the wars of the jews-第115部分

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　and　made　use　of　them　now　for　the　destruction　of　that　wicked　nation　of　the　Jews；　which　was　for　certain　the　true　state　of　this　matter；　as　the　prophet　Daniel　first；　and　our　Savior　himself　afterwards；　had　clearly　foretold。　See　Lit。　Accompl。　of　Proph。　p。　64；　etc。

（9）　Josephus　had　before　told　us；　B。　V。　ch。　13。　sect。　1；　that　this　fourth　son　of　Matthias　ran　away　to　the　Romans　〃before〃　his　father's　and　brethren's　slaughter；　and　not　〃after〃　it；　as　here。　The　former　account　is；　in　all　probability；　the　truest；　for　had　not　that　fourth　son　escaped　before　the　others　were　caught　and　put　to　death；　he　had　been　caught　and　put　to　death　with　them。　This　last　account；　therefore；　looks　like　an　instance　of　a　small　inadvertence　of　Josephus　in　the　place　before　us。

（10）　Of　this　partition…wall　separating　Jews　and　Gentiles；　with　its　pillars　and　inscription；　see　the　description　of　the　temples；　ch。　15。

（11）　That　these　seditious　Jews　were　the　direct　occasions　of　their　own　destruction；　and　of　the　conflagration　of　their　city　and　temple；　and　that　Titus　earnestly　and　constantly　labored　to　save　both；　is　here　and　every　where　most　evident　in　Josephus。

（12）　Court　of　the　Gentiles。

（13）　Court　of　Israel。

（14）　Of　the　court　of　the　Gentiles。

（15）　What　Josephus　observes　here；　that　no　parallel　examples　had　been　recorded　before　this　time　of　such　sieges；　wherein　mothers　were　forced　by　extremity　of　famine　to　eat　their　own　children；　as　had　been　threatened　to　the　Jews　in　the　law　of　Moses；　upon　obstinate　disobedience；　and　more　than　once　fulfilled；　（see　my　Boyle's　Lectures；　p。　210…214；）　is　by　Dr。　Hudson　supposed　to　have　had　two　or　three　parallel　examples　in　later　ages。　He　might　have　had　more　examples；　I　suppose；　of　persons　on　ship…board；　or　in　a　desert　island；　casting　lots　for　each　others'　bodies；　but　all　this　was　only　in　cases　where　they　knew　of　no　possible　way　to　avoid　death　themselves　but　by　killing　and　eating　others。　Whether　such　examples　come　up　to　the　present　case　may　be　doubted。　The　Romans　were　not　only　willing；　but　very　desirous；　to　grant　those　Jews　in　Jerusalem　both　their　lives　and　their　liberties；　and　to　save　both　their　city　and　their　temple。　But　the　zealots；　the　rubbers；　and　the　seditious　would　hearken　to　no　terms　of　submission。　They　voluntarily　chose　to　reduce　the　citizens　to　that　extremity；　as　to　force　mothers　to　this　unnatural　barbarity；　which；　in　all　its　circumstances；　has　not；　I　still　suppose；　been　hitherto　paralleled　among　the　rest　of　mankind。

（16）　These　steps　to　the　altar　of　burnt…offering　seem　here　either　an　improper　and　inaccurate　expression　of　Josephus；　since　it　was　unlawful　to　make　ladder　steps；　（see　description　of　the　temples；　ch。　13。；　and　note　on　Antiq。　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　5；）　or　else　those　steps　or　stairs　we　now　use　were　invented　before　the　days　of　Herod　the　Great；　and　had　been　here　built　by　him；　though　the　later　Jews　always　deny　it；　and　say　that　even　Herod's　altar　was　ascended　to　by　an　acclivity　only。

（17）　This　Perea；　if　the　word　be　not　mistaken　in　the　copies；　cannot　well　be　that　Perea　which　was　beyond　Jordan；　whose　mountains　were　at　a　considerable　distance　from　Jordan；　and　much　too　remote　from　Jerusalem　to　join　in　this　echo　at　the　conflagration　of　the　temple；　but　Perea　must　be　rather　some　mountains　beyond　the　brook　Cedron；　as　was　the　Mount　of　Olives；　or　some　others　about　such　a　distance　from　Jerusalem；　which　observation　is　so　obvious；　that　it　is　a　wonder　our　commentators　here　take　no　notice　of　it。

（18）　Reland　I　think　here　judges　well；　when　he　interprets　these　spikes　（of　those　that　stood　on　the　top　of　the　holy　house）　with　sharp　points；　they　were　fixed　into　lead；　to　prevent　the　birds　from　sitting　there；　and　defiling　the　holy　house；　for　such　spikes　there　were　now　upon　it；　as　Josephus　himself　hath　already　assured　us；　B。　V。　ch。　5。　sect。　6。

（19）　Reland　here　takes　notice；　that　these　Jews；　who　had　despised　the　true　Prophet；　were　deservedly　abused　and　deluded　by　these　false　ones。

（20）　Whether　Josephus　means　that　this　star　was　different　from　that　comet　which　lasted　a　whole　year；　I　cannot　certainly　determine。　His　words　most　favor　their　being　different　one　from　another。

（21）　Since　Josephus　still　uses　the　Syro…Macedonian　month　Xanthicus　for　the　Jewish　month　Nisan；　this　eighth；　or；　as　Nicephorus　reads　it；　this　ninth　of　Xanthicus　or　Nisan　was　almost　a　week　before　the　passover；　on　the　fourteenth；　about　which　time　we　learn　from　St。　John　that　many　used　to　go　〃out　of　the　country　to　Jerusalem　to　purify　themselves；〃　John　11：55；　with　12：1；　in　agreement　with　Josephus　also；　B。　V。　ch。　3。　sect。　1。　And　it　might　well　be；　that　in　the　sight　of　these　this　extraordinary　light　might　appear。

（22）　This　here　seems　to　be　the　court　of　the　priests。

（23）　Both　Reland　and　Havercamp　in　this　place　alter　the　natural　punctuation　and　sense　of　Josephus；　and　this　contrary　to　the　opinion　of　Valesilus　and　Dr。　Hudson；　lest　Josephus　should　say　that　the　Jews　built　booths　or　tents　within　the　temple　at　the　feast　of　tabernacles；　which　the　later　Rabbins　will　not　allow　to　have　been　the　ancient　practice：　but　then；　since　it　is　expressly　told　us　in　Nehemiah；　ch。　8：16；　that　in　still　elder　times　〃the　Jews　made　booths　in　the　courts　of　the　house　of　God〃　at　that　festival；　Josephus　may　well　be　permitted　to　say　the　same。　And　indeed　the　modern　Rabbins　are　of　very　small　authority　in　all　such　matters　of　remote　antiquity。

（24）　Take　Havercamp's　note　here：　〃This　（says　he）　is　a　remarkable　place；　and　Tertullian　truly　says　in　his　Apologetic；　ch。　16。　p。　162；　that　the　entire　religion　of　the　Roman　camp　almost　consisted　in　worshipping　the　ensigns；　in　swearing　by　the　ensigns；　and　in　preferring　the　ensigns　before　all　the　＇other＇　gods。〃　See　what　Havercamp　says　upon　that　place　of　Tertullian。

（25）　This　declaring　Titus　imperator　by　the　soldiers；　upon　such　signal　success；　and　the　slaughter　of　such　a　vast　number　of　enemies；　was　according　to　the　usual　practice　of　the　Romans　in　like　cases；　as　Reland　assures　us　on　this　place。

（26）　The　Jews　of　later　times　agree　with　Josephus；　that　there　were　hiding…places　or　secret　chambers　about　the　holy　house；　as　Reland　here　informs　us；　where　he　thinks　he　has　found　these　very　walls　described　by　them。

（27）　Spanheim　notes　here；　that　the　Romans　used　to　permit　the　Jews　to　collect　their　sacred　tribute；　and　send　it　to　Jerusalem；　of　which　we　have　had　abundant　evidence　in　Josephus　already　on　other　occasions。

（28）　This　innumerable　multitude　of　Jews　that　were　〃sold〃　by　the　Romans　was　an　eminent　completion　of　God's　ancient　threatening　by　Moses；　that　if　they　apostatized　from　the　obedience　to　his　laws；　they　should　be　〃sold　unto　their　enemies　for　bond…men　and　bond…women；〃　Deuteronomy　28；68。　See　more　especially　the　note　on　ch。　9。　sect。　2。　But　one　thing　is　here　peculiarly　remarkable；　that　Moses　adds；　Though　they　should　be　〃sold〃　for　slaves；　yet　〃no　man　should　buy　them；〃　i。e。　either　they　should　have　none　to　redeem　them　from　this　sale　into　slavery；　or　rather；　that　the　slaves　to　be　sold　should　be　more　than　were　the　purchasers　for　them；　and　so　they　should　be　sold　for　little　or　nothing；　which　is　what　Josephus　here　affirms　to　have　been　the　case　at　this　time。

（29）　What　became　of　these　spoils　of　the　temple　that　escaped　the　fire；　see　Josephus　himself　hereafter；　B。　VII。　ch。　5。　sect。　5；　and　Reland　de　Spoliis　Templi；　p。　129…138。

（30）　These　various　sorts　of　spices；　even　more　than　those　four　which　Moses　prescribed；　Exodus　31：34；　we　see　were　used　in　their　public　worship　under　Herod's　temple；　particularly　cinnamon　and　cassia；　which　Reland　takes　particular　notice　of；　as　agreeing　with　the　latter　testimony　of　the　Talmudists。

（31）　See　the　several　predictions　that　the　Jews；　if　they　became　obstinate　in　their　idolatry　and　wickedness；　should　be　sent　again　or　sold　into　Egypt　for　their　punishment；　Deuteronomy　28：68；　Jeremiah　44：7；　Hosea　8：13；　9：3；　9：4；　5；　2　Samuel　15：10…13；　with　Authentic　Records；　Part　I。　p。　49；　121；　and　Reland　Painest　And；　tom。　II。　p。　715。

（32）　The　whole　multitude　of　the　Jews　that　were　destroyed　during　the　entire　seven　years　before　this　time；　in　all　the　countries　of　and　bordering　on　Judea；　is　summed　up　by　Archbishop　Usher；　from　Lipsius；　out　of　Josephus；　at　the　year　of　Christ　70；　and　amounts　to　1；337；490。　Nor　could　there　have　been　that　number　of　Jews　in　Jerusalem　to　be　destroyed　in　this　siege；　as　will　be　presently　set　down　by　Josephus；　but　that　both　Jews　and　proselytes　of　justice　were　just　then　come　up　out　of　the　other　countries　of　Galilee；　Samaria；　Judea；　and　Perea　and　other　remoter　regions；　to　the　passover；　in　vast　numbers；　and　therein　cooped　up；　as　in　a　prison；　by　the　Roman　army；　as　Josephus　himself　well　observes　in　this　and　the　next　section；　and　as　is　exactly　related　elsewhere；　B。　V。　ch。　3。　sect。　1　and　ch。　13。　sect。　7。

（33）This　number　of　a　company　for　one　paschal　lamb；　between　ten　and　twenty；　agrees　exactly　with　the　number　thirteen；　at　our　Savior's　last　passover。　As　to　the　whole　number　of　the　Jews　that　used　to　come　up　to　the　passover；　and　eat　of　it　at　Jerusalem；　see　the　note　on　B。　II。　ch。　14。　sect。　3。　This　number　ought　to　be　here　indeed　just　ten　times　the　number　of　the　lambs；　or　just　2；565；（D0；　by　Josephus's　own　reasoning；　whereas　it　is；　in　his　present　copies；　no　less　than　2；700；（D0；　which　last　number　is；　however；　nearest　the　other　number　in　the　place　now　cited；　which　is　3；000；000。　But　what　is　here　chiefly　remarkable　is　this；　that　no　foreign　nation　ever　came　thus　to　destroy　the　Jews　at　any　of　their　solemn　festivals；　from　the　days　of　Moses　till　this　time；　but　came　now　upon　their　apostasy　from　God；　and　from　obedience　to　him。　Nor　is　it　possible；　in　the　nature　of　things；　that　in　any　other　nation　such　vast　numbers　should　be　gotten　together；　and　perish　in　the　siege　of　any　one　city　whatsoever；　as　now　happened　in　Jerusalem。

（34）　This　is　the　proper　place　for　such　as　have　closely　attended　to　these　latter　books　of　the　War　to　peruse；　and　that　with　equal　attention；　those　distinct　and　plain　predictions　of　Jesus　of　Nazareth；　in　the　Gospels　thereto　relating；　as　compared　with　their　exact　completions　in　Josephus's　history；　upon　which　completions；　as　Dr：　Whitby　well　observes；　Annot。　on　Matthew　24：2；　no　small　part　of　the　evidence　for　the　truth　of　the　Christian　religion　does　depend；　and　as　I　have　step　by　step　compared　them　together　in　my　Literal　Accomplishment　of　Scripture　Prophecies。　The　rea