[252]
WHEN Bassus was dead in Judea, Flavius Silva succeeded him as procurator
there; who, when he saw that all the rest of the country was subdued in
this war, and that there was but one only strong hold that was still in
rebellion, he got all his army together that lay in different places, and
made an expedition against it. This fortress was called Masada. It was
one Eleazar, a potent man, and the commander of these Sicarii, that had
seized upon it. He was a descendant from that Judas who had persuaded abundance
of the Jews, as we have formerly related, not to submit to the taxation
when Cyrenius was sent into Judea to make one; for then it was that the
Sicarii got together against those that were willing to submit to the Romans,
and treated them in all respects as if they had been their enemies, both
by plundering them of what they had, by driving away their cattle, and
by setting fire to their houses; for they said that they differed not at
all from foreigners, by betraying, in so cowardly a manner, that freedom
which Jews thought worthy to be contended for to the utmost, and by owning
that they preferred slavery under the Romans before such a contention.
Now this was in reality no better than a pretense and a cloak for the barbarity
which was made use of by them, and to color over their own avarice, which
they afterwards made evident by their own actions; for those that were
partners with them in their rebellion joined also with them in the war
against the Romans, and went further lengths with them in their impudent
undertakings against them; and when they were again convicted of dissembling
in such their pretenses, they still more abused those that justly reproached
them for their wickedness. And indeed that was a time most fertile in all
manner of wicked practices, insomuch that no kind of evil deeds were then
left undone; nor could any one so much as devise any bad thing that was
new, so deeply were they all infected, and strove with one another in their
single capacity, and in their communities, who should run the greatest
lengths in impiety towards God, and in unjust actions towards their neighbors;
the men of power oppressing the multitude, and the multitude earnestly
laboring to destroy the men of power. The one part were desirous of tyrannizing
over others, and the rest of offering violence to others, and of plundering
such as were richer than themselves. They were the Sicarii who first began
these transgressions, and first became barbarous towards those allied to
them, and left no words of reproach unsaid, and no works of perdition untried,
in order to destroy those whom their contrivances affected. Yet did John
demonstrate by his actions that these Sicarii were more moderate than he
was himself, for he not only slew all such as gave him good counsel to
do what was right, but treated them worst of all, as the most bitter enemies
that he had among all the Citizens; nay, he filled his entire country with
ten thousand instances of wickedness, such as a man who was already hardened
sufficiently in his impiety towards God would naturally do; for the food
was unlawful that was set upon his table, and he rejected those purifications
that the law of his country had ordained; so that it was no longer a wonder
if he, who was so mad in his impiety towards God, did not observe any rules
of gentleness and common affection towards men. Again, therefore, what
mischief was there which Simon the son of Gioras did not do? or what kind
of abuses did he abstain from as to those very free-men who had set him
up for a tyrant? What friendship or kindred were there that did not make
him more bold in his daily murders? for they looked upon the doing of mischief
to strangers only as a work beneath their courage, but thought their barbarity
towards their nearest relations would be a glorious demonstration thereof.
The Idumeans also strove with these men who should be guilty of the greatest
madness! for they [all], vile wretches as they were, cut the throats of
the high priests, that so no part of a religious regard to God. might be
preserved; they thence proceeded to destroy utterly the least remains of
a political government, and introduced the most complete scene of iniquity
in all instances that were practicable; under which scene that sort of
people that were called zealots grew up, and who indeed corresponded to
the name; for they imitated every wicked work; nor, if their memory suggested
any evil thing that had formerly been done, did they avoid zealously to
pursue the same; and although they gave themselves that name from their
zeal for what was good, yet did it agree to them only by way of irony,
on account of those they had unjustly treated by their wild and brutish
disposition, or as thinking the greatest mischiefs to be the greatest good.
Accordingly, they all met with such ends as God deservedly brought upon
them in way of punishment; for all such miseries have been sent upon them
as man's nature is capable of undergoing, till the utmost period of their
lives, and till death came upon them in various ways of torment; yet might
one say justly that they suffered less than they had done, because it was
impossible they could be punished according to their deserving. But to
make a lamentation according to the deserts of those who fell under these
men's barbarity, this is not a proper place for it; - I therefore now return
again to the remaining part of the present narration.
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