the wars of the jews-第102部分

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ter　2：13；　17；　which　is　also　the　language　of　the　Apostolical　Constitutions；　II。　II；　31；　IV。　13；　V。　19；　VI。　2；　25；　VII。　16；　VIII。　2；　13；　and　elsewhere　in　the　New　Testament；　Matthew　10：18；　17：25；　1　Timothy　2：2；　and　in　Josephus　also；　though　I　suspect　Josephus　particularly　esteemed　Titus　as　joint　king　with　his　father　ever　since　his　divine　dreams　that　declared　them　both　such；　B。　III。　ch。　8。　sect。　9。

（8）　This　situation　of　the　Mount　of　Olives；　on　the　east　of　Jerusalem；　at　about　the　distance　of　five　or　six　furlongs；　with　the　valley　of　Cedron　interposed　between　that　mountain　and　the　city；　are　things　well　known　both　in　the　Old　and　New　Testament；　in　Josephus　elsewhere；　and　in　all　the　descriptions　of　Palestine。

（9）　Here　we　see　the　true　occasion　of　those　vast　numbers　of　Jews　that　were　in　Jerusalem　during　this　siege　by　Titus；　and　perished　therein；　that　the　siege　began　at　the　feast　of　the　passover；　when　such　prodigious　multitudes　of　Jews　and　proselytes　of　the　gate　were　come　from　all　parts　of　Judea；　and　from　other　countries；　in　order　to　celebrate　that　great　festival。　See　the　note　B。　VI。　ch。　9。　sect。　3。　Tacitus　himself　informs　us；　that　the　number　of　men；　women；　and　children　in　Jerusalem；　when　it　was　besieged　by　the　Romans；　as　he　had　been　informed。　This　information　must　have　been　taken　from　the　Romans：　for　Josephus　never　recounts　the　numbers　of　those　that　were　besieged；　only　he　lets　us　know；　that　of　the　vulgar；　carried　dead　out　of　the　gates；　and　buried　at　the　public　charges；　was　the　like　number　of　600；000；　ch。　viii。　sect。　7。　However；　when　Cestius　Gallus　came　first　to　the　siege；　that　sum　in　Tacitus　is　no　way　disagreeable　to　Josephus's　history；　though　they　were　become　much　more　numerous　when　Titus　encompassed　the　city　at　the　passover。　As　to　the　number　that　perished　during　this　siege；　Josephus　assures　us；　as　we　shall　see　hereafter；　they　were　1；100；000；　besides　97；000　captives。　But　Tacitus's　history　of　the　last　part　of　this　siege　is　not　now　extant；　so　we　cannot　compare　his　parallel　numbers　with　those　of　Josephus。

（10）　Perhaps；　says　Dr。　Hudson；　here　was　that　gate；　called　the　〃Gate　of　the　Corner；〃　in　2　Chronicles　26：9。　See　ch。　4。　sect。　2

（11）　These　dove…courts　in　Josephus；　built　by　Herod　the　Great；　are；　in　the　opinion　of　Reland；　the　very　same　that　are　mentioned　by　the　Talmudists；　and　named　by　them　〃Herod's　dove　courts。〃　Nor　is　there　any　reason　to　suppose　otherwise；　since　in　both　accounts　they　were　expressly　tame　pigeons　which　were　kept　in　them。

（12）　See　the　description　of　the　temples　hereto　belonging；　ch。　15。　But　note；　that　what　Josephus　here　says　of　the　original　scantiness　of　this　Mount　Moriah；　that　it　was　quite　too　little　for　the　temple；　and　that　at　first　it　held　only　one　cloister　or　court　of　Solomon's　building；　and　that　the　foundations　were　forced　to　be　added　long　afterwards　by　degrees；　to　render　it　capable　of　the　cloisters　for　the　other　courts；　etc。；　is　without　all　foundation　in　the　Scriptures；　and　not　at　all　confirmed　by　his　exacter　account　in　the　Antiquities。　All　that　is　or　can　be　true　here　is　this；　that　when　the　court　of　the　Gentiles　was　long　afterward　to　be　encompassed　with　cloisters；　the　southern　foundation　for　these　cloisters　was　found　not　to　be　large　or　firm　enough；　and　was　raised；　and　that　additional　foundation　supported　by　great　pillars　and　arches　under　ground；　which　Josephus　speaks　of　elsewhere；　Antiq。　B。　XV。　ch。　11。　sect。　3；　and　which　Mr。　Maundrel　saw；　and　describes；　p。　100；　as　extant　under　ground　at　this　day。

（13）　What　Josephus　seems　here　to　mean　is　this：　that　these　pillars；　supporting　the　cloisters　in　the　second　court；　had　their　foundations　or　lowest　parts　as　deep　as　the　floor　of　the　first　or　lowest　court；　but　that　so　far　of　those　lowest　parts　as　were　equal　to　the　elevation　of　the　upper　floor　above　the　lowest　were；　and　must　be；　hidden　on　the　inside　by　the　ground　or　rock　itself；　on　which　that　upper　court　was　built；　so　that　forty　cubits　visible　below　were　reduced　to　twenty…five　visible　above；　and　implies　the　difference　of　their　heights　to　be　fifteen　cubits。　The　main　difficulty　lies　here；　how　fourteen　or　fifteen　steps　should　give　an　ascent　of　fifteen　cubits；　half　a　cubit　seeming　sufficient　for　a　single　step。　Possibly　there　were　fourteen　or　fifteen　steps　at　the　partition　wall；　and　fourteen　or　fifteen　more　thence　into　the　court　itself；　which　would　bring　the　whole　near　to　the　just　proportion。　See　sect。　3；　infra。　But　I　determine　nothing。

（14）　These　three　guards　that　lay　in　the　tower　of　Antonia　must　be　those　that　guarded　the　city；　the　temple；　and　the　tower　of　Antonia。

（15）　What　should　be　the　meaning　of　this　signal　or　watchword；　when　the　watchmen　saw　a　stone　coming　from　the　engine；　〃The　Stone　Cometh；〃　or　what　mistake　there　is　in　the　reading；　I　cannot　tell。　The　MSS。；　both　Greek　and　Latin；　all　agree　in　this　reading；　and　I　cannot　approve　of　any　groundless　conjectural　alteration　of　the　text　from　ro　to　lop；　that　not　the　son　or　a　stone；　but　that　the　arrow　or　dart　cometh；　as　hath　been　made　by　Dr。　Hudson；　and　not　corrected　by　Havercamp。　Had　Josephus　written　even　his　first　edition　of　these　books　of　the　war　in　pure　Hebrew；　or　had　the　Jews　then　used　the　pure　Hebrew　at　Jerusalem；　the　Hebrew　word　for　a　son　is　so　like　that　for　a　stone；　ben　and　eben；　that　such　a　correction　might　have　been　more　easily　admitted。　But　Josephus　wrote　his　former　edition　for　the　use　of　the　Jews　beyond　Euphrates；　and　so　in　the　Chaldee　language；　as　he　did　this　second　edition　in　the　Greek　language；　and　bar　was　the　Chaldee　word　for　son；　instead　of　the　Hebrew　ben；　and　was　used　not　only　in　Chaldea；　etc。　but　in　Judea　also；　as　the　New　Testament　informs　us。　Dio　lets　us　know　that　the　very　Romans　at　Rome　pronounced　the　name　of　Simon　the　son　of　Giora；　Bar　Poras　for　Bar　Gioras；　as　we　learn　from　Xiphiline；　p。　217。　Reland　takes　notice；　〃that　many　will　here　look　for　a　mystery；　as　though　the　meaning　were；　that　the　Son　of　God　came　now　to　take　vengeance　on　the　sins　of　the　Jewish　nation；〃　which　is　indeed　the　truth　of　the　fact；　but　hardly　what　the　Jews　could　now　mean；　unless　possibly　by　way　of　derision　of　Christ's　threatening　so　often　made；　that　he　would　come　at　the　head　of　the　Roman　army　for　their　destruction。　But　even　this　interpretation　has　but　a　very　small　degree　of　probability。　If　I　were　to　make　an　emendation　by　mere　conjecture；　I　would　read　instead　of；　though　the　likeness　be　not　so　great　as　in　lo；　because　that　is　the　word　used　by　Josephus　just　before；　as　has　been　already　noted　on　this　very　occasion；　while；　an　arrow　or　dart；　is　only　a　poetical　word；　and　never　used　by　Josephus　elsewhere；　and　is　indeed　no　way　suitable　to　the　occasion；　this　engine　not　throwing　arrows　or　darts；　but　great　stones；　at　this　time。

（16）　Josephus　supposes；　in　this　his　admirable　speech　to　the　Jews；　that　not　Abraham　only；　but　Pharaoh　king　of　Egypt；　prayed　towards　a　temple　at　Jerusalem；　or　towards　Jerusalem　itself；　in　which　were　Mount　Sion　and　Mount　Moriah；　on　which　the　tabernacle　and　temple　did　afterwards　stand；　and　this　long　before　either　the　Jewish　tabernacle　or　temple　were　built。　Nor　is　the　famous　command　given　by　God　to　Abraham；　to　go　two　or　three　days'　journey；　on　purpose　to　offer　up　his　son　Isaac　there；　unfavorable　to　such　a　notion。

（17）　Note　here；　that　Josephus；　in　this　his　same　admirable　speech；　calls　the　Syrians；　nay；　even　the　Philistines；　on　the　most　south　part　of　Syria；　Assyrians；　which　Reland　observes　as　what　was　common　among　the　ancient　writers。　Note　also；　that　Josephus　might　well　put　the　Jews　in　mind；　as　he　does　here　more　than　once；　of　their　wonderful　and　truly　miraculous　deliverance　from　Sennacherib；　king　of　Assyria；　while　the　Roman　army；　and　himself　with　them；　were　now　encamped　upon　and　beyond　that　very　spot　of　ground　where　the　Assyrian　army　lay　seven　hundred　and　eighty　years　before；　and　which　retained　the　very　name　of　the　Camp　of　the　Assyrians　to　that　very　day。　See　chap。　7。　sect。　3；　and　chap。　12。　sect。　2。

（18）　This　drying　up　of　the　Jerusalem　fountain　of　Siloam　when　the　Jews　wanted　it；　and　its　flowing　abundantly　when　the　enemies　of　the　Jews　wanted　it；　and　these　both　in　the　days　of　Zedekiah　and　of　Titus；　（and　this　last　as　a　certain　event　well　known　by　the　Jews　at　that　time；　as　Josephus　here　tells　them　openly　to　their　faces；）　are　very　remarkable　instances　of　a　Divine　Providence　for　the　punishment　of　the　Jewish　nation；　when　they　were　grown　very　wicked；　at　both　those　times　of　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem。

（19）　Reland　very　properly　takes　notice　here；　how　justly　this　judgment　came　upon　the　Jews；　when　they　were　crucified　in　such　multitudes　together；　that　the　Romans　wanted　room　for　the　crosses；　and　crosses　for　the　bodies　of　these　Jews；　since　they　had　brought　this　judgment　on　themselves　by　the　crucifixion　of　their　Messiah。

（20）　Josephus；　both　here　and　before；　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　4；　esteems　the　land　of　Sodom；　not　as　part　of　the　lake　Asphaltiris；　or　under　its　waters；　but　near　it　only；　as　Tacitus　also　took　the　same　notion　from　him；　Hist。　V。　ch。　6。　7；　which　the　great　Reland　takes　to　be　the　very　truth；　both　in　his　note　on　this　place；　and　in　his　Palestina；　tom。　I。　p。　254…258；　though　I　rather　suppose　part　of　that　region　of　Pentapolis　to　be　now　under　the　waters　of　the　south　part　of　that　sea；　but　perhaps　not　the　whole　country。

　　　BOOK　VI。　　　　　　　　　　Containing　The　Interval　Of　About　One　Month。　　　　　　　From　The　Great　Extremity　To　Which　The　Jews　Were　Reduced　To　The　Taking　Of　Jerusalem　By　Titus。　　　　　　　CHAPTER　1。　　　　　　　THAT　THE　MISERIES　STILL　GREW　WORSE；　AND　HOW　THE　ROMANS　MADE　AN　ASSAULT　UPON　THE　TOWER　OF　ANTONIA。　　　　1。　Thus　did　the　miseries　of　Jerusalem　grow　worse　and　worse　every　day；　and　the　seditious　were　still　more　irritated　by　the　calamities　they　were　under；　even　while　the　famine　preyed　upon　themselves；　after　it　had　preyed　upon　the　people。　And　indeed　the　multitude　of　carcasses　that　lay　in　heaps　one　upon　another　was　a　horrible　sight；　and　produced　a　pestilential　stench；　which　was　a　hinderance　to　those　that　would　make　sallies　out　of　the　city；　and　fight　the　enemy：　but　as　those　were　to　go　in　battle…array；　who　had　been　already　used　to　ten　thousand　murders；　and　must　tread　upon　those　dead　bodies　as　they　marched　along；　so　were　not　they　terrified；　nor　did　they　pity　men　as　they　marched　over　them；　nor　did　they　deem　this　affront　offered　to　the　deceased　to　be　any　ill　omen　to　themselves；　but　as　they　had　their　right　hands