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their honor remained. whence it was a custom for the Jews for no one to receive the high priesthood, even if a king desired it, except those from the blood of Aaron; although this custom was not observed until the very end. Therefore, there were eighty-three in all, from Aaron until Phinehas, who was appointed during the war by the seditionists. But Gessius Florus, having arrived in Judea as the successor of Albinus, filled the Jews with many evils, and he became so wicked that because of the excess of his own wickedness, Albinus was praised as a benefactor. For the latter concealed his wickedness and, when committing injustices, was anxious not to be caught, but Florus shamelessly and brazenly committed his lawless acts against the nation, as if showing off. And what need is there to recount each of his evil deeds? But having said this much I will make the whole matter clear, that it was Florus who forced the Jews to take up the war against the Romans. The war began in the second year of Florus' procuratorship, and in the twelfth year of the monarchy of Nero. From this point, therefore, the revolt of the Jews broke out into the open and the war began. But to narrate each of these things would be a greater task than the present undertaking. But I have decided to omit the other things, and to summarize only those things concerning the capture of Jerusalem itself. For Vespasian, having been entrusted by Nero with the command of the war upon learning of the Jewish revolt, did not first attack Jerusalem, but first hastened to capture the cities under the metropolis, and thus to subdue the metropolis itself. Therefore, having occupied Ptolemais, and having been joined there by his son Titus, who had come from Alexandria bringing the fifteenth legion, having been sent by him from Achaea, where he had been appointed general of the war by Nero, for he happened to be in Achaea when the revolt of the Jews was reported to him, he first moved against Galilee, and first attacking the city of Jotapata, and besieging it for forty days, he both sacked it and captured Josephus, the general of Galilee and defender of the said city. From there he proceeded against other fortresses and towns, and some were brought under the Romans by treaty, others by siege. And having already accomplished these things, he prepared to engage with the metropolis itself, which was in a bad state from the sedition of those within it against one another, and their plunging into civil wars and mutual slaughter, and from this its fighting strength was being destroyed. But news of Nero having fallen from his supreme power, having secretly fled from Rome and killed himself, checked Vespasian's advance. Then, having learned that Galba had become emperor, he sends Titus to him, both to greet him and to ask what he commands concerning the Jews. But while Titus was still on the way, Galba too was killed. Having heard 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. But with Galba killed, Otho succeeded to the rule. The legions which happened to be in Germany proclaimed Vitellius emperor. Therefore Otho, having sent an army, made war on Vitellius. But when those who had been sent were defeated, Otho killed himself. And Vitellius proceeded to Rome with his armies; for those of Otho had already gone over to him. But Vespasian, if there were any remaining little towns of the Jews not yet captured, sent men and sacked these too, so that now only the city of Jerusalem was 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 those with him happened to be more terrible to the Jews than the Romans, and inside, those called the Zealots and their leader John were more harsh than both the Romans and Simon. And since the Zealots were oppressing those in the city most violently, the people were forced to invite and bring Simon with his multitude into the city, so that

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αὐτῶν διέμεινεν ἡ τιμή. οθεν πάτριον ην ̓Ιουδαίοις μηδένα τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην λαμβάνειν, καν βασιλεὺς ην αὐτῆς ἐφιέμενος, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἐξ αιματος ̓Ααρών· εἰ καὶ οὐ μέχρι παντὸς τὸ εθος τοῦτο τετήρητο. ἐγένοντο ουν πάντες ἀπὸ ̓Ααρὼν μέχρι Φινεὲς τοῦ κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ὑπὸ τῶν στασιασάντων ἀναδειχθέντος ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ τρεῖς. Γέσσιος δὲ Φλῶρος εἰς ̓Ιουδαίαν ̓Αλβίνου διάδοχος ἀφικόμενος πολλῶν ἐνέπλησεν ̓Ιουδαίους κακῶν, τοσοῦτον δὲ γέγονε κάκιστος ωστε διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς αὐτοῦ κακίας ἐπαινεῖσθαι τὸν ̓Αλβῖνον ὡς εὐεργέτην. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν πονηρίαν ἐπέκρυπτε καὶ ἀδικῶν μὴ γίνεσθαι κατάφωρος εσπευδε, Φλῶρος δὲ ἀπαρακαλύπτως καὶ ἀναιδῶς τὰς εἰς τὸ εθνος παρανομίας ἐποίει, ωσπερ ἐπιδεικνύμενος. καὶ τί δεῖ τῶν ἐκείνου κακῶν ἀπαριθμεῖν τὸ καθ' εκαστον; τοσοῦτον δ' εἰπὼν δηλώσω τὸ πᾶν, οτι ὁ τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους τὸν πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους αρασθαι πόλεμον βιασάμενος Φλῶρος ην. ελαβε δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ πόλεμος δευτέρῳ μὲν ετει τῆς Φλώρου ἐπιτροπῆς, δωδεκάτῳ δὲ τῆς μοναρχίας τοῦ Νέρωνος. ̓Εντεῦθεν ουν ἡ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἀποστασία εἰς 2.51 προῦπτον ἀνερράγη καὶ ὁ πόλεμος ηρξατο. διηγήσασθαι δὲ τούτου εκαστα πλείονος αν γένοιτο πραγματείας η κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ἐγχείρησιν. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν αλλα ἐᾶσαί μοι κέκριται, μόνα δ' ἐπιτεμεῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἁλώσεως τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων αὐτῶν. Οὐεσπασιανὸς γὰρ παρὰ Νέρωνος, μαθόντος τὴν ̓Ιουδαίων ἀποστασίαν, τὴν τοῦ πολέμου διοίκησιν πιστευθείς, οὐ πρώτοις τοῖς ̔Ιεροσολύμοις προσέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ὑπὸ τὴν μητρόπολιν εσπευσε πρότερον ἑλεῖν πόλεις, καὶ ουτως αὐτὴν χειρώσασθαι τὴν μητρόπολιν. καταλαβὼν ουν τὴν Πτολεμαΐδα, καὶ ἑνωθεὶς ἐν αὐτῇ τῷ υἱῷ Τίτῳ ἐξ ̓Αλεξανδρείας ἀφικομένῳ καὶ τὸ πεντεκαιδέκατον τάγμα κομίζοντι, σταλέντι παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐξ ̓Αχαΐας, οπου τοῦ πολέμου στρατηγὸς κεχειροτόνητο παρὰ Νέρωνος, ἐν ̓Αχαΐᾳ γὰρ ἐτύγχανεν ων ἐκεῖνος οτε ἡ τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ἀποστασία κατηγγέλθη αὐτῷ, κατὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας πρότερον ωρμησε, καὶ τῇ πόλει τῶν ̓Ιωταπάτων πρώτῃ 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