Temple the next day, early in the morning, with his whole army, and to
encamp round about the holy house. But as for that house, God had, for
certain, long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was
come, according to the revolution of ages. It was the tenth day of the
month Lous [Ab] upon which it was formerly burned by the king of
Babylon; although these flames took their rise from the Jews themselves,
and were occasioned by them, for upon Titus' retiring the seditious lay
still for a little while, and then attacked the Romans again when those
that guarded the holy house fought with those that quenched the fire
that was burning the inner [court of the] Temple; but these Romans put
the Jews to flight and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At
which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders and
without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking and
being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the
materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier he
set fire to a golden window through which there was a passage to the
rooms that were round about the holy house on the north side of it.
As the flames went upward the Jews made a great clamor such as so mighty
an affliction required and ran together to prevent it; and now they
spared not their lives any longer nor suffered anything to restrain
their force, since that holy house was perishing for whose sake it was
that they kept such a guard about it.
And now Cæsar was no way able to restrain the enthusiastic fury of the
soldiers, and the fire proceeded on more and more. He went into the holy
place of the Temple with his commanders and saw it, with what was in it,
which he found to be far superior to what the relations of foreigners
contained, and not inferior to what we ourselves boasted of and believed
about it. But as the flame had not as yet reached to its inward parts,
but was still consuming the rooms that were about the holy house, and
Titus supposing what the fact was, that the house itself might yet be
saved, came in haste and endeavored to persuade the soldiers to quench
the fire, and gave order to Liberalius the centurion, and one of those
spearmen that were about him, to beat the soldiers that were refractory
with their staves and to restrain them; yet were their passions too hard
for the regards they had for Cæsar, and the dread they had of him who
forbade them, as was their hatred of the Jews, and a certain vehement
inclination to fight them, too hard for them also. Moreover, the hope of
plunder induced many to go on, as having this opinion, that all the
places within were full of money, and as seeing that all round about it
was made of gold. And besides, one of those that went into the place
prevented Cæsar, when he ran so hastily out to restrain the soldiers,
and threw the fire upon the hinges of the gate, in the dark; whereby the
flame burst out from within the holy house itself immediately, when the
commanders retired, and Cæsar with them, and when nobody any longer
forbade those that were without to set fire to it. And thus was the holy
house burned down without Cæsar's approbation.
While the holy house was on fire everything was plundered that came to
hand, and ten thousand of those that were caught were slain; nor was
there a commiseration of any age, or any reverence of gravity, but
children, and old men, and profane persons, and priests were all slain
in the same manner; so that this war went round all sorts of men, and
brought them to destruction, and as well those that made supplication
for their lives as those that defended themselves by fighting. The flame
was also carried a long way, and made an echo, together with the groans
of those that were slain; and because this hill was high, and the works
at the Temple were very great, one would have thought the whole city had
been on fire. Nor can one imagine anything either greater or more
terrible than this noise, for there was at once a shout of the Roman
legions, who were marching all together, and a sad clamor of the
seditious, who were now surrounded with fire and sword.
The people also that were left above were beaten back upon the enemy,
and under a great consternation, and made sad moans at the calamity they
were under; the multitude also that was in the city joined in this
outcry with those that were upon the hill. And besides, many of those
that were worn away by the famine and their mouths almost closed, when
they saw the fire of the holy house they exerted their utmost strength
and brake out into groans and outcries again. Perea did also return the
echo, as well as the mountains round about [the city], and augmented the
force of the entire noise. Yet was the misery itself more terrible than
this disorder, for one would have thought that the hill itself, on which
the Temple stood, was seething hot, as full of fire on every part of it,
that the blood was larger in quantity than the fire, and those that were
slain more in number than those that slew them, for the ground did
nowhere appear visible for the dead bodies that lay on it; but the
soldiers went over heaps of those bodies, as they ran upon such as fled
from them.
And now it was that the multitude of the robbers were thrust out [of the
inner court of the Temple] by the Romans, and had much ado to get into
the outward court, and from thence into the city, while the remainder of
the populace fled into the cloister of that outer court. As for the
priests, some of them plucked up from the holy house the spikes that
were upon it, with their bases, which were made of lead, and shot them
at the Romans instead of darts. But then as they gained nothing by so
doing, and as the fire burst out upon them, they retired to the wall
that was eight cubits broad, and there they tarried.
And now the Romans, judging that it was in vain to spare what was round
about the holy house, burned all those places, as also the remains of
the cloisters and the gates, two excepted: the one on the east side and
the other on the south; both which, however, they burned afterward. They
also burned down the treasury chambers, in which was an immense quantity
of money and an immense number of garments and other precious goods
there reposited; and, to speak all in a few words, there it was that the
entire riches of the Jews were heaped up together, while the rich people
had there built themselves chambers (to contain such furniture). The
soldiers also came to the rest of the cloisters that were in the outer
(court of the) Temple, whither the women and children, and a great mixed
multitude of the people, fled, in number about six thousand. But before
Cæsar had determined anything about these people, or given the
commanders any orders relating to them, the soldiers were in such a rage
that they set that cloister on fire; by which means it came to pass that
some of these were destroyed by throwing themselves down headlong, and
some were burned in the cloisters themselves. Nor did any one of them
escape with his life.
And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and
upon the burning of the holy house itself and of all the buildings round
about it, brought their ensigns to the Temple and set them over against
its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there
did they make Titus imperator with the greatest acclamations of joy.
And now all the soldiers had such vast quantities of the spoils which
they had gotten by plunder that in Syria a pound weight of gold was sold
for half its former value.
But as for the tyrants themselves and those that were with them, when
they found that they were encompassed on every side, and, as it were,
walled round, without any method of escaping, they desired to treat with
Titus by word of mouth. Accordingly, such was the kindness of his nature
and his desire of preserving the city from destruction, joined to the
advice of his friends, who now thought the robbers were come to a
temper, that he placed himself on the western side of the outer (court
of the) Temple, for there were gates on that side above the Xystus, and
a bridge that connected the upper city to the Temple. This bridge it was
that lay between the tyrants and Cæsar, and parted them; while the
multitude stood on each side; those of the Jewish nation about Simon and
John, with great hopes of pardon; and the Romans about Cæsar, in great
expectation how Titus would receive their supplication.
So Titus charged his soldiers to restrain their rage and to let their
darts alone, and appointed an interpreter between them, which was a sign
that he was the conqueror, and first began the discourse, and said: "I
hope you, sirs, are now satiated with the miseries of your country, who
have not had any just notions either of our great power or of your own
great weakness, but have, like madmen, after a violent and inconsiderate
manner, made such attempts as have brought your people, your city, and
your holy house to destruction. You have been the men that have never
left off rebelling since Pompey first conquered you, and have since that
time made open war with the Romans.... And now, vile wretches, do you
desire to treat with me by word of mouth? To what purpose is it that you
would save such a holy house as this was which is now destroyed? What
preservation can you now desire after the destruction of your Temple?
Yet do you stand still at this very time in your armor; nor can you
bring yourselves so much as to pretend to be supplicants even in this
your utmost extremity. O miserable creatures! what is it you depend on?
Are not your people dead? is not your holy house gone? is not your city
in my power? and are not your own very lives in my hands? And do you
still deem it a part of valor to die? However, I will not imitate your
madness. If you throw down your arms and deliver up your bodies to me, I
grant you your lives; and I will act like a mild master of a family;
what cannot be healed shall be punished, and the rest I will preserve
for my own use."
To that offer of Titus they made this reply: That they could not accept
of it, because they had sworn never to do so; but they desired they
might have leave to go through the wall that had been made about them,
with their wives and children; for that they would go into the desert
and leave the city to him.
At this Titus had great indignation, that when they were in the case of
men already taken captives, they should pretend to make their own terms
with him, as if they had been conquerors. So he ordered this
proclamation to be made to them: That they should no more come out to
him as deserters, nor hope for any further security, for that he would
henceforth spare nobody, but fight them with his whole army; and that
they must save themselves as well as they could, for that he would from
henceforth treat them according to the laws of war. So he gave orders to
the soldiers both to burn and to plunder the city; who did nothing
indeed that day; but on the next day they set fire to the repository of
the archives, to Acra, to the council house, and to the place called
Ophlas; at which time the fire proceeded as far as the palace of Queen
Helena, which was in the middle of Acra; the lanes also were burned
down, as were also those houses that were full of the dead bodies of
such as were destroyed by famine.
On the same day it was that the sons and brethren of Izates the King,
together with many others of the eminent men of the populace, got
together there, and besought Cæsar to give them his right hand for their
security. Upon which, though he was very angry at all that were now
remaining, yet did he not lay aside his old moderation, but received
these men. At that time, indeed, he kept them all in custody, but still
bound the King's sons and kinsmen, and led them with him to Rome, in
order to make them hostages for their country's fidelity to the Romans.
And now the seditious rushed into the royal palace, into which many had
put their effects, because it was so strong, and drove the Romans away
from it. They also slew all the people that had crowded into it, who
were in number about eight thousand four hundred, and plundered them of
what they had.
On the next day the Romans drove the robbers out of the lower city and
set all on fire as far as Siloam. These soldiers were indeed glad to see
the city destroyed. But they missed the plunder, because the seditious
had carried off all their effects, and were retired into the upper city,
for they did not yet at all repent of the mischiefs they had done, but
were insolent, as if they had done well; for, as they saw the city on
fire, they appeared cheerful, and put on joyful countenances, in
expectation, as they said, of death to end their miseries. Accordingly,
as the people were now slain, the holy house was burned down, and the
city was on fire, there was nothing further left for the enemy to do.
Yet did not Josephus grow weary, even in this utmost extremity, to beg
of them to spare what was left of the city; he spake largely to them
about their barbarity and impiety, and gave them his advice in order to
their escape, though he gained nothing thereby more than to be laughed
at by them; and as they could not think of surrendering themselves up,
because of the oath they had taken, nor were strong enough to fight with
the Romans any longer upon the square, as being surrounded on all sides,
and a kind of prisoners already, yet were they so accustomed to kill
people that they could not restrain their right hands from acting
accordingly.
So they dispersed themselves before the city and laid themselves in
ambush among its ruins, to catch those that attempted to desert to the
Romans. Accordingly, many such deserters were caught by them and were
all slain, for these were too weak, by reason of their want of food, to
fly away from them; so their dead bodies were thrown to the dogs. Now
every other sort of death was thought more tolerable than the famine,
insomuch that, though the Jews despaired now of mercy, yet would they
fly to the Romans, and would themselves, even of their own accord, fall
among the murderous rebels also. Nor was there any place in the city
that had no dead bodies in it, but what was entirely covered with those
that were killed either by the famine or the rebellion; and all was full
of the dead bodies of such as had perished, either by that sedition or
by the famine.
So now the last hope which supported the tyrants and that crew of
robbers who were with them was in the caves and caverns underground;
whither, if they could once fly, they did not expect to be searched for;
but endeavored that, after the whole city should be destroyed and the
Romans gone away, they might come out again and escape from them. This
was no better than a dream of theirs, for they were not able to lie hid
either from God or from the Romans. However, they depended on these
underground subterfuges, and set more places on fire than did the Romans
themselves; and those that fled out of their houses thus set on fire
into the ditches they killed without mercy, and pillaged them also; and
if they discovered food belonging to anyone they seized upon it and
swallowed it down, together with their blood also--nay, they were now
come to fight one with another about their plunder; and I cannot but
think that, had not their destruction prevented it, their barbarity
would have made them taste of even the dead bodies themselves.
Now when Cæsar perceived that the upper city was so steep that it could
not possibly be taken without raising banks against it, he distributed
the several parts of that work among his army, and this on the twentieth
day of the month Lous [Ab].
It was at this time that the commanders of the Idumeans got together
privately and took counsel about surrendering up themselves to the
Romans. Accordingly, they sent five men to Titus and entreated him to
give them his right hand for their security. So Titus, thinking that the
tyrants would yield, if the Idumeans, upon whom a great part of the war
depended, were once withdrawn from them, after some reluctancy and delay
complied with them, and gave them security for their lives, and sent the
five men back. But as these Idumeans were preparing to march out, Simon
perceived it, and immediately slew the five men that had gone to Titus,
and took their commanders and put them in prison, of whom the most
eminent was Jacob, the son of Sosas; but as for the multitude of the
Idumeans, who did not at all know what to do, now their commanders were
taken from them, he had them watched, and secured the walls by a more
numerous garrison. Yet could not that garrison resist those that were
deserting, for although a great number of them were slain, yet were the
deserters many more in number. These were all received by the Romans,
because Titus himself grew negligent as to his former orders for killing
them, and because the very soldiers grew weary of killing them, and
because they hoped to get some money by sparing them, for they left only
the populace, and sold the rest of the multitude, with their wives and
children, and every one of them at a very low price, and that because
such as were sold were very many, and the buyers were few; and although
Titus had made proclamation beforehand that no deserter should come
alone by himself, that so they might bring out their families with them,
yet did he receive such as these also.
However, he set over them such as were to distinguish some from others,
in order to see if any of them deserved to be punished. And indeed the
number of those that were sold was immense; but of the populace above
forty thousand were saved, whom Cæsar let go whither every one of them
pleased.
But now at this time it was that one of the priests, the son of
Thebuthus, whose name was Jesus, upon his having security given him, by
the oath of Cæsar, that he should be preserved upon condition that he
should deliver to him certain of the precious things that had been
deposited in the Temple, came out of it and delivered him from the wall
of the holy house two candlesticks, like to those that lay in the holy
house, with tables, and cisterns, and vials, all made of solid gold and
very heavy. He also delivered to him the veils and the garments, with
the precious stones, and a great number of other precious vessels that
belonged to their sacred worship.
The treasurer of the Temple also, whose name was Phineas, was seized on,
and showed Titus the coats and girdles of the priests, with a great
quantity of purple and scarlet, which were there deposited for the uses
of the veil, as also a great deal of cinnamon and cassia, with a large
quantity of other sweet spices, which used to be mixed together and
offered as incense to God every day. A great many other treasures were
also delivered to him, with sacred ornaments of the Temple not a few,
which things thus delivered to Titus obtained of him for this man the
same pardon that he had allowed to such as deserted of their own accord.
And now were the banks finished on the seventh day of the month Gorpieus
(Elul) in eighteen days' time, when the Romans brought their machines
against the wall. But for the seditious, some of them, as despairing of
saving the city, retired from the wall to the citadel. Others of them
went down into the subterranean vaults, though still a great many of
them defended themselves against those that brought the engines for the
battery; yet did the Romans overcome them by their number and by their
strength; and, what was the principal thing of all, by going cheerfully
about their work, while the Jews were quite dejected and become weak.
Now as soon as a part of the wall was battered down, and certain of the
towers yielded to the impression of the battering rams, those that
opposed themselves fled away, and such a terror fell upon the tyrants as
was much greater than the occasion required, for before the enemy got
over the breach they were quite stunned, and were immediately for flying
away. And now one might see these men, who had hitherto been so insolent
and arrogant in their wicked practices, to be cast down and to tremble,
insomuch that it would pity one's heart to observe the change that was
made in those vile persons.
Accordingly, they ran with great violence upon the Roman wall that
encompassed them, in order to force away those that guarded it, and to
break through it and get away. But when they saw that those who had
formerly been faithful to them had gone away--as indeed they were fled
whithersoever the great distress they were in persuaded them to flee--as
also when those that came running before the rest told them that the
western wall was entirely overthrown, while others said the Romans were
gotten in, and others that they were near and looking out for them,
which were only the dictates of their fear, which imposed upon their
sight, they fell upon their face and greatly lamented their own mad
conduct; and their nerves were so terribly loosed that they could not
flee away. And here one may chiefly reflect on the power of God
exercised upon these wicked wretches, and on the good fortune of the
Romans, for these tyrants did now wholly deprive themselves of the
security they had in their own power, and came down from those very
towers of their own accord, wherein they could have never been taken by
force, nor indeed by any other way than by famine. And thus did the
Romans, when they had taken such great pains about weaker walls, get by
good fortune what they could never have gotten by their engines, for
three of these towers were too strong for all mechanical engines
whatsoever.
So they now left these towers of themselves, or rather they were ejected
out of them by God himself, and fled immediately to that valley which
was under Siloam, where they again recovered themselves out of the dread
they were in for a while, and ran violently against that part of the
Roman wall which lay on that side; but as their courage was too much
depressed to make their attacks with sufficient force, and their power
was now broken with fear and affliction, they were repulsed by the
guards, and dispersing themselves at distances from each other, went
down into the subterranean caverns.
So the Romans being now become masters of the walls, they both placed
their ensigns upon the towers and made joyful acclamations for the
victory they had gained, as having found the end of this war much
lighter than its beginning, for when they had gotten upon the last wall,
without any bloodshed, they could hardly believe what they found to be
true; but seeing nobody to oppose them, they stood in doubt what such an
unusual solitude could mean. But when they went in numbers into the
lanes of the city with their swords drawn they slew those whom they
overtook without mercy, and set fire to the houses whither the Jews were
fled, and burned every soul in them, and laid waste a great many of the
rest; and when they were come to the houses to plunder them they found
in them entire families of dead men; and the upper rooms full of
corpses, that is, of such as died by the famine. They stood in horror at
this sight, and went out without touching anything.
Although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that
manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive, but
they ran every one through whom they met, and obstructed the very lanes
with their dead bodies, and made the whole city run with blood, to such
a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with
these men's blood. And truly so it happened, that though the slayers
left off at the evening, yet did the fire greatly prevail in the night;
and as all was burning, came that eighth day of the month Gorpieus
[Elul] upon Jerusalem, a city that had been liable to so many miseries
during this siege, that, had it always enjoyed as much happiness from
its first foundation, it would certainly have been the envy of the
world. Nor did it on any other account so much deserve these sore
misfortunes as by producing such a generation of men as were the
occasion of this its overthrow.
Now when Titus was come into this (upper) city, he admired not only some
other places of strength in it, but particularly those strong towers
which the tyrants in their mad conduct had relinquished, for when he saw
their solid altitude, and the largeness of their several stones, and the
exactness of their joints, as also how great was their breadth and how
extensive their length, he expressed himself after the manner following:
"We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war, and it was no
other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications, for
what could the hands of men or any machines do toward overthrowing these
towers?" At which time he had many such discourses to his friends; he
also let such go free as had been bound by the tyrants, and were left in
the prisons. To conclude, when he entirely demolished the rest of the
city and overthrew its walls, he left these towers as a monument of his
good fortune, which had proved his auxiliaries, and enabled him to take
what could not otherwise have been taken by him.