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and what country they seized upwhat country they travelled over, on afterward, and how they were removed out of them, I think this not to be a fit opportunity, and on other accounts also superfluous ; and this because many Jervs before me have composed the histories of our ancestors very exactly; as have some of the Greeks done it also, and have translated our histories into their own tongue, and But then, have not much mistaken the truth in their historics,

where the writers of these affairs, and our prophets, leave off thence shall I take my rise, and begin my history. Now as to what concerns that war which happened in my own time, I will go over it very largely, and with all the diligence I am able; but for what preceded mine own age, that I shall run over briefly.

7. [For example, I shall relate] how Antiochus, who was named EPIPHANES, took Jerusalem by force, and held it three years and three months, and was then ejected out of the country by the sons of Asmoneus; after that, how their posterity quarrelled about the government, and brought upon their settlement the Romans and Pompey; how Herod also, the son of Antipater, dissolved their government, and brought Sosius upon them; as also how our people made a sedition upon Herod's death, while Augustus was the Roman emperor, and Quintilius Varus was in that country; and how the war broke out in the twelfth year of Nero, with what hapfened to Cestius; and what places the Jews assaulted in an hostile manner in the first sallies of the war.

8. As also, [I shall relate] how they built walls about the neighboring cities; and how Nero, upon Cestius's defeat, was in fear of the entire event of the war, and thereupon made Vespasian general in this war; and how this Vespasian with the elder of his sons, made an expedition into the country of Judea ; what was the number of the Roman army that he made use of; and how many of his auxiliaries were cut off in all Galilee; and how he took some of its cities entirely, and by force, and others of them by treaty, and on Now when I am come so far I shall describe the good order of the Romans in war, and the discipline of their legions; the amplitude of both the Galilees, with its nature, and the limits of Judea. And besides this I shall particularly go over what is peculiar to the country, the lakes and fountains that are in them, and what miseries happened to every city as they were taken; and all this with accuracy as I saw the things done, or suffered in them. For I shall not conceal any of the calamities I myself endured, since I shall relate them to such as know the truth of them.

terms.

9. After this, [I shall relate] how, when the Jews' affairs were become very bad, Nero died, and Vespasian, when he was going to atjack Jerusalem, was called back to take the government upon him;

*Titus.

what signs happened to him relating to bis gaining that government, and what mutations of government then happened at Rome, and how he was unwillingly made emperor by his soldiers, and how upon bis departure to Egypt, to take upon him the government of the empires the affairs of the Jews became very tumultuous; as also bow the tyrants rose up against them, and fell into dissentions amongst themselves.

10. Moreover, [I shall relate] how Titus marched out of Egypt into Judea, the second time; as also how, and where, and how many forces he got together; and in what state the city was by the means of the seditious at bis coming; what attacks he made, and how many ramparts be cast up; of the three walls that encompassed the city, and of their measures; of the strength of the city and the structure of the temple, and boly house; and besides, the measures of those edifices, and of the altar, and all accurately determined. A description also of certain of their festivals, and seven* purifications of purity, and the sacred ministrations of the priests, with the garments of the priests, and of the bigh priests; and of the nature of the most holy place of the temple, without concealing any thing, or adding any thing to the known truth of things.

11. After this, I shall relate the barbarity of the tyrants towards the people of their own nation, as well as the indulgence of the Romans in sparing foreigners; and how often Titus, out of his desire to preserve the city and the temple, invited the seditious to come to terms of accommodation. I shall also distinguish the sufferings of the people and their calamities; how far they were afflicted by the sedition, and bow far by the famine, and at length were taken. Nor shall lomit to mention the misfortunes of the disserters, nor the punishments inflicted on the captives; as also how the temple was burnt, against the consent of Cæsar, and how many sacred things that had been laid up in the temple were snatched out of the fire; and the destruction also of the entire city, with the signs and wonders that went before it; and the taking the tyrants captives, and the multitude of those that were made slaves, and into what different misfortunes they were every one distributed. Moreover, what the Romans did to the remains of the war; and how they demolished the strong holds that were in the country; and how Titus went over the whole country, and settled its affairs; together with his return into Italy, and bis triumph.

These seven or rather five degreesof purity, or purification, are enumerated hereafter, B. V. ch. v. sect. 6.Vol. III. The Rabbins make ten degrees of them, as Reland there informs us.

12. I have comprehended all these things in seven books; and have left no occasion for complaint or accusation to such as have been acquainted with this war; and I have written it down for the sake of those that love truth, but not for those that please themselves [with fictitious relations.] And I will begin my account of these things, with what I call my First Chapter.

THE

WORKS

OF

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS,

CONTAINING

THE WARS OF THE JEWS;

OR, THE HISTORY OF THE
DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM.

BOOK I.

Containing the interval of one hundred fixty-feven years.

[From the taking of JERUSALEM by ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, to the death of HEROD the Great.]

CHAP. I.

How the City Jerufalem was taken, and the Temple pillaged [by Antiochus Epiphanes. As alfo concerning the Actions of the Maccabees, Matthias, and Judas; and concerning the Death of Judas.

§ 1. AT the fame time that Antiochus who is called Epiph

anes, had a quarrel with the fixth Ptolemy about his right to the whole country of Syria, a great fedition fell among the men of power in Judea, and they had a contention about obtaining the government; while each of those that were of dignity could not endure to be fubject to their equals. However, Onias, one of the high-priests got the better, and caft the fons of Tobias out of the city; who fled to Antiochus, and befought him to make ufe of them for his leaders, and to make an expedition into Judea. The king being thereto difpofed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army and took their city by force, and flew a great multitude of thofe that favoured Ptolemy, and fent out his foldiers to plunder them without mercy. He al fo fpoiled the temple, and put a flop to the conftant practice of offering a daily facrifice of expiation for three years and fix months. But Onias the high-prieft fled to Ptolemy, and VOL. III.

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received a place from him in the Nomus of Heliopolis, where he built a city refembling Jerufalem, and a temple that was like its temple; concerning which we shall speak more in its proper place hereafter.

2. Now Antiochus was not fatisfied either with his unexpect ed taking the city, or with its pillage, or with the great flaughter he had made there; but being overcome with his violent paffions, and remembering what he had fuffered during the fiege, he compelled the Jews to diffolve the laws of their country, and to keep their infants uncircumcifed, and to facrifice fwines flefh upon the altar; against which they all oppofed themfelves, and the most approved among them were put to death. Bacchides alfo, who was fent to keep the fortreffes, having these wicked commands joined to his own natural barbarity, indulged all forts of the extremeft wickednefs, and tormented the worthieft of the inhabitants, man by man, and threatened the city every day with open deftruction; till at length he provoked the poor fufferers by the extremity of his wicked doings to avenge themfelves.

3. Accordingly Matthias, the fon of Afamoneus, one of the priefts who lived in a village called Modin, armed himself, together with his own family, which had five fons of his in it, and flew Bacchides with daggers; and thereupon out of tear of the many garrifons [of the enemy, he fled to the mountains; and fo many of the people followed him, that he was encouraged to come down froin the mountains, and to give battle to Antiochus's generals, when he beat them and drove them out of Judea. So he came to the government by this his fuccefs, and became the prince of his own people by their own free confent, and then died, leaving the government to Judas his eldeft fon.

4. Now Judas, fuppofing that Antiochus would not lie ftill, gathered an army out of his own countrymen, and was the first that made a league of friendship with the Romans, and drove Epiphanes out of the country when he had made a fecond expedition into it, and this by giving him a great defeat there; and when he was warmed by this great fuccefs, he made an affault upon the garrifon that was in the city, for it had not been cut off hitherto; fo he ejected them out of the Upper City, and drove the foldiers into the Lower, which part of the city was called the Citadel. He then got the temple under his power, and cleanfed the whole place, and walled it round about, and made new veffels for facred miniftrations, and brought them into the temple, because the former

Onias,

I fee little difference in the feveral accounts in Jofephus about the Egyptian temple Onion, of which large complaints are made by his commentators. it feems, hoped to have made it very like that at Jerufalem, and of the fame dimentions; and to he appears to have really done, as far as he was able, and thought proper. Of this temple, fee Antiq. B. XIII. chap. iii. § 1, 2, 3. Voi. II. and Of the War, B. VII. ch. x. § 3.

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