Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

GENUINE WORKS

OF

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS,

THE

JEWISH HISTORIAN;

CONTAINING

TWENTY BOOKS OF THE JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, SEVEN BOOKS OF THE JEWISH WAR,

AND

THE LIFE OF JOSEPHUS.

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK, ACCORDING TO
HAVERCAMP'S ACCURATE EDITION.
TOGETHER WITHI

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS,

PARALLEL TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE; THE TRUE CHRONOLOGY OF THE SEVERAL HISTORIES; AN ACCOUNT OF THE JEWISH COINS, WEIGHTS, and MEASURES; AND A COMPLETE INDEX.

EMBELLISHED WITH SUPERB ENGRAVINGS.

BY THE LATE

WILLIAM WHISTON, M. A.

Professor of Mathematics in the University of Cambridge, &c. &c.

REVISED, AND ILLUSTRATED WITH NOTES,

BY THE REV. SAMUEL BURDER, A. M.

Of Clare Hall, Cambridge; Lecturer of the United Parishes of Christ Church, Newgate-street, and St. Leonard, Foster-lane, London; Chaplain to his Royal Highness the Duke of Kent; and Author of Oriental Customs, &c. &c.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

THE

JEWISH WAR.

BOOK II.

Containing an Interval of Sixty-nine Years.

CHAP. XVIII.

OF THE CALAMITIES AND SLAUGHTERS THAT CAME UPON THE JEWS.

NOW the people of Cæsarea had slain the Jews that were among them on the very same day and hour when the soldiers were slain. Which one would think must have come to pass by the direction of Providence. Insomuch that in one hour's time, above twenty thousand Jews were killed; and all Cæsarea was emptied of its Jewish inhabitants. For Florus caught such as ran away, and sent them in bonds to the galleys. Upon this stroke which the Jews received at Cæsarea, the whole nation was greatly enraged. So they divided themselves into several parties, and laid waste the villages of the Syrians, and their neighbouring cities, Philadelphia, Sebonitis, Gerasa, Pella, and Scythopolis; and after them Gadara, and Hippos. And falling upon Gaulanitis, they destroyed some cities there, and set others on fire; and then went to Kedasa, belonging to the Tyrians, and to Ptolemais, and to Gaba, and to Cæsarea. Nor was either *Sebaste, or Askelon able to oppose the violence with which they were attacked. And when they had burnt these to the ground, they entirely demolished Anthedon and Gaza. Many also of the villages that were about

* Samaria.

every one of these cities were plundered; and an immense slaughter was made of the men who were caught in them.

However, the Syrians equalled the Jews in the multitude of the men whom they slew. For they killed those whom they caught in their cities: and that not only out of the hatred they bare them, as formerly, but to prevent the danger under which they were from them, so that the disorders in all Syria were terrible; and every city was divided into two armies, encamped one against another. And the preservation of the one party was in the destruction of the other. So the day time was spent in shedding of blood; and the night in fear, which was of the two the more terrible. For when the Syrians thought they had ruined the Jews, they had the Judaizers in suspicion also. And as each side did not care to slay those whom they only suspected on the other, so did they greatly fear them, when they were mingled with the other, as if they were certainly foreigners. Greediness of gain was also a provocation to kill the opposite party, even to such as had formerly appeared very mild and gentle towards them. For they without fear plundered the effects of the slain, and carried off the spoils of those whom they slew to their own houses, as if they had been gained in a pitched battle. And he was a man of honour who got the greatest share, as having prevailed over the greatest number of his enemies. It was then common to see cities filled with dead bodies, still lying unburied; and those of old men, mixed with infants, all dead and scattered about together. Women also lay amongst them, without any covering. The whole province was indeed full of inexpressible calamities; while the dread of still more barbarous practices which were threatened, were every where greater than what had been already perpetrated. Thus far the conflict had been between Jews and foreigners. But when they made excursions to Scythopolis, they found Jews that acted as enemies. For as they stood in battle array with those of Scythopolis, and preferred their own safety before their relation to us, they fought against their own countrymen. Nay, their alacrity was so very great, that those of Scythopolis suspected them. These were afraid, therefore, lest they should make an assault upon the city in the night time; and to their great misfortune, should therefore make an apology for themselves to their

« PreviousContinue »