The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of JerusalemJosephus, Flavius
Religion
The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem
Josephus, Flavius
Jews -- History
2. As this city was naturally hard to be taken, so had Josephus, by
building a wall about it, made it still stronger, as also by ditches and
mines under ground. The people that were in it were made more bold by
the nature of the place than the people of Jotapata had been, but it
had much fewer fighting men in it; and they had such a confidence in
the situation of the place, that they thought the enemy could not be too
many for them; for the city had been filled with those that had fled
to it for safety, on account of its strength; on which account they
had been able to resist those whom Agrippa sent to besiege it for seven
months together.
3. But Vespasian removed from Emmaus, where he had last pitched his
camp before the city Tiberias, [now Emmaus, if it be interpreted, may
be rendered "a warm bath," for therein is a spring of warm water, useful
for healing,] and came to Gamala; yet was its situation such that he was
not able to encompass it all round with soldiers to watch it; but where
the places were practicable, he set men to watch it, and seized upon the
mountain which was over it. And as the legions, according to their usual
custom, were fortifying their camp upon that mountain, he began to cast
up banks at the bottom, at the part towards the east, where the highest
tower of the whole city was, and where the fifteenth legion pitched
their camp; while the fifth legion did duty over against the midst of
the city, and whilst the tenth legion filled up the ditches and the
valleys. Now at this time it was that as king Agrippa was come nigh
the walls, and was endeavoring to speak to those that were on the walls
about a surrender, he was hit with a stone on his right elbow by one of
the slingers; he was then immediately surrounded with his own men. But
the Romans were excited to set about the siege, by their indignation
on the king's account, and by their fear on their own account, as
concluding that those men would omit no kinds of barbarity against
foreigners and enemies, who where so enraged against one of their own
nation, and one that advised them to nothing but what was for their own
advantage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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