and escaped my enemies unexpectedly, and came to Tarichese.
19. NOW, AS soon as the inhabitants of that
city understood the perfidiousness of the people
of Tiberias, they were greatly provoked at them.
So they snatched up their arms, and desired me
to be their leader against them; for they said
they would avenge their commander's cause upon
them. They also carried the report of what had
been done to me to all the Galileans, and eagerly
endeavoured to irritate them against the people
of Tiberias, and desired that vast
numbers of them would get
Anger against
Tiberias.
together, and come to them, that
they might act in concert with
their commander, what should be deemed as fit
to be done. Accordingly, the Galileans came to
me in great numbers, from all parts, with their
weapons, and besought me to assault Tiberias, to
take it by force, and to demolish it, till it lay even
with the ground, and then to make slaves of its
inhabitants with their wives and children. Those
that were Josephus's friends also, and had escaped
out of Tiberias, gave him the same advice. But
I did not comply with them, thinking it a terrible
thing to begin a civil war among them; for I
thought that this contention ought not to proceed
farther than words; nay, I told them that it was
not for their own advantage to do what they would
have me to do, while the Romans expected no
other than that we should destroy one another by
our mutual seditions; and by saying this, I put a
stop to the anger of the Galileans.
20. BUT NOW John was afraid for himself, since his treachery had proved unsuccessful; so he took the armed men that were about him, and removed from Tiberias to Gischala, and wrote to me to apologize for himself concerning what he had done, as if it John's apology. had been done without his approbation; and desired me to have no suspicion of him to his disadvantage. He also added oaths and certain horrible curses upon himself, and supposed he should be thereby believed in the points he wrote about to me.
21. BUT NOW another great number of the
Galileans came together again with their weapons,
as knowing the man, how wicked and how sadly
perjured he was, and desired me to lead them
against him, and promised me
Outbreak
against John.
that they would utterly destroy
both him and Gischala. Hereupon
I professed that I was obliged to
them for their readiness to serve me; and that
I would more than requite their good-will to me.
However, I entreated them to restrain
themselves; and begged of them to give me leave to
do what I intended, which was to put an end to
these troubles without bloodshed; and when I
had prevailed with the multitude of the Galileans
to let me do so, I came to Sepphoris.
22. BUT THE inhabitants of this city having
determined to continue in their allegiance to the
Romans, were afraid of my coming to them;
and tried by putting me upon another action, to
divert me, that they might be freed from the
terror they were in. Accordingly, they sent to
Jesus, the captain of those robbers that were
in the confines of Ptolemais, and promised
to give him a great deal of money,
if he would come with those forces
Jesus the
robber captain.
he had with him, which were in
number eight hundred, and fight with
us. Accordingly he complied with what they
desired upon the promises they had made
him, and was desirous to fall upon us when
we were unprepared for him, and knew
nothing of his coming beforehand; so he sent to
me, and desired that I would give him leave
to come and salute me. When I had given
him that leave, which I did without the least
knowledge of his treacherous intentions
beforehand, he took his band of robbers, and made
haste to come to me. Yet did not this his knavery
succeed well at last; for, as he was already nearly
approaching, one of those with him deserted him,
and came to me, and told me what he had
undertaken to do. When I was informed of this, I
went into the market-place, and pretended to
know nothing of his treacherous purpose. I took
with me many Galileans that were armed, as also
some of those of Tiberias; and, when I had given
orders that all the roads should be carefully
guarded, I charged the keepers of the gates to
give admittance to none but Jesus, when he
came with the principal of his men, and to
exclude the rest; and in case they aimed to force
themselves in, to use stripes (in order to repel
them). Accordingly, those that had received
such a charge did as they were
bidden, and Jesus came in with a
His design
foiled by
Josephus.
few others; and when I had
ordered him to throw down his arms
immediately, and told him, that if
he refused so to do, he was a dead man, he seeing
armed men standing all round about him, was
terrified, and complied; and as for those of his
followers that were excluded, when they were
informed that he was seized, they ran away. I
then called Jesus to me by himself, and told him
that "I was not a stranger to that treacherous
design he had against me, nor was I ignorant by
whom he was sent for; that, however, I would
forgive what he had done already, if he would
repent of it, and be faithful to me hereafter."
And thus, upon his promise to do all that I
desired, I let him go, and gave him leave to get
those whom he had formerly had with him
together again. But I threatened the inhabitants
of Sepphoris, that, if they would not leave off
their ungrateful treatment of me, I would punish
them sufficiently.
23. AT THIS time it was that two great
men, who were under the jurisdiction of the king
(Agrippa) came to me out of the region of
Trachonitis, bringing their horses and their arms,
and carrying with them their money also; and
when the Jews would force them
to be circumcised, if they would
Josephus on
ceremonies.
stay among them, I would not
permit them to have any force
put upon them,[1] but said to them, "Every one
- ↑ Josephus's opinion is here well worth noting:—That every one is to be permitted to worship God according to his own conscience, and
