the wars of the jews-第1章

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The　Wars　of　the　Jews　

or　History　of　the　Destruction　of　Jerusalem

By　Flavius　Josephus


Translated　by　William　Whiston



PREFACE

1。　（1）　Whereas　the　war　which　the　Jews　made　with　the　Romans　hath　been　the　greatest　of　all　those；　not　only　that　have　been　in　our　times；　but；　in　a　manner；　of　those　that　ever　were　heard　of；　both　of　those　wherein　cities　have　fought　against　cities；　or　nations　against　nations；　while　some　men　who　were　not　concerned　in　the　affairs　themselves　have　gotten　together　vain　and　contradictory　stories　by　hearsay；　and　have　written　them　down　after　a　sophistical　manner；　and　while　those　that　were　there　present　have　given　false　accounts　of　things；　and　this　either　out　of　a　humor　of　flattery　to　the　Romans；　or　of　hatred　towards　the　Jews；　and　while　their　writings　contain　sometimes　accusations；　and　sometimes　encomiums；　but　no　where　the　accurate　truth　of　the　facts；　I　have　proposed　to　myself；　for　the　sake　of　such　as　live　under　the　government　of　the　Romans；　to　translate　those　books　into　the　Greek　tongue；　which　I　formerly　composed　in　the　language　of　our　country；　and　sent　to　the　Upper　Barbarians；　（2）　Joseph；　the　son　of　Matthias；　by　birth　a　Hebrew；　a　priest　also；　and　one　who　at　first　fought　against　the　Romans　myself；　and　was　forced　to　be　present　at　what　was　done　afterwards；　＇am　the　author　of　this　work＇。

2。　Now　at　the　time　when　this　great　concussion　of　affairs　happened；　the　affairs　of　the　Romans　were　themselves　in　great　disorder。　Those　Jews　also　who　were　for　innovations；　then　arose　when　the　times　were　disturbed；　they　were　also　in　a　flourishing　condition　for　strength　and　riches；　insomuch　that　the　affairs　of　the　East　were　then　exceeding　tumultuous；　while　some　hoped　for　gain；　and　others　were　afraid　of　loss　in　such　troubles；　for　the　Jews　hoped　that　all　of　their　nation　which　were　beyond　Euphrates　would　have　raised　an　insurrection　together　with　them。　The　Gauls　also；　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　Romans；　were　in　motion；　and　the　Geltin　were　not　quiet；　but　all　was　in　disorder　after　the　death　of　Nero。　And　the　opportunity　now　offered　induced　many　to　aim　at　the　royal　power；　and　the　soldiery　affected　change；　out　of　the　hopes　of　getting　money。　I　thought　it　therefore　an　absurd　thing　to　see　the　truth　falsified　in　affairs　of　such　great　consequence；　and　to　take　no　notice　of　it；　but　to　suffer　those　Greeks　and　Romans　that　were　not　in　the　wars　to　be　ignorant　of　these　things；　and　to　read　either　flatteries　or　fictions；　while　the　Parthians；　and　the　Babylonians；　and　the　remotest　Arabians；　and　those　of　our　nation　beyond　Euphrates；　with　the　Adiabeni；　by　my　means；　knew　accurately　both　whence　the　war　begun；　what　miseries　it　brought　upon　us；　and　after　what　manner　it　ended。

3。　It　is　true；　these　writers　have　the　confidence　to　call　their　accounts　histories；　wherein　yet　they　seem　to　me　to　fail　of　their　own　purpose；　as　well　as　to　relate　nothing　that　is　sound。　For　they　have　a　mind　to　demonstrate　the　greatness　of　the　Romans；　while　they　still　diminish　and　lessen　the　actions　of　the　Jews；　as　not　discerning　how　it　cannot　be　that　those　must　appear　to　be　great　who　have　only　conquered　those　that　were　little。　Nor　are　they　ashamed　to　overlook　the　length　of　the　war；　the　multitude　of　the　Roman　forces　who　so　greatly　suffered　in　it；　or　the　might　of　the　commanders；　whose　great　labors　about　Jerusalem　will　be　deemed　inglorious；　if　what　they　achieved　be　reckoned　but　a　small　matter。　　4。　However；　I　will　not　go　to　the　other　extreme；　out　of　opposition　to　those　men　who　extol　the　Romans　nor　will　I　determine　to　raise　the　actions　of　my　countrymen　too　high；　but　I　will　prosecute　the　actions　of　both　parties　with　accuracy。　Yet　shall　I　suit　my　language　to　the　passions　I　am　under；　as　to　the　affairs　I　describe；　and　must　be　allowed　to　indulge　some　lamentations　upon　the　miseries　undergone　by　my　own　country。　For　that　it　was　a　seditious　temper　of　our　own　that　destroyed　it；　and　that　they　were　the　tyrants　among　the　Jews　who　brought　the　Roman　power　upon　us；　who　unwillingly　attacked　us；　and　occasioned　the　burning　of　our　holy　temple；　Titus　Caesar；　who　destroyed　it；　is　himself　a　witness；　who；　daring　the　entire　war；　pitied　the　people　who　were　kept　under　by　the　seditious；　and　did　often　voluntarily　delay　the　taking　of　the　city；　and　allowed　time　to　the　siege；　in　order　to　let　the　authors　have　opportunity　for　repentance。　But　if　any　one　makes　an　unjust　accusation　against　us；　when　we　speak　so　passionately　about　the　tyrants；　or　the　robbers；　or　sorely　bewail　the　misfortunes　of　our　country；　let　him　indulge　my　affections　herein；　though　it　be　contrary　to　the　rules　for　writing　history；　because　it　had　so　come　to　pass；　that　our　city　Jerusalem　had　arrived　at　a　higher　degree　of　felicity　than　any　other　city　under　the　Roman　government；　and　yet　at　last　fell　into　the　sorest　of　calamities　again。　Accordingly；　it　appears　to　me　that　the　misfortunes　of　all　men；　from　the　beginning　of　the　world；　if　they　be　compared　to　these　of　the　Jews　（3）　are　not　so　considerable　as　they　were；　while　the　authors　of　them　were　not　foreigners　neither。　This　makes　it　impossible　for　me　to　contain　my　lamentations。　But　if　any　one　be　inflexible　in　his　censures　of　me；　let　him　attribute　the　facts　themselves　to　the　historical　part；　and　the　lamentations　to　the　writer　himself　only。

5。　However；　I　may　justly　blame　the　learned　men　among　the　Greeks；　who；　when　such　great　actions　have　been　done　in　their　own　times；　which；　upon　the　comparison；　quite　eclipse　the　old　wars；　do　yet　sit　as　judges　of　those　affairs；　and　pass　bitter　censures　upon　the　labors　of　the　best　writers　of　antiquity；　which　moderns；　although　they　may　be　superior　to　the　old　writers　in　eloquence；　yet　are　they　inferior　to　them　in　the　execution　of　what　they　intended　to　do。　While　these　also　write　new　histories　about　the　Assyrians　and　Medes；　as　if　the　ancient　writers　had　not　described　their　affairs　as　they　ought　to　have　done；　although　these　be　as　far　inferior　to　them　in　abilities　as　they　are　different　in　their　notions　from　them。　For　of　old　every　one　took　upon　them　to　write　what　happened　in　his　own　time；　where　their　immediate　concern　in　the　actions　made　their　promises　of　value；　and　where　it　must　be　reproachful　to　write　lies；　when　they　must　be　known　by　the　readers　to　be　such。　But　then；　an　undertaking　to　preserve　the　memory　Of　what　hath　not　been　before　recorded；　and　to　represent　the　affairs　of　one's　own　time　to　those　that　come　afterwards；　is　really　worthy　of　praise　and　commendation。　Now　he　is　to　be　esteemed　to　have　taken　good　pains　in　earnest；　not　who　does　no　more　than　change　the　disposition　and　order　of　other　men's　works；　but　he　who　not　only　relates　what　had　not　been　related　before；　but　composes　an　entire　body　of　history　of　his　own：　accordingly；　I　have　been　at　great　charges；　and　have　taken　very　great　pains　＇about　this　history＇；　though　I　be　a　foreigner；　and　do　dedicate　this　work；　as　a　memorial　of　great　actions；　both　to　the　Greeks　and　to　the　Barbarians。　But　for　some　of　our　own　principal　men；　their　mouths　are　wide　open；　and　their　tongues　loosed　presently；　for　gain　and　law…suits；　but　quite　muzzled　up　when　they　are　to　write　history；　where　they　must　speak　truth　and　gather　facts　together　with　a　great　deal　of　pains；　and　so　they　leave　the　writing　such　histories　to　weaker　people；　and　to　such　as　are　not　acquainted　with　the　actions　of　princes。　Yet　shall　the　real　truth　of　historical　facts　be　preferred　by　us；　how　much　soever　it　be　neglected　among　the　Greek　historians。　　6。　To　write　concerning　the　Antiquities　of　the　Jews；　who　they　were　＇originally＇；　and　how　they　revolted　from　the　Egyptians；　and　what　country　they　traveled　over；　and　what　countries　they　seized　upon　afterward；　and　how　they　were　removed　out　of　them；　I　think　this　not　to　be　a　fit　opportunity；　and；　on　other　accounts；　also　superfluous；　and　this　because　many　Jews　before　me　have　composed　the　histories　of　our　ancestors　very　exactly；　as　have　some　of　the　Greeks　done　it　also；　and　have　translated　our　histories　into　their　own　tongue；　and　have　not　much　mistaken　the　truth　in　their　histories。　But　then；　where　the　writers　of　these　affairs　and　our　prophets　leave　off；　thence　shall　I　take　my　rise；　and　begin　my　history。　Now　as　to　what　concerns　that　war　which　happened　in　my　own　time；　I　will　go　over　it　very　largely；　and　with　all　the　diligence　I　am　able；　but　for　what　preceded　min