the wars of the jews-第128章

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man　army　for　their　destruction。　But　even　this　interpretation　has　but　a　very　small　degree　of　probability。　If　I　were　to　make　an　emendation　by　mere　conjecture；　I　would　read　instead　of；　though　the　likeness　be　not　so　great　as　in　lo；　because　that　is　the　word　used　by　Josephus　just　before；　as　has　been　already　noted　on　this　very　occasion；　while；　an　arrow　or　dart；　is　only　a　poetical　word；　and　never　used　by　Josephus　elsewhere；　and　is　indeed　no　way　suitable　to　the　occasion；　this　engine　not　throwing　arrows　or　darts；　but　great　stones；　at　this　time。

（16）　Josephus　supposes；　in　this　his　admirable　speech　to　the　Jews；　that　not　Abraham　only；　but　Pharaoh　king　of　Egypt；　prayed　towards　a　temple　at　Jerusalem；　or　towards　Jerusalem　itself；　in　which　were　Mount　Sion　and　Mount　Moriah；　on　which　the　tabernacle　and　temple　did　afterwards　stand；　and　this　long　before　either　the　Jewish　tabernacle　or　temple　were　built。　Nor　is　the　famous　command　given　by　God　to　Abraham；　to　go　two　or　three　days'　journey；　on　purpose　to　offer　up　his　son　Isaac　there；　unfavorable　to　such　a　notion。

（17）　Note　here；　that　Josephus；　in　this　his　same　admirable　speech；　calls　the　Syrians；　nay；　even　the　Philistines；　on　the　most　south　part　of　Syria；　Assyrians；　which　Reland　observes　as　what　was　common　among　the　ancient　writers。　Note　also；　that　Josephus　might　well　put　the　Jews　in　mind；　as　he　does　here　more　than　once；　of　their　wonderful　and　truly　miraculous　deliverance　from　Sennacherib；　king　of　Assyria；　while　the　Roman　army；　and　himself　with　them；　were　now　encamped　upon　and　beyond　that　very　spot　of　ground　where　the　Assyrian　army　lay　seven　hundred　and　eighty　years　before；　and　which　retained　the　very　name　of　the　Camp　of　the　Assyrians　to　that　very　day。　See　chap。　7。　sect。　3；　and　chap。　12。　sect。　2。

（18）　This　drying　up　of　the　Jerusalem　fountain　of　Siloam　when　the　Jews　wanted　it；　and　its　flowing　abundantly　when　the　enemies　of　the　Jews　wanted　it；　and　these　both　in　the　days　of　Zedekiah　and　of　Titus；　（and　this　last　as　a　certain　event　well　known　by　the　Jews　at　that　time；　as　Josephus　here　tells　them　openly　to　their　faces；）　are　very　remarkable　instances　of　a　Divine　Providence　for　the　punishment　of　the　Jewish　nation；　when　they　were　grown　very　wicked；　at　both　those　times　of　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem。

（19）　Reland　very　properly　takes　notice　here；　how　justly　this　judgment　came　upon　the　Jews；　when　they　were　crucified　in　such　multitudes　together；　that　the　Romans　wanted　room　for　the　crosses；　and　crosses　for　the　bodies　of　these　Jews；　since　they　had　brought　this　judgment　on　themselves　by　the　crucifixion　of　their　Messiah。

（20）　Josephus；　both　here　and　before；　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　4；　esteems　the　land　of　Sodom；　not　as　part　of　the　lake　Asphaltiris；　or　under　its　waters；　but　near　it　only；　as　Tacitus　also　took　the　same　notion　from　him；　Hist。　V。　ch。　6。　7；　which　the　great　Reland　takes　to　be　the　very　truth；　both　in　his　note　on　this　place；　and　in　his　Palestina；　tom。　I。　p。　254…258；　though　I　rather　suppose　part　of　that　region　of　Pentapolis　to　be　now　under　the　waters　of　the　south　part　of　that　sea；　but　perhaps　not　the　whole　country。

　　　BOOK　VI。　　　　　　　　　　Containing　The　Interval　Of　About　One　Month。　　　　　　　From　The　Great　Extremity　To　Which　The　Jews　Were　Reduced　To　The　Taking　Of　Jerusalem　By　Titus。　　　　　　　CHAPTER　1。　　　　　　　THAT　THE　MISERIES　STILL　GREW　WORSE；　AND　HOW　THE　ROMANS　MADE　AN　ASSAULT　UPON　THE　TOWER　OF　ANTONIA。　　　　1。　Thus　did　the　miseries　of　Jerusalem　grow　worse　and　worse　every　day；　and　the　seditious　were　still　more　irritated　by　the　calamities　they　were　under；　even　while　the　famine　preyed　upon　themselves；　after　it　had　preyed　upon　the　people。　And　indeed　the　multitude　of　carcasses　that　lay　in　heaps　one　upon　another　was　a　horrible　sight；　and　produced　a　pestilential　stench；　which　was　a　hinderance　to　those　that　would　make　sallies　out　of　the　city；　and　fight　the　enemy：　but　as　those　were　to　go　in　battle…array；　who　had　been　already　used　to　ten　thousand　murders；　and　must　tread　upon　those　dead　bodies　as　they　marched　along；　so　were　not　they　terrified；　nor　did　they　pity　men　as　they　marched　over　them；　nor　did　they　deem　this　affront　offered　to　the　deceased　to　be　any　ill　omen　to　themselves；　but　as　they　had　their　right　hands　already　polluted　with　the　murders　of　their　own　countrymen；　and　in　that　condition　ran　out　to　fight　with　　foreigners；　they　seem　to　me　to　have　cast　a　reproach　upon　God　himself；　as　if　he　were　too　slow　in　punishing　them；　for　the　war　was　not　now　gone　on　with　as　if　they　had　any　hope　of　victory；　for　they　gloried　after　a　brutish　manner　in　that　despair　of　deliverance　they　were　already　in。　And　now　the　Romans；　although　they　were　greatly　distressed　in　getting　together　their　materials；　raised　their　banks　in　one　and　twenty　days；　after　they　had　cut　down　all　the　trees　that　were　in　the　country　that　adjoined　to　the　city；　and　that　for　ninety　furlongs　round　about；　as　I　have　already　related。　And　truly　the　very　view　itself　of　the　country　was　a　melancholy　thing；　for　those　places　which　were　before　adorned　with　trees　and　pleasant　gardens　were　now　become　a　desolate　country　　every　way；　and　its　trees　were　all　cut　down：　nor　could　any　foreigner　that　had　formerly　seen　Judea　and　the　most　beautiful　suburbs　of　the　city；　and　now　saw　it　as　a　desert；　but　lament　and　mourn　sadly　at　so　great　a　change：　for　the　war　had　laid　all　the　signs　of　beauty　quite　waste：　nor　if　any　one　that　had　known　the　place　before；　had　come　on　a　sudden　to　it　now；　would　he　have　known　it　again；　but　though　he　were　at　the　city　itself；　yet　would　he　have　inquired　for　it　notwithstanding。　　　　2。　And　now　the　banks　were　finished；　they　afforded　a　foundation　for　fear　both　to　the　Romans　and　to　the　Jews；　for　the　Jews　expected　that　the　city　would　be　taken；　unless　they　could　burn　those　banks；　as　did　the　Romans　expect　that；　if　these　were　once　burnt　down；　they　should　never　be　able　to　take　it；　for　there　was　a　mighty　scarcity　of　materials；　and　the　bodies　of　the　soldiers　began　to　fail　with　such　hard　labors；　as　did　their　souls　faint　with　so　many　instances　of　ill　success；　nay；　the　very　calamities　themselves　that　were　in　the　city　proved　a　greater　discouragement　to　the　Romans　than　those　within　the　city；　for　they　found　the　fighting　men　of　the　Jews　to　be　not　at　all　mollified　among　such　their　sore　afflictions；　while　they　had　themselves　perpetually　less　and　less　hopes　of　success；　and　their　banks　were　forced　to　yield　to　the　stratagems　of　the　enemy；　their　engines　to　the　firmness　of　their　wall；　and　their　closest　fights　to　the　boldness　of　their　attack；　and；　what　was　their　greatest　discouragement　of　all；　they　found　the　Jews'　courageous　souls　to　be　superior　to　the　multitude　of　the　miseries　they　were　under；　by　their　sedition；　their　famine；　and　the　war　itself；　insomuch　that　they　were　ready　to　imagine　that　the　violence　of　their　attacks　was　invincible；　and　that　the　alacrity　they　showed　would　not　be　discouraged　by　their　calamities；　for　what　would　not　those　be　able　to　bear　if　they　should　be　fortunate；　who　turned　their　very　misfortunes　to　the　improvement　of　their　valor！　These　considerations　made　the　Romans　to　keep　a　stronger　guard　about　their　banks　than　they　formerly　had　done。　　　　3。　But　now　John　and　his　party　took　care　for　securing　themselves　afterward；　even　in　case　this　wall　should　be　thrown　down；　and　fell　to　their　work　before　the　battering　rams　were　brought　against　them。　Yet　did　they　not　compass　what　they　endeavored　to　do；　but　as　they　were　gone　out　with　their　torches；　they　came　back　under　great　discouragement　before　they　came　near　to　the　banks；　and　the　reasons　were　these：　that；　in　the　first　place；　their　conduct　did　not　seem　to　be　unanimous；　but　they　went　out　in　distinct　parties；　and　at　distinct　intervals；　and　after　a　slow　manner；　and　timorously；　and；　to　say　all　in　a　word；　without　a　Jewish　courage；　for　they　were　now　defective　in　what　is　peculiar　to　our　nation；　that　is；　in　boldness；　in　violence　of　assault；　and　in　running　upon　the　enemy　all　together；　and　in　persevering　in　what　they　go　about；　though　they　do　not　at　first　succeed　in　it；　but　they　now　went　out　in　a　more　languid　manner　than　usual；　and　at　the　same　time　found　the　　Romans　set　in　array；　and　more　courageous　than　ordinary；　and　that　they　guarded　their　banks　both　with　their　bodies　and　their　entire　armor；　and　this　to　such　a　degree　on　all　sides；　that　they　left　no　room　for　the　fi