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
10. And now, as soon as Simon had set his wife free, and recovered her
from the zealots, he returned back to the remainders of Idumea, and
driving the nation all before him from all quarters, he compelled a
great number of them to retire to Jerusalem; he followed them himself
also to the city, and encompassed the wall all round again; and when he
lighted upon any laborers that were coming thither out of the country,
he slew them. Now this Simon, who was without the wall, was a greater
terror to the people than the Romans themselves, as were the zealots who
were within it more heavy upon them than both of the other; and during
this time did the mischievous contrivances and courage [of John] corrupt
the body of the Galileans; for these Galileans had advanced this John,
and made him very potent, who made them suitable requital from the
authority he had obtained by their means; for he permitted them to do
all things that any of them desired to do, while their inclination to
plunder was insatiable, as was their zeal in searching the houses of the
rich; and for the murdering of the men, and abusing of the women, it was
sport to them. They also devoured what spoils they had taken, together
with their blood, and indulged themselves in feminine wantonness,
without any disturbance, till they were satiated therewith; while they
decked their hair, and put on women's garments, and were besmeared over
with ointments; and that they might appear very comely, they had paints
under their eyes, and imitated not only the ornaments, but also the
lusts of women, and were guilty of such intolerable uncleanness, that
they invented unlawful pleasures of that sort. And thus did they roll
themselves up and down the city, as in a brothel-house, and defiled it
entirely with their impure actions; nay, while their faces looked like
the faces of women, they killed with their right hands; and when their
gait was effeminate, they presently attacked men, and became warriors,
and drew their swords from under their finely dyed cloaks, and ran every
body through whom they alighted upon. However, Simon waited for such as
ran away from John, and was the more bloody of the two; and he who had
escaped the tyrant within the wall was destroyed by the other that lay
before the gates, so that all attempts of flying and deserting to the
Romans were cut off, as to those that had a mind so to do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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