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JOSEPHUS DESCRIBES THE MASS SUICIDE AT MASADA

Some scholars maintain that Josephus' account of the tragedy at Masada is
contradicted by archaeological evidence. Read the conclusions from Shaye Cohen's
article "Masada: Literary Tradition, Archaeological Remains, and the Credibility
of Josephus"

The Wars of the Jews, Book 7



Chapter 9

1. (389) Now as Eleazar was proceeding on in his exhortations, they all cut him
off short, and made haste to do the work, as full of an unconquerable ardor of
mind, and moved with a demoniacal fury. So they went their ways, as one still
endeavoring to be before another, and as thinking that this eagerness would be a
demonstration of their courage and good conduct, if they could avoid appearing
in the last class; so great was the zeal they were in to slay their wives and
children, and themselves also! (390) Nor, indeed, when they came to the work
itself, did their courage fail them, as one might imagine it would have done,
but they then held fast the same resolution, without wavering, which they had
upon the hearing of Eleazar's speech, while yet every one of them still retained
the natural passion of love to themselves and their families, because the
reasoning they went upon appeared to them to be very just, even with regard to
those that were dearest to them; (391) for the husbands tenderly embraced their
wives, and took their children into their arms, and gave the longest parting
kisses to them, with tears in their eyes. (392) Yet at the same time did they
complete what they had resolved on, as if they had been executed by the hands of
strangers, and they had nothing else for their comfort but the necessity they
were in of doing this execution to avoid that prospect they had of the miseries
they were to suffer from their enemies. (393) Nor was there at length any one of
these men found that scrupled to act their part in this terrible execution, but
every one of them dispatched his dearest relations. Miserable men indeed were
they, whose distress forced them to slay their own wives and children with their
own hands, as the lightest of those evils that were before them. (394) So they
being not able to bear the grief they were under for what they had done any
longer, and esteeming it an injury to those they had slain to live even the
shortest space of time after them,-they presently laid all they had in a heap,
and set fire to it. (395) They then chose ten men by lot out of them, to slay
all the rest; every one of whom laid himself down by his wife and children on
the ground, and threw his arms about them, and they offered their necks to the
stroke of those who by lot executed that melancholy office; (396) and when these
ten had, without fear, slain them all, they made the same rule for casting lots
for themselves, that he whose lot it was should first kill the other nine, and
after all, should kill himself. Accordingly, all these had courage sufficient to
be no way behind one another in doing or suffering; (397) so, for a conclusion,
the nine offered their necks to the executioner, and he who was the last of all
took a view of all the other bodies, lest perchance some or other among so many
that were slain should want his assistance to be quite dispatched; and when he
perceived that they were all slain, he set fire to the palace, and with the
great force of his hands ran his sword entirely through himself, and fell down
dead near to his own relations. (398) So these people died with this intention,
that they would leave not so much as one soul among them all alive to be subject
to the Romans. (399) Yet there was an ancient woman, and another who was of kin
to Eleazar, and superior to most women in prudence and learning, with five
children, who had concealed themselves in caverns under ground, and had carried
water thither for their drink, and were hidden there when the rest were intent
upon the slaughter of one another. (400) Those others were nine hundred and
sixty in number, the women and children being withal included in that
computation. (401) This calamitous slaughter was made on the fifteenth day of
the month Xanthicus [Nisan].
2. (402) Now for the Romans, they expected that they should be fought in the
morning, when accordingly they put on their armor, and laid bridges of planks
upon their ladders from their banks, to make an assault upon the fortress, which
they did, (403) but saw nobody as an enemy, but a terrible solitude on every
side, with a fire within the place as well as a perfect silence So they were at
a loss to guess at what had happened. At length they made a shout, as if it had
been at a blow given by the battering-ram, to try whether they could bring
anyone out that was within; (404) the women heard this noise, and came out of
their underground cavern, and informed the Romans what had been done, as it was
done, and the second of them clearly described all both what was said and what
was done, and the manner of it: (405) yet they did not easily give their
attention to such a desperate undertaking, and did not believe it could be as
they said; they also attempted to put the fire out, and quickly cutting
themselves a way through it, they came within the palace, (406) and so met with
the multitude of the slain, but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it
were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage
of their resolution and the immovable contempt of death, which so great a number
of them had shown, when they went through with such an action as that was.

From The Works of Josephus,
translated by William Whiston
Hendrickson Publishers, 1987

symposium . jesus' many faces . a portrait of jesus'
world . storytellers . first christians . why did christianity succeed?
maps, archaeology & sources . discussion . bible history quiz . behind the
scenes
teachers' guide . viewers' guide . press reaction .  tapes, transcripts & events

published april 1998

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