set guards on the roads, that it might not be easily known by any one that these men were gone. And when I had thus done, I went and abode at Japlia.
53. NOW JONATHAN and his colleagues
having failed of accomplishing what they would
have done against mo, they sent
John back to Gischala, but went
New plots of
Jonathan.
themselves to the city of Tiberias,
expecting it would submit itself to
them; and this was founded on a letter which
Jesus, their then governor, had written them,
promising that, if they came, the multitude would
receive them, and choose to be under their
government; so they went their ways with this
expectation. But Silas, who, as I said, had been left
curator of Tiberias by me, informed me of this,
and desired me to make haste thither.
Accordingly, I complied with his advice immediately,
and came thither; but found myself in danger of
my life, from the following occasion: Jonathan
and his colleagues had been at Tiberias, and had
persuaded a great many of such as had a quarrel
with me to desert me; but when they heard of my
coming, they were in fear for themselves, and
came to me; and when they had saluted me,
they said that I was a happy man in having
behaved myself so well in the government of Galilee;
and they congratulated me upon the honours that
were paid me; for they said that my glory was a
credit to them, since they had been my teachers
and fellow-citizens; and they said farther, that it
was but just that they should prefer my
friendship to them rather than John's, and that they
would have immediately gone home, but that they
staid that they might deliver up John into my
power; and when they said this, they took their
oaths of it, and those such as are most tremendous
amongst us, and such as I did not think fit to
disbelieve. However, they desired me to lodge
somewhere else, because the next day was the
Sabbath; and that it was not fit the city of
Tiberias should be disturbed [on that day].
54. SO I suspected nothing, and went away
to Taricheæ; yet did I withal leave some to make
inquiry in the city how matters went, and whether
anything was said about me; I
also set many persons all the way
that led from Taricheae to Tiberias,
Josephus
departs to
Taricheæ.
that they might communicate from
one to another, if they learned any
news from those that were left in the city. On
the next day, therefore, they all came into the
proseucha;[1] it was a large edifice, and capable of
receiving a great number of people; thither
Jonathan went in, and though he durst not openly
speak of a revolt, yet did he say that their city
stood in need of a better governor than it then
had. But Jesus, who was the ruler, made no
scruple to speak out, and said openly, "O
fellow-citizens! it is better for you to be in
subjection to four than to one; and those such as are
of high birth, and not without reputation for their
wisdom;" and pointed to Jonathan and his
colleagues. Upon his saying this, Justus came
in and condemned him for what he had said, and
persuaded some of the people to be of his mind
also. But the multitude were not pleased with
what was said, and had certainly gone into a
tumult, unless the sixth hour, which was now
come, had dissolved the assembly, at which hour
our laws require us to go to dinner on
Sabbath-days; so Jonathan and his colleagues put off their
council till next day, and went off without success.
When I was informed of these
affairs, I determined to go to the
city of Tiberias in the morning.
Accordingly, on the next day,
Jonathan's
attempt to
stir up the
people.
about the first hour of the day, I
came to Taricheæ, and found the
multitude ready assembled in the proseucha;
but on what account they were gotten together,
those that were assembled did not know. But
when Jonathan and his colleagues saw them there
unexpectedly, they were in disorder; after which
they raised a report of their own contrivance, that
Roman horsemen were sene at a place called
Union, in the borders of Galilee, thirty furlongs
distant from the city. Upon which report,
Jonathan and his colleagues cunningly exhorted
me not to neglect this matter, nor to suffer the
land to be spoiled by the enemy. And this they
said with a design to remove me out of the city,
under the pretence of the want of extraordinary
assistance, while they might dispose the city to
be my enemy.
55. AS FOR myself, although I knew of their
design, yet did I comply with what they proposed,
lest the people of Tiberias should have occasion
to suppose that I was not careful of their security.
I therefore went out; but, when I was at the
place, I found not the least footstep of an enemy;
so I returned as fast as ever I could, and found
the whole council assembled, and
the body of the people gotten
together, and Jonathan and his
Josephus
accused in
the council.
colleagues bringing vehement
accusations against me, as one that
had no concern to ease them of the burdens
of war, and as one that lived luxuriously. And
as they were discoursing thus, they produced four
letters as written to them, from some people that
lived at the borders of Galilee, imploring that
they would come to their assistance, for that there
was an army of Romans, both horsemen and
footmen, who would come and lay waste the
country on the third day; they desired them also
to make haste, and not to overlook them. When
the people of Tiberias heard this, they thought
they spake truth, and made a clamour against
me, and said I ought not to sit still, but to go
away to the assistance of their
countrymen. Hereupon I said His stratagem,
(for I understood the meaning of
Jonathan and his colleagues) that I was ready to
- ↑ It is worth noting here, that there was now a great proseucha, or place of prayer, in the city of Tiberias itself, though such proseucha used to be out of cities, as the synagogues were within them. Of them, see Le Moyne on Polycarp's epistle, page 76. It is also worth our remark, that the Jews, in the days of Josephus, used to dine at the sixth hour, at noon; and that, in obedience to their notions of the law of Moses also.
