The letter of Rufus conveyed the intelligence of Josephus's
preservation, and his captivity in the Roman camp, and Zadok hastened
to communicate it to the chief men of the city. The news spread
rapidly through Jerusalem, and as rapidly the sorrow that had been
felt and shown on account of his supposed death was changed into the
fiercest indignation at his thus consenting to survive his heroic
countrymen. Some called him a dastardly coward, who had feared to
meet an honourable death, while others execrated his name as a
traitor; and a fierce desire to wreak their vengeance on the apostate
was now added to the other motives for resistance to the Romans.
They longed to see Vespasian's standards approach their walls, in the
full conviction that no power would resist the fury of their sally on
the foe, and that all their calamities and reverses would be
obliterated in the blood of their enemies.
But Vespasian did not yet give them the opportunity which they so
madly desired. What were his motives for not pursuing his victorious
way to Jerusalem at that time is uncertain; but so it was, that he
turned aside and left the rebels in the capital to exercise their
fury on themselves, and thus to weaken their own powers. The Roman
general visited Agrippa at Cæsarea, on the sea-coast, and then passed
to Cæsarea Philippi in the north of Galilee, where he allowed his
army to rest and refresh themselves for twenty days.
He then proceeded to quell the symptoms of insurrection which had
been displayed in Tiberias and Tarichea, two cities on the Lake of
Genesareth that belonged to King Agrippa, but seemed little disposed
to unite with him in his attachment to the Roman party. Tiberias
soon surrendered, but a body of insurgents left the city, and took
refuge in Tarichea, which had been carefully fortified by Josephus.
The Roman army pitched their camp beneath the walls, and commenced
their preparations for a siege; and while their works were advancing,
a reinforcement of young recruits arrived from Rome, and joined the
legions already assembled. Among these recruits was Marcellus, who
was received with the warmest affection by his father, and through
his interest was soon enrolled among the troops under the special
command of Titus. Before he was allowed to take his place among his
future comrades, an oath was administered to him, according to the
military custom of the Romans, with every circumstance of solemnity.
He was required to swear that he would never desert his standard,
that he would submit his own will to the commands of his leaders, and
that he would sacrifice his life for the safety of the emperor or the
empire. This ceremony being performed, his arms were presented to
him, and he became one of the redoubted band of cavalry so nobly led
by the gallant Titus. The arms of attack and defence of the cavalry
consisted of a coat of mail, and light boots and helmet; an oblong
shield was fastened on the left arm, while the right hand carried a
long javelin, and a sharp broadsword hung from the girdle. The foot
soldiers were very differently accoutred, having an open helmet with
a lofty crest, a breastplate of iron, and greaves of the same metal
on their legs. A shield or buckler, four feet long and two feet and
a-half wide, was carried on the left arm, and was capable of covering
the whole person, when the troops knelt to receive the charge of
their enemies. It was composed of a frame of light wood, on which
was stretched a bull's-hide, and strengthened with plates of brass.
Their offensive arms were powerful and various, consisting of a light
spear for thrusting, and also pilium, or ponderous javelin, six feet
long, and terminating in a steel point of the length of eighteen
inches. This was thrown from a distance of ten or twelve yards; and
such were its force and weight when cast by the practised hand of a
veteran legionary, that neither shield nor corslet could resist it.
After the pilium had been thrown, the soldier drew his short,
double-edged sword, and rushed forward to the closer and yet more
deadly conflict that was carried on hand to hand.
For a few days the operations of the besieging army continued
undisturbed, and Marcellus was not called to prove his own courage
and discipline, or the temper of his polished and unsullied arms. He
therefore employed this brief period of leisure in rambling along the
shores of the beautiful lake, as far as he could do so with safety.
It was a lovely spot, and even to a common observer could not fail to
be full of interest. The blue waters stretched before him, calm and
transparent beneath the warm beams of an eastern sun, and the shores
were crowded with rich and populous towns, whose terraced roofs and
lofty towers were seen rising above the luxuriant groves and orchards
that clothed the whole of that fertile district. The graceful palm,
the dark olive, and the spreading fig-tree fringed the very margin of
the lake, and were reflected on its smooth surface as on a mirror;
while every port was animated with vessels preparing to assist the
Taricheans in the defence of their city, or in case of a defeat to
carry them off to the other side of the lake. A great part of the
town was washed by the waters, and thus protected from the assault of
the Romans, and a strong wall was carried round on every other side.
Close to this wall the camp of Vespasian was pitched, and the white
tents and glittering banners glanced gaily in the sunshine.
Marcellus wandered in the shade of a grove of palms, and looked with
admiration and emotion on the scene before him; but it was not the
natural beauty of the landscape which chiefly excited his feelings,
nor was it the animating view of military preparations or the
thoughts of military glory that now filled the heart of the young
soldier. No, his soul was absorbed in thoughts of days gone by, and
his imagination pictured to him the scenes that had once been
witnessed on the shores of that now tranquil lake. His fancy once
again peopled the grove in which he stood with a multitude of
Galilean peasants and rude fishermen, with men, women, and children,
all hushed in silence, and listening with deep attention to the words
of one individual who stood in the midst of them, and on whom every
eye was turned. No rays of visible glory shone round the head of the
speaker--no heavenly light illuminated his features--his form was as
that of other men; and yet, oh how different! There was a calm
majesty in his person, and an expression of godlike mercy and
compassion in his mild and dignified countenance, that separated him
immeasurably from all the human beings that surrounded him. And from
his lips proceeded such gracious, such piercing words of instruction,
of reproof, of love, and of pity, that Marcellus awoke from his deep
reverie, exclaiming, "Truly never man spoke like this man! O blessed
Jesus! would that I had seen thy day on earth, and had lived a humble
fisherman on these shores, that I might have heard thy voice, and
followed thy steps, and ministered to thee and died with thee!"
So thought and so felt the ardent young convert; and so have thought
and felt many a sincere Christian, while recalling to his mind the
days when his Saviour walked upon the earth, and marvelling at the
unbelief and hardness of heart, and faithless conduct of those who
beheld his miracles and heard his instructions; yes, even of those
chosen few who were privileged to be his followers and his friends.
But "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." Had
we been brought up in the errors and prejudices of the Jews in those
days, we too might have rejected and disbelieved the Messiah in his
poverty and humility; and let us beware that with all the light of
the Gospel, and all the advantages of a Christian education, we do
not practically reject the Saviour, and in our lives deny him. Let
us ask of him strength to cleave to him through all temptations and
all trials, and faith to believe in him, though as yet we see not his
face; remembering his own words of encouragement, "Blessed are they
who have not seen, and yet have believed."
Marcellus lingered long in the shady grove. Before he left Rome he
had been presented by his beloved teacher, Clement, with a small copy
of the Gospel of St. Matthew; and this treasure he always carried
about him, and eagerly sought every opportunity of studying it, when
he could do so unobserved. He now drew it forth, and unrolled the
long and narrow strip of parchment on which it was inscribed. It was
written in Hebrew, but his long residence in Jerusalem, and his
constant intercourse with the family of Zadok, had made him familiar
with that language, and he read with interest and delight until the
shades of evening warned him to return to his father's tent.
"Ah," thought he, "if Naomi and Claudia were but with me, here in the
scene of the miracles and the preaching of Him whom now they despise,
how would I read to them the words of his own mouth, and how would I
endeavour to repeat to them all that I heard from my venerable friend
at Rome, and to touch their hearts and convince their minds with the
narratives, the arguments, and the entreaties that he employed to
remove the thick cloud of ignorance and prejudice in which I was
enveloped, and to bless me with the light of the Gospel of Christ!
Naomi at least worships the one Almighty and true God, though in
error and in darkness; but my poor Claudia, she, alas! is yet in
idolatry, May the Lord Jehovah give power and strength to the words
of her friend, and bring her to the knowledge of Himself, and so
prepare her to receive the truths of Christianity! And my father,
too, shall he live and die in his idolatry? God forbid! Alas, alas,
my dear kind mother is gone beyond the reach of human teaching. She
is in that world where no doubts or uncertainties remain; and though
she died in ignorance and unbelief, yet surely it was only because
the truth was never revealed to her. Her heart was pious and humble;
she sought for God, and found him not, because she was surrounded
with the gross darkness of idolatry; and surely He who died for all
hath wiped away her sins and redeemed her soul, although she knew Him
not."
Marcellus had fondly loved his mother, and her death had been
embittered to him by the reflection that she died a heathen; and now
he sought to assuage his grief by dwelling on the mercy of his God
and Saviour, and trusting that as so "little had been given to her,
much would not be required." This is a hope which we have reason
confidently to indulge; for we are taught that the mercy of the Lord
is infinite towards those who act up to the light that is given to
them, and thus "having no law, are a law unto themselves."
Full of such reflections, Marcellus entered the camp, and passed
along the lines of tents that formed broad and straight streets,
thickly peopled with soldiers and the numerous followers of the army.
In his father's tent he found Javan, whom he had not seen since his
arrival at Tarichea. Though they had lived so much together in the
days of their childhood and early youth, the great dissimilarity in
their dispositions had prevented them from forming any friendship;
and Marcellus could not but recall the numerous instances of unkind
and arbitrary conduct that had so warmly roused his indignation
against Javan in former days, and produced sharp altercation between
them. But now he met him as a prisoner, humbled, though unchanged,
and his newly acquired Christian principles taught him to forgive his
enemy, and to comfort him in his distress. And then he was the
brother of Naomi, though most unworthy to be so nearly connected to
one so amiable, and generous, and lovely; and therefore the young
Roman met him with an open kindness of manner that somewhat surprised
the crafty and suspicious Javan.
It was however his interest to conciliate Marcellus, and he received
him with an appearance of cordiality, and entered with him and Rufus
into a long and interesting conversation upon their friends in
Jerusalem, and the prospects of the capital being soon subjected to a
siege, unless the rulers consented to a submission. Captivity had
not subdued the spirit of Javan, and all his fierceness broke forth
at such a suggestion. Death in its worst form, would, he declared,
be far preferable to such a degradation; but while he made the
assertion, his hearers remembered how he and his general had so
lately consented to purchase their lives at the expense of their
liberties, and Rufus could not quite conceal the smile that curled
his lip while he listened to such bold professions. Javan saw and
understood the smile, and his heart was filled with rage; and he
inwardly vowed to be revenged when once more at liberty, and in a
situation to encounter his benefactor with arms in his hand.
Marcellus saw but little of him for some time after this meeting, for
his time and attention were soon occupied by the active proceedings
of the siege. A sudden and vigorous sally was made by the fugitive
Tiberians who had taken refuge in the city, upon a point where the
military works were rapidly advancing; they dispersed the workmen and
destroyed their labours; and when the troops advanced in strong array
against them, they fled back and escaped without any loss of life, A
large party of them took refuge in the vessels that lay in their
port, being unable to reach the gate from whence they had come forth;
and then they pushed off into the lake, and cast anchor in a regular
line, within reach of the missiles of their enemies, and commenced a
battle, which terminated without any decisive effect.
The next day Marcellus was summoned to go forth with six hundred of
his comrades to disperse a large body of Galileans, who were
assembled in a plain before the city. When Titus, who commanded this
troop of horse, arrived within sight of the insurgents, he perceived
that their numbers were so immense, that he thought it necessary to
demand further succours, and sent a messenger to his father for that
purpose; but before the reinforcement could reach him, he resolved to
charge the enemy. He made a short and spirited address to his men,
and exhorted them not to shrink from encountering the multitude
before them, but to advance boldly and secure the victory before
their fellow-soldiers arrived to share the glory. He then placed
himself at their head and prepared to lead them on, when four hundred
horse appeared on the field, sent by Vespasian to strengthen his
forces. His men were rather disposed to be angry than to rejoice at
this arrival, so eager were they to uphold their character for
bravery by meeting the enemy unsupported. Titus led the attack, and
at first met with a firm resistance; but the Jews could not stand
against the long spears of the cavalry, and overpowered by the weight
of the horses and the force of the charge, they fled in confusion
towards the city. The cavalry endeavoured to cut off their retreat,
and the havoc which they made among the fugitives was dreadful,
though numbers of them escaped and rushed in at the gates.
The inhabitants saw that there was no hope of their resisting the
foe, and desirous of preserving their lives and property, they
proposed a surrender of the town; but the Tiberians and other
strangers steadily refused to comply with this desire. The
dissension became loud and tumultuous, and Titus hearing the noise
and confusion within the walls, cried out to his men to seize the
opportunity of making a vigorous attack, while the attention of the
besieged was distracted by civil discord. He leaped upon his horse,
and dashing into the lake, entered the city where it was undefended
by the strong wall that enclosed it on all other sides. Numbers of
his troops followed him; and such was the consternation of the
besieged at this sudden and unexpected entrance, that they remained
as if stupified, and attempted no resistance. The insurgents and
many others sought to save themselves by rushing to the lake, but
they met the Romans pouring into the city, and were slain before they
could regain the streets.
When Titus ascertained that the chiefs of the rebel party were slain,
he commanded his soldiers to cease from carnage; but he sent to
inform his father that numbers of the inhabitants had escaped in
boats, and had pushed out to sea beyond the reach of the archers.
Vespasian immediately had several vessels prepared, and embarked a
detachment of troops to pursue the fugitives to the middle of the
lake. The light boats of the poor Galileans could offer no
resistance to the Roman vessels, and they could only row swiftly
round them, and endeavour to annoy the legionaries by throwing stones
and darts among them, which merely served to irritate their pursuers.
The shores were lined with hostile troops; and if they attempted to
take refuge in some creek or rocky inlet, they were met by fierce
enemies, or followed by the Roman barks, and pierced by their long
spears, as they stood above them on their lofty decks. Many of the
boats were crushed by the larger vessels, and when the drowning crew
rose above the water, they were transfixed by the arrows and lances
of their infuriated foes. The surface of the lake, that so lately
sparkled in peaceful beauty, was broken with forms of death and
struggles of agony; its blue waters were tinged with blood, and for
several days a corrupt vapour rose over its whole extent, bearing
fearful witness to the multitude of slaughtered human beings that
were concealed beneath. The verdant shores were scattered over with
disfigured and unburied corpses, swollen and decaying beneath the
burning sun; and the Romans themselves loathed to look upon the
dreadful work of their own hands. Marcellus was not yet inured to
scenes of cruelty and blood; and his heart sickened when he beheld
the smiling, and in his eyes sacred, shores of the Galilean sea thus
polluted with the remains of such ruthless barbarity.
For the cruelty of this massacre Vespasian may not be charged; but a
blot remains upon his name for one action which succeeded it, and
never can it be effaced by his glory in after days. Numbers of
strangers had been taken captive by the Romans at the conquest of
Tarichea, and as they were looked upon as the most determined rebels,
they were kept distinct from the other prisoners. A tribunal was
erected in the city, and the general proceeded to pass judgment on
these offenders against the majesty of Rome. Instigated by some of
his officers, he resolved on putting all these unfortunate strangers
to death, lest, having no homes, they should wander through the
country exciting riot and rebellion. But he feared to execute his
barbarous decree in the streets of Tarichea, nor did he choose to
expose to the whole city his cruel violation of the promise that had
been given to these unfortunate men when they surrendered. He
therefore ordered them to retire from the city, but only by the way
that led to Tiberias. Hitherto the word of the Romans had been
looked upon as inviolable, and the wretched wanderers proceeded forth
by the route which was commanded them. But they found the road
guarded and blockaded on every side, and they could not proceed
beyond the suburbs. Vespasian himself pursued them into the Stadium,
and there twelve hundred of the aged and helpless were slain in cold
blood; and six thousand, who were considered most fit for work, were
reserved to be sent to Nero, and to be employed in labouring at some
of his wild schemes; while thirty thousand were sold as slaves,
besides a number that were presented to Agrippa.
Doubtless multitudes of these unhappy creatures were ruffians and
vagabonds, whose object was to excite war and commotion in order that
they might escape the due punishment of their crimes; but no
considerations of this nature can palliate the cruelty and falsehood
of Vespasian.
Many of the Galilean towns laid down their arms and opened their
gates to the Romans, dismayed at the fearful example that had been
set before them; and only Gamala, Gischala, and Itabyrium, with a few
smaller towns, continued to hold out a defiance. Gamala was even
considered a stronger fortress than Jotapata; and proud of its
situation, the inhabitants refused to submit to the conqueror. But
after a long and terrible siege it fell, on the 23rd of September,
A.D. 67, and every inhabitant was slain, except two sisters of
Philip, Agrippa's general; and they contrived to hide themselves from
the cruel visitors. We will not any longer dwell on the horrible
scenes of carnage that took place. To escape the swords of the
Romans, many hundreds of men threw their wives and children down the
precipices, and then dashed after them to swift and certain
destruction.
Itabyrium had fallen, and Gischala, Jamnia, and Azotus, alone
remained in arms. Terrified by the fate of the neighbouring towns,
the inhabitants would have submitted, but a strong faction within the
walls, headed by John the son of Levi (better known as John of
Gischala), prevented them from capitulating; and Titus was sent
against the city at the head of a thousand horse. He saw that he
might easily take it by assault, but he was weary of bloodshed, and
probably also was aware of the peaceful disposition of the
inhabitants, and he offered them terms if they would surrender. The
wily John prevented the people from approaching the walls, which were
manned by his own party, and he himself replied to the message of
Titus. He affected great moderation and perfect acquiescence to the
proposed terms; but stated that the day being the sabbath, the Jews
could not proceed to comply with them without violating their most
sacred laws; and therefore he begged for a delay. Titus complied
with this apparently reasonable request, and even withdrew his troops
to the town of Cydoessa, at a little distance.
John perceived that his artifice had succeeded; and at midnight he
stole out of the city with all his band of armed followers, and a
multitude of others, with their families and property, who had
resolved on flying to Jerusalem. But soon the strength of the women
and children began to fail, and they could follow no longer. The men
abandoned them, and proceeded rapidly, leaving those who should have
been their first care to perish unheeded and alone. The hard-hearted
John urged his men to greater speed; and the miserable women sat down
with their little ones to die in darkness and despair, while they
listened to the departing footsteps of their cruel husbands and
fathers, as the sounds died away in the increasing distance.
Titus appeared at the gates of the city the following day, to claim
the performance of the terms that had been agreed upon; and the
inhabitants who remained within the walls gladly threw them open, and
delivered themselves up with their families into the hands of the
conquerors. When he learned the treachery of John, he immediately
sent a troop of horse to overtake him, but he had escaped beyond
their reach, and they returned to Gischala, bringing with them three
thousand women and children, and having slain six thousand of the
weary fugitives who had slackened their pace, and were separated from
their selfish leader and his robber band. The conduct of Titus was
marked with clemency and moderation towards the captured city: he
merely threw down a portion of the wall, and left a garrison in the
place to keep possession. Shortly after the surrender of Gischala,
Jamnia and Azotus also followed its example, and received Roman
garrisons; when the season being advanced, Vespasian closed the
campaign, and retired to Cæsarea with his army.
[Illustration: Sculpture on the Arch of Titus]