he perceived that they were all slain, he set fire to the palace, and with the great force of his hand ran his sword entirely throug himself, and fell down dead near his own relations. So these people died with this intention, that they would leave not so much as one soul among them to be subject to the Romans. Yet was there an ancient woman, and another who was of kin to Eleazar, and superior to most women in prudence and learning, with five children, who had concealed themselves in caverns under ground; and had carried water thither for their drink; and were hidden there when the rest were intent upon the slaughter of one another. Those others were nine hundred and sixty in number; the women and children being included in that computation. This calamitous slaughter was made on the fifteenth day of the month Xanthicus, or Nisan.* Now the Romans expected that they should be fought in the morning. Accordingly they put on their armour, and laid bridges of planks upon their ladders from their banks, to make an assault on the fortress. But they saw nobody as an enemy, but a terrib le solitude on every side, with a fire within the palace, as well as a perfect silence. So they were at a loss to guess at what had happened. At length they made a shout, as if it had been at a blow given by the battering ram, to try whether they could bring any one out that was within. The women heard this noise, and came out of their subterraneous cavern: and informed the Romans of what had been done and the second of them clearly described all both what was said, and what was done; and the manner of it. Yet did they not easily give attention to such a desperate undertaking, and did not believe it could be as they said. They also attempted to put the fire out, and quickly cutting themselves a way through it, they came within the palace, and so met with the multitude of the slain but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution, and the immoveable contempt of death which so great a number of them had shown when they perpetrated such an action. * A. D. 73. CHAP. X. AND THE OF THE FLIGHT OF THE SICARII TO ALEXANDRIA; DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE WHICH HAD FORMERLY BEEN BUILT BY ONIAS THE HIGH-PRIEST. WHEN Masada was thus taken, the general left the garrison in the fortress to keep it; and he himself went away to Cæsarea. For there were now no enemies left in the country: but it was all overthrown by so long a war. Yet did this war afford disturbances and dangerous disorders even in places very remote from Judea. For still it happened that many Jews were slain at Alexandria, in Egypt. For as many of the Sicarii as were able to flee thither, out of the seditious wars in Judea, were not content to have saved themselves, but must needs undertake to make new disturbances; and persuaded many of those that entertained them to assert their liberty; to esteem the Romans to be no better than themselves; and to look upon God as their only Lord and Master. But when part of the Jews of reputation opposed them, they slew some of them; and with the others they were very pressing in their exhortations, to revolt from the Romans. But when the principal men of the senate saw what madness they were come to, they thought it no longer safe for themselves to overlook them. So they got all the Jews together to an assembly, and accused the madness of the Sicarii; and demonstrated that they had been the authors of all the evils that had come upon them. They said also that "These men now they have run away from Judea, having no sure hope of escaping, because as soon as ever they shall be known, they will be soon destroyed by the Romans; they come hither, and fill us full of those calamities which belong to them, while we have not been partakers with them in any of their sins." Accordingly, they exhorted the multitude to beware lest they should be brought to destruction by their means; and to make an apology to the Romans for what had been done, by delivering these men up to them. Accordingly, on being thus apprised of the greatness of the danger they were in, they complied with what was proposed; and ran with great violence upon the Sicarii, and seized upon six hundred of them immediately: but as for all those that fled into *Egypt, and to the Egyptian Thebes, it was not long ere they were caught also, and brought back. Now the courage of these men, or whether we ought to call it madness, or hardiness in their opinions, excited universal amazement. For when all sorts of torments and vexations of their bodies that could be devised were made use of to them, they could not get any one of them to comply so far as to confess, or seem to confess that Cæsar was their lord: but they preserved their own opinion, in spite of all the distress they were brought to as if they received those torments, and the fire itself, with bodies insensible of pain, and with a soul that in a manner rejoiced under them. But what was most of all astonishing to the beholders, was the obstinacy of the children. For not one of these was so far overcome by these torments, as to name Cæsar for their lord. So far does the strength of the courage of the soul prevail over the weakness of the body. Now Lupus, the governor of Alexandria, sent an account of this commotion to Cæsar; who having in suspicion the restless temper of the Jews for innovation, and being afraid lest they should get together again, and persuade some others to join with them, gave orders to Lupus to demolish that Jewish temple which was in the region called Onion, and was in Egypt, which was built, and had its denomination from the following occasion. Onias, the son of Simon, one of the Jewish high-priests, fled * Since Josephus here informs us, that some of these Sicarii, or ruffians, went from Alexandria, (which was itself in Egypt, in a large sense,) into Egypt, and Thebes, there situate; Reland well observes, from Vossius, that Egypt sometimes denotes proper or upper Egypt, as distinct from Delta, and the lower parts near Palestine. Accordingly, as he adds, those that say it never rains in Egypt must mean the proper or upper Egypt; because it does sometimes rain in the other parts.See the notes on Antiq. II. 7, and III. 1. + Of this temple of Onias's building in Egypt, see the notes on Antiq. XIII. 3. But whereas is is elsewhere, both of the War, I. 1, and in the Antiquities as now quoted, said that this temple was like to that at Jerusalem; and here that it was not like it, but like a tower; there is some reason to suspect the reading here; and that either the negative particle is here to be blotted out, or the word entirely added. from Antiochus, king of Syria, when he made war with the Jews, and came to Alexandria. And as Ptolemy received him very kindly, on account of his hatred to Antiochus, he assured him, that if he would comply with his proposal, he would bring all the Jews to his assistance. And when the king agreed to do it, so far as he was able; he desired permission to build a temple somewhere in Egypt, and to worship God according to the customs of his own country. For that the Jews would then be so much readier to fight against Antiochus, who had laid waste the temple at Jerusalem; and that they would then come to him with greater good will: and that by granting them liberty of conscience, very many of them would come over to him. : So Ptolemy complied with his proposals; and gave him a *place one hundred and eighty furlongs distant from Memphis. That nomos was called the nomos of Heliopolis: where Onias built a fortress, and a temple, not like to that at Jerusalem, but such as resembled a tower. He built it of large stones to the height of sixty cubits. He made the structure of the altar in imitation of that in our own country; and in like manner adorned with gifts excepting the candlestick. For he did not make a candlestick but had a single lamp hammered out of a piece of gold which illuminated the place with its rays, and which he hung by a chain of gold. But the entire temple was encompassed with a wall of burnt brick, though it had gates of stone. The king also gave him a large country for a revenue in money; that both the priests might have a plentiful provision made for them, and that God might have great abundance of what things were necessary for his worship. Yet did not Onias do this out of a sober disposition. But he had a mind to contend with the Jews at Jerusalem; and could not forget the indignation he had for be * We must observe, that Josephus here speaks of Antiochus, who profaned the temple, as now alive, when Onias had leave given him by Philometor to build his temple. Whereas it seems not to have been actually built till about fifteen years afterward. Yet because it is said in the Antiquities, that Onias went to Philometor, XII. 9. during the lifetime of that Antiochus, it is probable he petitioned, and perhaps obtained his leave then though it were not actually built or finished till fifteen years afterward. + This was the height of Zorobabel's temple, ing banished thence. Accordingly he thought, that by building this temple he should draw away a great number from them to himself. There had been also a certain ancient prediction made by a prophet, whose name was Isaiah, about six hundred years before, that this temple should be built by a man that was a Jew in Egypt. And this is the history of the building of that temple. Now Lupus, the governor of Alexandria, upon the receipt of Cæsar's *letter, came to the temple, and carried out of it some of the donations dedicated thereto, and shut up the temple itself. And as Lupus died a little afterward, Paulinus succeeded him. This man left none of these donatious there and threatened the priests severely, if they did not bring them all out. Nor did he permit any who were desirous of worshipping God there, so much as to come near the place. But when he had shut up the gates, he made it entirely inaccessible: insomuch that there remained no longer the least vestiges of any divine worship that had been in that place. Now the duration of the time from the building of this temple, till it was shut up again, was three hundred and forty-three years. CHAP. XI. CONCERNING JONATHAN, ONE OF THE SICARII, WHO STIRPED UP A SEDITION IN CYRENE; AND WAS A FALSE ACCUSER OF THE INNOCENT. NOW did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene. For one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither; and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to hearken to him. He also led them into the desert; upon promising them, that he would show them signs, and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them. But those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, the governor of the Libyan Pentapolis, of his march into the desert, and of the preparations he had made for it. So he sent out after *About A. D. 75. + Rather 223. |