180

attacking, and having besieged it for forty days, he sacks it, and captures Josephus, who was general of Galilee and defending the said city. From there he proceeded against other forts and towns, and some were brought under the Romans by surrender, others by siege. And having already accomplished these things, he was preparing to engage the metropolis itself, which was in a bad state from the internal sedition of those within it, and had devolved into civil battles and mutual slaughters, and from this its fighting strength was being destroyed. But the news that Nero had been deposed from his autocratic rule, had secretly fled Rome, and had killed himself, checked Vespasian's advance. Then, learning that Galba had become 2.52 emperor, he sends Titus to him, both to greet him and to inquire what he commands concerning the Jews. While Titus was still on the way, Galba was also killed. Hearing this, Titus returns to his father. And because of the uncertainty concerning the Roman rule, they did not attempt the assault against Jerusalem, but remained quiet in Caesarea. When Galba was killed, Otho succeeded to the rule. But the legions in Germany proclaimed Vitellius emperor. Otho therefore sent forces and made war on Vitellius. When the dispatched forces were defeated, Otho killed himself. And Vitellius went to Rome with his armies; for Otho's men had already gone over to him. But Vespasian, sending forces, sacked also any remaining small towns of the Jews which had not yet been captured, so that only the city of Jerusalem was now left as a target for the Romans. But the affairs of the city were grievously sick, as has been said. For on the outside, Simon and his followers were more fearsome to the Jews than the Romans, while inside, those called the Zealots and their leader John were harsher than both the Romans and Simon. As the Zealots were treating those in the city with extreme violence, the people were forced to invite and bring Simon with his multitude into the city, thinking he would perhaps free them from the tyranny of the Zealots; but they unwittingly admitted a worse tyrant against themselves. While these things were happening in Jerusalem, Vitellius, having been proclaimed emperor, took possession of Rome. But when Vespasian learned this, he was not pleased, and he thought it unworthy to have Vitellius as master. The leaders of the legions with him, 2.53 and indeed the soldiers as well, came together and proclaimed Vespasian emperor. And he, being about to sail away, entrusted the siege of Jerusalem to his son Titus. He, gathering his forces, went toward Jerusalem, and having encamped thirty stadia away, from there he took six hundred of the chosen cavalry and went to reconnoiter the city and the morale of those within. But countless men rushed out of the city; and most of those with Titus, seeing the mad rush of the Jews, were checked from advancing further, but Titus, cut off with a few of the others, was surrounded in the midst of the enemy. And realizing that he was in danger, he turns his horse, and shouting to those around him to follow, he charges the Jews, and holding back his attackers with his sword, he makes it safely to the camp, with two of those who followed him having fallen. The next day, therefore, coming to Scopus, a place so named, seven stadia distant from the city, from which both the city and the temple are visible, he orders an encampment to be constructed. But as those in the city were always breaking into conflict with one another, the great war coming from without then brought a pause to their strife. The Jews therefore, running out of the city, fought against those constructing the camp and were harming their opponents, but were rather being harmed themselves. But when the war from without abated for a short while, the sedition within arose again. And John, having seized the temple by treachery with the Zealots, with many being killed, grew bold against Simon. 2.54 But Titus ordered the area from Scopus up to the wall to be leveled. And on the one hand

180

προσβαλών, καὶ ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα πολιορκήσας ἡμέρας, πορθεῖ μὲν αὐτήν, αἱρεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν ̓Ιώσηπον στρατηγοῦντα τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ τῆς εἰρημένης ὑπερμαχοῦντα πόλεως. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ καθ' ἑτέρων ἐχώρει φρουρίων καὶ πολισμάτων, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὁμολογίᾳ, τὰ δὲ πολιορκίᾳ ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίους πεποίητο. καὶ ταῦτα ηδη κατεργασάμενος ἡτοιμάζετο καὶ αὐτῇ προσμίξαι τῇ μητροπόλει, διακειμένῃ κακῶς ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους στασιάζειν τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ εἰς ἐμφυλίους ἐκκυλισθῆναι μάχας καὶ ἀλλήλων σφαγάς, κἀντεῦθεν τὸ μάχιμον διαφθείρεσθαι. ἐπέσχε δὲ τῷ Οὐεσπασιανῷ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀγγελθεὶς ὁ Νέρων τῆς αὐταρχίας ἐκπεπτωκὼς καὶ τῆς ̔Ρώμης λαθραίως ἐκδρὰς καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀνελών. ειτα Γάλβαν μαθὼν γενόμενον αὐ2.52 τοκράτορα, Τίτον πέμπει πρὸς αὐτόν, προσεροῦντά τε καὶ ο,τι περὶ ̓Ιουδαίων κελεύει πευσόμενον. ετι δὲ καθ' ὁδὸν οντος Τίτου καὶ ὁ Γάλβας ἀνῄρητο. οπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Τίτος πρὸς τὸν πατέρα παλινοστεῖ. καὶ διὰ τὸ περὶ τῆς ̔Ρωμαίων ἀρχῆς ἀμφίβολον οὐκ ἐπεχείρουν τῇ κατὰ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ προσβολῇ, ἀλλ' ἠρέμουν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ. Γάλβου δὲ ἀνῃρημένου Οθων τὴν ἀρχὴν διεδέξατο. τὰ δ' ἐν Γερμανίᾳ τυγχάνοντα τάγματα Οὐιτέλλιον ἀνηγόρευσαν αὐτοκράτορα. στείλας ουν Οθων ἐπολέμει Οὐιτελλίῳ. ἡττημένων δὲ τῶν ἀπεσταλμένων Οθων ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο. καὶ Οὐιτέλλιος εἰς ̔Ρώμην ἀπῄει σὺν τοῖς στρατεύμασιν· ηδη γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ τοῦ Οθωνος προσεχώρησαν. Οὐεσπασιανὸς δέ, ει τινα ησαν περίλοιπα τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων πολίχνια μήπω ἑαλωκότα, στείλας ἐπόρθει καὶ ταῦτα, ὡς μόνην ηδη τὴν τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων πόλιν σκοπὸν ̔Ρωμαίοις περιλιμπάνεσθαι. ἐνόσει δὲ δεινῶς, ὡς ειρηται, τὰ τῆς πόλεως. εξωθεν μὲν γὰρ ὁ Σίμων καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις ̔Ρωμαίων ἐτύγχανον φοβερώτεροι, ενδον δ' οἱ ζηλωταὶ καλούμενοι καὶ ὁ τούτων ἐξάρχων ̓Ιωάννης καὶ ̔Ρωμαίων ησαν καὶ τοῦ Σίμωνος χαλεπώτεροι. σφοδρότατα δὲ βιαζομένων τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει τῶν ζηλωτῶν, ἠναγκάσθησαν οἱ τοῦ δήμου τὸν Σίμωνα μετὰ τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν πλήθους εἰς τὴν πόλιν παρακαλοῦντες εἰσαγαγεῖν, ὡς τάχα τῆς τῶν ζηλωτῶν τυραννίδος αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξοντα· ελαθον δὲ χείρονα καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσδεξάμενοι τύραννον. τούτων δ' ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις πραττομένων Οὐιτέλλιος τὴν ̔Ρώμην κατέλαβεν αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναρρηθείς. Οὐεσπασιανῷ δὲ μαθόντι ταῦτα οὐκ ηρεσκε, καὶ ἀπηξίου δεσπότην εχειν τὸν Οὐιτέλλιον. οἱ δ' ἡγεμόνες τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ταγμάτων, 2.53 ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται συνελθόντες ἀναγορεύουσι τὸν Οὐεσπασιανὸν αὐτοκράτορα. Ὁ δὲ μέλλων ηδη ἐκπλεῖν τῷ υἱῷ Τίτῳ τὴν τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων πολιορκίαν ἀνέθετο. ος τὰς δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν ἀπῄει πρὸς τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, καὶ πρὸ τριάκοντα σταδίων ἐστρατοπεδευκώς, ἐκεῖθεν ἑξακοσίους τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ἱππέων παραλαβὼν ῃει τὴν πόλιν κατασκεψόμενος καὶ τὰ φρονήματα τῶν ἐντός. ἐπεκθέουσι δὲ τῆς πόλεως απειροι· καὶ οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι τῶν μετὰ Τίτου μανιώδη τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ὁρῶντες ἀνεκόπησαν τοῦ πρόσω χωρεῖν, ὁ Τίτος δὲ μετ' ὀλίγων τῶν αλλων ἀποτμηθεὶς εἰς μέσους τοὺς πολεμίους ἐμπεριείληπτο. καὶ γνοὺς ἐν κινδύνῳ τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, ἐπιστρέφει τὸν ιππον, καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐμβοήσας επεσθαι ἐμβάλλει τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις, καὶ τῷ ξίφει τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀναστέλλων ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον διασώζεται, δύο πεσόντων ἐκ τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ. Μεθ' ἡμέραν ουν ἐπὶ τὸν σκοπὸν ἐλθών, τόπος δ' ἐστὶν ουτω καλούμενος διέχων τῆς πόλεως σταδίους ἑπτά, οθεν η τε πόλις καὶ ὁ ναὸς καταφαίνεται, περιβαλέσθαι κελεύει στρατόπεδον. τῶν δ' ἐν τῇ πόλει συρρηγνυμένων ἀλλήλοις ἀεί, τότε πολὺς ἐπελθὼν ὁ εξωθεν πόλεμος τὴν εριν ἀνέπαυσεν. ἐμάχοντο ουν τοῖς βαλλομένοις στρατόπεδον οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι τῆς πόλεως ἐκτρέχοντες καὶ ἐκάκουν τοὺς ἐναντίους, μᾶλλον δ' ἐκακοῦντο αὐτοί. λωφήσαντος δὲ πρὸς βραχὺ τοῦ θύραθεν πολέμου, πάλιν τοῖς ενδον ἡ στάσις ἠγείρετο. καὶ δόλῳ τὸ ἱερὸν ὁ ̓Ιωάννης σὺν τοῖς ζηλωταῖς κατασχών, πολλῶν ἀναιρεθέντων, κατεθάρρει τοῦ Σίμωνος. 2.54 ̔Ο δὲ Τίτος ἐξομαλίσαι προσέταξε τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ σκοποῦ μέχρι τοῦ τείχους διάστημα. καὶ τὸ μὲν