boldly out of the inner temple, and mixing themselves among the Idumeans, they attacked the guards; and fome of thofe that were upon the watch, but were fallen afleep, they killed as they were afleep: But as thofe that were now awakened made a cry, the whole multitude arole, and in the amazement they were in caught hold of their arms immediately, and betook themselves to their own defence; and fo long as they thought they were only the Zelotes who attacked them, they went on boldly, as hoping to overpower them by their numbers; but when they faw others preffing in upon them alfo, they perceived the Idumeans were got in; and the greatest part of them laid afide their arms, together with their courage, and betook themíelves to lamentations. But fome few of the younger fort covered themfelves with their armour, and valiantly received the Idumeans, and for a great while protected the multitude of old men. Others indeed gave a signal to thofe that were in the city of the calamities they were in; but when these were also made fenfible that the Idumeans were come in, none of them durft come to their affiftance, only they returned the terrible echo of wailing, and lamented their misfortunes. A great howling of the women was excited alfo, and every one of the guards were in danger of being killed. The Zelotes alfo joined in the fhouts raifed by the Idumeans; and the ftorm itself rendered the cry more terrible: Nor did the Idumeans fpare any body, for as they are naturally a moft barbarous and bloody nation, and had been diftreffed by the tempeft, they made ufe of their weapons against thofe that had fhut the gates against them and acted in the fame manner as to thofe that fupplicated for their lives, and to thofe that fought them, infomuch that they ran through those with their fwords, who defired them to remember the relation there was between them, and begged of them to have regard to their common temple. Now there was at prefent neither any place for flight, nor any hope of prefervation, but as they were driven one upon another in heaps, fo were they flain. Thus the greater part were driven together by force, as there was now no place of retirement and the murderers were upon them, and, having no other way, threw themfelves down headlong into the city; whereby, in my opinion, they underwent a more miferable destruction than that which they avoided, because that was a voluntary one. And now the outer temple was all of it overflowed with blood; and that day, as it caine on they faw eight thousand five hundred dead bodies there.

2. But the rage of the Idumeans was not fatiated by these flaughters; but they now betook themfelves to the city, and plundered every houfe, and flew every one they met; and for the other multitude they esteemed it needless to go on with killing them, but they fought for the high priests, and the generality went with the greateft zeal against them; and as loon as they caught them they flew them, and then landing upon

their dead bodies, in way of jeft, upbraided Ananus with his kindness to the people, and Jefus with his fpeech made to them from the wall. Nay, they proceeded to that degree of impiety, as to caft away their dead bodies without burial, although the Jews ufed to take fo much care of the burial of men, that they took down thofe that were condemned and crucified, and buried them before the going down of the fun. I fhould not miftake if I faid, that the death of Ananus was the beginning of the deftruction of the city, and that from this very day may be dated the overthrow of her wall, and the ruin of her affairs, whereon they faw their high prieft, and the procurer of their prefervation, flain in the midft of their city. He was on other accounts alfo a venerable, and a very just man; and befides the grandeur of that nobility, and dignity, and honour of which he was poffeffed, he had been a lover of a kind of parity, even with regard to the meaneft of the people; he was a prodigious lover of liberty, and an admirer of a democracy in government, and did ever prefer the public welfare before his own advantage, and preferred peace above all things; for he was thoroughly fenfible that the Romans were not to be conquered. He alfo forefaw that of neceffity a war would follow, and that unless the Jews made up matters with them very dexterously, they would be deftroyed; to fay all in a word, if Ananus had furvived they had certainly compounded matters; for he was a fhrewd man in fpeaking and perfuading the people, and had already gotten the maftery of those that oppofed his defigns, or were for the war. And the Jews had then put abundance of delays in the way of the Romans, if they had had fuch a general as he was. Jefus was also joined with him, and although he were inferior to him upon the comparifon, he was fuperior to the reft; and I cannot bnt think, that it was becaufe God had doomed this city to deftruction, as a polluted city, and was refolved to purge his fanctuary by fire, that he cut off these their great defenders and well wishers, while those that a little before had worn the facred garments, and had prefided over the public worship, and had been efteemed venerable by thofe that dwelt on the whole habitable earth when they came into our city, were caft out naked, and feen to be the food of dogs and wild beasts. And I cannot but imagine that virtue itself groaned at these mens cafe, and lamented that fhe was here fo terribly conquered by wickednels. And this at laft was the end of Ananus and Jefus.

3. Now after these were flain, the zealots and the multitude of the Idumeans fell upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals, and cut their throats; and for the ordinary fort, they were deftroyed in what place foever they caught them.

*

200μinn Sposa," or worldly worship," as the author to the Hebrews, alls the fanctuary, ayion Xoomixor, "a worldly fanctuary,"

But for the noblemen and the youth, they firft caught them and bound them, and fhut them up in prifon, and put off their flaughter, in hopes that fome of them would turn over to their party; but not one of them would comply with their defires, but all of them preferred death before being inrolled among fuch wicked wretches as acted against their own country. But this refufal of theirs brought upon them terrible torments; for they were fo fcourged and tortured, that their bodies were not able to fuftain their torments, till at length and with difficulty, they had the favour to be flain. Thofe whom they caught in the day time were flain in the night and then their bodies were carried out and thrown away, that there might be room for other prisoners; and the terror that was upon the people was fo great, that no one had courage enough either openly to weep for the dead man that was related to him, or to bury him; but thofe that were fhut up in their own houfes, could only fhed tears in fecret, and durft not even groan, without great caution, left any of their enemies fhould hear them; for it they did, thofe that mourned for others foon underwent the fame death with those whom they mourned for. Only in the night time they would take up a little duft. and throw it upon their bodies, and even fome that were the most. ready to expofe themfelves to danger, would do it in the daytime; and there were twelve thouland of the better fort who perifhed in this manner.

4. And now thefe Zelotes and Idumeans were quite weary of barely killing men, fo they had the impudence of fetting up fictitious tribunals and judicatures for that purpose; and as they intended to have * Zacharias, the fon of Baruch, one of the most eminent of the citizens, flain, fo what provoked them against him was, that hatred of wickednefs and love of liberty which were fo eminent in him: He was allo a rich man, fo

* Some commentators are ready to fuppofe, that this "Zacharias the fon of Baruch" here most unjustly flain by the Jews in the temple, was the very fame perfon with "Zacharias the fon of Barachias," whom our Saviour fays the Jews" flew between the temple and the altar," Mat. xxiii. 33. This is a fomewhat ftrange exposition. Since Zechariah the prophet was really" the fon of Barachia and grand-fon of Iddo," Zech. i. 1. and how he died, we have no other accounts than that before us in St. Matthew, while this "Zacharias was the fon of Baruch." Since the flaughter was past when our Saviour spake those words, the Jews had then already flain him, whereas this slaughter of "Zecharias the fon of Baruch," in Jofephus, was then about 34 years future. And fince that slaughter was "between the temple and the altar," in the court of the priests, one of the most facred and remote parts of the whole temple, while this was, in Jofephus's own words in the middle of the temple, and much the most probably in the court of Ifrael only, (for we have had no intimation that the Zelotes had at this time profaned the court of the priests. See B. ch. i. § 2) Nor do I believe that our Jo lephus, who always infifts on the peculiar facredness of that inmoft court, and of the holy houfe that was in it, would bave omitted fo material an aggravation of this barbarous murder, as perpetrated in a place so very holy, had that been the true place of it. See Antiq. B XI. chap. vii. § i. Vol. II. and the note here on B. V. ch. i. 2.

that by taking him off, they did not only hope to feize his effects, but also to get rid of a man that had great power to deftroy them. So they called together, by a public proclama. tion, feventy of the principal men of the populace, for a fhew, as if they were real judges, while they had no proper authority. Before thefe was Zacharias accufed of a defign to betray their polity to the Romans, and had traitorously fent to Verpafian for that purpose. Now there appeared no proof or fign of what he was accufed, but they affirmed themselves that they were well perfuaded that fo it was, and defired that such their affirmation might be taken for fufficient evidence. Now when Zacharias clearly faw that there was no way remaining for his escape from them, as having been treacherously called before them, and then put in prifon, but not with any intention of a legal trial, he took great liberty of speech in that defpair of his life he was under. Accordingly he ftood up, and laughed at their pretended accufation, and in a few words confuted the crimes laid to his charge; after which he turned his fpeech to his accufers, and went over diftinétly all their tranfgreffions of the law, and made heavy lamentation upon the confufion they had brought public affairs to; in the mean time the Zelotes grew tumultuous, and had much ado to abstain from drawing their fwords, although they defigned to preferve the appearance and fhew of a judicature to the end. They were alfo defirous, on other accounts, to try the judges, whether they would be unmindful of what was juft at their own peril. Now the feventy judges brought in their verdict, that the perfon accufed was not guilty, as choofing rather to die themselves with him, than to have his death laid at their doors; hereupon there arose a great clamour of the Zelotes upon his acquittal, and they all had indignation at the judges, for not understanding that the authority that was given them was but in jeft. So two of the boldeft of them fell upon Zacharias in the middle of the temple, and flew him; and as he fell down dead, they bantered him, and faid, "Thou haft alfo our verdict, and this will prove a more fure acquittal to thee than the other." They alfo threw him down from the temple immediately into the valley beneath it. Moreover, they ftruck the judges with the backs of their words, by way of abuse, and thrust them out of the court of the temple, and fpared their lives with no other defign than that, when they were difperfed among the people in the city, they might become their meffengers, to let them know they were no better than flaves.

5. But by this time the Idumeans repented of their coming and were difpleafed at what had been done; and when they were affembled together by one of the Zelotes, who had come privately to them he declared to them what a number of wicked pranks they had themselves done in conjunction with thofe that invited them, and gave a particular account of what mifchiefs had been done against their metropolis. He laid, VOL. III. LI

That" they had taken arms, as though the high-priests were betraying their metropolis to the Romans, but had found no indication of any fuch treachery; but that they had fuccoured those that had pretended to believe fuch a thing, while they did themselves the works of war and tyranny, alter an infolent manner. It had been indeed their bufinefs to have hindered them from fuch their proceedings at the first, but feeing they had once been partners with them in fhedding the blood of their own countrymen, it was high time to put a stop to fuch crimes, and not continue to afford any more affiftance to fuch as are fubverting the laws of their forefathers; for that if any had taken it ill that the gates had been fhut against them, and they had not been permitted to come into the city, yet that thofe who had excluded them have been punished, and Ananus is dead, and that almost all those people had been destroyed in one night's time. That one may perceive many of themselves now repenting for what they had done, and might fee the horrid barbarity of thofe that had invited them, and that they had no regard to fuch as had faved them; that they were fo impudent as to perpetrate the vileft things, under the eyes of thofe that had fupported them, and that their wicked actions would be laid to the charge of the Idumeans, and would be fo laid to their charge till fomebody obftructs their proceedings, or feparates himself from the fame wicked action; that they therefore ought to retire home, fmce the imputation of treafon appears to be a calumny, and that there was no expectation of the coming of the Romans at this time, and that the government of the city was fecured by fuch walls as cannot eafily be thrown down: And, by avoiding any farther fellowship with these bad men, to make fome excufe for themfelves, as to what they had been so far deluded, as to have been partners with them hitherto."

CHAP. VI

How the Zelotes, when they were freed from the Idumeans, flew a great many more of the Citizens. And how Vefpafian diffuaded the Romans, when they were very earnest to march a gainst the Jeus, from proceeding in the War at that time.

TH

HE Idumeans complied with thefe perfuafions, and in the first place, they fet thofe that were in the prifons at liberty, being about two thoufand of the populace, who thereupon fled away immediately to Simon, one whom we fhall speak of prefently. After which these Idumeans retired from Jerufalem, and went home, which departure of theirs was a great furprise to both parties; for the people not knowing of their repentance, pulled up their courage for a while, as eafed of fo many of their enemies, while the Zelotes grew