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a smoother ascent for the legions, he himself, having summoned the chiefest of the commanders, deliberated concerning the temple. To some, then, it seemed right to use the law of war and to spare nothing, but some advised, if indeed the Jews should mount it to fight, to burn it down, for a fortress 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 it to fight would he bring vengeance upon inanimate things instead of men, nor would he burn down so great a work; for its destruction would be a loss to the Romans, just as it would be an ornament to their empire, if it were saved. The plan of Titus, therefore, was on the next day to attack with all his force and to surround the temple, but God, it seems, had long ago condemned it to destruction. For the rebels attacked the guards of the outer court, and they, overcome by the number of those rushing out and by their fury, gave way. And Titus, seeing 2.66 these things from above from the Antonia, came to the rescue with the elite horsemen. And the Jews did not withstand the assault, but were shut up in the inner temple. But when Titus had withdrawn for a little, the rebels, having rested, again attacked the Romans. And the Romans, having routed them, advanced as far as the temple. And one of the soldiers, seizing a piece from the burning timber, and being lifted up by another soldier, cast the fire through a golden window. And as the flame shot up, a cry arose from the Jews, and they ran together to its defense, and Titus, learning of it, ran to the temple to stop the fire, and both with his voice and with 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. And the legions entering and approaching the temple pretended not even to hear the commands of Titus, but urged on those in front of them to throw fire. And there was helplessness for the rebels, who were exhausted from the defense, and slaughter and rout everywhere. Titus indeed, since he was not able to restrain the rushes of the frenzied soldiers and the fire was gaining mastery, went in with his commanders and viewed the holy place of God and the things within it. And as the flame had not yet penetrated to the interior, but was consuming the chambers around the temple, thinking that the building could still be saved, he himself tried to persuade the soldiers to extinguish the fire and ordered one of his staff to beat the disobedient with clubs to restrain them. But they, overcome by their rage and hatred for the Jews, were not checked either by respect for Titus or by fear of the one restraining them. And hope of plunder also spurred on the majority, believing the interior to be full of trea2.67sures. But someone had already thrown fire at the hinges of the gate; and when a flame suddenly appeared from within, both the commanders and Titus himself withdrew, and no one any longer prevented those who were setting the fire. Thus, then, the temple received the fire, either as a purification for the abominations performed in it, or as a punishment for those performing them. And one might marvel that indeed the same month and day coincided for the burning of the temple on which the former temple also was burned down by the Babylonians. And from the first building which Solomon made up to the present destruction which is being recorded, which happened in the second year of the monarchy of Vespasian, comes to one thousand one hundred and thirty years and 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 while the temple was burning, there was plundering of those who fell in their way, and slaughter of those who were caught. And nowhere was the ground visible for the dead, but the soldiers, stepping on heaps of bodies, ran after those who were fleeing. The multitude of brigands, therefore, having pushed back the Romans, escaped into the city, but the remainder of the populace fled to the outer portico. And some of the priests, having retreated to the wall, which was eight cubits in width, remained. Two, indeed, of the distinguished men, having thrown themselves into the fire

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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 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