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When the fire had advanced fifteen cubits, the Jews cut off the roof. But the rebels throughout the temple also openly attacked the soldiers on the earthworks, and defended themselves with tricks. And because of the famine an immense number of people were dying. And sufferings still befell the survivors, both dreadful to relate and incredible to those who hear them; of which I will relate one. A certain woman from beyond the Jordan, not undistinguished because of her family and wealth, having fled to Jerusalem, was besieged along with the others. When she often procured food for herself, the robbers in the city would plunder it. But she, indignant at these things, and driven by both anger and famine, having slaughtered and roasted the infant child she had, ate one part, and kept the rest for a second meal. But the rebels, when the smell reached them, came at once, and threatened to kill her if she did not give them what had been prepared. But she uncovered the remains of the child; and they were both astounded at the sight and shuddered, and trembling they withdrew, reluctantly for the time being conceding this food to the mother. And when the earthworks were now completed, the battering-rams were brought up; but they accomplished nothing on account of the wall's solidity. And others were undermining the foundations; and not even so was the wall shaken down. Therefore, despairing of other means, they brought ladders to the porticoes. The Jews did not manage to prevent them, but falling upon those who had ascended, they fought; and there was no small slaughter of them. 2.65 But Titus, at any rate, when he saw that the sparing of the temple was becoming a source of harm to the soldiers, ordered them to set fire to the gates. And when the fire was brought to them, the melting silver with which they were plated allowed the flame to catch hold of the wooden parts, and from there it took hold of the porticoes. But for the Jews, seeing the fire all around, their spirits failed along with their bodies. Therefore, on that day and the following night the fire prevailed; but in part, for they were not able to set fire to the porticoes all at once from every side; on the next day Titus, having ordered part of his force to extinguish the fire and to make a road by the gates for an easier ascent for the legions, himself called together the six most prominent of his commanders and consulted about the temple. To some, therefore, it seemed best to use the law of war and to spare nothing, but some advised to burn it down if the Jews should mount it and fight, for it would be a fortress that would be burned down, no longer a temple, but if not this, to save it. But Titus said that not even if the Jews should mount upon it and fight would he bring retaliation against inanimate objects instead of men, nor would he ever burn down so great a work; for it would be a loss to the Romans if it were destroyed, just as it would be an ornament to the empire, if it were saved. Therefore Titus's plan was on the next day to attack with his whole force and to take possession of the temple, but God, it seems, had long ago condemned it to destruction. For the rebels attacked the guards of the outer temple, but they, overcome by both the multitude of those running out and by their fury, gave way. And seeing 2.66 these things, Titus came to their aid from above, from the Antonia, with his chosen horsemen. And the Jews did not withstand the charge, but were shut up in the inner temple. But when Titus had withdrawn, having rested for a short while, the rebels again attacked the Romans. And having put them to flight, the Romans came up to the temple. And a certain one of the soldiers, seizing a piece from the burning wood, and being lifted up by another soldier, hurled the fire through a golden window. And when the flame shot up, a cry arose from the Jews, and they ran together to its defense, but Titus, learning of it, ran to the temple to stop the fire, and with his voice and his right hand he signaled to the combatants to extinguish the fire. But they neither heard him shouting nor paid attention to the signals of his hand. But the legions entering and approaching the temple pretended not even to hear Titus's orders, and urged those in front of them to throw in fire. And there was helplessness for the rebels, worn out with defense, and slaughter and rout everywhere. Titus, however, seeing that neither the impulses of the soldiers

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πεντεκαίδεκα πήχεων προκόψαντος τοῦ πυρός, ἀποκόπτουσιν ̓Ιουδαῖοι τὴν ὀροφήν. οἱ δ' ἀνὰ τὸ ἱερὸν στασιασταὶ καὶ φανερῶς τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν χωμάτων ἐπετίθεντο στρατιώταις, καὶ μετὰ δόλων ἠμύνοντο. ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ λιμοῦ απειρόν τι πλῆθος ησαν οἱ θνήσκοντες. πάθη δὲ τοῖς περιοῦσιν ετι συνέβαινε καὶ φρικτὰ διηγήσασθαι καὶ δύσπιστα τοῖς ἀκούουσιν· ων εν διηγήσομαι. Γυνή τις ὑπὲρ τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην διὰ γένος καὶ πλοῦτον οὐκ ασημος εἰς τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα καταφυγοῦσα συνεπολιορκεῖτο. ταύτης πολλάκις ἑαυτῇ τροφὰς ποριζομένης οἱ λῃστεύοντες ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτας διήρπαζον. ἡ δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀγανακτοῦσα, θυμῷ τε καὶ λιμῷ στρατηγουμένη, ο ην αὐτῇ ὑπομάζιον τέκνον καταθύσασα καὶ ὀπτήσασα, τὸ μὲν εφαγε, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν εἰς δευτέραν ἐτήρει τροφήν. οἱ δὲ στασιασταί, τῆς κνίσης προσβαλλούσης αὐτοῖς, παρῆσαν εὐθύς, καὶ εἰ μὴ δοίη τὸ παρασκευασθέν, ἀποσφάξειν ἠπείλουν αὐτήν. ἡ δὲ τὰ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀνεκάλυψε λείψανα· κἀκεῖνοι ἐξέστησάν τε πρὸς τὴν θέαν καὶ εφριξαν, καὶ τρέμοντες ὑπεχώρησαν, μόλις ταύτης τέως τῆς τροφῆς παραχωρήσαντες τῇ μητρί. Ηδη δὲ τῶν χωμάτων τετελεσμένων προσήγοντο οἱ κριοί· ηνυον δ' οὐδὲν διὰ τὴν τοῦ τείχους στερρότητα. ετεροι δὲ τοὺς θεμελίους ὑπώρυττον· καὶ οὐδ' ουτως τὸ τεῖχος κατασέσειστο. ἀπογνόντες ουν τῶν αλλων, κλίμακας προσέφερον ταῖς στοαῖς. οἱ δὲ ̓Ιουδαῖοι κωλῦσαι μὲν οὐκ εφθασαν, τοῖς δ' ἀναβᾶσι συμπεσόντες ἐμάχοντο· καὶ ην οὐκ ὀλίγος αὐτῶν φόνος. 2.65 ̔Ο δέ γε Τίτος ὡς ἑώρα τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ἱερῷ φειδὼ πρὸς βλάβην γινομένην τοῖς στρατιώταις, τὰς πύλας ὑφάπτειν προσέταξε. προσαχθέντος δ' αὐταῖς τοῦ πυρός, τηκόμενος ὁ αργυρος ῳ ἐνεδέδυντο παρεχώρει τῇ φλογὶ τῶν ξύλων ἐφάπτεσθαι, κἀντεῦθεν ἐπελαμβάνετο τῶν στοῶν. τοῖς δ' ̓Ιουδαίοις ὁρῶσι τὸ πῦρ ἐν κύκλῳ μετὰ τῶν σωμάτων παρείθησαν αἱ ψυχαί. ἐκείνην μὲν ουν τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα τὸ πῦρ ἐπεκράτει· παρὰ μέρος δέ, οὐχ ὁμοῦ πάντοθεν ισχυσαν ὑφάψαι τὰς στοάς· τῇ δ' ἐπιούσῃ μέρει τῆς δυνάμεως ὁ Τίτος τὸ πῦρ σβεννύειν κελεύσας καὶ παρὰ τὰς πύλας ὁδοποιεῖν εἰς εὐμαρεστέραν τῶν ταγμάτων ανοδον, αὐτὸς εξ τοὺς κορυφαιοτάτους τῶν ἡγεμόνων προσκαλεσάμενος περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐβουλεύετο. τοῖς μὲν ουν ἐδόκει τῷ τοῦ πολέμου κεχρῆσθαι νόμῳ καὶ μή τινος φείδεσθαι, τινὲς δὲ παρῄνουν, εἰ μὲν πολεμοῖεν ἐπιβάντες αὐτοῦ ̓Ιουδαῖοι, καταφλέγειν, φρούριον γὰρ καταφλεγήσεσθαι, οὐκέτι ναόν, εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, σώζειν. ὁ δὲ Τίτος οὐδ' αν ἐπιβάντες ἐπ' αὐτοῦ πολεμῶσιν ̓Ιουδαῖοι εφησεν ἀντὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοῖς ἀψύχοις ἐπάγειν τὴν αμυναν οὐδὲ καταφλέξειν τηλικοῦτον εργον· ̔Ρωμαίοις γὰρ εσεσθαι πρὸς βλάβην φθαρέν, ωσπερ καὶ κόσμον τῆς ἡγεμονίας, εἰ σώζοιτο. Τῷ μὲν ουν Τίτῳ σκοπὸς ην τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ πάσης ἐμβαλεῖν τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τὸν ναὸν περικατασχεῖν, τοῦ δὲ αρα πάλαι ὁ θεὸς φθορὰν κατεψήφιστο. οἱ γὰρ στασιασταὶ ἐπιτίθενται τοῖς φύλαξι τοῦ εξω ἱεροῦ, οἱ δὲ πλήθει τε τῶν ἐκτρεχόντων καὶ θυμοῖς ἡττώμενοι ἐνεδίδοσαν. καὶ ὁρῶν 2.66 ταῦτα Τίτος ανωθεν ἐκ τῆς ̓Αντωνίας, ἐπαμύνει μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ἱππέων. καὶ ̓Ιουδαῖοι τὴν εφοδον οὐχ ὑπέμειναν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ ενδον συνεκλείσθησαν ἱερόν. ὑποχωρήσαντος δὲ Τίτου πρὸς ὀλίγον λωφήσαντες οἱ στασιασταὶ πάλιν ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐπιτίθενται. καὶ τρεψάμενοι αὐτοὺς οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι μέχρι τοῦ ναοῦ παρῆλθον. καί τις τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐκ τῆς φλεγομένης υλης μέρος ἁρπάσας, καὶ ὑφ' ἑτέρου ἀνακουφισθεὶς στρατιώτου, ἐνίησι τὸ πῦρ θυρίδι χρυσῇ. αἰρομένης δὲ τῆς φλογὸς ̓Ιουδαίων μὲν ἐγείρεται κραυγή, καὶ συνέθεον πρὸς τὴν αμυναν, Τίτος δὲ γνοὺς εθει πρὸς τὸν ναὸν κωλύσων τὸ πῦρ, καὶ τῇ φωνῇ καὶ τῇ δεξιᾷ διεσήμαινε τοῖς μαχομένοις τὸ πῦρ σβεννύειν. ουτε δὲ βοῶντος ηκουον ουτε τῆς χειρὸς προσεῖχον τοῖς νεύμασι. τὰ δὲ τάγματα εἰσιόντα καὶ τῷ ναῷ πλησιάζοντα τῶν μὲν τοῦ Τίτου παραγγελμάτων προσεποιοῦντο μηδὲ ἀκούειν, τοῖς πρὸ αὐτῶν δὲ πῦρ ἐνιέναι παρεκελεύοντο. ἀμηχανία δ' ην τοῖς στασιασταῖς, ἀπειρηκόσι πρὸς αμυναν, καὶ φόνος πανταχοῦ καὶ τροπή. Τίτος γε μὴν ὡς ουτε τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν στρατιωτῶν