CHAP. X.

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY OF JERUSALEM.

THUS was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eigth day of the month Gorpieus, or Elul.* It had been taken †five times before; though this was the second time of its desolation. For Shishak, king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city: but still preserved it. But before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate : one thousand, four hundred, sixty-eight years, and six months, after it was first built. But he who first built it was a potent man among the Canaanites; and is in our own tongue called Melchisedeck, the Righteous King. For such he really was. On which account he was there the first priest of God; and first built a temple there, and called the city Jerusalem: which was formerly called Salem. However, David, king of the Jews, ejected the Canaanites, and settled his own people therein. It was demolished entirely by the Babylonians, four hundred, seventy-seven years, and six months after him. And from king David, who was the first of the Jews who reigned therein, to this destruction under Titus, were one thousand, one hundred, and seventy-nine years.

But

*A. D. 70.

† Besides these five here enumerated, who had taken Jerusalem of old, Josephus, upon farther recollection, reckons a sixth, Antiq. XII. 1, who should have been here inserted in the second place: I mean Ptolemy, the son of Lagus.

Why the great Bochart should say, De Ponic. Colon. II. 4, that "There are in this clause of Josephus as many mistakes as words," I by no means understand. Josephus thought Melchisedeck first built, or rebuilt, and adorned this city, and that it was then called Salem: as Psal. Ixxvi. 2, that it afterward came to be called Jerusalem; and that Melchisedeck, being a priest as well as a king, built to the true God therein a temple, or place for public divine worship and sacrifice. All which things may be very true, for aught we know to the contrary. And for the word tɛpòv, or temple, as if it must needs belong to the great temple built by Solomon long afterward; Josephus himself uses vads for the small tabernacle of Moses, Antiq. III. 6. He also here presently uses isɛpòv for a large splendid synagogue of the Jews at Antioch only, VII. 3.

Of the tribe of Judah.

from its first building till this last destruction, were two thousand, one hundred, and seventy-seven years. Yet hath not its great antiquity, nor its vast riches, nor the diffusion of its *nation over all the habitable earth; nor the greatness of the veneration paid to it on a religious account, been sufficient to preserve it from being destroyed. And thus ended the siege of Jerusalem.

* Or, Glory.

N. B. This is the proper place for such as have closely attended to these latter books of the war, to peruse, and that with equal attention, those distinct and plain predictions of Jesus of Nazareth, in the Gospels thereto relating, as compared with their exact completions in Josephus's History. Upon which completions, as Dr. Whitby well observes, Annot. on Matt. xxiv. 2, no small part of the evidence for the truth of the Christian religion depends.

THE

JEWISH WAR.

BOOK VII.

Containing an Interval of about three Years.

FROM THE TAKING OF JERUSALEM BY TITUS, TO THE SEDITION OF THE JEWS AT CYRENE.

CHAP. I.

COMMENDATIONS

OF THE DEMOLITION OF THE ENTIRE CITY OF JERUSALEM EX-
CEPTING THREE TOWERS.-ALSO OF THE
WHICH TITUS BESTOWED ON HIS SOLDIERS, AND HIS LIBE-
RAL DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS.

NOW as soon as the army had no more people to slay, or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury; (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other such work to be done :) Cæsar gave orders that they should demolish the entire city and temple: but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency, viz. Phasaelus, Hippicus, and Mariamne and so much of the wall as inclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison: as were the towers also spared in order to denominate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valour had subdued. But for all the rest of the wall, it was so completely levelled with the ground, by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those who came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem come to, by the madness of those that were for

innovations: *a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.

Cæsar now resolved to leave there, as a guard, the tenth legion; with certain troops of horsemen, and companies of footmen. So having entirely completed this war, he was desirous to commend his whole army, on account of the great exploits they had performed; and to bestow proper rewards on such as had signalized themselves therein. He had, therefore an elevated tribunal made for him in the midst of the place where he had formerly encamped, and stood upon it with his principal commanders about him; and spake so as to be heard by the whole army in the manner following: "That he returned them abundance of thanks for their good will, which they had showed to him. He commended them for that ready obedience they had exhibited in this whole war: which obedience had appeared in the many and great dangers which they had undergone; as also for that courage they had shown, and had thereby augmented of themselves their country's power; and had made it evident to all men, that neither the multitude of their enemies, the strength of their places, the largeness of their cities, nor their rash boldness and brutish rage, were sufficient at any time to get clear of the Roman valour: although some of them might have fortune in many respects on their side. He said farther, that it was but reasonable for them to put an end to this war, now it had lasted so long: for that they had nothing better to wish for when they entered into it. And that this happened more favourably for them, and more for their glory, that all the Romans had willingly accepted of those for their governors, and the curators of their dominions, whom they had chosen for them, and had sent into their own country for that purpose; which still continued under the management of those whom they had chosen, and were thankful to them for electing them. That accordingly, although he did both admire, and tenderly regard them all, because he knew that every one of them had gone as cheerfully about their work, as their abilities and opportunities would give them

*This was the immediate cause of the ruin of the Jewish capital. But it was only the effect of their long existing and provoking obduracy. God punished them by rendering their stubbornness the principal instrument of their destruction. B.

leave; yet he said he would immediately bestow rewards and dignities on those that fought the most bravely and with greater force, and had signalized their conduct in the most glorious manner, and had made his army more famous by their noble exploits : and that no one who had been willing to take more pains than another, should miss of a just retribution for the same. For that he had been exceeding careful about this matter: and that the more, because he had much rather reward the virtues of his fellow soldiers, than punish such as offended."

:

Hereupon Titus ordered those, whose business it was, to read the list of all that had performed great exploits in this war. He then called them to him by their names, and commended them before the company; and rejoiced in them in the same manner as a man would have rejoiced in his own exploits. He also put on their heads crowns of gold, and golden ornaments about their necks, and gave them long spears of gold, aud ensigns that were made of silver, and removed every one of them to a higher rank. And besides this, he plentifully distributed among them, out of the spoils and the other prey they had taken, silver and gold, and garments. So when they had all these honours bestowed on them, according to his own appointment made to every one, and he had wished all sorts of happiness to the whole army, he came down, among the great acclamations which were made to him and then betook himself to offer thank offerings to the gods, and at once sacrificed a vast number of oxen, that stood ready at the altars; and distributed them among the army to feast on. And when he had staid three days among the principal commanders, and so long feasted with them, he sent away the rest of his army to the several places where they would be every one best situate: but permitted the tenth legion to remain, as a guard at Jerusaləm; and did not send them away beyond Euphrates, where they had been before. And as he remembered that the twefth legion had given way to the Jews, under Cestius their general, he expectthem out of all Syria: for they had lain formerly at *Raphanea: and sent them away to a place called Meletine, near Euphrates; which is in the limits of Armenia and Cappadocia. He also

* See Chap. 5.