THE WARS OF THE JEWS
OR
THE HISTORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
Book VII: Chapter 5
CONCERNING THE SABBATIC RIVER WHICH
TITUS SAW AS HE WAS JOURNEYING THROUGH SYRIA; AND HOW
THE PEOPLE OF ANTIOCH CAME WITH A PETITION TO TITUS
AGAINST THE JEWS BUT WERE REJECTED BY HIM; AS ALSO
CONCERNING TITUS'S AND VESPASIAN'S TRIUMPH.
1. NOW Titus Caesar tarried some time at Berytus,
as we told you before. He thence removed, and
exhibited magnificent shows in all those cities of
Syria through which he went, and made use of the
captive Jews as public instances of the destruction of
that nation. He then saw a river as he went along, of
such a nature as deserves to be recorded in history;
it runs in the middle between Arcea, belonging to
Agrippa's kingdom, and Raphanea. It hath somewhat very
peculiar in it; for when it runs, its current is
strong, and has plenty of water; after which its
springs fail for six days together, and leave its
channel dry, as any one may see; after which days it
runs on the seventh day as it did before, and as
though it had undergone no change at all; it hath also
been observed to keep this order perpetually and
exactly; whence it is that they call it the Sabbatic
River that name being taken from the sacred seventh
day among the Jews.
2. But when the people of Antioch were informed
that Titus was approaching, they were so glad at it,
that they could not keep within their walls, but
hasted away to give him the meeting; nay, they
proceeded as far as thirty furlongs, and more, with
that intention. These were not the men only, but a
multitude of women also with their children did the
same; and when they saw him coming up to them, they
stood on both sides of the way, and stretched out
their right hands, saluting him, and making all sorts
of acclamations to him, and turned back together with
him. They also, among all the acclamations they made
to him, besought him all the way they went to eject
the Jews out of their city; yet did not Titus at all
yield to this their petition, but gave them the bare
hearing of it quietly. However, the Jews were in a
great deal of terrible fear, under the uncertainty
they were in what his opinion was, and what he would
do to them. For Titus did not stay at Antioch, but
continued his progress immediately to Zeugma, which
lies upon the Euphrates, whither came to him
messengers from Vologeses king of Parthia, and brought
him a crown of gold upon the victory he had gained
over the Jews; which he accepted of, and feasted the
king's messengers, and then came back to Antioch. And
when the senate and people of Antioch earnestly
entreated him to come upon their theater, where their
whole multitude was assembled, and expected him, he
complied with great humanity; but when they pressed
him with much earnestness, and continually begged of
him that he would eject the Jews out of their city, he
gave them this very pertinent answer: How can this be
done, since that country of theirs, whither the Jews
must be obliged then to retire, is destroyed, and no
place will receive them besides?" Whereupon the people
of Antioch, when they had failed of success in this
their first request, made him a second; for they
desired that he would order those tables of brass to
be removed on which the Jews' privileges were engraven.
However, Titus would not grant that neither, but
permitted the Jews of Antioch to continue to enjoy the
very same privileges in that city which they had
before, and then departed for Egypt; and as he came to
Jerusalem in his progress, and compared the melancholy
condition he saw it then in, with the ancient glory of
the city, and called to mind the greatness of its
present ruins, as well as its ancient splendor, he
could not but pity the destruction of the city, so far
was he from boasting that so great and goodly a city
as that was had been by him taken by force; nay, he
frequently cursed those that had been the authors of
their revolt, and had brought such a punishment upon
the city; insomuch that it openly appeared that he did
not desire that such a calamity as this punishment of
theirs amounted to should be a demonstration of his
courage. Yet was there no small quantity of the riches
that had been in that city still found among its
ruins, a great deal of which the Romans dug up; but
the greatest part was discovered by those who were
captives, and so they carried it away; I mean the gold
and the silver, and the rest of that most precious
furniture which the Jews had, and which the owners had
treasured up under ground, against the uncertain
fortunes of war.
3. So Titus took the journey he intended into
Egypt, and passed over the desert very suddenly, and
came to Alexandria, and took up a resolution to go to
Rome by sea. And as he was accompanied by two legions,
he sent each of them again to the places whence they
had before come; the fifth he sent to Mysia, and the
fifteenth to Pannonia: as for the leaders of the
captives, Simon and John, with the other seven hundred
men, whom he had selected out of the rest as being
eminently tall and handsome of body, he gave order
that they should be soon carried to Italy, as
resolving to produce them in his triumph. So when he
had had a prosperous voyage to his mind, the city of
Rome behaved itself in his reception, and their
meeting him at a distance, as it did in the case of
his father. But what made the most splendid appearance
in Titus's opinion was, when his father met him, and
received him; but still the multitude of the citizens
conceived the greatest joy when they saw them all
three together, as they did at this time; nor were
many days overpast when they determined to have but
one triumph, that should be common to both of them, on
account of the glorious exploits they had performed,
although the senate had decreed each of them a
separate triumph by himself. So when notice had been
given beforehand of the day appointed for this pompous
solemnity to be made, on account of their victories,
not one of the immense multitude was left in the city,
but every body went out so far as to gain only a
station where they might stand, and left only such a
passage as was necessary for those that were to be
seen to go along it.
4. Now all the soldiery marched out beforehand by
companies, and in their several ranks, under their
several commanders, in the night time, and were about
the gates, not of the upper palaces, but those near
the temple of Isis; for there it was that the emperors
had rested the foregoing night. And as soon as ever it
was day, Vespasian and Titus came out crowned with
laurel, and clothed in those ancient purple habits
which were proper to their family, and then went as
far as Octavian's Walks; for there it was that the
senate, and the principal rulers, and those that had
been recorded as of the equestrian order, waited for
them. Now a tribunal had been erected before the
cloisters, and ivory chairs had been set upon it, when
they came and sat down upon them. Whereupon the
soldiery made an acclamation of joy to them
immediately, and all gave them attestations of their
valor; while they were themselves without their arms,
and only in their silken garments, and crowned with
laurel: then Vespasian accepted of these shouts of
theirs; but while they were still disposed to go on in
such acclamations, he gave them a signal of silence.
And when every body entirely held their peace, he
stood up, and covering the greatest part of his head
with his cloak, he put up the accustomed solemn
prayers; the like prayers did Titus put up also; after
which prayers Vespasian made a short speech to all the
people, and then sent away the soldiers to a dinner
prepared for them by the emperors. Then did he retire
to that gate which was called the Gate of the Pomp,
because pompous shows do always go through that gate;
there it was that they tasted some food, and when they
had put on their triumphal garments, and had offered
sacrifices to the gods that were placed at the gate,
they sent the triumph forward, and marched through the
theatres, that they might be the more easily seen by
the multitudes.
5. Now it is impossible to describe the multitude
of the shows as they deserve, and the magnificence of
them all; such indeed as a man could not easily think
of as performed, either by the labor of workmen, or
the variety of riches, or the rarities of nature; for
almost all such curiosities as the most happy men ever
get by piece-meal were here one heaped on another, and
those both admirable and costly in their nature; and
all brought together on that day demonstrated the
vastness of the dominions of the Romans; for there was
here to be seen a mighty quantity of silver, and gold,
and ivory, contrived into all sorts of things, and did
not appear as carried along in pompous show only, but,
as a man may say, running along like a river. Some
parts were composed of the rarest purple hangings, and
so carried along; and others accurately represented to
the life what was embroidered by the arts of the
Babylonians. There were also precious stones that were
transparent, some set in crowns of gold, and some in
other ouches, as the workmen pleased; and of these
such a vast number were brought, that we could not but
thence learn how vainly we imagined any of them to be
rarities. The images of the gods were also carried,
be
ing as well wonderful for their largeness, as made
very artificially, and with great skill of the
workmen; nor were any of these images of any other
than very costly materials; and many species of
animals were brought, every one in their own natural
ornaments. The men also who brought every one of these
shows were great multitudes, and adorned with purple
garments, all over interwoven with gold; those that
were chosen for carrying these pompous shows having
also about them such magnificent ornaments as were
both extraordinary and surprising. Besides these, one
might see that even the great number of the captives
was not unadorned, while the variety that was in their
garments, and their fine texture, concealed from the
sight the deformity of their bodies. But what afforded
the greatest surprise of all was the structure of the
pageants that were borne along; for indeed he that met
them could not but be afraid that the bearers would
not be able firmly enough to support them, such was
their magnitude; for many of them were so made, that
they were on three or even four stories, one above
another. The magnificence also of their structure
afforded one both pleasure and surprise; for upon many
of them were laid carpets of gold. There was also
wrought gold and ivory fastened about them all; and
many resemblances of the war, and those in several
ways, and variety of contrivances, affording a most
lively portraiture of itself. For there was to be seen
a happy country laid waste, and entire squadrons of
enemies slain; while some of them ran away, and some
were carried into captivity; with walls of great
altitude and magnitude overthrown and ruined by
machines; with the strongest fortifications taken, and
the walls of most populous cities upon the tops of
hills seized on, and an army pouring itself within the
walls; as also every place full of slaughter, and
supplications of the enemies, when they were no longer
able to lift up their hands in way of opposition. Fire
also sent upon temples was here represented, and
houses overthrown, and falling upon their owners:
rivers also, after they came out of a large and
melancholy desert, ran down, not into a land
cultivated, nor as drink for men, or for cattle, but
through a land still on fire upon every side; for the
Jews related that such a thing they had undergone
during this war. Now the workmanship of these
representations was so magnificent and lively in the
construction of the things, that it exhibited what had
been done to such as did not see it, as if they had
been there really present. On the top of every one of
these pageants was placed the commander of the city
that was taken, and the manner wherein he was taken.
Moreover, there followed those pageants a great number
of ships; and for the other spoils, they were carried
in great plenty. But for those that were taken in the
temple of Jerusalem, they made the greatest figure of
them all; that is, the golden table, of the weight of
many talents; the candlestick also, that was made of
gold, though its construction were now changed from
that which we made use of; for its middle shaft was
fixed upon a basis, and the small branches were
produced out of it to a great length, having the
likeness of a trident in their position, and had every
one a socket made of brass for a lamp at the tops of
them. These lamps were in number seven, and
represented the dignity of the number seven among the
Jews; and the last of all the spoils, was carried the
Law of the Jews. After these spoils passed by a great
many men, carrying the images of Victory, whose
structure was entirely either of ivory or of gold.
After which Vespasian marched in the first place, and
Titus followed him; Domitian also rode along with
them, and made a glorious appearance, and rode on a
horse that was worthy of admiration.
6. Now the last part of this pompous show was at
the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, whither when they
were come, they stood still; for it was the Romans'
ancient custom to stay till somebody brought the news
that the general of the enemy was slain. This general
was Simon, the son of Gioras, who had then been led in
this triumph among the captives; a rope had also been
put upon his head, and he had been drawn into a proper
place in the forum, and had withal been tormented by
those that drew him along; and the law of the Romans
required that malefactors condemned to die should be
slain there. Accordingly, when it was related that
there was an end of him, and all the people had set up
a shout for joy, they then began to offer those
sacrifices which they had consecrated, in the prayers
used in such solemnities; which when they had
finished, they went away to the palace. And as for
some of the spectators, the emperors entertained them
at their own feast; and for all the rest there were
noble preparations made for feasting at home; for this
was a festival day to the city of Rome, as celebrated
for the victory obtained by their army over their
enemies, for the end that was now put to their civil
miseries, and for the commencement of their hopes of
future prosperity and happiness.
7. After these triumphs were over, and after the
affairs of the Romans were settled on the surest
foundations, Vespasian resolved to build a temple to
Peace, which was finished in so short a time, and in
so glorious a manner, as was beyond all human
expectation and opinion: for he having now by
Providence a vast quantity of wealth, besides what he
had formerly gained in his other exploits, he had this
temple adorned with pictures and statues; for in this
temple were collected and deposited all such rarities
as men aforetime used to wander all over the habitable
world to see, when they had a desire to see one of
them after another; he also laid up therein those
golden vessels and instruments that were taken out of
the Jewish temple, as ensigns of his glory. But still
he gave order that they should lay up their Law, and
the purple veils of the holy place, in the royal
palace itself, and keep them there.
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