out all the soldiers that were with him to gather
corn, he knew not how either to march out alone
against the revolters, or to stay where he was,
because he was afraid the king’s soldiers might
prevent him if he tarried, and might get into the
city; for he did not intend to do any thing on the
next day, because it was the sabbath day, and would
hinder his proceeding. So he contrived to circumvent
the revolters by a stratagem; and in the first place
he ordered the gates of Taricheae to be shut, that
nobody might go out and inform [those of Tiberias],
for whom it was intended, what stratagem he was about;
he then got together all the ships that were upon the
lake, which were found to be two hundred and thirty,
and in each of them he put no more than four mariners.
So he sailed to Tiberias with haste, and kept at such
a distance from the city, that it was not easy for the
people to see the vessels, and ordered that the empty
vessels should float up and down there, while himself,
who had but seven of his guards with him, and those
unarmed also, went so near as to be seen; but when his
adversaries, who were still reproaching him, saw him
from the walls, they were so astonished that they
supposed all the ships were full of armed men, and
threw down their arms, and by signals of intercession
they besought him to spare the city.
9. Upon this Josephus threatened them terribly, and
reproached them, thatwhen they were the first that
took up arms against the Romans, they should spend
their force beforehand in civil dissensions, and do
what their enemies desired above all things; and that
besides they should endeavor so hastily to seize upon
him, who took care of their safety, and had not been
ashamed to shut the gates of their city against him
that built their walls; that, however, he would admit
of any intercessors from them that might make some
excuse for them, and with whom he would make such
agreements as might be for the city’s security.
Hereupon ten of the most potent men of Tiberias came
down to him presently; and when he had taken them into
one of his vessels, he ordered them to be carried a
great way off from the city. He then commanded that
fifty others of their senate, such as were men of the
greatest eminence, should come to him, that they also
might give him some security on their behalf. After
which, under one new pretense or another, he called
forth others, one after another, to make the leagues
between them. He then gave order to the masters of
those vessels which he had thus filled to sail away
immediately for Taricheae, and to confine those men in
the prison there; till at length he took all their
senate, consisting of six hundred persons, and about
two thousand of the populace, and carried them away to
Taricheae. 35
10. And when the rest of the people cried out, that
it was one Clitus that was the chief author of this
revolt, they desired him to spend his anger upon him
[only]; but Josephus, whose intention it was to slay
nobody, commanded one Levius, belonging to his guards,
to go out of the vessel, in order to cut off both
Clitus’s hands; yet was Levius afraid to go out by
himself alone to such a large body of enemies, and
refused to go. Now Clitus saw that Josephus was in a
great passion in the ship, and ready to leap out of
it, in order to execute the punishment himself; he
begged therefore from the shore, that he would leave
him one of his hands; which Josephus agreed to, upon
condition that he would himself cutoff the other hand;
accordingly he drew his sword, and with his right hand
cut off his left, so great was the fear he was in of
Josephus himself. And thus he took the people of
Tiberias prisoners, and recovered the city again with
empty ships and seven of his guard. Moreover, a few
days afterward he retook Gischala, which had revolted
with the people of Sepphoris, and gave his soldiers
leave to plunder it; yet did he get all the plunder
together, and restored it to the inhabitants; and the
like he did to the inhabitants of Sepphoris and
Tiberias. For when he had subdued those cities, he had
a mind, by letting them be plundered, to give them
some good instruction, while at the same time he
regained their good-will by restoring them their money
again.
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