The Jewish War

[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Scaurus had been sent into Syria from Armenia by Pompey the Great, who was at war with Tikranes. Arriving at Damascus immediately after its capture by Metellus and Lollius, he packed off these officers, and learning how things were in Judea lost no time in seizing the heaven-sent opportunity. As soon as he set foot on Jewish soil delegates arrived from both brothers to request his aid. The rights of the case were outweighed by Aristobulus' gift of three hundred talents. Accepting this sum Scaurus sent a herald to Hyrcanus and the Arabs, threatening them with Pompey and the Romans unless they raised the siege. Back from Judea to Philadelphia fled Aretas in panic, and back to Damascus went Scaurus. Aristobulus was not satisfied with escape, but collected his entire army and pursued the enemy; near Papyron he engaged them and killed over 6,000, among whom was Antipater's brother Phallion.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Hyrcanus and Antipater, deprived of Arab help, transferred their hopes to the other side, and when Pompey entered Syria and arrived at Damascus they sought his protection. They brought no presents but relied on the same arguments as they had used with Aretas, begging him to repudiate the violent methods of Aristobulus and to restore to his throne the man to whom, as the elder and better of the two, it belonged. Nor was Aristobulus behindhand, knowing that Scaurus could be bribed. He too presented himself, decked out in all his royal splendor. But he became sick of servility and could not bear to abase himself in order to secure his ends at the cost of his dignity; so at the city of Dium he turned back.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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This conduct stung Pompey, who yielding to the importunity of Hyrcanus and his friends set off in pursuit of Aristobulus at the head of the Roman army and numerous auxiliaries from Syria. By-passing Pella and Scythopolis he came to Coreae, where travelers from the interior cross into Judaea. Informed that Aristobulus had sought safety in Alexandreum, a most elaborately equipped fortress perched on a lofty eminence, he sent orders to him to come down. Summoned thus peremptorily the king was more inclined to try a fall than to submit, but he saw that the people were frighted to death, and his friends begged him to realize that Roman power was irresistible. Taking their advice he came down to Pompey, attempted at great length to justify his claim to the throne, and went back to his stronghold. At his brother's invitation he came down again, argued the rights and wrongs of the case, and went away without hindrance from Pompey. Hovering between hope and fear, he came down repeatedly in the expectation of talking Pompey into putting everything into his hands, and often returned to his citadel to avoid the appearance of yielding too soon. Finally however Pompey insisted on his evacuating the forts, and as the commanders had instructions to take no notice of any order not written by Aristobulus himself, he forced him to send each one of them a written order to march out. Aristobulus complied, but withdrew to Jerusalem in a rage and prepared for war with Pompey.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Pompey allowed him no time for these preparations but followed at once, stimulated by news of Mithridates' death, received when he was near Jericho. (This is the most fertile spot in Judea, rich in palms and in balsam: the stems of the balsam trees are slashed with sharp stones and the resin collected where it is exuded from the cuts.) After spending one night in camp there, at dawn he set off rapidly for Jerusalem. Panicking at his approach Aristobulus met him as a suppliant, and by promising money and putting the City and himself in his hands appeased his anger. But no part of this agreement was carried out; the officer sent to receive the money, Gabinius, was prevented by Aristobulus' partisans from even entering the City.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Stung once more by this treatment, Pompey kept Aristobulus in custody, and advancing to the City reconnoitered the possible lines of attack, observing the almost impregnable strength of the walls, the formidable ravine in front of them, and within the ravine the Temple, with its fortifications so strong that if the town were captured it would provide a further refuge for the enemy. While Pompey took time to make up his mind, party strife broke out in the City, the supporters of Aristobulus calling for war and the rescue of the king, those of Hyrcanus urging the opening of the gates to Pompey. The numbers of the latter were swelled by fear, when they saw the perfect discipline of the Romans. Worsted in the struggle, the opposite faction retired into the Temple, destroyed the bridge linking Temple and City, and prepared to fight to the death. The others invited the Romans into the City and surrendered the Palace, to which Pompey sent Piso, one of his senior officers, and a large body of men. Piso posted sentry-groups about the City, and as none of the men sheltering in the Temple could be persuaded to come to terms, he removed all obstacles in the vicinity in readiness for an assault, finding the supporters of Hyrcanus most free with advice and assistance.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Pompey himself on the north side was busy filling in the trench and the entire ravine with material collected by the troops. This was a formidable task, as the depth was immense and the Jews interfered from above in every possible way. The Romans would never have reached the end of their labors if Pompey had not availed himself of the Seventh Day, on which for religious reasons the Jews will not set their hands to any work, raising the level of his platform, while keeping his men out of all armed clashes; for only in self-defense will Jews fight on the Sabbath. When at last the ravine was filled in, he erected high towers on the platform, brought up the engines he had fetched from Tyre, and began to batter the walls while the stone throwers prevented any interference from above. But for a long time little impression was made on the towers, which in this sector were massive and splendid to a degree.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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While the Romans were suffering severely Pompey was amazed at the unshakable endurance of the Jews, especially their maintenance of all the religious ceremonies in the midst of a storm of missiles. Just as if deep peace enfolded the City the daily sacrifices, offerings for the dead, and every other act of worship were meticulously carried out to the glory of God. Not even when the Temple was being captured and they were being butchered round the alter did they abandon the ceremonies for the day. In the third month of the siege the Romans at last overthrew one of the towers and swarmed into the Temple. The first who ventured to surmount the wall was Sulla's son, Cornelius Faustus. Next came two centurions, Furius and Fabius, followed by their respective units, which completely surrounded the Temple court and killed some as they fled the Sanctuary, others as they put up a short-lived resistance. Many of the priests, though they saw the enemy approaching sword in hand, quietly went on with the sacred rites and were cut down as they poured libations and offered incense, putting the service of God before their own preservation. Most who fell were killed by their own countrymen of the rival factions; others beyond number threw themselves over the precipices; some, maddened by their hopeless position, fired the buildings round the wall and perished in the flames. The Jews lost 12,000 dead; of the Romans very few were killed, though a good many were wounded.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Among the disasters of that time nothing sent such a shudder through the nation as the exposure by aliens of the Holy Place, hitherto screened from all eyes. Pompey and his staff went through the Sanctuary, which no one was permitted to enter but the high priest, and saw what it contained ― the lampstand and the lamps, the table, the libation cups and sensors all of solid gold, and a great heap of spices and sacred money totaling 2,000 talents. Neither on this nor on any other of the sacred treasures did he lay a finger, and only one day after the capture he instructed the custodians to purify the Temple and perform the normal sacrifices. He appointed Hyrcanus high priest again, because he had shown himself most helpful during the siege, especially by holding off the crowds of countryfolk anxious to fight for Aristobulus. In such ways he proved his worth as a general, and by relying on considerateness rather than severity won the goodwill of the citizens. The prisoners included Aristobulus' father-in-law, who was also his uncle. The chief officers of the war were beheaded. Faustus and the men who had given him such splendid support received magnificent rewards. The country and its capital were laid under tribute.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Pompey next deprived the Jews of the towns they had occupied in Coele Syria, putting them under a Roman governor specially appointed; this meant that the nation was confused within its own boundaries. He rebuilt Gadara, which the Jews had razed to the ground, as a favor to a Gadarene among his own freedmen. He also freed from their rule all such inland towns as they had not destroyed ― Hippus, Scythopolis, Pella, Samaria, Jamnia, Marisa, Azotus, and Arethusa; likewise the coastal towns, Gaza, Joppa, Dora, and the city which was first called Strato's Tower and later was rebuilt by King Herod on the most magnificent scale and renamed Caesarea. All these towns he gave back to their legitimate citizens and added to the province of Syria, which with Judea and the whole area as far as Egypt and the Euphrates he entrusted to Scaurus, with two of his legions. He himself marched rapidly through Cilicia on his way to Rome, taking with him Aristobulus and his family as prisoners. Of the two sons and three daughters, one son, Alexander, escaped en route; the younger, Antigonus, and his sisters were conveyed to Rome.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Meanwhile Scaurus invaded Arabia, but was held up at Pella by the difficult terrain, and though he ravaged the country around he suffered severely in doing so as he ran out of food completely. From this plight he was saved by Hyrcanus, who sent supplies by Antipater. He as an old friend of Aretas was dispatched by Scaurus to persuade him to buy peace. The Arab agreed to pay three hundred talents, and on those terms Scaurus removed his army from Arabia.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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The son of Aristobulus who had slipped out of Pompey's hands, Alexander, in time collected a large force which undermined Hyrcanus' position by overrunning Judea, and it looked as if he would quickly dethrone him; for he advanced to Jerusalem and brazenly began building the section of the wall thrown down by Pompey. But Gabinius had been sent to Syria as successor to Scaurus, and after showing his worth on many other occasions he marched against Alexander. In alarm at his approach, Alexander recruited vigorously till he had 10,000 heavy infantry and 1,500 cavalry, and fortified carefully chosen positions, Alexandreum, Hyrcania, and Machaerus near the Arabian hills. Gabinius sent Mark Antony ahead with a detachment of his Army, and followed in person with the main body. Antipater and his picked men, with the other Jewish forces under Malichus Peitholaus, put themselves under the command of Mark Antony's officers and made contact with Alexander. Soon afterwards the heavy infantry arrived with Gabinius at their head. The united forces of his enemies were too much Alexander, who retreated until near Jerusalem he was forced to give battle, losing in the engagement 6,000 men, half of them killed, half of them prisoners. With the survivors he fled to Alexandreum, where Gabinius on his arrival found many of them encamped. Before using force he tried to win them over by promising to pardon their past offenses; but when they refused any compromise, he killed a large number and shut the rest into the stronghold. In this battle Mark Antony displayed superlative courage; on every field he had invariably proved his worth, but never so convincingly as now.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Gabinius left enough men to reduce the fort and went off himself to settle the towns that had not been sacked and to rebuild those that had been destroyed. On his instructions Scythopolis, Samaria, Anthedon, Apollonia, Jamnia, Raphia, Marisa, Dora, Gaza, Azotus, and many other towns were re-established, each of them attracting an influx of eager colonists. These arrangements complete, he returned to Alexandreum and intensified the siege till Alexander, abandoning hope entirely, sent a herald to implore pardon for his offenses and to surrender his remaining fortresses of Hyrcania and Machaerus. Finally he handed over Alexandreum as well. All these Gabinius demolished at the instigation of Alexander's mother, that they might never be used a bases for a second war. The lady had come to ingratiate herself to him in her anxiety for the prisoners at Rome, her husband and remaining children. Gabinius next reinstated Hyrcanus in Jerusalem, entrusting him with the custody of the Temple, and set up a political system based on aristocracy. He divided the whole nation into five unions, one centered on Jerusalem, one on Gazara, one under the protection of Amathus, the fourth assigned to Jericho, and the fifth based on Sepphoris, a town of Galilee. Only too pleased to be freed from the domination of one man, the Jews were thenceforth ruled by an aristocracy.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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It was not long before trouble broke out for them. Aristobulus escaped from Rome, and again rallied a number of Jews, some eager for political change, others long devoted to him. His first act was to seize Alexandreum and to attempt its reinforcement; but when he learnt that Gabinius had sent an army under Sienna, Antony, and Servilius to attack him, he retired towards Machaerus. Shaking off a mass of useless followers he kept only those properly equipped, about 8,000. Among these was Peitholaus, chief of staff in Jerusalem, who had deserted to him with 1,000 men. The Romans followed close behind, and battle was joined. For a long time Aristobulus and his men offered a fierce and successful resistance, but in the end they were overwhelmed by the Romans and lost 5,000 killed. Some 2,000 escaped on to a hill and the remaining thousand led by Aristobulus hacked their way through the Roman ranks and drove on to Machaerus. There, as he bivouacked the first night among the ruins, the king dreamt of raising another army, if only he was granted a breathing-space, and he began to fortify the position after a fashion; but the Romans soon attacked, and after holding out for two days beyond his strength he was captured, and with Antigonus, the son who had escaped with him from Rome, he was brought in fetters to Gabinius and by Gabinius sent back to Rome. He himself was imprisoned by the Senate, but his children were allowed to return to Judea, as Gabinius sent a written statement that he had promised this to Aristobulus' wife in return for the surrender of the strongholds.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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Gabinius had already sent off an expedition against the Parthians when he was stopped by Ptolemy. He turned back from the Euphrates and restored that monarch to the Egyptian throne, supported throughout the campaign by all the resources of Hyrcanus and Antipater. Money, weapons, corn, and auxiliaries were furnished by Antipater, who also persuaded the Jewish frontier guards at the Pelusion Approaches to let Gabinius pass. In the absence of Gabinius there were risings all over Syria, and the Jews were again stirred to revolt by Alexander, Aristobulus' son, who collected a huge army and started a massacre of all the Romans in the country. This alarmed Gabinius, who had already hurried back from Egypt on hearing of the upheaval in Palestine. He had sent Antipater ahead to win over the rebels, and met with some success; but 30,000 remained loyal to Alexander, and he was determined to fight. So when Gabinius took the field, the Jews met him, and in a battle near Mount Tabor lost 10,000 killed, the rest fleeing in all directions. Gabinius visited Jerusalem, where he reconstructed the government according to Antipater's wishes; setting out from there he defeated the Nabataeans in battle. Mithridates and Orsanes, refuges from Partha, got away with his connivance, 'giving him the slip', as he informed the soldiers.

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[John Reece]

The Jewish War

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At this point Crassus arrived to take over the governorship of Syria. For the campaign against the Parthians he removed all the gold from the Sanctuary in Jerusalem, including the 2,000 talents Pompey had not touched. He crossed the Euphrates and perished with his army, but that is irrelevant to our story. After their victory the Parthians swept forward to cross the river into Syria, but were driven back by Cassius, who had escaped to the Roman province. Having secured the province he hurried towards Judea, capturing Tarichaeae, where he enslaved some 30,000 Jews and at Antipater's suggestion executed Peitholaus, who was trying to rally Aristobulus' partisans. Antipater had married a distinguished lady from Arabia called Cypros, who bore him four sons, Phasael, the future King Herod, Joseph, and Pheroras, and a daughter Salome. He had won influential support on every side by kindness and hospitality; above all he had by his marriage made the Arab king his friend, and when he undertook the war against Aristobulus it was to him that he sent his children for safe keeping. Cassius, after forcing Alexander to give a written undertaking to keep the peace, went back to the Euphrates to prevent a Parthian crossing. A full account will be given in a future work.

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