Josephus Ben Mattathais

Josephus son of Mattathais stood upon the walls of the city
Jostapata and watched with growing despair the line of Roman horsemen
marching down through the mountain pass, their armour glinting like
sunlight off the scales of a snake. As the line of horsemen trotted
down from the mountain and onto the plain before the city, Josephus
thought he recognised the man in the outfit of command who stood out
like a burnished peacock under the blistering sun. When the procession
came closer Josephus was sure he knew this man. His name was Placidus,
a Roman tribune who had successfully repelled Josephus's earlier attack
upon the city named Sepphoris. Because of Josephus's failure at
Sepphorsis, the Romans had taken root in the land. The floodgates into
Israel and the Fertile Crescent had opened and now it seemed nothing
could hold back the elite Roman army. Using harsh tactics, the Romans
had set fire to the plains until no life could be sustained. They stole
the cattle of the poor farmers near Sepphorsis, and burned the outlying
towns and villages, killing the strong and taking the weak as slaves.
Josephus remembered his defeat bitterly, as he watched Placidus move
closer, and felt the reoccurring dread creep up inside of him, until he
thought all the men upon the walls must know his fears.

"Placidus-We have fought that dog before, Josephus. He came to our
city to conquer us, but we turned him away. He must have an ass's wit
to try again. Is that Vespacian riding beside him?" asked the young man
whose name was Netir as he pointed to another officer riding to the
right flank of Placidus. Netir was of the village called Ruma. Beside
him, his brother, Philip, wrinkled his brow under the sun. Squinting,
Philip raised his hand to his brow to block the sun, and his eyes
searched across the massive Roman ranks for the famed general
Vespacian.

"This must only be the first of them, brother. This small lot can not
be the dreaded army of Vespacian," Philip observed. He stood several
inches taller than his brother, and over the short acquaintance
Josephus had with the two brothers, he had come to acknowledge Philip
as the wiser. "Vespacian would have sent these men ahead. See, there
are no soldiers or archers among them, only horsemen."

"Yes, only the first of them," Josephus said dejectedly, then turned
to an old man named Emram. "I want a count of these men," he told
Emram. "Netir, bring Eleazar another hundred men to strengthen the
camp, then hurry back to me. Philip, you must journey the walls about
the whole city and inspect for any signs of the enemy--"

"-But they can not come but from the North. All the other sides are
sheer cliffs."

"They may have sent spies. We need to be sure. Hurry about the wall
now, Philip. And as you go, cry out to the men to be on the ready.
These are only the first of the enemy and are like mice to the lion who
comes-Vespacian." The two brothers left Josephus immediately, leaving
Emram with his sharp eyes to mark the Roman horsemen. Josephus knew how
many there were even without Emram's count, close to a thousand, a mere
trickle of what was to come.

Josephus had yet to confront Vespacian, for when the Roman general's
massive army reached Galilea most of Josephus's men fled away in
terror, leaving the Galiliean general defenceless and forcing him to
retreat to Tiberias. At Tiberias, Josephus had begun to despair, but
confided in no one his fear of the impending defeat of the remaining
Galiliean forces. But Josephus convinced himself that surrender was not
an option. For he could not shame himself to those who had elected him
to his esteemed position as the commander of all the resistance forces
of Galilea. Instead, he sent a messenger with a letter to Jerusalem,
telling them of the approach of Vespacian and his massive army, and
telling also of the flight of his men. If Jerusalem wished to continue
warring against Rome, they would have to send him an army sufficient to
fight the Romans, he wrote. Otherwise he would have to surrender. But
before Josephus could get word back from Jerusalem, Vespacian moved his
army from the conquered and devastated city of Gadara, to the hidden
city of Jostapata.

Josephus knew why Vespacian wanted the city, for it was where most of
Josephus's army had fled. Josephus knew his army would be destroyed if
he was not there to lead them in battle against Vespacian. So on the
twenty-first day of Artemisius, Josephus, and a few select men from
Tiberius, left for Jostapata just as Vespacian was completing the road
which would lead his army into the valley where Jostapata lay.

"I count a thousand and two, Josephus," said Emram, disturbing
Josephus from his reflection. "I shall begin again."

"Yes, but after you do, go down and rest your old bones, Emram. When
you go to rest, make sure the women and children continue with the
making of arrows and darts. Go to the kitchens, also, and tell the men
there to begin heating the vats of oil and fenugreen. Rest for two
hours, then come back to the wall and count again. Tomorrow, when
Vespacian and his son Titus come, I'm afraid your eyes will fail you,
my dear Emram."

"My eyes have never failed me, Josephus ben Mattathais, and with them
I will spy out every Roman as if my eyes were arrows smiting them."
Then he left, but his remark brought a brief smile to Josephus's face.
But Emram did not know of the strengths of the fifth and tenth legions,
and of the eighteen cohorts which came with them, and of the cohorts of
Cesarea. If he did, Josephus thought Emram might not be so
assured.

With the dawn came Vespacian's army, and what a magnificently terrible
sight it was. Ranks of soldiers covered the hillocks and plains before
Jostapata, making the land alive and wreathing with spear tips and the
clanking of silvery armour. Among the ranks were both soldiers and
horsemen of the fifth and tenth legions, as well as Arabian archers,
sling-men and dart throwers. The giant wooden wheels of the siege
engines ground small stones to meal as the wheels churned across the
land. Among these engines were catapults with large, secured slings
which would be used to launch massive boulders and fiery rounds upon
the walls of Jostapata. All these legions and cohorts were arranged
precisely in tightly packed, alternating squares of men, making a
checker pattern over the land.

Josephus watched Vespacian's army from the short wall of the city.
Below him was the defensive camp lead by the fierce zealot, Eleazar ben
Sameas. At the sight of the full force of the Roman army, Josephus
feared the city would fall under the first wave of assault. He was
careful not to share his fear with the thousands of men on the wall
with him.

"They are going to attack," Nedir said, his voice wavering with either
excitement or fear. "We should bring out the vats of oil--"

"No. They won't attack today," Josephus told the young man. "Vespacian
will not push his men into battle so soon after their march across the
mountains. He knows we are fresh and eager for battle, while his men
are exhausted and in need of good rest. He will have them set up camp,
making sure not to leave any gaps for our escape. Then tomorrow, when
his men have rested and eager for our blood, he will strike." With this
spoken, Josephus watched as Vespacian placed a double row of battalions
around the city, with a third row of cavalry placed behind the
battalions.

"Shall we test our arrows on them?" asked Nedir, causing the battle
hardened soldiers upon the wall to reprimand him for his
brashness.

"They are too far away, boy," said a Pharisee whose name was Anilan.
"Our arrows will deal justice better when they move in to
attack."

"It will be Eleazar and the men in camp who will meet the attack
first," a Galilean named Seth spoke. "Those of us not skilled with a
bow will be useless upon these walls. What do you say, Josephus, down
to the camp with us?" So brave our my men, Josephus thought after
listening to Seth. They would cut my throat if they knew my fears, so I
will hide my dismay from them. I will try and be what my nature denies
me.

"Yes, Seth - It will be the camp attacked first, and those of us not
skilled in bow or sling will be useless upon the wall. Lead the readily
available men down to Eleazar's camp," he said to Seth and then to
Emram he said, "Go along the walls and find who is skilled in bow and
who is not. Then gives those not skilled in bow my orders to go down to
the camp." Emram left with those words, and Josephus turned to Philip
and his brother Nedir. "You two will stand by me, and will be in charge
of the archers and slingers, and I will trust your judgement, Philip,
on when to strike."

Through the night, Josephus shivered in the cold rolling over the
land, and in the feverish chill inside his stomach. He watched
Vespacian's camp closely, but through the night there was little sign
of movement, only the leaping flames of the legions' bon fires. Then,
slowly, as the day began to dawn in redness, Vespacian's camp began to
stir. Josephus watched as Vespacian moved the siege engines into
strategic positions about Jostapata. With the siege engines came
several battalions of soldiers. Josephus rose up and awakened Nedir,
and told him to make his bow ready and to call down the rows of archers
and slingers to alert them. In short time, the guards in Jostapata were
awakened and prepared for attack. Down below, Eleazar's camp stirred,
the archers and soldiers of the camp gathering outside their tents. At
the lead of the men was the black bearded Eleazar who began forming his
men in straight lines for attack.

"Philip, give the signal for the archers to be on the ready," Josephus
told the young man beside him. Immediately, Philip raised his bow above
his head and fitted in it an arrow. Men all along the wall followed
Philip's lead.

Roman trumpets bleated out the furry of their attack and the throb of
the trumpets sunk the hearts of the men in the city. The phalanxes of
soldiers began marching towards the camp below the city's walls, and as
they marched, the soldiers shouted a great cheer which made Josephus
quiver. The Roman soldiers cried, "We are ready for war! For Rome. In
the name of Nero!" they bellowed, and Josephus knew it was his blood
they hungered for. At the lead of the attack came Vespacian, his
gleaming armour and helmet easily distinguishable among the men. At his
side came his son, Titus, both of the men riding sinewy white
studs.

Vespacian raised his hand as signal and the Roman manning the siege
engines began fitting the machines with javelins and giant boulders to
hurl upon the wall of Jostapata. Vespacian gave the order, and the
archers in his ranks began raining arrows on the ranks of men in the
encampment.

Josephus saw Eleazar give the order for his men to run out to meet the
enemy, but already his men were falling with arrows sticking like
quills from their bodies.

To Josephus right he heard a swish as Nedir released an arrow from his
bow and began fitting in another, but Josephus knew the Roman forces
were too far away for arrows to reach them. He knew Vespacian had
planned this, bringing his men slowly toward the encampment, striking
down as many men as possible before the melee would begin.

Further down the wall there was a mighty thwack as one of the Roman
javelins pierced the neck of a defender. Then a boulder came crashing
down and crumbled a part of the wall.

Another man, dangerously close to Josephus, was shot in the head, the
arrow sinking deeply in, so only the feathers of the arrows stuck out
from his skull.

The rain of arrows and javelins continued until the defenders could
hold the wall no longer, and Josephus gave the order to fall back.
Still, many of the valiant men stood and fought, Philip and Nedir among
them. The two brothers were able to reach the Roman with their arrows
now that the enemy was on the encampment below.

Josephus watched from the relative safety of the yard below the wall,
but his insides were fuming with his frustration and impotence. Then he
saw the faces of the men from the camp below as they scrambled over the
wall, being driven back by the ferocious Roman forces. Roman faces
began to appear on the wall, and Josephus cried out, "Charge!" He
raised his sword towards the Romans, and with his men yelling about
him, ran back up the wall. The blood lust of Josephus and his men
enraged them, so they were able to drive the Roman forces off the wall.
Josephus continued after his enemy until all the Romans had fled from
the wall, and Josephus found himself fighting beside Eleazar in the
destroyed encampment below the city.

"You decided to risk yourself," said Eleazar with amusement and shock,
but Josephus was so enraged, and the blood pounded so heavily in his
ears, that he did not here Eleazar's remark.

Though Josephus and his men fought bravely through the day, they were
not able to drive off the enemy, who, plentiful in number, simply
relieved those weary of battle with fresh soldiers. At one time,
Vespacian himself cleared the wall of Jostapata, but was driven back by
Philip's arrows.

When the day had ended and the Romans had retired from battle,
Josephus and Emram tallied up the dead and wounded. The count ended
with seventeen dead and near six-hundred wounded.
That night, the encampment below was abandoned and Josephus brought all
the men to the wall. During the next five days, the battle raged on
with many men on both sides falling dead or wounded, but neither side
giving ground.

Josephus led his men from the city to surprise the Romans, and these
attacks were most successful until the Romans wizened to his strategy.
But soon the fighting ceased and the Roman camp grew quiet. Men along
the wall, Nedir included, were relieved for the break in battle, but
the wiser men, such as Eleazar and Philip, feared the silence.

It was Emram who first saw what the enemy was up to, for, as he had
spoken earlier, his eyes were keen and would not fail him. "They are
taking down the forest and they are dragging stones from the
mountains-and they are levelling the hillocks and stealing away the
dirt."

"They've failed in outright attack," Josephus told his men. "Now they
will try more desperate tactics. They are moving the earth nearer, to
reform it, I think. They will use the trees and rocks to build a sturdy
bank up to the wall. They will try for the weaker parts of the wall,
first, so Eleazar move to the west where the wall is lower, and Seth
move to the east to the other part of weakness. Philip, you go with
Eleazar, and Nedir, you with Seth. Bring archers to both points. We
will strike down their builders before they can begin construction on
the bank." But before the Roman army commenced on the walls of
Jostapata, they used some of the trees they had cut down to make
hurdles protecting them from the attackers on the wall, and Vespacian
had his one hundred and sixty siege engines move into range and began
bombarding the wall, so the defenders had to flee down from the wall,
leaving the builders to begin construction on the ramp.

"They will have their work done in short time if we continue to hide
behind the wall," the Pharisee Anilan told Josephus. "We must
antagonise them in some way."

"Very well. You will come with me over the wall where we will slay the
workers and burn the ramp they are building. Bring Eleazar to me and a
hundred men with him." So with Eleazar and Anilan, Josephus sallied
forth from the city and though many of his men were wounded or killed
by the siege engines, they were able to burn the wooden part of the
ramp, and the hurdles of the workmen. The workers who were left alive
ran back to the safety of the Roman camp and Josephus and his men
returned victorious to the wall.

"We have done it, then. They are driven off," said Nedir after a few
hours absent of Roman attack. But Nedir had been wrong and Vespacian
was only searching for a stronger plan. Soon the workmen were sent back
under the guard of soldiers and new hurdles. The workmen concentrated
on only one part of the wall, the weak western point. Under the hail of
the siege engines, they began construction on the bank once more.
Josephus and his men could not do the damage they had caused before,
for the workmen were united and under the watch of soldiers.

"We are doomed this time," Emram told his fellow soldiers as they
listened to the den of the workmen. "There is no way we can stop their
united force." But Josephus countered these dire remarks quickly,
though his plan was only just forming in his head. He knew he must not
let the weight of defeat fall over his camp.
"No. As they build the bank up, so we will build up the wall."

"But we can not," said Philip." "Their siege engines are close. The
wall is already littered with dead bodies because of them."

"We will first put up a protection for our workers," Josephus told his
men. "Pile the rubble from the ruined parts of the wall into small
mounds. Use any stones and dirt you may find also. Eleazar and Seth, go
to the oxen pen and slay all the oxen. Then skin them quickly and bring
their pelts to the piles of stone along the wall. Because the fresh
skin of the oxen will still be moist, their thrown fire will be
quenched, and their javelins and darts will slide of the hides." The
men went and did as they were told, and Josephus's plan was successful.
The workmen of the Jews were able to operate under the relative safety
of the pelts, and now they raced to build the wall high as the bank was
raised up.

The building of the wall continued for several days, until it was
twenty cubits higher. Several towers were constructed where the
Galilean archers could shoot down on the workmen and soldiers. Under
the protection of these archers, Josephus was able to sally forth from
the city and drive off the Roman workmen.

Now Vespacian lay quiet for many days and Josephus knew the Roman
general had decided to starve them out.

In Jostapata there was plenty of corn and other foods, but there was
no fountain in the city, making Jostapata entirely dependant on rain
water. Josephus knew Vespacian had decided wisely to wait. Josephus
began to delve his thought into ways of bringing the Roman General back
into battle, for the people in Jostapata were much more willing to die
in battle than to die slowly of dehydration and sickness. For a while,
Josephus was able to sneak men out of the city, down a deep gorge where
no Roman soldiers were posted. Josephus was able to bring small amounts
of water and supplies in this way, but the small amount of water was
not enough to sustain the population. So Josephus tried rationing the
water. This was greatly disliked by the populace, and they urged
Josephus to find a way to draw Vespacian back into battle.

It was during this time when Josephus began to fear most greatly for
his life, and he told his men he would leave the city. "If I go with my
select men, Vespacian will follow, and leave your city in peace," he
told the leaders of the populace, but the leaders did not believe
Josephus and begged him to stay. "If you leave, the Romans will crush
us immediately," they said, and their voices had the undertone of
threats. The women and children and old men of the city pleaded for
Josephus to stay and save them and the lamentations of these people
squelched Josephus's urge to leave. He came up with a desperate plan
and told the people to wet rags and place them along the walls of the
city until the walls were glistening with water. "Now Vespacian will
come," Josephus told them. "And now we must fight passionately, and
every one of you must be prepared to give your life to save the city.
It is a valiant thing to desire death over slavery, and for us to
achieve victory many of us will have to give our lives in battle."
Seeing the lust for battle his words had caused in these men, Josephus
led them immediately from the city to attack the Roman camp. Their
sudden attack surprised the Romans and Josephus and his men were able
to inflict great wounds on their enemy. They burned the tents of the
Romans and set fire to all but a few of their siege engines. The
fighting continued on for many more days until both sides were
exhausted from battle and had to withdraw.

Vespacian's next tactic was to use a battering ram on the wall of
Jostapata. The Galileans on the wall watched as the Romans fell a
mighty tree, attacking crossbeams to its sides. The tip of the tree was
carved down and an iron ram's head was placed there, the metal of the
battering ram glinting dangerously through the daylight. Vespacian used
his remaining siege engines to push back the defenders from the wall
and then brought the men with the battering ram forward.

When the defenders felt the first heavy jolt against the wall, many
cried out in fear and Anilan declared, "This is it. We can not defend
against their ram, and the wall can not hold against its
pounding."

"Let us leap out now and fight until a martyr's death befalls us,"
Nedir declared, but inside Josephus's calculating mind another plan was
forming.

"No, we are not over yet," said Josephus. "Quickly, go to the granary
and fill sacks with corn and meal, then find long ropes to tie around
the mouths of the sacks so we can lower them down and stunt the ram's
blast." Without a word, men ran desperately from the wall to do what
Josephus had told them. Two more blasts from the ram shook the wall
while Josephus waited for the men to come back with the sacks. They
came after another blast which shook great chunks of mortar from the
wall.

Josephus had the men run up the wall with the sacks of grain and
ordered the men to throw the sacks of grain over the wall before the
battering ram. When next the ram hit it only sounded out a dull
pounding and the wall stirred only slightly. This brought a tremendous
cry of joy from the defenders, but their excited cheers died out when
one of the men holding the rope was shot through with an arrow and fell
over the wall dead. Quickly, Josephus ordered another man up the wall,
and the man went fearlessly. The strike of the ram sounded again but
was stunted by the sacks. Then one of the men cried out from the wall,
"They're moving the position easterly."

Josephus ordered the men to follow the path the ram took and to
continue using the sacks to protect the wall. This cat and mouse came
continued for several hours before Vespacian ordered spears be brought
forth and tied together until their tips were long enough to cut the
rope holding the sacks. Then the men directing the ram hit the wall
with an incredible force, toppling the wall in a deep v-shaped groove.
In fear Nedir cried out, "They've broken through! We must fight
them-over the wall!" And before Josephus could stop them, the men were
scrambling over the wall to attack the enemy. They forced the soldiers
and the battering-ram back, and when Nedir, with Seth and Anilan,
reached the Roman encampment, they torched more of the siege engines
and destroyed the remaining tents. But then the mighty fist of
Vespacian met their attack, and Anilan was stricken dead with many
others, and Nedir and Seth were driven back to the wall.

Vespacian moved his soldiers after Nedir, for the sudden attack by the
Jews had stung Vespacian and he was now infuriated. The remaining siege
engines were fitted with boulders and began slinging the heavy rocks
onto the wall.

Nearby Josephus, Emram stood, and for a moment Josephus's vision
connection with the old man's unaware eyes, before a sharp sliver of
rock, flung from one of the siege engines, lopped off the top half of
the old man's head, sending it skipping back among the homes of the
city. Soon after, a shrill cry erupted from the city and Josephus
turned to see a woman lying on the street, her belly bloodied from
where a boulder had smashed into her. From the woman's lips came the
scream, "My daughter! My daughter! Bring her to me!" Then Josephus
looked across the street to see a baby lying motionless a few yards
away.

"Bring the oil!' Josephus screaming, thinking he would boil the
attackers in their armour. The wall shook beneath him as the battering
ram pounded into the wall. Josephus was thrown down from the wall, his
skull cracking against stone. In a daze, he looked up to see Eleazar
roar and leap off the wall at the point where the battering ram was
pounding. Josephus waited for the blast to come from the ram, but none
came. Then he saw Eleazar crawl back over the wall with the iron ram's
head cradled in his arms, and darts sticking in all over his body.
Eleazar's heroic act encouraged the men on the wall.

Josephus watched as Philip and Nedir lead a charge from the wall.
Josephus listened to the battle growing further and further away, and
he began to think that the two brothers were successful in repelling
the Roman attack.

When Josephus arose again it was in the comfort of his own bed. He had
been dreaming of his studies as a boy and of his future. The memory of
battle came lazily to his mind. Then total realisation of his situation
donned on him and he rose quickly from bed to see the face of Seth
staring at him. "The battle?" asked Josephus.

"Abated for now," Seth answered. "But thousands have died."

"Why aren't you on the walls with the men?"

"I elected myself to watch over you. Don't worry. The walls are safe.
The Romans have tired as have we. They won't attack now." But Josephus
was unsure of this and ordered Seth to help him from bed. Then he had
Seth lead him outside, but he was met by a thick mist which stole away
all site of the surrounding city. "No one can fight in this," Seth said
but then an arrow snuck from the mists about them and struck Seth
through his chest, stealing away his breath and he slumped to the hard
earth, motionless.

Josephus saw them now, the stealthy creep of shadows about the
mists-Roman soldiers, thousands of them.

Josephus reached frantically for his sword but found it was missing.
He heard the soft strike of boots on stone and he turned around in
shock. A stranger's face appeared from out of the mists, and Josephus
ran.

He ran down through the city's streets and saw the bodies of the
guards lying dead in the mists. Their throats had been slit. He came
upon the body of Eleazar with Roman soldiers piled about the zealot,
evidence of the man's mighty struggle.

The frightened cry of the city dwellers pierced through his ears and
he realised the Roman army had been discovered, like a snake which has
slithered into bed with us, Josephus thought. People came running out
of houses and were engulfed in the mists. Josephus sneaked back into
the shadows and waited for the frightened villagers to be slain. He
watched as the mists of the morning began to clear and stared at the
stones of the streets which were covered in blood. The screams of the
villagers and the war cries of the Romans grew more distant as the
people ran from the city, being herded like cattle to the southern
cliffs where they would be forced down the steep paths of the cliffs,
and many would fall to meet their fates.

Josephus ran through the city alone, listening for and avoiding the
stray Roman garrisons, hoping he would be lucky enough to stay clear of
his enemy.

Rounding a corner he came upon the startled face of Philip who had
raised his bow to strike his foe down. But seeing who it was, Philip
quickly lowered the bow to his side and offered a smile to his
companion. "I thought you dead Ben Mattathais, for everyone in the
village has been slain."

"But how did you survive?" Josephus requested. "I saw Eleazar
dead--"

"Yes, but Nedir and I are still alive. They couldn't get near us
because of our bows. Come with me. We are headed up to the northern
tower. We will be able to defend there for maybe another week, until
supplies run out."

"No," Josephus said, the word struggling guiltily from his throat.
"I'm going to the caves to the east. The Romans are so far unaware of
them-and I will be able to survive."

"Yes. Many of the Pharisees have gone there, hoping to escape the
Roman steel. But I say we must fight until we are dead, or we are
nothing more than sheep for them to sacrifice. You, our commander, can
not be a coward like those men who flee."

"I want to live, Philip, if not to preserve my own life, then to
preserve what has befallen Jostapata, and all the other cities and
people destroyed by the Romans." Without a word, Philip turned and ran
into the mists before Josephus could call to him. Josephus turned also
and ran until he had reached the crumbled eastern wall, then quickly
hurried from the city into the stony valley which was split open by
many crags, like giant wombs were the survivors hid.

With Josephus, nearly forty survivors concealed themselves inside the
crevice which opened into a much larger, rounded cave hidden from the
blue of the sky. Among these men were Jostapata's disempowered leaders
and the prominent merchants of the city. Many of these men had hidden
out in the caves before the Romans overran the city, and inside the
caves were stores of precious merchant wares: goblets embroidered with
jewels, Asian spices and silks, and most importantly the writings and
records of Jostapata. There were also sufficient grain sacks and other
foods, along with a few jugs of water. So these fugitives would be able
to stay in seclusion for a long period of time.

Among the survivors was a woman who had lost her daughter during the
Roman assault, and through the cramped hours the fugitives spent in the
cave, she never let up her lamentations, continually crying out her
daughter's name.
Fearing her cries would deliver all of them to the Romans, the people
in the cave voted to have her thrown out, telling her she would have to
find another cave to shelter in. On the third day of their enclosure in
the caves the woman was thrown out. Outside, the woman continued crying
and Josephus soon knew they had made a mistake by not killing the
woman, for her grievances over her lost daughter would surely bring
Vespacian's army to them.

His fears were correct, for soon there was utter silence above their
cave, and Josephus knew the woman had either been killed or dragged off
by the Romans.

On the sunset of the fourth day footsteps sounded on the rocks outside
Josephus's hideaway, and a voice cried down, saying, "Josephus, it is
I, Nicanor, your old playmate and fellow student. Vespacian has sent me
personally to show that he means no harm to you. In fact, he has become
very impressed by your strong will and sharp military tactics. Come up
and talk about old times with me, and I will introduce you to
Vespacian." Josephus staid silent even at the sound of these assuring
words, but the familiar sound of Nicanor's voice had affected Josephus,
and now he thought Vespacian could be trusted.

"You can not leave us," one of the leaders of the cave said when he
saw that Josephus was not denying Nicanor's request. "They are Romans.
You will be crucified and we will be slaughtered. How can you butcher
your people after the honours we have bestowed upon you?"
But already Josephus's mind was turning, working out the plan for his
survival. These men will kill me if I can not talk them down, Josephus
assure himself.

"You must hurry, Josephus ben Mattathais," Nicanor called from above.
"For with me have come men who wish you dead. I am doing my best to
hold them off, but if you hesitate much longer there will be nothing I
can do."

"Don't listen to him," one merchant hissed, his green eyes glowing at
Josephus through the dim light of the cave. "He is the Roman's puppet
and his soul has been tainted by their presence."

"I agree to go as Vespacian's minister to the Jews, to tell their
story, but not as a traitor to them, and not as a slave to your
Emperor," Josephus called up to Nicanor, but these remarks infuriated
his companions in the cave, for they knew that after Josephus was taken
they would either be kill outright or be taken as slaves. Those Jews
closest to Josephus drew their blades and commenced upon their leader
who they now saw as a traitor to their people.

"We will not allow you to disgrace our people," said the merchant with
the green eyes and raised his blade to strike Josephus down.

"Hold your blade," said a Pharisee named Hellel. "Give him the honour
to bring death to himself. Give him your blade and let him be the first
to free himself from Roman tyranny." With these words, Josephus saw the
path leading to his personal victory, though it would lead him deep
into deception and to the betrayal of his faith. My life deserves it,
he assured himself. My talents are immense. God has chosen me out of
providence, while these people are but fireflies blinking out in the
night. I must be allowed to survive so that these events may be written
down for prosperity. In this way I will redeem myself in the eyes of
the world, if not in the eyes of my brethren.

"Yes," Josephus told them with a cunning smile. "We shall all free
ourselves from the Romans' grasp-by a lottery we will decide the order
of our deaths, with each man killing the one picked before him." As he
spoke, he began to pull loose threads from his robe until he had
amassed a large tangle of threads in his hand. "In my hand are forty
threads, one for each person here." He felt the threads coming loose
from his robe and searched for the shortest which he carefully twined
about his smallest finger. "Come forward and take the threads from my
palm, so that we may extinguish the anguishing threads of our
lives."

"Agreed," said the Pharisee and stepped forward to take a thread from
Josephus's robe. Then the merchant came, followed by the city official
and finally by the women until all the threads were taken from
Josephus, and the assisted suicides were planned out. Then the people
gathered around and began passing a dagger among them, each person
inspecting his thread, then slitting the throat of the person whose
thread length was next to theirs.

Josephus's schemes drew him away from the coppery smell of the freshly
drawn blood, and the splatter of droplets as they trickled onto the
cold rocks of the cave. Vespacian will want me as a prize for Nero,
Josephus told himself, but I will not allow myself to be used in such a
way. I will prophesize to Vespacian, and claim he is the next Emperor
of Rome. The seed of this plan had grown in his mind earlier, as he
expected defeat by Vespacian, and he had told his prophecy to many of
the woman and children whom he knew would be taken prisoner by
Vespacian. Vespacian would go to them for verification of the prophecy.
Vespacian would grow to trust him, and he knew he would have the
General's ear. Josephus would have his place in the high Roman
offices.

The floor of the cave swam with blood of the dead until there was only
one man left alive other than Joseph. The man, weakened from all the
bloodletting, waved his dagger before Josephus's throat. Josephus
glanced once at the dagger then walked over to the slit of light where
Nicanor waited.

In a tent provided by Vespacian, in a comfortable, clean robe, and
after having soaked in a warm bath, Josephus sat at his writing desk
which had elephant tusks for legs, and gold embroidery about the edges.
He wrote down the story of Jostapata. I will record it all, for all to
know and remember. And he wrote it all down in detail until the end
when he came to his betrayal of his people. I will change it just a
little so prosperity will not look at me with a furrowed brow, he told
himself. I will keep all the facts correct. They are of most
importance. After forty-seven days of siege, he wrote, forty-thousand
dead in Jostapata and twelve hundred enslaved. He let his pen drop and
picked out some green grapes from a bowl of fruit brought to him by a
woman he had once fought to save. He took a bite of the grapes. They
tasted sour, but he continued to eat.