Towards the spring, Simon and his family were surprised by a visit
from the Rabbi Solomon Ben Manasseh. It was a year since they had
last seen him, when he called to take leave of them, on starting
for Jerusalem. They scarcely recognized him as he entered, so old
and broken did he look.
"The Lord be praised that I see you all, safe and well!" he said,
as they assisted him to dismount from the donkey that he rode. "Ah,
my friends, you are happy, indeed, in your quiet farm; free from
all the distractions of this terrible time! Looking round here, and
seeing you just as I left you--save that the young people have
grown, somewhat--I could think that I left you but yesterday, and
that I have been passing through a hideous nightmare.
"Look at me! My flesh has fallen away, and my strength has gone. I
can scarce stand upon my legs, and a young child could overthrow
me. I have wept, till my tears are dried up, over the misfortunes
of Jerusalem; and yet no enemy has come within sight of her walls,
or dug a trench against her. She is devoured by her own children.
Ruin and desolation have come upon her."
The old man was assisted into the house, and food and wine placed
before him. Then he was led into the guest chamber, and there slept
for some hours. In the evening, he had recovered somewhat of his
strength, and joined the party at their meal.
When it was concluded, and the family were alone, he told them what
had happened in Jerusalem during the past year. Vague rumors of
dissension, and civil war, had reached them; but a jealous watch
was set round the city, and none were suffered to leave, under the
pretext that all who wished to go out were deserters who sought to
join the Romans.
"I passed through, with difficulty," the rabbi said, "after bribing
John of Gischala, with all my worldly means, to grant me a pass
through the guards; and even then should not have succeeded, had he
not known me in old times, when I looked upon him as one zealous
for the defense of the country against the Romans--little thinking,
then, that the days would come when he would grow into an oppressor
of the people, tenfold as cruel and pitiless as the worst of the
Roman tribunes.
"Last autumn when, with the band of horsemen, with steeds weary
with hard riding, he arrived before the gates of Jerusalem--saying
that they had come to defend the city, thinking it not worth while
to risk their lives in the defense of a mere mountain town, like
Gischala--the people poured out to meet him, and do him honor.
Terrible rumors of slaughter and massacre, in Galilee, had reached
us, but none knew the exact truth. Moreover, John had been an enemy
of Josephus and, since Josephus had gone over to the Romans, his
name was hated and accursed among the people; and thus they were
favorably inclined towards John.
"I don't think anyone was deceived by the story he told, for it was
evident that John and his men had fled before the Romans. Still,
the tidings he brought were reassuring, and he was gladly received
in the city. He told us that the Romans had suffered very heavily
at the sieges of Jotapata and Gamala, that they were greatly
dispirited by the desperate resistance they had met with, that a
number of their engines of war had been destroyed, and that they
were in no condition to undertake the siege of a strong city like
Jerusalem. But though all outwardly rejoiced, many in their hearts
grieved at the news, for they thought that even an occupation by
the Romans would be preferable to the suffering they were
undergoing.
"For months, bands of robbers, who called themselves Zealots, had
ravaged the whole country; pillaging, burning, and slaying, under
the pretense that those they assaulted were favorable to the cause
of Rome. Thus, gradually, the country people all forsook their
homes, and fled to Jerusalem for refuge and, when the country was
left a desert and no more plunder was to be gained, these robber
bands gradually entered Jerusalem. As you know, the gates of the
holy city were always open to all the Jewish people; and none
thought of excluding the strangers who entered, believing that
every armed man would add to the power of resistance, when the
Romans appeared before it.
"The robbers, who came singly or in small parties from all parts of
the country, soon gathered themselves together in the city, and
established a sort of terror over the peaceable inhabitants. Men
were robbed, and murdered, openly in the street; houses were broken
open, and pillaged; none dare walk in the street, without the risk
of insult or assault. Antipas, Levias, and Saphias--all of royal
blood--were seized, thrown into prison, and there murdered; and
many others of the principal people were slain.
"Then the robbers proceeded to further lengths. They took upon
themselves to appoint a high priest; selected a family which had no
claim whatever to the distinction and, drawing lots among them,
chose as high priest one Phannias--a country priest, ignorant,
boorish, and wholly unable to discharge the function of the office.
Hitherto, the people had submitted to the oppression of the
Zealots, but this desecration of the holy office filled them with
rage and indignation; and Ananus--the oldest of the chief priests,
a man of piety and wisdom--was the head of the movement and,
calling the people together, exhorted them to resist the tyranny
which oppressed them, and which was now desecrating the Temple--for
the Zealots had taken refuge there, and made the holy place their
headquarters.
"The people seized their arms, but before they were ready for the
attack the Zealots, learning what was going on, took the initiative
and fell upon them. The people were less accustomed to arms than
their foes, but they had the superiority of numbers, and fought
with fury. At first the Zealots gained the advantage, but the
people increased in numbers. Those behind pressed those in front
forward, and the Zealots were driven back into the Temple, and the
Quadrangle of the Gentiles was taken.
"The Zealots fled into the inner court, and closed the gates.
Thither their wounded had already been carried, and the whole place
was defiled with their blood. But Ananus, having the fear of God
before his eyes, did not like to attack them there and, leaving six
thousand chosen men on guard in the cloisters, and arranging that
these should be regularly relieved, retired.
"Such was the state of things, when John of Gischala arrived. He at
once professed complete agreement with the party of Ananus, and was
admitted into all their councils; but all the time, as we
afterwards learned, he was keeping up a secret correspondence with
the Zealots, and betrayed to them all that took place at the
council. There was some distrust of him but, in addition to the
party that had entered the city with him, he had speedily gathered
together many others and, distracted as we already were with our
troubles, none cared to add to the number of their enemies by
openly distrusting John--who took many solemn oaths of fidelity to
the cause of order.
"He at length volunteered to enter the inner Temple, on a mission
to the Zealots; and to persuade them to surrender, and leave the
city. But no sooner was he among them than he threw off the mask,
and told the Zealots that the offers to allow them to depart in
peace were blinds, and that they would at once be massacred if they
surrendered. He therefore advised them to resist, and to send for
assistance without--recommending them especially to send to the
Idumeans. Eleazar and Zacharias--the chiefs of the Zealots--felt
sure that they, above all, would be sacrificed if they surrendered;
and they embraced John's counsel, and sent off swift-footed
messengers to the Idumeans, urging them to come to their
assistance.
"The Idumeans had, since their conquest by Hyrcanus, been
incorporated with the Jews. They were a fierce and warlike
people--of Arab descent--and, immediately the messengers of the
Zealots arrived, they embraced the proposal, anticipating the
acquisition of great plunder in Jerusalem. Marching with all speed,
they appeared, twenty thousand strong, before the walls of
Jerusalem.
"Although taken completely by surprise--for none knew that
messengers had gone over to the Idumeans--the people manned the
walls; and Jesus, a colleague of Ananus, addressed the Idumeans. He
asked them to take one of three courses: either to unite with the
people, in punishing the notorious robbers and assassins who were
desecrating the Temple; or to enter the city unarmed, and arbitrate
between the conflicting parties; or to depart, and leave the city
to settle its own difficulties. Simon, the leader of the Idumeans,
answered that they came to take the part of the true patriots,
against men who were conspiring basely to sell the people into the
hands of the Romans.
"At this answer Jesus left the wall, and we held debate upon the
situation. Before the arrival of this new enemy, we felt certain of
overpowering the Zealots; and Ananus would, ere long, have been
persuaded to lay aside his scruples and attack them for, as they
were desecrating the sanctuary, it would be better to shed their
blood there and, when these wicked men were slain, to offer up
atonement and purify the Temple--as had been done before, in the
days of the Maccabees, after the Temple had been defiled.
"We redoubled our guards round the Temple, so that none could issue
out thence to communicate with the Idumeans. At night a terrible
storm set in, with lightning, thunder, and rain, so that the very
earth seemed to shake. A great awe fell upon all, within and
without the city. To all, it seemed a sign of the wrath of God at
the civil discords; but though, doubtless, it was the voice of the
Almighty, it was rather a presage of further evils.
"Under shelter of the storm--which drove all the guards to take
refuge--some of the Zealots cut asunder the bars of the gate, and
crept along the street to the wall. Then they sawed through the
bars of the gate that faced the Idumeans, who were trembling with
terror in the storm. Unseen by anyone, the Idumeans entered the
gate, marched through the city, and approached the Temple. Then
they fell upon our guards, while the Zealots attacked them from
behind.
"Furious at the hours they had passed exposed to the tempest,
ashamed of their fears, and naturally pitiless and cruel, the
Idumeans gave no quarter; and a terrible carnage took place among
the ten thousand men who had been placed in the outer court of the
Temple. Some fought desperately, others threw themselves down from
the wall into the city and, when morning dawned, eight thousand
five hundred of our best fighting men had been slain.
"As soon as it was daylight, the Idumeans broke into the city,
pillaging and slaying. The high priests, Ananus and Jesus, were
among those who were slain; and in that terrible night were
extinguished the last hopes of saving Jerusalem.
"Ananus was a man of the highest character. He had labored
unceasingly to place the city in a posture of defense; believing,
and rightly, that the stronger were its walls, and the more
formidable the resistance it could offer, the better chance there
was of obtaining favorable terms from the Romans. Ananus was the
leader and hope of the peace party, which comprised all the
respectable classes, and all the older and wiser men in Jerusalem.
His death left the conduct of affairs in the hands of the
thoughtless, the rash, and the desperate.
"The massacre continued for days, the Idumeans hunting the citizens
in the streets. Vast numbers were killed, without question. The
young men of the upper classes were dragged to prison, and were
there scourged and tortured to force them to join the Zealots, but
not one would do so. All preferred death. Thus perished twelve
thousand of the best and wisest in Jerusalem.
"Then the Zealots set up a tribunal and, by proclamation, assembled
seventy of the principal citizens remaining to form a court; and
before it brought Zacharias, the son of Baruch--an upright,
patriotic, and wealthy man. Him they charged with entering into
correspondence with the Romans, but produced no shadow of evidence
against him. Zacharias defended himself boldly, clearly
establishing his own innocence, and denouncing the iniquities of
his accusers. The seventy unanimously acquitted the prisoner,
preferring to die with him, to condemning an innocent man. The
Zealots rushed forward, with cries of rage, and slew Zacharias and,
with blows and insults, turned the judges out of the Temple.
"The Idumeans at length began to weary of massacre, and were sated
with pillage and, declaring that they had been deceived by the
Zealots, and that they believed no treason had been intended, they
left the city; first opening the prisons, and releasing two
thousand persons confined there, who fled to Simon the son of
Gioras, who was wasting the country toward Idumea.
"The Zealots, after their departure, redoubled their iniquities;
and seemed as if they would leave none alive, save the lowest of
the people. Gorion, a great and distinguished man, was among the
slain. Niger of Peraea, who had been the leader in the attack on
the Romans at Ascalon--a noble and true-hearted patriot--was also
murdered. He died calling upon the Romans to come to avenge those
who had been thus murdered; and denouncing famine, pestilence, and
civil massacre, as well as war, against the accursed city.
"I had lain hidden, with an obscure family, with whom I had lodged
during these terrible times. So great was the terror and misery in
the city that those who lived envied the dead. It was death to bury
even a relative, and both within and without the city lay heaps of
bodies, decaying in the sun.
"Even among the Zealots themselves, factions arose. John of
Gischala headed one party, and that the more violent. Over these he
ruled with absolute authority, and occupied one portion of the
city. The other party acknowledged no special leader. Sometimes,
then, the factions fought among themselves; but neither side ceased
from plundering and murdering the inhabitants.
"Such, my friends, was the condition of Jerusalem when I left it;
having, as I told you, purchased a permission from John of Gischala
to pass through the guards at the gates.
"As I traveled here, I learned that another danger threatens us.
The sect called the Assassins, as you know, seized the strong
fortress of Masada, near the Dead Sea, at the beginning of the
troubles. Until lately, they have been content to subsist on the
plunder of the adjacent country but, on the night of the Passover,
they surprised Engaddi, dispersed all who resisted, and slew seven
hundred women and children who could not escape. They carried off
the contents of the granaries, and are now wasting the whole
region.
"What hope can there be of success, my friends, when, with an enemy
close to their gates, the Jews are slaying more of their fellow
countrymen than the Romans themselves? Did ever a country present
so humiliating and terrible a spectacle? Were such atrocities ever
perpetrated by men upon their brothers? And yet, the madmen still
believe that the Almighty will deliver them--will save from
destruction that Temple which they have polluted, the altars that
they have deluged with blood."
When the rabbi had finished his narration, there was a long
silence. Martha was in tears, at the recital of the misery which
was endured by the inhabitants of Jerusalem; Simon sat with his
face covered with his hands; John had scarce moved, since the rabbi
had begun his story, but sat with a heavy frown on his face,
looking straight before him; while Mary anxiously watched him, to
see the effect of the recital upon him.
Simon was the first to speak.
"It is a tale of mourning, lamentation, and woe that you have told
us, rabbi. Not even in the days of our captivity in Babylon were
the Jewish people fallen so low. Let us to bed now. These things
are too terrible to speak of, until we have laid them before the
Lord, and asked his guidance. I wonder not, now, rabbi, that years
seem to have rolled over your head since we last met."
The others rose. Mary, as she passed John, laid her hands on his
shoulder with a caressing action--which was very rare to her, for
she generally behaved to him as to a brother, holding any
exhibition of greater affection unmaidenly, until the days of
betrothal were ended. The action seemed to recall John from his
gloomy thought, and he smiled down at her anxious face; then, when
the others went off to their apartments, he went out into the night
air and stood for hours, nearly immovable, with his eyes fixed on
the stars.
In the morning, Mary joined him in the garden; as had come to be
their custom, this being the only time in the day when they were
alone together.
"Well, John?" she asked.
He understood her question.
"I have thought it over, Mary, in every way; but I cannot see that
my duty is changed by what we heard last night. Affection for you,
and my parents, would keep me here; and I wish that I could see
that my duty could go hand in hand with my wishes. I have been
sorely tempted to yield--to resign the struggle, to remain here in
peace and quiet--but I should never be happy. I do not believe that
I am, as so many think, specially called to be a deliverer--though
God has assuredly specially protected and aided me--but, did I draw
back now, it would be a grievous discouragement to many. I have put
my hand to the plow, and cannot look back.
"God has permitted these miseries to fall upon Jerusalem,
doubtless, as a punishment for the sins of the people. It may be
yet that his wrath will be abated, and that he will remember the
mercies of old. He has suffered his Temple to be profaned, but it
may not be his purpose to allow it to be destroyed, utterly. The
evil doings, therefore, of evil men do not release us from our
duty; and it has always been held the chief duty of all Jews to
die, if need be, in defense of the Temple. Never, so long as that
stands, can we say that the Lord has wholly turned his face from
us--that he purposes another period of exile, and captivity, to
befall his people.
"Therefore, Mary, I shall go on as I have intended; warring against
the Romans, and doing what I can to hinder their advance against
Jerusalem. I think that the war may last longer than I had
expected. Vespasian will have heard--from those who, like the
rabbi, have escaped from Jerusalem--what is going on within the
city; and knowing the great strength of its walls; and judging,
from what he saw at Jotapata and Gamala, how desperate would be its
resistance, were he to appear before it, he may well decide to
leave it for the present; suffering the population to prey upon
each other, to consume their provisions and waste their strength
till, when he marches against it, there will be no longer men left
to man the walls."
"I thought you would decide so, John," Mary said, quietly; "and
much as I love you--for I do love you, John--I would rather part
with you so, never to see you again, than that you should draw back
now. I set you up on a pedestal, before I knew that it was you who
was my hero; and I would not have it said that he, of whom such
high hopes were cherished, drew back from the enterprise he had
taken up. Rather would I mourn for you, all my life, than that men
should say of you:
"'This is he of whom we said, he is the deliverer; but who shrank
from the dangers of battle, and threw down his country's sword.'"
"Thank you, Mary. I am glad to hear you say so. I thought that I
was right, but it was very hard so to decide. And, now that you
agree with me, my chief cause for hanging back is removed.
Henceforth, I shall trouble no more over it. My conscience tells me
that I am right to go. You say go, also. Therefore now, whatever
betides, I shall not blame myself; but shall feel that I could not
have taken any other course."
"I have faith, John, that you will come back to me, when the
troubles are over. I believe that, whatever may happen at
Jerusalem, you will be spared to me. I think that it was either for
the country, or for me, that your life was spared, alone of all
those that fought at Jotapata; and I mean to keep on thinking so.
It will keep up my spirits, while you are away, and will help me to
cheer our mother."
"If the Romans do not move upon Jerusalem, I may be able to be
often at home. Our policy will be to strike a blow; and then, when
the Romans gather in force, to scatter and disappear; so that I may
often be home, until the time comes when the enemy gather round
Jerusalem.
"But at any rate, Mary, I shall try and believe that your hope is
well founded; and that, in the end, I shall return alive to you.
Certainly I shall not spare my life; for, when one takes up the
post of a leader of his fellows, he must never hang back from
danger, but must be always in the front. At the same time, I shall
never forget that you are thinking and praying for me, and will
never throw away my life recklessly; and if the time comes when I
see that all is lost--that fighting is no longer of avail--I will
neither rush into the enemy's ranks to die, nor will I throw down
my arms and die unresisting, nor will I slay myself with my own
weapons; but I will strive, in every way, to save my life for your
sake, having done all that I could for our country, and the
Temple."
"That is all I ask, John. I am quite content to wait here, until
the day comes that you shall return; and then, though our cause be
lost, our country ruined, and God's Temple destroyed, we can yet
feel that God has been good and merciful to us--even if we be
driven out of our home, and have to become exiles, in a far land."
A week later, the news came that the Romans were preparing to take
the field. The young men of the village at once started, as
messengers, through the country. At night, a vast pile of brushwood
was lighted on the hill above Gamala; and answering fires soon
blazed out from other heights. At the signal, men left their homes
on the shores of Galilee, in the cities of the plains, in the
mountains of Peraea and Batanaea. Capitolias, Gerisa and Pella,
Sepphoris, Caphernaum and Tiberias--and even the towns and villages
almost within sight of Caesar's camp, at Caesarea--sent their
contingents and, in twenty-four hours, eight thousand armed men
were gathered on the slopes of Mount Galaad.
Each man brought with him grain, sufficient for a week's
consumption; and all had, according to their means, brought money,
in accordance with the instructions John and the other commanders
had issued. For John held that although--as they were fighting for
the country--they must, if necessary, live upon the country; yet
that, as far as possible, they should abstain from taking food
without payment, and so run the risk of being confounded with the
bands who, under the cloak of patriotism, plundered and robbed the
whole country.
The bands assembled, each under their leaders. It was easy to see
that they had come from different localities. Tarichea and Tiberias
had both sent two companies, and the aspect of these differed
widely from that of the companies of peasants, raised in the
villages on the slopes of Hermon or among the mountains of Peraea;
but all seemed animated by an equal feeling of devotion, and of
confidence in their young leader.
John, after carefully inspecting his own band, visited the camps of
the other companies; and was everywhere received with acclamations.
He addressed each company in turn--not only urging them to show
bravery, for that every Jew had shown, who had fought against the
Romans--but pointing out that far more than this was required.
While they must be ready to give their lives, when need be; they
must be equally ready to shun the fight, to scatter and fly, when
their leaders gave the orders. It was not by bravery that they
could hope to overcome the Romans; but by harassing them night and
day, by attacking their camps, cutting off their convoys, and
giving them no rest. Above all, obedience was required.
"Look at the Roman soldiers," he said. "They have no wills of their
own. They advance, or retreat; they attack, when they know that
those who first attack must die; they support all hardships and
fatigues; they accomplish marvels, in the way of work; they give
themselves up, in fact, to obey the orders given them, never
questioning whether those orders are the best, but blindly obeying
them; and so it must be, here, if we are to fight the Romans with a
chance of success.
"The most useful man here--the man who will do best service to his
country--is not he who is strongest, or bravest, but he who is most
prompt in his obedience to orders. The true hero is he who gives up
his will and, if need be, his life, at the order of his leader. You
have chosen your own officers, and I have confirmed the choice that
you have made. It is for you, now, to give them your support and
assistance. There will be hardships, these must be borne without
complaint; there will be delays, these must be supported with
patience; there will be combats and dangers, these must be met with
confidence and courage--believing that God will give you success;
and that, although the issue of the strife is in his hands, each of
you should do his best, by his conduct and courage, to gain
success.
"We shall not act in one great body, for we could not find food, in
the villages, for so large a number. Moreover, to do so would be to
give the Romans an opportunity of massing their forces against us,
of surrounding and destroying us. On great occasions, and for a
great object, we may gather together and unite our forces. At other
times, although acting upon a general plan, and in concert with
each other, each company will work independently. So we shall elude
the Romans. When they strike at us, we shall be gone. When they try
to inclose us, we shall disperse. When they pursue one body, others
will fall upon them. When they think that we are in one part of the
country, we will be striking a blow in another. When they fancy
themselves in security, we will fall upon them. We will give them
no rest, or peace."
John's addresses were received with shouts of approval. By the
great majority of those present, he was now seen for the first
time; but his appearance, the tone of authority with which he
spoke, his air of confidence, and the manner in which he had
evidently thought out the plans of action, and prepared for all
contingencies, confirmed the reports which they had heard of him;
and the conviction that he was a specially appointed leader was
deepened, and strengthened. How otherwise could one who was a mere
youth speak with such firmness, and authority?
The memories of the Jews were stored with legends of the prowess of
Judas the Maccabean, and his brothers; and of other leaders who
had, from time to time, arisen and enabled them to clear their
country of oppressors; and they were thus prepared to accept,
willingly, those who appeared to them specially sent as leaders,
and the question of age and experience weighed but little with
them. Moreover, as none had been trained as soldiers, there were
none who had to set aside superior claims.
Samuel had been chosen as a child, Saul was the youngest of his
brethren, and David a lad when he slew the champion of the
Philistines. Such being the case, the youth of John was no
drawback, in the eyes of his followers; and indeed the fact that,
being still a youth, he had yet escaped from Jotapata, where all
his elders had died; and that he had inflicted a heavy blow upon
the Romans, when all others who had opposed them had perished,
seemed in itself a proof that he was under special protection.
John probably believed in himself less than did any man among his
followers. Piously and devoutly brought up, he saw in the two
escapes that he had had, from death at the hands of the Romans,
signs of a special protection of God. But, while he hoped that he
might be able to do the Romans much harm, he had not any conviction
that he was destined to deliver his country. He had none of the
fervent enthusiasm of men who are convinced that they have a divine
mission, and that miracles would be wrought in his favor.
He had seen the tremendous strength of the Roman army, as it
defiled from the mountains before Jotapata. He had learned the
power of their war engines, and had evidence of their discipline,
their bravery and perseverance; and had no idea that such a force
as that gathered round him could cope with the legions of Rome.
Still, that firm and pious belief, which was so deeply ingrained in
the heart of the Jews, that God specially interested himself in
them--that he personally directed everything that befell them, and
intervened in every incident of their history--had its natural
effect upon him.
His training taught him that he was an instrument in God's hands
and, although he hardly even hoped that he was destined to be a
deliverer of Jerusalem, he thought that God might intend him to do
great things for his people. At any rate, while never claiming any
special authority--or to have, more than those around him, any
special mission--he was careful not to damp the enthusiasm of his
followers, by disclaiming the mission they attributed to him;
knowing how much such a belief added to his authority, and to the
efficiency of the force under his command.