66 "in the hieroglyphic writing the fun, moon, and stars, were used to reprefent ftates and empires, kings, queens, and nobility; their eclipfe and extinction, temporary difafters, or entire overthrow, &c. fo in like manner the holy prophets call kings and empires by the names of the heavenly luminaries; their mif"fortunes and overthrow are reprefented by eclipfes "and extinction; ftars falling from the firmament are employed to denote the deftruction of the nobility, &c. "In a word, the prophetic ftyle feems to be a fpeak"ing hieroglyphic. Thefe obfervations will not only "affift us in the ftudy of the Old and New Teftament, "but likewife vindicate their character from the illite"rate cavils of modern libertines, who have foolishly miftaken that for the peculiar workmanship of the prophet's heated imagination, which was the fober "eftablished language of their times, and which God "and his Son condefcended to employ as the propereft conveyance of the high myfterious ways of providence "in the revelation of themfelves to mankind." 66 To St. Matthew's account St. Luke addeth, (XXI. 24.) And they shall fall by the edge of the fword, and fhall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerufalem shall be troden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. The number of thofe who fell by the edge of the fword, was indeed very great. Of those who perifhed during the whole fiege, there were, as Jofephus (4) faith, eleven hundred thoufand. Many were alfo flain (5) at other times and in other places. By the command of Florus, who was the first author of the war, there were flain at Jerufalem (6) three thousand and fix hundred By the inhabitants of Cæfarea (7) above twenty thoufand: At Scythopolis (8) above thirteen thoufand: At Afcalon (9) two thoufand five hundred, and at Ptolemais two thoufand: At Alexandria, under Tiberius Alexander the prefident, (1) fifty thoufand: At Joppa, when it was taken by Ceftius Gallus, (2) eight thoufand four hundred: In a mountain called Afamon near Sepphoris (3) above two thoufand: At Damafcus (4) ten thousand: In a battle with the Romans at Afcalon (5) ten thoufand: In an ambuscade near the fame place (6) eight thoufand: At Japha (7) fifteen thousand: Of the Samaritans upon mount Garizin (8) eleven thoufand and fix hundred: At Jotapa (9) forty thoufand: At Joppa, when taken by Vefpafian, (1) four thousand two hundred: At Tarichea (2) fix thousand five hundred, and after the city was taken twelve hundred: At Gamala (3) four thoufand flain, befides five thoufand who threw themfelves down a precipice: Of thofe who fled with John from Gifchala (4) fix thoufand: Of the Gadarenes (5) fifteen thoufand flain, befides an infinite number drowned: In the villages of Idumea (6) above ten thousand flain: At Gerafa (7) a thousand: At Machærus (8) feventeen hundred: In the wood of Jardes (9) three thousand: In the caftle of Mafada (1) nine hundred and fixty: In Cyrene by Catullus the governor (2) three thoufand. Befides thefe many of every age, fex and condition, werè flain in this war, who are not reckoned; but of thefe who are reckoned, the number amounts to above one million, three hundred fifty-seven thousand, fix hundred and fixty; which would appear almoft incredible, if their own hiftorian had not fo particularly enumerated them. But befides the Jews who fell by the edge of the fword, others were also to be led away captive into all nations: and confidering the numbers of the flain, the number of the captives too was very great. There were taken (1) Ibid. Sect. 8. (7) Ibid. Cap. 7. Sect. 31: (1) Ibid. Cap. 8. Sect. 3. E 4 2) Ibid. Cap. 9. Sect. 9, 10. (1) Ibid. Cap. 9. Sect. 1. 2. particularly particularly at Japha (3) two thousand one hundred and thirty: At Jotapa (4) one thousand two hundred: At Tarichea (5) fix thoufand chofen young men were fent to Nero, the reft fold to the number of thirty thousand and four hundred befides thofe who were given to Agrippa: Of the Gadarenes (6) two thousand two hundred: In Idumea (7) above a thoufand. Many befides these were taken at Jerufalem, fo that as Jofephus himfelf (8) informs us, the number of the captives taken in the whole war amounted to ninety-feven thousand; the tall and handfome young men Titus referved for his triumph; of the reft, those above feventeen years of age were fent to the works in Egypt, but most were diftributed through the Roman provinces, to be deftroyed in their theatres by the fword or by the wild beafts; thofe under feventeen were fold for flaves. Of thefe captives many underwent hard fate. Eleven thoufand of them (9) perifhed for want. Titus exhibited all forts of shows and fpectacles at Cæfarea, and (1) many of the captives were there deftroyed, fome being expofed to the wild beafts, and others compelled to fight in troops againft one another. At Cæfarea too in honor of his brother's birth-day (2) two thoufand five hundred Jews were flain; and a great number likewife at Berytus in honor of his father's. The like (3) was done in other cities of Syria. Those whom he referved for his triumph (4) were Simon and John, the generals of the captives, and (3) Lib. 3. Cap. 7. Sect. 37. (8) των δε νεων τες ὑψηλότατες και καλώς επιλέξας ετηρει το θριαμβον το δε λοιπες πληθες τες ὑπερ ἐπλακαίδεκα έτη δήσας επεμψεν εις τα κατ' Αιγυπτον έργα, πλείσες δ' εις τας επαρχίας δειδώρησατο Τιτις, φθαρησομενες εν τοις θεάτροις σιδηρῷ και θηρίοις. οἱ δὲ εντός ὁπλακαίδεκα ἔτον ἑπράθησαν.-Των μεν εν αιχμαλωτων παντων, ὅσα καθ ̓ ὅλον ελήφθη τον πολέμων, αριθμός εννέα μυ ριάδες και επτακισχίλιοι συνηχθη. juvenes autem lectos, qui proceritate et forma cæteris præftarent, triumpho fer vabat. Ex eliqua autem multitudine, annis XVII. majores vinctos ad metalla exercenda, in Ægyptum mifit; plurimos etiam per provincias diftribuit Titus, in theatris ferro et beftiis confumentios. Quicunque vero infra XVII annum ætatis erant, fub corona venditi funt. Et captivorum quidem omnium, qui totius belli tempore capti funt, numeras erat ad nonaginta feptem millia. Lib. 6. Cap. 9. Sect. 2 et 3. p. 1291. Pro Evveα evvela fcripiffe Jofephum cenfet Villalpandus, tom. 3. p. 123. (9) Ibid. Sect. 2. (1) Lib. 7. Cap. 2. Sect. 1. THE PROPHECIES. 57 undred others of remarkable stature and beauty. were the Jews miferably tormented, and diftriover the Roman provinces; and are they not ftill ed and difperfed over all the nations of the he Jews were to be led away captive into all nao Jerufalem was to be troden down of the Gentiles, e times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And accordingly em has never fince been in the poffeffion of the out hath constantly been in fubjection to fome other as first to the Romans, and afterwards to the Saand then to the Franks, and then to the Mamund now to the Turks. 5, as it was related before, (5) commanded all the well as the temple to be deftroyed: only three were left ftanding for monuments to pofterity of ength of the city, and fo much of the wall as affed the city on the weft, for barracks for the who were left there in garrifon. All the rest of y was fo totally demolished, that there was no od of its ever being inhabited again. The folho were left there, (6) were the tenth legion, with oops of horfe and companies of foot, (7) under mmand of Terentius Rufus. When Titus (8) again to Jerufalem in his way from Syria to and beheld the fad devastation of the city, and o mind its former fplendor and beauty, he could lamenting over it, and curfing the authors of the n, who had compelled him to the cruel neceffity oying fo fine a city. Vefpafian (9) ordered all ds of the Jews to be fold for his own ufe; and all s, wherefoever they dwelt, to pay each man every e fame fum to the capitol of Rome, that they had paid to the temple at Jerufalem. The defolation complete, that Eleazar (1) faid to his country men; What is become of our city, which was believed 'to be inhabited by God? It is rooted up from the very foundations, and the only monument of it that is left, is the camp of those who deftroyed it, still pitched upon its remains. Some unhappy old men fit over the athes of the temple, and a few women referved by the enemy for the bafeft of injuries." The firft who (2) rebuilt Jerufalemn, though not all exactly on the fame fpot, was the Roman emperor Ælius Adrian, and he called it after his own name Ælia, and placed in it a Roman colony, and dedicated a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus in the room of the temple of the true God. While he was vifiting the eastern parts of the empire, he came to Jerufalem, as (3) Epiphanius informs us, forty-feven years after its deftruction by Titus, and found the city all leveled with the ground, and the temple of God troden under foot, except a few houfes and he then formed the refolution of rebuilding it, but his defign was not put in execution till towards the latter end of his reign. The Jews, naturally of a feditious fpirit, were inflamed (4) upon this occafion into open rebellion, to recover their native city and country out of the hands of heathen violators and oppreffors and they were headed by a man called (5) Barchochab, a vile robber and murderer, whofe name fignifying the fon of a ftar, he confidently pretended that he was the perfon prophefied of by Balaam in thofe words, (Numb. XXIV. 17.) There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a fceptre fhall rife out of Ifrael. They were (6) fuccefsful in their firft enterprises through the neglect of the Romans: and it is probable, as the rebellion |
