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he went up with the select troops, and the legions followed. And when the Jews had fled into the temple, the men of Titus also rushed in through the tunnel which they had dug under the Romans' earthworks. 2.63 And a fierce battle broke out around the entrances, and drawing their swords they engaged in close combat, and there was much slaughter on both sides. And as the Roman line was now giving way, a certain centurion, Julianus, an excellent man, leaped forward and alone turned back the victorious Jews. The multitude fled and was scattered. Therefore, while pursuing those who were being scattered, that noble man slipped on the stone pavement, having thick nails in his sandals, as did the other soldiers. And the Jews, surrounding him, wounded him from all sides. But even as he lay there he defended himself, until he was completely wounded and gave up, admired even by his enemies. The Jews, therefore, having pushed back the Romans, shut them up in the Antonia; but Titus, after exhorting the rebels many times both through Josephus and by himself, when he saw that they were implacable, again proceeded, even unwillingly, to war. And having selected his best men, he ordered them to attack the guards around the ninth hour of the night. However, they did not find the guards sleeping, but, perceiving the attack, they engaged in close combat, and at the shout the others also came together. From the ninth hour of the night until the fifth hour of the day, as the war was being waged, the battle was indecisive, with victory inclining to neither side. And so the combatants then disengaged. And the rest of the Roman force, having destroyed the foundations of the Antonia in seven days, prepared a wide ascent to the temple. And the legions, having approached the first enclosure, began to build earthworks. And these were raised with much labor; but the Jews, setting fire to the northern and western portico adjoining the Antonia, 2.64 broke off about twenty cubits of it, beginning with their own hands to burn the holy places. And the Romans also set fire to the nearby portico; and when the fire had advanced as far as fifteen cubits, the Jews cut off the roof. The rebels in the temple both openly attacked the soldiers on the earthworks and defended themselves with tricks. And because of the famine, an immense number were those who died. And for those who still survived, there occurred sufferings both horrible to relate and incredible to those who hear them; one of which I shall narrate. A certain woman from beyond the Jordan, not insignificant in family and wealth, having fled to Jerusalem, was besieged with the others. When she had often procured food for herself, the robbers in the city plundered it. But she, indignant at this, and driven by rage and famine, slaughtered the nursing child she had and roasted it; one part she ate, and the rest she kept for a second meal. But the rebels, when the smell of roasting flesh struck them, immediately came and threatened to slaughter her if she did not give them what had been prepared. But she uncovered the remains of the child; and they were beside themselves at the sight and shuddered, and trembling they withdrew, reluctantly leaving this food for the time being to the mother. And when the earthworks were now completed, the battering rams were brought up; but they accomplished nothing because of the firmness of the wall. Others dug under the foundations; and not even so was the wall shaken. Despairing, therefore, of other means, they brought ladders to the porticoes. The Jews, however, 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, when he saw that his forbearance concerning the temple was resulting in harm to his soldiers, ordered the gates to be set on fire. And when fire was brought to them, the silver with which they were plated, melting, allowed the flame to catch the timbers, and from there it took hold of the porticoes. And for the Jews, as they saw the fire round about, their spirits failed along with their bodies. Therefore, on that day and the following night the fire prevailed; but they were able to set fire to the porticoes only in parts, not all at once from every side; but on the following day Titus, having ordered a part of the force to extinguish the fire and to make a way by the gates for the
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δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ἀνέβη, καὶ τὰ τάγματα ειπετο. τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων δὲ καταπεφευγότων εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, καὶ οἱ τοῦ Τίτου εἰσέπιπτον διὰ τῆς διώρυγος, ην ὑπὸ τὰ χώματα τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ὑπώρυξαν. συρρήγνυται 2.63 δὲ περὶ τὰς εἰσόδους μάχη καρτερά, καὶ τὰ ξίφη σπασάμενοι συνεπλέκοντο, φόνος δὲ ην πολὺς ἑκατέρωθεν. κλινομένης δὲ ηδη τῆς ̔Ρωμαϊκῆς παρατάξεως, ̓Ιουλιανός τις ἑκατοντάρχης, αριστος ἀνήρ, προπηδᾷ καὶ νικῶντας τοὺς ̓Ιουδαίους τρέπεται μόνος. εφευγε δὲ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ διεσκέδαστο. καταδιώκων ουν τοὺς σκεδαννυμένους ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ κατολισθαίνει κατὰ τοῦ λιθοστρώτου, ηλους πυκνοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὑποδήμασιν εχων, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ στρατιῶται. καὶ ̓Ιουδαῖοι περιστάντες αὐτὸν ἐτίτρωσκον πάντοθεν. ὁ δὲ καὶ κείμενος ἠμύνετο, μέχρι κατατρωθεὶς ἐνέδωκε, καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις αὐτοῖς θαυμαζόμενος. ̓Ιουδαῖοι μὲν ουν τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ὠσάμενοι κατακλείουσιν εἰς τὴν ̓Αντωνίαν, ὁ Τίτος δὲ πολλὰ καὶ διὰ ̓Ιωσήπου παρακαλέσας τοὺς στασιαστὰς καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς ἀμειλίκτους ἑώρα, πάλιν ἐχώρει καὶ ακων πρὸς πόλεμον. καὶ τοὺς ἀρίστους ἐπιλεξάμενος περὶ ωραν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐνάτην ταῖς φυλακαῖς ἐπιθέσθαι προσέταξεν. οὐ μὴν κοιμωμένους ευρον τοὺς φύλακας, ἀλλὰ γνόντες τὴν ἐπίθεσιν συνεπλέκοντο, καὶ πρὸς τὴν βοὴν καὶ οἱ αλλοι συνῄεσαν. ἐξ ἐνάτης δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς ωρας εἰς πέμπτην τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ πολέμου συνισταμένου ἀγχώμαλος ην ἡ μάχη, μηδενὶ τῆς νίκης ἐπιβρισάσης. καὶ ουτω τότε διελύθησαν οἱ μαχόμενοι. τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως ἡμέραις ἑπτὰ τοὺς τῆς ̓Αντωνίας θεμελίους καταστρεψάμενον πλατεῖαν πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν ηὐτρέπισαν ανοδον. καὶ πλησιάσαντα τῷ πρώτῳ περιβόλῳ τὰ τάγματα χωμάτων κατήρχετο. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἠγείρετο σὺν μόχθῳ πολλῷ· ̓Ιουδαῖοι δὲ τῆς βορείου καὶ κατὰ δύσιν στοᾶς τὸ συνεχὲς πρὸς τὴν ̓Αντωνίαν 2.64 ἐμπρήσαντες ἀπέρρηξαν οσον πήχεις εικοσι, ταῖς ἑαυτῶν χερσὶν ἀρξάμενοι καίειν τὰ αγια. ὑποπιμπρᾶσι δὲ καὶ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τὴν πλησίον στοάν· καὶ μέχρι 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