When, however, they related the fall of Gischala, it became evident to many that their retreat was no better than a flight; and when they heard the awful details of massacre and captivity, they foreboded the fate that would overtake themselves.

John, however, put on a bold air, and went about inciting the multitude to warlike measures, setting forth in their colors the weakness of the Romans, and saying that even had the Romans wings like birds, they could never surmount the ramparts of the capital; that they already had had trouble enough in subduing the villages of Galilee, and could never take so strong a city as Jerusalem.

The young men eagerly believed him, and were easily incited to take up arms, but the old and prudent men mourned over the prospect of the future. The metropolis now began to be divided into two hostile factions,—one desirous of peace and submission to the Romans, the other desirous of war.

The whole province, indeed, was torn by civil dissension, and everywhere, in every city, the peace party and the war party fought for the supremacy. Whenever the people had time to breathe from the assaults of the Romans, they turned their swords upon each other. Every family was divided against itself.

In the country, bands of brigands collected, and robbed and ravaged the district. The Roman garrisons in the different towns looked on in indifference, and let the people fight it out among themselves, affording no relief to the distressed and those who desired peace.

At last the brigands, satiated with pillage, collected together in one band, and crept into Jerusalem; for this city, according to ancient custom, received all people of Jewish blood. These robbers were a useless burden to Jerusalem, for they consumed those supplies which might have long supported the garrison, and brought upon the people the miseries of sedition and famine.

The different bands of robbers joined together formed a powerful faction, and soon began to exercise their old calling. They grew so bold that they committed robberies and in the open daylight; and, wishing to become masters of the city, they slew some of the most distinguished citizens.

Their first victim was Antipas, a man of royal birth, and the treasurer of the city. They seized him and detained him in custody, and then in like manner arrested a number of leading men. The people looked on in dismay, but refrained from interference, each one fearing for his own personal safety.

As the brigands feared that an attempt might be made to rescue the prisoners, they decreed that they should be put to death, and sent one of their number, called John, a desperate villain, with ten men into the prison to execute their orders. John and his band accordingly dispatched those in custody. As an excuse for this atrocious act they pretended that the prisoners had held conferences with the Romans to treat about a surrender of Jerusalem; and they gave out that they had slain the betrayers of their liberty. In fact, they gloried in their wicked deeds, as if they had been the benefactors and preservers of the city.

Finding that the people were thoroughly cowed beneath their sway, these robbers took a step even more daring. They assumed authority to appoint to the high priesthood. Accordingly, they annulled the right of those families from which by succession the high priests had been elected, and ordained to the office the ignoble and low born, that they might make them accomplices in their impious proceedings. Moreover, by artifices and slanderous stories they set at odds persons formerly in authority, and so, by creating divisions, increased their own power, united as they were for evil.

The multitude at last, instigated by Ananus, the oldest of the chief priests, were goaded to resistance. The robbers took refuge in the temple of God, and sacrilegiously turned it into a fortress to protect them against the outburst of popular violence, making the holy place their asylum. To these bitter evils they added mockery, which the people felt more deeply than even their violent acts. They pretended that, according to ancient law, the high priest should be chosen by lot, although the succession was really hereditary.

And so they cast a lot, and the office fell upon a coarse clown called Phannias, who scarcely knew what the high priesthood meant. Yet they dressed him in the priestly robes, and taught him how to act when offering sacrifice. This shocking impiety, which to them was a subject of merriment, drew tears from the other priests, who beheld from a distance their law turned into ridicule, and wept over the profanation of the holy office.

This insult aroused the people. Some of the chief men went among them and urged them to punish these destroyers of liberty, and to purge the sanctuary of its polluters. An assembly of the people was convened, and Ananus addressed them, his eyes filling with tears every time he looked towards the temple. He reproached the multitude with their tame endurance of a tyranny more cruel than that of the Romans. Would they, who would not submit to the masters of the world, bear the tyranny of their own countrymen? It was a cause for bitter tears to see the offerings of the heathen in the Holy Place; how much worse to see the arms of murderers who had slain their own people, those even whom the Romans would have spared! The Romans had always remained reverently without in the court of the Gentiles; those who were bound to observe the law, who called themselves Jews, trod with polluted feet the very Holy of Holies, their hands reeking with the blood of their brethren.

Stirred by the eloquent harangue, the people demanded to be immediately led against the Zealots, for so the robbers styled themselves,—as if they were zealots in the cause of virtue, while indeed they were noted for their pursuit of vice. The Zealots had sent spies to the assembly, and from them received news of what was going on.

While Ananus was mustering his forces they rushed from the temple, and spared none that came in their way. Ananus hastily collected the populace, who, though superiour in numbers, were inferior in discipline to the robbers. The two parties fought with the greatest fury, and the slaughter on both sides was enormous.

At first the better discipline of the Zealots gave them the advantage, but before long they were obliged to retire before the superior numbers of their opponents, and they retreated into the temple, Ananus and his party breaking in with them. The Zealots fled into the inner court and closed the gates. Ananus was prevented from improving his advantage, because he deemed it wrong to assail the sacred gates, or to introduce the multitude unpurified into the inner temple. He therefore contented himself with stationing six thousand men as sentinels about the cloisters and gates of the inner court, that they might keep guard over the party within, and he made arrangements that this guard should be regularly relieved.

The ruin of Ananus and his entire party was caused by John of Gischala, whose flight from his native town has been related. This crafty man, always plotting to get power for himself, pretended that he sided with the populace, and daily attended the councils of Ananus and the leaders of his party. But at night when he visited the watch he would betray his secrets to the Zealots. To conceal his treachery, he pretended the greatest anxiety for the success of the people. But he rather overacted his part, and as the people found out that their movements were disclosed to the Zealots, John fell under suspicion. Yet it was no easy matter to punish him, because he was too sly to be detected, and he had a large band of followers.

It was deemed advisable, therefore, to bind him by oath to keep good faith with the people. Without any hesitation John swore that he would be true to the people, and that he would not betray either counsel or act to their enemies, but would assist both by his personal exertions and advice in their assailants. Relying on his oath, Ananus and his party now admitted him without suspicion to their deliberations, and even sent him to treat with the Zealots.

John, however, as if he had sworn fealty to the Zealots, instead of against them, entered the temple and spoke to them like a sworn friend. He represented the dangers he had incurred in rendering them secret service, and informed them that negotiations were going on for the surrender of the city to the Romans; also that Ananus had appointed a purification service on the following day in order that his followers might enter the temple and attack the Zealots. Nor, said he, did he see how they could hold out for any length of time against so many opponents. They must either, therefore, sue for pardon or obtain some external aid. And he warned them against the danger of trusting to the mercy of the people, who had not forgotten their daring deeds. He hinted, therefore, at obtaining succor from the Idumeans; and in order to make the leaders of the Zealots angry, he stated that Ananus made them the special objects of his threats. The leaders were Eleazar, son of Simon, and Zacharias, son of Phalek. These men, on hearing the threats directed against themselves, and, moreover, that Ananus had invited the Romans to aid him, for so John had falsely stated, were deeply perplexed as to what course of action they should take.

It was finally resolved that they should call the Idumeans to their aid, and so they dispatched some swift messengers with letters, saying that Ananus was about to betray the city to the Romans, and that they had revolted in the cause of freedom, but were now shut up in the temple, and that unless they received immediate and they would be soon overcome and the city be surrendered to the Romans.