To the Death

by Peter R. Hall

  To make sure this city never rose up again against him and to serve as a warning to others, Vespasian ordered Jotapata to be torn down and burnt. He then ordered a detailed search to be made for Josephus’ body, which meant sorting through mounds of corpses. He also ordered that the cave system on the edge of the town be investigated. The Roman general knew that it was very unlikely that Josephus had escaped, so tight was the net he had spread. The Jew was either dead or in hiding. Either way, he informed his officers, he would have Josephus’ body before he left Jotapata.

  25

  Nursing a lump the size of an egg on the side of his head, his vision blurred as the result of a blow received in the fury of the fighting on the wall, a haggard and exhausted Josephus retreated into the crush of screaming, panic stricken Jews fleeing the advancing Romans. The mob, in its desperation to escape, had to clamber over the putrefying unburied dead who had lain for weeks where they had fallen. Josephus would never forget the bluebottles and their offspring, the heaving mounds of maggots feeding on the bloated bodies.

  Swept along by the fleeing mob, he felt a tug at his elbow and swivelled his head. It was one of his officers, Jacob. “Come with me - some of the men have found a place to hide”. Josephus, his head throbbing and his peripheral vision worsening, nodded and grasped Jacob’s arm. Because of the press of people it took them an hour to reach the waste ground at the far end of the city’s slums; a piece of ground that was a mass of giant boulders, great slabs of stone tilting in every direction, the result of natural movement of the earth in past millennia. This desolation was home to a bunch of idiot beggars when they were not on the street soliciting alms.

  Terrified of what was happening they were huddled among the boulders. Alive with vermin, they squinted at the world with rheumy eyes wild with fear. Plastered with dirt, sucking on ropes of snot, they cowered and gibbered at the appearance of Josephus and his companion. “Ignore them and follow me”, Jacob gasped, scrambling between the abraded slabs of stone. Reeling with exhaustion, wondering if he could keep going much longer, Josephus struggled after his companion. Just when he thought he could go no further, Jacob stopped. They were standing in a fissure of rock that reared twenty feet above their heads. At its base was a concealed hole, overgrown with weeds and dead grass.

  Jacob crouched and called. Several minutes elapsed before he got a cautious reply. Almost fainting with relief, he gave a password that resulted in the appearance of a ladder. Gratefully the two men scrambled down into the darkness, to be met by a man holding a tiny oil lamp. After removing the ladder he led them down a short tunnel into a large cave.

  To his amazement, Josephus stared at the group of people who had taken refuge there. Half of them were his own men, the rest town councillors and their families and a few of the town’s leading businessmen.

  Later Josephus would learn that, in anticipation of the disaster that had overtaken them, the cave had been stocked with food, water and other essentials that would last several weeks. For the first few days Josephus rested, thankful that his vision, no doubt aided by the cave’s darkness, gradually returned. Tiny oil lamps were only being used for essential purposes and to dispel the absolute blackness of their subterranean home.

  When he had recovered, Josephus and a couple of his men left the cave to search for an escape route and to note the position of the Roman soldiers. They did this without knowing that the Romans were in fact searching for him. By an unfortunate coincidence, a woman who had taken shelter in the cave decided she also would go out at night. In this case it was to search for her missing children. Lacking the guile and experience of Josephus and his men, she inevitably fell into the hands of the Romans. With a sword at her throat, the Roman sentry demanded to know where she had been hiding. Joined by a centurion who snarled at her “answer him bitch” she knew she was seconds away from death.

  She gathered her courage, saying “If you want the man you are seeking, take me to your commander”.

  With a quick intake of breath, the centurion said “Tie her”. Back at the guardhouse the senior centurion on duty viewed the captive coldly, but he wasn’t about to start taking chances on such an important matter.

  He reported in person to his opposite number on Vespasian’s staff. Minutes later he was standing to attention before his commanding officer and his son. “At ease”, Vespasian said. “What do you think?”

  “Don’t know Sir, worth a listen. Thought I should report before questioning her”.

  Vespasian nodded saying “Bring her in”.

  “Search her first” interjected Titus.

  The duty officer Gaius Iovis replied “Sir”, saluted and left to collect his prisoner, slightly miffed that he had been unnecessarily told to search her.

  Twenty minutes later a discomfited and outraged Jewish matron who had been strip searched, was led in front of Vespasian. Without preamble Vespasian asked bluntly, “You know where the Jewish general Josephus is hiding?”

  There was a moment’s silence while the woman, Rachel, gathered her composure. “Yes”, she snapped.

  The flat of a sword from the guard at her back dropped her to her knees “Yes, General, sir”, he shouted. Vespasian frowned but said nothing.

  “Yes General” she said shakily, the fragility of her position suddenly coming home to her.

  “Well”, said Vespasian, “it’s simple. You lead us to him and you go free with a reward and free passage for you and your family out of Jotapata”. He paused before adding matter-offactly, “Or die. Which is it to be?”

  Screwing up her courage and doing her best to keep the shake out of her voice, Rachel replied “My husband is dead General, I need help to find my children”.

  Vespasian nodded. “If they are to be found, I will find your children. Now go with my officers and show them where the man I seek hides”. Given the importance of the task in hand and the prize at stake, Vespasian immediately despatched two tribunes, Paulinus and Gallicanus with orders that Josephus, if found, was to be offered safe conduct if he would surrender. >Led by Rachel, the first thing the tribunes did was to secure the area with a thousand picked legionaries.

  This done, they approached the entrance to the cave and called out to its occupants. Josephus, sick at heart at his discovery was suspicious that once in Vespasian’s hands he would be humiliated and then executed, refused the offer. While this was taking place Titus remembered that a tribune serving in the Fifteenth Legion knew Josephus, having served in Jerusalem with King Agrippa II.

  Nicanor was sent for and, after being briefed by Titus personally, was sent to negotiate with Josephus. Once at the cave Nicanor assured Josephus, “Vespasian admires you as a brother general”, adding, “If Vespasian was laying a trap he would not have sent a friend. Such an action would have besmirched Vespasian’s honour and”, he concluded huffily, “he himself would never be part of so dishonourable an affair. The deceiving of anybody is bad enough, but a friend is totally unacceptable”.

  In spite of the assurance Josephus hesitated and asked for time to think. The other tribunes present, Paulinus and Gallicanus, angry at the way things were going, were all for smoking Josephus and the other refugees out. Nicanor refused to do this on the ground that Josephus might be injured. “Vespasian has expressly ordered Josephus be captured alive and unharmed. “If ” he warned, “you over-ride me I will withdraw and report back to the commander-in-chief ”.

  In the end common sense prevailed. Nicanor was allowed to continue talking to Josephus. As Nicanor renewed his appeals, Josephus recalled a recent dream, in which he believed God had forewarned him of the catastrophe that would engulf the Jews in their war with the Romans and the future of the man who would conquer his people.

  An expert of the prophecies in Holy Scripture, Josephus firmly believed that what he had experienced in his dream was in fact the word of God. Standing in the gloom at the bottom of the shaft leading to the outside world, he knelt to pray. “Lord, we your people have sinned and the Romans, you
r instrument of punishment, bear down hard. You have chosen me as your servant to know the future of my people. I place myself in my enemy’s hands to do thy bidding not mine”.

  His fellow companions in the cave hearing these words had crowded round him. Their spokesman, voicing the thoughts of all, said angrily, “The laws of the Jews ordained by God Himself gave our race the courage not to fear death. We demand you stay loyal to Him and His people, and do not betray them by an act of treachery. Are you such a coward that you prefer to live as a slave, then die in freedom’s cause? Even if the Romans keep their word and you are pardoned could you, in the memory of all those you demanded lay down their lives for freedom, stoop to accept it?”

  The silence that followed this declaration was palpable. Josephus, his face drawn by fatigue and emotion, swayed on his feet. Suddenly swords were drawn, blades glinting in the lamp light. Josephus replied, “Why, my friends are you so eager to die? No, not just to die but to commit suicide, for I know you have discussed this among yourselves before I joined you”. Getting no reply he continued, “You claim it is noble to die for freedom. I agree, but on the battlefield, not by your own hand. From God we receive the gift of life. His to give and His to take back when He, not man, decides. I shall not go over to the Romans to betray everything I am. If I did so I would be lower than those who desert to the enemy, for their desertion is in exchange for life. I go to do God’s will even unto death”.

  Those among his audience who remained unconvinced continued to point their swords at his throat. Josephus, putting his trust in what he regarded as divine revelation, said, “Let us put ourselves in fate’s hands. Let us draw lots. Whoever draws lot number one is killed by number two and so on. Only the last man will commit suicide and in doing so, in so noble a cause, will surely win God’s mercy”.

  After some consultation the group agreed, and Josephus drew lots with the others. Then each person in turn offered his throat to the other. The only variation was for the few women and children. Their fathers, husbands and brothers despatched them first, before offering their throat to a companion. One by one the bodies fell silently, no man flinching or turning away from what he saw as duty. Soon the air reeked with the smell of blood.

  At the end Josephus was left with one other man. Josephus, who had spoken so fervently against suicide, couldn’t bring himself to kill not just a fellow Jew, but a warrior who had stood with him on the wall and fought the enemy to the bitter end. So Josephus laid down his sword and, after agreeing with Nicanor that the offer of amnesty would cover them both, he surrendered to the Romans.

  The jubilant tribunes, headed by Nicanor, marched their prize to Vespasian knowing they would be well rewarded.

  In his tent the Roman General, with his son Titus, contemplated their prisoner. Titus, impressed by the calm demeanour of the prisoner, reflected on the vicissitudes of fortune and the lack of any certainty in life’s course. Later he was to successfully argue with his father to spare Josephus from being sent to Nero, which would almost certainly have seen him end up dying in the arena.

  So Vespasian ordered that Josephus be held in custody and be well treated, for he had a use for him. A task that would require Josephus to appear in public, looking well cared for and not as some enemy prisoner suffering under the victor’s heel.

  Before being taken away, Josephus asked to speak to Vespasian in private. Intrigued, Vespasian ordered everyone except his son Titus to withdraw. “Understandably sir” said Josephus, “you regard me as just another captive, albeit an important one; but still just a prisoner. I come, however, as a messenger sent by God himself. I know the law both civil and military. My death by the Emperor Nero’s hand or yours is inevitable. How long will Nero, and those destined to succeed him, remain on the throne before your turn comes? You, my Lord Vespasian, will be Caesar and Emperor”.

  Assuming that Josephus’ speech had been made to save his skin, Vespasian signalled to the guards he was to be taken away. Later, however, questioning other prisoners he discovered Josephus’ reputation of second sight had been proven on many occasions, even in childhood.

  At the outset of the siege of Jotapata for example, he had predicted it would fall on the forty eighth day of its siege and that he would be taken prisoner.

  So although Vespasian kept Josephus under lock and key, it was with many privileges. Titus, who had taken a liking to their prisoner, also treated him with kindness and respect.

  26

  In the early morning, Titus the tribunes and senior centurions had gathered in Vespasian’s campaign tent for a briefing. Maps and documents were spread across trestle tables dotted with wooden blocks to mark positions of interest. A large map hung on a frame was the focal point. Vespasian, joined by Titus, motioned for the officers to find a seat while Mucianus, who was to conduct the meeting, moved about the tent greeting men by name.

  With everybody seated Vespasian raised his hand for silence and without preamble opened the briefing. “Replacements for our fallen comrades and those seriously injured will be with us within the next two weeks. Our immediate task is to bury our dead. This will be done starting today and completed over the next few days. It will be done with all ceremony and with full military honours. To avoid disease, the enemy dead are to be collected and dumped in a deep ravine. With the town cleared we need to consider the state of our men. We have over five hundred seriously wounded and the same again hurt badly enough to be declared unfit for duty. Those who are fit are in need of a breather.”

  Vespasian paused to sip from a glass before continuing, “It is my intention to kill two birds with one stone. The town will be demolished - this will take time. Our wounded need time to recover, at least until they are fit enough to travel in the hospital wagons. Your victories in this campaign do not go unheard in Rome. The taking of Jotapata and the capture of the enemy’s general are of great importance and will shorten the war. When news of this reaches Rome, your names will be honoured. The Emperor himself will speak of you with pride”.

  A low murmur of satisfaction rippled around the tent and Vespasian waited patiently before continuing. “We shall probably be camped here for six weeks; then we march. Our final objective is Jerusalem, but in getting there we have to continue with our policy of pacification. The country has to be cleared of our enemies; the Emperor’s orders were very clear. He wants the Jewish problem solved once and for all”.

  Vespasian paused to sip from a beaker, continuing “The next phase of our campaign will take us south towards our ultimate objective, Jerusalem. Our enemy will resist us every inch of the way. They know only too well the price of rebellion. Knowing your enemy is vital to achieving success on the battlefield. Good military intelligence is worth an extra legion. We are fortunate in this campaign to have King Agrippa and his men as our allies. The King and his men fight loyally by our side; they share our wounds, our losses. I am proud to call them brothers in arms”.

  A loud cheer of approval greeted these remarks and a grave faced Agrippa rose from his chair and bowed to Vespasian and the gathering. When the noise subsided Vespasian continued. “As you know, General Mucianus has served in this region for many years and is an expert on it and its people. I will hand you over to him, to take us through what lies ahead. Before doing so, can I say it is very important that what you learn today is passed on to the men who serve under you. Legionaries fight better if they think their officers know what they’re doing”. This last remark, delivered with a grin, brought an answering burst of laughter.

  Mucianus nodded to Vespasian and took his place in front of the map. “Majesty, General, Gentlemen. Knowing your enemy saves lives - yours in particular. The enemy in this case is rebellious Jews. It is of course much more complicated than that, and we need to understand those complications if we are to succeed”.

  Mucianus picked up a pointer and tapped the map. “By the way,” he said “interrupt at any time with questions. This area north of Judaea has a large gentile population. It prospers in
a quarrelsome bunch of provinces where Jews, Greeks and a patchwork of squabbling near eastern nationalities live in a permanent state of tribal distrust.” Glancing at his attentive audience he continued, “When we Romans came to Judaea, we made it the strongest military power between the Roman provinces of Egypt and Syria. It was also a buffer between the Empire and the Mesopotamian Parthian threat to Rome’s total control of the Eastern Mediterranean. Also, this area is bandit country. Various opportunist warlords operate in the area, relying on our being too busy with the uprising to deal with them. Before we move from here we will clear the surrounding countryside of any potential trouble”.

  “Sir?” the questioner was a grizzled veteran, probably serving his time out. Mucianus nodded acknowledgement. The veteran centurion said, “Sir, the countryside the locals refer to as upper Galilee is rich and fertile, well watered and will grow just about anything. When we have won the war will you be settling any of it?”

  Mucianus burst out laughing, the vested interest so obvious that his companions shared in his mirth. But when the laughter died down, they waited expectantly for the answer to what was a serious question. Roman soldiers coming to the end of their contracted twenty five years of service were frequently settled as pioneers in recently conquered territories. The arrangement suited both sides. Rome established an outpost of trained soldiers in case of future trouble, at no cost. The retiring legionaries acquired a free farm and slaves to work it.