The miseries within Jerusalem, by Flavious Josephus
The apostle John tells us in Relegation that he beheld and
heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying
with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants
of the earth (Rev. 8:13). Then he tells us he saw locusts
who shapes were like horses prepared for battle. They
had breastplates as iron and the sound of their wings was
as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle
(Rev. 9:7-9). Josephus in his account of the miseries of
Jerusalem that grew worse and worse said: "there were seen
chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor running about
the clouds, surrounding the city". There was also a man
who cried "Woe, woe, against Jerusalem" for the time
of seven years and five months. It is well observed by
Josephus that God's judgment had come upon that
generation.
There was a star resembling a sword, which stood over
the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year.
Book 6 Chapter 5, Section 3 (Entire)
(288) Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these
deceivers, and such as belied God himself; while they did
not attend, nor give credit, to the signs that were so
evident and did so plainly foretell their future desolation;
but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see, or
minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that
God made to them. (289) Thus there was a star resembling
a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that
continued a whole year. (290) Thus also, before the Jews
rebellion and before those commotion's which preceded
the war, when the people were come in great crowds to
the feast of unleavened bread, on the eight day of the month
Xanthicus [Nisan] and at the ninth hour of the night so
great a light shone round the alter and the holy house,
that it appeared to be bright day time; which light lasted
for half an hour (291) This light seemed to be a good
sign to the unskillful but was so interpreted by the sacred
scribes as to portend those events that followed immediately
upon it (292) At the same festival also a heifer as she
was led by the high priest to be sacrificed, brought forth
a lamb in the midst of the temple. (293) Moreover the
eastern gate of the inner [court of the] temple, which was
of brass and vastly heavy and had been with difficulty shut
by twenty men and rested upon a basis armed with iron
and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which
was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened
of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. (294)
Now those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon
running to the captain of the temple and told him of it
who then came up thither and not without great difficulty
was able to shut the gate again. (295) This also appeared
to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy as if God did
thereby open them the gate of happiness. But the men
of learning understood it that the security of their holy
house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate
was opened for the advantage of their enemies (296)
So these publicly declared that this signal foreshadowed
the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these
a few days after that feast on the twenty first day of the
month Artermisius {Jyar}, (297) a certain prodigious and
incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account
of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those
that saw it (298) and were not the events that followed it
of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals;
for before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in
their armor were seen (299) running about among the
clouds, and surrounding of cities, Moreover at that feast
which we call Pentecost as the priests were going by night
into the inner court of the temple as their custom was to
perform their sacred ministrations they said that in the
first place they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise
(300) and after that they heard a sound as of a great
multitude saying, "Let us remove hence". But what is
still more terrible there was one Jesus the son of Anna's
a plebeian and a husbandman who four years before
the war began and at a time when the city was in very
great peace and prosperity came to that feast whereon
it is our custom for every to make tabernacles to God in
the temple, (301) began on a sudden cry aloud "A voice
from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four
winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house a voice
against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against
this whole people!" Thus was his cry, as he went about by
day and by night, in all the lanes of the city. (302)
However certain of the most eminent among the populace
had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took up
the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes
yet did not he either say anything for himself, or anything
peculiar to those that chastised him but still he went on
with the same words which he cried before. (303) Hereupon
our rulers supposing as the case proved to be that this was
a sort of divine fury in the man brought him to the Roman
procurator (304) where he was whipped till his bones were
laid bare yet did he not make any supplication for himself,
nor shed any tears, but turning his voice to the most
lamentable tone possible at every stroke of the whip his
answer was, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" (305) And when Albinus
(for he was then our procurator) asked him who he was and
whence he come and why he uttered such words he made
no manner of reply to what he said but still did not leave
off his melancholy ditty till Albinus took him to be a
madman and dismissed him (306) Now during all the time
that passed before the war began this man did not go near
any of the citizens nor was seen by them while he said so
but he every day uttered these lamentable words as if it
were his premeditated vow, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!"
(307) Nor did he give ill words to any of those that beat
him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food;
but this was his reply to all men and indeed no other than
a melancholy presage of what was to come (308) This cry
of his was the loudest at the festivals and he continued
this ditty for seven years and five months, without growing
hoarse or being tired therewith until the very time that he
saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege when it
ceased (309) for as he was going round upon the wall he
cried our with his utmost force, " Woe, woe, to the city
again and to the people, and to the holy house!" And just as
he added at the last, Woe, woe to my self also!" there came
a stone out of one of the engines and smote him, and killed
him immediately and as he was uttering the very same
presages he gave up the ghost.
Comments
This account is given that you might better understand some
of the historical background of what led up to the great
tribulation upon the Jews and the desolation of their land
and city and Temple. If the Christians had not fled from
Judea and Jerusalem after Cestius Gallus' withdrawal from
the city, they too would have suffered the awful
consequences of what was happening in those days.
Thou John the Baptize declared Jesus as the sacrifice
who takes away the sin of the world, the Jews continued
the daily sacrifice to God. The daily sacrifice ceased
July 17th, 70 A.D. because all people were needed for
defense of the city. "The last and the bloodiest sacrifice
at the alter of burnt offerings was the slaughter of
thousands of Jews who had crowded around it
(Philip Schaff, vol. 1, p. 397)."
--
"If something in science suddenly becomes so sacrosanct
that you can't question it, then it ceases to be science",
he said. "And I really think that's what's become of
Darwinism." - Roger DeHart
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