month Gorpieus, [Elul]. It had been taken five* times before, though this was the fecond time of its defolation; for Shifhak the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and atter him Pompey, and after them Sofias and Herod took the city, but ftill preserved it; but before all thefe, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it defolate, one thousand four hundred and fixty-eight years and fix months after it was built. But he who first built it was a potent man among the Canaanites, and is in our tongue called [Melchifedeck), The Righteous King, for fuch he really was; on which account he was there the first prieft of God, and firft built a temple [there], and called the city Jerufalem, which was formerly called Salem. However, David, the king of the Jews, ejected the Canaanites, and fettled his own people therein. It was demolished entirely by the Babylonians, four hundred and feventy-leven years and fix months after him. And from king David, who was the firft of the Jews who reigned therein, to this destruction under Titus, were one thoufand one hundred and feventy-nine years; but from its firft building, till this laft deftruction, were two thousand one hundred seventy-feven years: Yet hath not its great antiquity, nor its vaft riches, nor the diffufion of its nation over all the habitable earth, nor the greatness of the veneration paid to it on a religious account, been fufficient to preferve it from being deftroyed. And thus ended the fiege of Jerufalem, • Befides these five here enumerated, who had taken Jerufalem of old, Jofephus, upon farther recollection, reckons a fixth, Antiq. B. XII. ch. i. § 1. Vol. II. who should have been here inferted in the fecond place, I mean Ptolemy, the son of Lagus. Why the great Bochart should fay, De Phoenic. Colon. B. II. ch. iv. That "there are in this claufe of Jofephus as many mistakes as words," I do by no means understand. Jofephus thought Melchifedek first built, or rather rebuilt and adorned this city, and that it was then called Salem, as Pfal. lxxxvi. 2. that it afterward came to be called Jerufalem; and that Melchifedek, being a prieft as well as a king, built to the true God therein a temple, or place for public divine worship and facrifice; all which things may be very true for ought we know to the contrary. And for the word sɛpov, or Temple, as if it muft needs belong to the Great Temple built by Solomon long afterward, Jofephus himself ufes vads, far the fmall tabernacles of Mofes, Antiq B III. ch. vi fect. 4 Vol. I. See alio Antiq B. III. ch. vi. fect. 1. as he here presently ufes spor, for a large and fplendid fynagogue of the Jews at Antioch, B. VII. ch. iii. lect. 3. N. B. This is the proper place for fuch as have clofely attended to these latter books, of the War, to perufe, and that with equal attention, thole dislinet and plain predictions of Jefus of Nazareth, in the gospels thereto relating, as compared with their exact completions in Jofephus's hiftory; upon which completions, as Dr. Whitby well obferves, Annot, on Matth. xxiv. 2 no fmall part of the evidence for the truth of the Christian religion does depend; and as I have, ftep by step, compared them together in my Literal Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies. The reader is to oblerve farther, that the true reason why I have so fe dom taken notice of thofe completions in the courfe of thele notes, notwithstanding their being fo very remarkable, and frequently so very obvious, is this, that I had entirely prevented myself in that treatife beforehand; to which therefore, I muft here, once for all, seriously refer every inquifitive reader. BOOK VII. Containing the Interval of about three years. [From the taking of Jerufalem by TITUS, to the Sedition of the Jews at Cyrene.] CHAP. I. How the entire City of Jerufalem was Demolished, excepting three Towers: And how Titus commended his Soldiers in a Speech made to them, and diftributed Rewards to them, and then difmiffed many of them. § 1. NOW WOW as foon as the army had no more people to flay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury, (for they would not have fpared any, had there remained any other fuch work to be done), Cæfar gave orders that they fhould now demolish the entire city and temple, but should leave as many of the towers ftanding as were of the greatest eminency, that is, Phafaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne, and fo much of the wall as inclofed the city on the weft fide. This wall was fpared, in order to afford a camp for fuch as were to lie in garrifon, as were the towers alfo fpared in order to demonftrate to pofterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valour had fubdued; but for all the reft of the wall, it was fo thoroughly laid even with the ground by thofe that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerufalem came to by the madnefs of thole that were for innovations; a city otherwife of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind. 2. But Cæfar refolved to leave there, as a guard, the tenth legion, with certain troops of horfemen, and companies of footmen. So, having entirely completed this war, he was defirous to commend his whole army on account of the great exploits they had performed, and to beftow proper rewards on fuch as had fignalized themselves therein. He had therefore a great 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 fo 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 fhewed 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 cour ageously undergone; as alle for that courage they had fhew ed, and had thereby augmented of themfelves their country's power, and had made it evident to all men, that neither the multitude of their enemies, nor the ftrength of their places, nor the largenefs of their cities, nor the rafh boldness and brutifh rage of their antagonists, were fufficient at any time to get clear of the Roman valour, although fome of them may have fortune in many refpects on their fide. He faid farther, that it was but reasonable for them to put an end to this war, now it had lasted so long, for they had nothing better to wifh 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 thofe for their governors, and the curators of their dominions, whom they had cholen for them, and had fent into their own country for that purpofe, which fill continued under the management of those whom they had pitched on, and were thankful to them for pitching upon them. That accordingly, although he did both admire and tenderly regard them all, becaufe he knew that every one of them had gone as cheerfully about their work, as their abilities and opportunities would give them leave; yet, he faid, that he would immediately beftow rewards and dignities on those that had fought the moft bravely, and with greater force, and had fignalized their conduct in the moft 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, fhould mifs of a juft retribution for the fame: 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-foldiers than punish fuch as had offended." 3. Hereupon Titus ordered thofe, whose business it was, to read the lift of all that had performed great exploits in this war, whom he called to him by their names, and commended them before the company, and rejoiced in them in the fame 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 fpears of gold, and enfigns that were made of filver, and removed every one of them to an higher rank; and befides this, he plentifully diftributed among them, out of the fpoils, and the other prey they had taken, filver, and gold, and garments. So when they had all thefe honours beftowed on them, according to his own appointment made to every one, and he had wifhed all forts of happiness to the whole army, he came down, among the great acclamations which were made to him, and then betook himfelf to offer thank-offerings [to the gods), and at once facrificed a vast number of oxen, that flood ready at the altars, and diftributed them among the army to feaft on. And when he had ftayed three days among the principal commanders, and fo long feafted with them, he lent away the reft of his army to the feveral places where they would be every one belt fituated; but permitted the tenth legion to ftay, as a guard at Jerufalem, and did not fend them away beyond Euphrates, where they had been before. And as he remembered that the twelfth legion had given way to the Jews, under Ceftius their general, he expelled them out of all Syria, for they had lain formerly at Raphanea, and fent them away to a place called Meletine, near Euphrates, which is in the limits of Armenia and Cappadocia He allo thought fit that two of the legions fhould tay with him, till he fhould go into Egypt. He then went down with his army to that Cefarea which lay by the fea-fide, and there laid up the reft of his fpoils in great quantities, and gave order that the captives fhould be kept there; for the winter fealon hindered them then from failing into Italy. CHAP. II. How Titus Exhibited alfo of Shews at Cefarea Philippi. Concerning Simon the Tyrant, how he was taken, and referved for the Triumph. NOW TOW at the fame time that Titus Cæfar lay at the fiege of Jerufalem, did Vespañan go on board a merchant-fhip, and failed from Alexandria to Rhodes; whence he failed away in thips with three rows of oars, and as he touched at feveral cities that lay in his road, he was joyfully received by them all, and fo paffed over from Ionia into Greece; whence he fet fail from Corcyra to the promontory of lapyx, whence he took his journey by land. But as for Titus, he marched from that Cefarea which lay by the feafide, and came to that which is named Cefarea Philippi, and ftaid there a confiderable time, and exhibited all forts of fhews there. And here a great number of the captives were destroyed, fome being thrown to wild beasts, and others in multitudes forced to kill one another, as if they were their enemies. And here it was that Titus was informed of the feizure of Simon the fon of Gioras, which was made after the manner following: This Simon, during the fiege of Jerufalem was in the upper city, but when the Roman army was gotten within the walls, and were laying the city waste, he then took the most faithful of his friends with him, and among them fome that were itone-cutters, with thofe iron tools which belonged to their occupation, and as great a quantity of provifions as would fuffice them for a long time, and let himfelt and all them down into a certain fubterraneous cavern that was not vifible above ground. Now, fo far as had been digged of old, they went onward along it without disturbance; but where they met with folid earth they dug a mine under ground, and this in hopes that they fhould be able to proceed fo far as to rife from under ground, in a fafe place, and by that means escape. But when they came to make the experiment, they were disappointed of their hope; for the miners could VOL. III. D 3 make but small progrefs, and that with difficulty alfo; infomuch that their provifions, though they diftributed them by measure, began to fail them. And now Simon thinking he might be able to aftonifh and delude the Romans, put on a white frock, and buttoned upon him a purple cloak. and appeared out of the ground in the place where the temple had formerly been. At the firft, indeed, thofe that faw him were greatly aftonifhed, and they stood ftill where they were; but afterward they came nearer to him, and asked him who he was? Now Simon would not tell them, but bid them call for their captain; and when they ran to call him, Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army there, came to Simon, and learned of him the whole truth, and kept him in bonds and let Cæfar know that he was taken. Thus did God bring this man to be punished for what bitter and favage tyranny he had exercised against his countrymen, by those who were his worst enemies; and this while he was not fubdued by violence, but voluntarily delivered himself up to them to be punished, and that on the very fame account that he had laid falfe accufations against many Jews, as if they were falling away to the Romans, and had barbaroufly flain them; for wicked actions do not efcape the divine anger, nor is juf tice too weak to punish offenders, but in time overtakes those that tranfgrefs its laws, and inflicts its punishments upon the wicked in a manner fo much more fevere, as they expected to escape it on account of their not being punished immediately . Simon was made fenfible of this by falling under the indignation of the Romans. This rife of his out of the ground did alfo occafion the discovery of a great number of others of the feditious at that time, who had hidden themselves under ground. But for Simon. he was brought to Cæfar in bonds, when he was come back to that Cefarea which was on the fea fide: Who gave orders that he should be kept against that triumph which he was to celebrate at Rome upon this occafion. CHA P. III. How Titus, upon the Celebration of his Brother's and Father's Birth-days, had many of the Jews flain. Concerning the Danger the Jews were in at Antioch by means of the Transgreffon and Impiety of one Antiochus a Jew. §1. WHILE Titus was at Cefarea, he folemnized the birth-day of his brother [Domitian] after a fplendid manner, and inflicted a great deal of the punishment intended *This Terentius Rufus, as Reland in part obferves here, is the fame perfor whom the Talmudifls call Turnus Rufus, of whom they relate, that "he ploughed up Sion as a field, and made Jerufalem become as heaps, and the mountain of the houfe as the high place of a forest ;" which was long before foretold by the prophet Micah, iii. 12. and quoted from him in the prophecies of Jeremiah, xxvi. 1. 8. + See Ecclef. viii, 12. |