82

CIVIL WAR IN JERUSALEM.

At midnight, however, some of the most daring Zealots stole out of the Temple, and, concealed by the storm and darkness, passed the unwatchful guards posted by Ananus, and opened a gate for their allies. Their first work was to destroy a body of 6000 soldiers, who were stationed in the cloisters to prevent the Zealots from coming into the city; and that terrible night, amidst the raging of the storm, the court of the Temple was deluged with blood, and in the morning 8500 dead bodies were counted. Nor did the slaughter end there; for the next day the Idumeans rushed into the city, pillaging wherever they went. The chief priests were put to death, and their bodies left to the birds of prey. Ananus fell among the rest: and Josephus says, that the ruin of Jerusalem may be dated from this terrible night. Twelve thousand of the noblest of the peace party perished by the sword of the Idumeans; many were cruelly scourged and tortured, and the dead bodies remained unburied in the streets. At length, to the surprise of both parties, most of the Idumeans withdrew from the city, as if tired of their bloody work; but the insatiable Zealots went on in the same course of lawless iniquity. Death was their punishment for every offence, whether real or imaginary; and their victims were commonly the rich and noble. But another domestic enemy soon completed the misery of the condemned city. Simon, son of Gioras, who had led the party that overtook Cestius, had since that period gathered a strong body of armed men, and encouraged them in wasting the country. He was at first driven away from Jerusalem by the Zealots, and sought revenge by turning into Idumea, where his army of 40,000 men did such a work of destruction, that it was said, like the locusts, they left no sign of vegetation behind them.

In the spring of A.D. 69, Simon laid siege to Jerusalem, and the Roman cavalry were ordered to keep back, that the Jews might be weakened by civil war. The citizens appeared now to stand between two fires; Simon without, and John in possession of the Temple within. But at length the followers of the latter were divided, as the Idumeans who still remained with him became jealous of his kingly power, and agreed with the opposite party to admit Simon, in order to humble his pride.

Matthias, the high priest, a man of weak judgment, went in person to invite the fierce chief to come in; and, amidst the joyful shouts of the populace, Simon took possession of the upper city.

THREE RIVAL CHIEFS.

83

Jerusalem was now divided into three distinct garrisons of soldiers, most fierce in their enmity against each other, and Eleazar, John, and Simon were the three rival chiefs.

Eleazar, who was the first to proclaim war with Rome, by refusing the imperial offerings, occupied the inner court of the Temple. A party of Zealots, in number 2400, were attached to his interest; and the flour, wine, oil, &c., stored up in the Temple for sacred uses, were freely used for their support. Sometimes, in the excitement of intoxication, they would venture forth to fight with John's soldiers who occupied the outer court. Stones and arrows were constantly discharged by both parties, and the pavement of the courts was strewn with dead bodies. The arms of the Zealots, stained with the blood of their brethren, rested in the holiest; and many of them, wounded by those without, died beside the altar. Simon attacked John's party on the other side; but his assaults were easily repelled, as the high position of the Temple commanded the upper city. John had many destructive engines in his possession; and in using them against his enemies, above and below, many were slain who persevered in coming up to offer the customary sacrifices in the appointed place. Strangers were permitted to come in to worship without examination; but the citizens were searched, for fear of concealed weapons. And although the stone or the arrow often laid the worshippers dead in the midst of their services, the devout Jews still continued to ask permission to visit this dangerous place. Whenever John perceived that Eleazar's men were overcome by sleep or intemperance, he sallied forth against Simon, and plundered the city; and it was in order to disappoint him in these expeditions, that Simon caused the large granaries to be burned, which might have supplied the citizens for years. The troops of Simon consisted of 10,000 Jews, aided by 5000 Idumeans; and John, who had only 6000, usually kept close to his stronghold in the Temple. The three fierce leaders only agreed in persecuting the citizens, and in punishing every one whom they suspected of wishing well to the Roman army. The people were obliged to suffer in silence; for every complaint was interpreted as an expression of desire for the speedy arrival of the Romans. In these dreadful circumstances, hardness of heart marked all classes: the nearest relations seemed to have no feeling for each other; and even the dead were left unburied. Religious superstition alone survived,

84

SUDDEN FORMATION OF THE SIEGE.

and none of John's iniquities were so loudly condemned by the public, as the use he made of the cedars Agrippa had given for the improvement of the Temple, in the construction of some military towers.

It was in April, A.D. 69, that the Jews poured in from all quarters, to keep the last Passover that was ever held by their nation; and the suddenness of the approach of Titus from Cæsarea, with the immediate formation of the siege, allowed no time for the escape of this multitude to their homes in the country. From the calculation of the number of lambs sacrificed on other occasions, and reckoning on an average ten persons to each lamb, there must have been more than three millions of people enclosed within the walls of Jerusalem at this time.

f

Four of the strongest legions, with their Arabian and Syrian allies, were led by Titus through Samaria, and encamped in a plain called the Valley of Thorns, about four miles from the city. Titus went forward with six hundred horsemen, to fix upon the most suitable point to make the first attack; and as he had no thought of danger, he rode without helmet or breastplate. All appeared perfectly still; but as he passed round the walls, a side gate was suddenly opened, and thousands of Jews burst forth, encouraging one another to seize the inestimable prize. But Titus boldly cut his way through them, and all seemed to be so astonished at his bravery, that they fell back, and let the horsemen pass. Not a single arrow touched the Cæsar, but one of his followers, who had dismounted, was surrounded, and pierced with javelins, and his horse led into the city in triumph. The Jews boldly declared Cæsar himself had been seen to fly, and many indulged the hope of final victory.

Eleazar, John, and Simon now felt the necessity of uniting together against their common enemy: and from this time they ceased to fight with each other, and only thought of rivalry in furious hatred of the Romans. The day following, the legions approached within a mile of the city, and one was encamped at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The Jewish chiefs made the first attack upon them when they were unarmed and busily employed in digging a trench. The battle lasted the whole day, and Titus again narrowly escaped destruction; but the Jews were at length driven back into the city.

The whole space between the Roman armies and the walls

FORTIFICATIONS OF JERUSALEM.

85

was occupied by beautiful gardens and orchards, now in the fresh beauty of spring; these were divided by stone walls and water-courses, and here and there the scene was varied by deep shady glens and rugged masses of rock. All was soon reduced by the labour of the besiegers to a barren level; but, during this work, many of the legionaries were killed or wounded by the Jews.

Jerusalem was at this time fortified by three walls, except on the side where it was defended by steep rocky ravines, and even there one wall had been built. Josephus reckons that the city was rather more than four miles in circumference, and shows that the Romans had, as it were, the labour of taking four distinct cities instead of one, such was the artful construction of its fortifications. The first wall was seventeen feet and a half broad, and nearly forty-five feet high; and when this was forced, only Bezetha, the new part of the city, was laid open. The second wall only defended a part of the lower city, and, if that were broken up, the upper city with the Temple and citadel Antonia would not be in the least weakened. Ninety strong towers defended the first wall, fourteen were on the second, and sixty stood in the third. That called Psephina, before which Titus encamped, was an octagonal building, one hundred and twenty-two feet and a half high, commanding a fine view of the whole of Judea. The tower Hippicus, before which another part of the army was posted, was one hundred and forty feet in height. The towers built by Herod, and called after the names of his wife and his friend, Mariamne and Phasaelis, were still more magnificent buildings. Phasaelis was the chosen palace of Simon; it stood on the wall of Zion, or the upper city, and was one hundred and sixty seven feet high, including the battlements and pinnacles. Mariamne was about half the height, but fitted up in a more costly and luxurious manner. The large blocks of marble of which these towers were built, were so nicely fitted together, that it seemed as if they had risen out of the quarry entire. The fortress Antonia, and the Temple, before described, rose high above the whole city. Such was Jerusalem when it defied, not only the powers of the Romans, but the word of the Lord, by which it was expressly declared, that, of the temple buildings, not one stone should be left upon another that should not be thrown down. And, again, "The days shall come when thine enemies shall cast a trench about

thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the day of thy visitation (Luke xix. 41-44).

The fulfilment of these predictions we are about to consider.

CHAP. XV.

SIEGE OF JERUSALEM. THE HORRORS OF FAMINE.-THE CURSES THREATENED BY THE LAW.-SUFFERINGS OF THE JEWS.SIEGE OF THE TEMPLE.-ITS DESTRUCTION BY FIRE.

As the day of assault approached, the citizens of Jerusalem were relieved from their enemies within the walls, whom they dreaded far more than the enemies without. The Roman engines at length came within reach of the walls, and huge pieces of rock thrown from them crushed whole ranks of Jews; whilst others, called the helepolei, or takers of cities, battered against the wall in three places. The Jews answered with shouts of terror; and the soldiers of John and Simon fought side by side, some trying to burn these terrible machines, others to destroy the engineers. But, notwithstanding their extraordinary valour, they could not prevent the mischief done by the helepolei; and one, which they called Nico (the victorious), seemed to beat down everything before it, and was made to work night and day. When the first wall began to totter, they resolved to give up the defence of Bezetha, for the defenders were tired of spending the nights so far from their own homes in the city; and with one accord they retreated within the second wall, and left the suburb to the Romans.

Titus immediately entered, and his camp spread from Bezetha to the brook Cedron. That very night the second wall was attacked, and the conflict was most terrible, for the Jews seemed entirely careless of their own lives, and readily sacrificed themselves in order to kill one of their enemies. On the fifth day, however, they were obliged to give up the defence, and Titus entered at the breach with a thousand chosen

men.

The part of the lower city left exposed, contained the streets