186

he was able to restrain the enthusiasts and the fire prevailed, and coming forward with his commanders he looked upon the holy place of God and the things in it. But since the flame had not yet penetrated within, but was consuming the houses around the temple, thinking that the structure could still be saved, he himself tried to urge the soldiers to extinguish the fire and ordered one of his men to beat the disobedient with clubs and restrain them. But they, overcome by rage and hatred for the Jews, were checked neither by respect for Titus nor by fear of the one restraining them. And hope of plunder also incited many, who supposed that the interior was full of treas2.67 ures. And someone got ahead and threw fire into the hinges of the gate; and when a flame suddenly appeared from within, the commanders withdrew, and Titus himself, and no one any longer hindered those setting the fire. Thus, then, the temple received the fire, a purification for the accursed things performed in it or a punishment for those performing them. And one might marvel that indeed the very same day coincided with the burning of the temple, on which the former temple was also burned down by the Babylonians. And from the first building, which Solomon made, until the destruction now recorded, which happened in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, it comes to one thousand one hundred and thirty years, seven months, and fifteen days; and from the later one, which began to be built in the second year of the reign of Cyrus, until the final capture, six hundred and thirty-nine years and forty-five days. And as the temple was burning, of those who fell upon it there was plunder, and of those who were captured, slaughter. Nowhere was the ground visible for the dead, but the soldiers, treading on heaps of bodies, ran after those who were fleeing. The band of robbers, then, pushing aside the Romans, escaped into the city, but the remnant of the populace fled to the outer portico. And some of the priests, having withdrawn to the wall, which was eight cubits in width, remained. Indeed, two of the distinguished men, throwing themselves into the fire, were burned up with the temple. But the Romans, judging their 2.68 sparing of the buildings around the temple to be in vain, now that it was burning, set fire to them all; and it also seized upon the treasuries, in which was stored an immense quantity of money, and countless costly garments and other precious objects. For all the wealth of the Jews had been piled up there from every quarter, the owners having deposited these things there as in a safe treasury. And a certain immense number of the populace perished, for whom a certain false prophet was the cause of destruction, having proclaimed to those in the city that God commanded them to go up to the temple to receive the signs of salvation. And many such men were suborned by the tyrants to say these things, in order that they might be less likely to desert; by whom the wretched crowd, being deceived, did not believe the manifest signs, as if thunderstruck. And many signs had occurred. For a star resembling a sword stood over the city, and a comet appeared that lasted for a year. And once before the war a light shone around the temple and the altar, so that it seemed to be a bright day, remaining for half an hour. And a cow, being led up for sacrifice, gave birth to a lamb. And the eastern gate of the inner temple, being of bronze and massive, so that it was with difficulty opened and closed by twenty men, and having bolts and bars set very deep, was seen at night to have opened of its own accord. And it signified the dissolution of the temple's security, and that the entrance would be easy for the enemy. And at another time some divine apparition was seen before sunset, chariots traversing the air throughout the whole country, and armed phalanxes darting through the clouds. And at the feast of Pentecost, the priests, having gone 2.69 into the inner temple, perceived a movement and a sound; then they heard a voice saying, 'Let us depart from here.' And four years before the war, at the feast of tabernacles, a certain Jesus, a rustic man, having come to the feast, began to cry out, 'A voice from the east, a voice from

186

ἐνθουσιώντων οιός τε ην κατασχεῖν καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐπεκράτει, παρελθὼν μετὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἐθεάσατο τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ αγιον καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ. τῆς δὲ φλογὸς οὐδέπω διικνουμένης εισω, τοὺς δὲ περὶ τὸν ναὸν νεμομένης οικους, ετι δύνασθαι σωθῆναι τὸ εργον οἰόμενος, αὐτός τε παρακαλεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο τοὺς στρατιώτας τὸ πῦρ σβεννύειν καί τινα τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ξύλοις παίοντα τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας ἐκέλευσεν ειργειν. οἱ δὲ νικώμενοι τῷ θυμῷ καὶ τῷ πρὸς ̓Ιουδαίους μίσει, ουτε τῇ πρὸς Τίτον αἰδοῖ ἀνεκόπτοντο ουτε φόβῳ τῷ τοῦ κωλύοντος. τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς καὶ ἐλπὶς παρέθηγεν ἁρπαγῆς, μεστὰ χρη2.67 μάτων ειναι τὰ ενδον δοξάζοντας. εφθη δέ τις καὶ εἰς τοὺς στροφέας τῆς πύλης πῦρ ἐμβαλών· καὶ φλογὸς ενδοθεν ἐκφανείσης ἐξάπινα, οι τε ἡγεμόνες ἀνεχώρουν καὶ ὁ Τίτος αὐτός, καὶ τοὺς ὑφάπτοντας οὐδεὶς ετι ἐκώλυεν. ̔Ο μὲν ουν ναὸς ουτως τὸ πῦρ ἐδέξατο, τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τελουμένων ἐναγῶς καθαρτήριον η τῶν τελούντων αὐτὰ κολαστήριον. θαυμάσειε δ' αν τις οτι καὶ μὴν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡμέρα συνέπεσε τῷ ἐμπρησμῷ τοῦ ναοῦ, καθ' ην καὶ ὁ πρότερος ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων κατεφλέγη ναός. καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς πρώτης οἰκοδομῆς ην Σολομὼν ἐποιήσατο μέχρι τῆς ἱστορουμένης νῦν καθαιρέσεως, η γέγονεν ετει δευτέρῳ τῆς Οὐεσπασιανοῦ μοναρχίας, ετη γίνεται χίλια ἑκατὸν καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ μῆνες ἑπτὰ ἡμέραι τε πεντεκαίδεκα· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς υστερον, ητις ετει δευτέρῳ τῆς Κύρου βασιλείας ηρξατο γίνεσθαι, μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας ἁλώσεως ετη ἑξακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ ἐννέα καὶ ἡμέραι πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα. Καιομένου δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ τῶν μὲν προσπιπτόντων ην ἁρπαγή, τῶν δὲ καταλαμβανομένων σφαγή. οὐδαμοῦ δὲ ἡ γῆ ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν διεφαίνετο, ἀλλὰ σωροῖς οἱ στρατιῶται σωμάτων ἐπεμβαίνοντες ἐπὶ τοὺς φεύγοντας εθεον. τὸ μὲν ουν λῃστρικὸν πλῆθος ὠσάμενοι τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους διεξέπεσον εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τοῦ δημοτικοῦ δὲ τὸ περιλειφθὲν εἰς τὴν εξω στοὰν κατέφυγε. τῶν δ' ἱερέων τινὲς ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον ἀναχωρήσαντες, οντα τὸ ευρος ὀκτάπηχυν, εμενον. δύο γε μὴν τῶν ἐπισήμων ῥίψαντες ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ πῦρ συγκατεφλέγησαν τῷ ναῷ. ̔Ρωμαῖοι δὲ ματαίαν τὴν 2.68 ἐπὶ τοῖς πέριξ τοῦ ναοῦ φειδὼ κρίναντες, ηδη αὐτοῦ φλεγομένου, πᾶσιν ἐπῆγον τὸ πῦρ· τὸ δὲ καὶ τῶν γαζοφυλακίων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἐν οις απειρον μὲν πλῆθος τεθησαύριστο χρημάτων, απειροι δ' ἐσθῆτες πολυτελεῖς καὶ αλλα κειμήλια. απας γὰρ ὁ ̓Ιουδαίων πλοῦτος πανταχόθεν ἐκεῖ σεσώρευτο, τῶν κεκτημένων ἀποτιθεμένων ταῦτα ἐκεῖ ὡς ἐπ' ἀσφαλοῦς ταμιείου. Απειρον δέ τι πλῆθος διεφθάρη δημοτικόν, οις αιτιος ἀπωλείας ἐγένετό τις ψευδοπροφήτης, κηρύξας τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἀναβῆναι κελεύει, δεξομένους τὰ σημεῖα τῆς σωτηρίας. πολλοὶ δὲ τοιοῦτοι παρὰ τῶν τυράννων ταῦτα λέγειν καθίεντο, ιν' ηττον αὐτομολοῖεν· δι' ων ὁ δείλαιος οχλος παραβουκολούμενος τοῖς ἐναργέσι σημείοις ὡς ἐμβρόντητοι οὐκ ἐπίστευον. πολλὰ δὲ σημεῖα γεγόνασιν. εστη μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν αστρον ῥομφαίᾳ παραπλήσιον, καὶ κομήτης φανεὶς παρετάθη ἐπ' ἐνιαυτόν. καὶ φῶς πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου ποτὲ τὸν ναὸν καὶ τὸν βωμὸν περιέλαμψεν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἡμέραν ειναι λαμπράν, παραμεῖναν ἐπὶ ἡμίσειαν ωραν. καὶ βοῦς εἰς θυσίαν ἀναχθεῖσα ετεκεν αρνα. ἡ δὲ ἀνατολικὴ πύλη τοῦ ἐνδοτέρω ναοῦ χαλκῆ ουσα καὶ στιβαρά, ὡς μόλις ὑπὸ ἀνδρῶν εικοσιν ἀνοίγνυσθαί τε καὶ κλείεσθαι, καὶ μοχλοὺς καὶ καταπῆγας εχουσα βαθυτάτους, ωφθη νύκτωρ αὐτομάτως ἠνεῳγμένη. ἐδήλου δὲ λυομένην τὴν τοῦ ναοῦ ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐσομένην τὴν εισοδον εὐμαρῆ. καὶ φάσμα τι δαιμόνιον αλλοτε ωφθη πρὸ ἡλίου δυσμῶν, αρματα κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν διιόντα μετέωρα, καὶ φάλαγγες ενοπλοι διᾴττουσαι τῶν νεφῶν. κατὰ δὲ τὴν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ἑορτὴν εἰς τὸ ενδον ἱερὸν οἱ ἱερεῖς παρ2.69 ελθόντες κινήσεως ῃσθοντο καὶ κτύπου· ειτα φωνῆς ηκουσαν λεγούσης Μεταβαίνωμεν ἐντεῦθεν. πρὸ δὲ τεσσάρων ἐνιαυτῶν τοῦ πολέμου, ἐν τῇ τῆς σκηνοπηγίας ἑορτῇ, ̓Ιησοῦς τις ἀγροῖκος ἀνὴρ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν βοᾶν ηρξατο Φωνὴ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς, φωνὴ ἀπὸ