Jerusalem's Traitor: Josephus, Masada, and the Fall of Judea

337 Pages·2009·1.2 MB·English

by  Desmond Seward

0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page i
J E R U S A L E M ’ S T R A I T O R
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page ii
“I will bring evil from the north
and a great destruction”
JEREMIAH, IV, 6
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page iii
J e r u s a l e m ’ s
Tr a i t o r
Josephus, Masada,
a n d t h e
Fall of Judea
DESMOND SEWARD
DA CAPO PRESS
A MEMBER OF THE PERSEUS BOOKS GROUP
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/27/09 11:06 AM Page iv
Copyright © 2009 by Desmond Seward
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of
America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center,
Cambridge, MA 02142.
Designed by Brent Wilcox
Set in 11.25 point Garamond by The Perseus Books Group
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Seward, Desmond, 1935–
Jerusalem's traitor : Josephus, Masada, and the fall of Judea / Desmond
Seward.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-306-81807-3 (alk. paper)
1. Josephus, Flavius. 2. Jews—History—168 B.C.–135 A.D. 3. Jews—
History—Rebellion, 66–73 4. Rome—History, Military—30 B.C.–476 A.D.
5. Palestine—History, Military. I. Title.
DS115.9.J6S42 2009
933'.05—dc22
2009005716
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in
the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more
information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus
Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or
call [phone], ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page v
For James and Claire Heagerty
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page vi
This page intentionally left blank
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page vii
CONTENTS
List of Maps ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface: “Masada Shall Not Fall Again” xiii
Introduction:The Land Where Josephus Was Born 1
1 A Young Nobleman 9
2 An Occupied Country 19
3 Rome and Poppaea 29
4 The Jew Baiter 41
5 War 48
6 Governor of Galilee 58
7 The Return of the Legions 77
8 The Siege of Jotapata 83
9 The Cave and the Prophecy 93
10 Josephus the Prisoner 102
11 John of Gischala Comes to Jerusalem 114
12 The Zealot Revolution 123
13 The Reconquest of Judea 130
14 Simon bar Giora 137
vii
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page viii
viii contents
15 The Year of the Four Emperors 145
16 Titus Takes Command 155
17 The Siege Begins 168
18 Inside Jerusalem 185
19 The Wooden Wall 194
20 The Destruction of the Temple 208
21 A Holocaust 223
22 The Propagandist 241
23 Masada and the Last Zealots 247
24 A Roman Citizen 260
25 History’s Verdict 272
Notes 277
Select Bibliography 293
Index 301
0306818073-Seward.qxd:0306818073-Seward 2/18/09 9:29 AM Page ix
LIST OF MAPS
The Holy Land in the Time of Josephus xvii
Galilee xviii
Judea xix
Jerusalem xx
The Temple xxi
ix