Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem destroyed

Chapter Twenty-Four

Galilee

A.D. 67

How ravaged Galilee turned out to be! Most of Galilee, alarmed by the news of Joseph's surrender and becoming a prisoner of war, easily surrender to Vespasian. Gamala, Mount Tabor, and Gischala are left. Now Gamala is really close, and it had held out for seven months against Agrippa.

And now is the time to take it!

(Meanwhile, at the command of Vespasian, and perhaps against his will, Joseph bar Matthias has to marry a virgin who was a captive with him.)

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Gamala was fortified by Joseph back when he was still governor of Galilee. (It's now under the control of another Joseph and a Chares.) Now Vespasian prepares to lay siege to Gamala. Agrippa II, tries, however, to make peace terms. He is coming up to the walls, but one of the slingers in the city hurls a stone at the "King of the Jews".

The stone hits Agrippa's right elbow. The immediate pain gets him crying out, and his soldiers surround him. The Roman soldiers hurry to besiege the city because of how badly treated Agrippa was.

Around then, Vespasian sends his son Titus to Licinius Mucianus in Syria. He has replaced Cestius Gallus, who has died recently. Macianus is a good friend of Vespasian, so Vespasian sends his son to meet with the new president of Syria, since he's unfortunately busy working out a siege.

And now Vespasian and his men quickly shake and knock the walls of Gamala down, with use of the battering rams. With loud trumpet soundings and the noise of armor and the shout of Roman soldiers, the enemy burst into the city. But then the Jews are winning. The Romans run to the upper parts of the city, but the Jews take them to the lower parts. It is so narrow and difficult, and many Roman soldiers fall.

Then soldiers feel compelled to get into the houses, which are low. But there are so many soldiers in them (and "whose weight the house could not bear") they suddenly collapse. Only one house falls down, but it shakes down many others under it. In this way many Roman soldiers meet their end—some by being pressed down by the ruins, some by suffocating by the arising dust from the ruins.

The people of Gamala take this as a sign from Alaha that he is on their side. They press onward, throwing stones and darts and stabbing their enemies with their swords. They also dispatch the dead soldiers, taking the swords.

Vespasian barely gets out alive. But, as Joseph would later say, he "recollected his courage, like he had been excited by a divine fury". He covers himself and those around him with their shields. In this way they form a testudo, or tortoise formation, in which the soldiers cover their whole beings with the shields, especially in front of them (if they are in front) and over their heads. Then they proceed against the enemy, who slowed down. Vespasian takes the chance to get out of the city, and he does it "without showing his back to them". Other Roman soldiers have to sneak out at night, as they are staying in the city.

Now Vespasian encourages his troops, who are dejected by how they are failing. He says they cannot always expect an easy victory.

Now the siege is renewed, along with the siege works. Now people start fleeing the town by going through ravines and underground passages. They are so sure they'd win, but now they start seeing they can't withstand the Romans for long.

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Now Vespasian has Placidus and 600 horsemen go take Mount Tabor. It is surrounded by a wall that had been built by Joseph over a 40-day time. Placidus attacks unexpectedly and ambushes them when he pretends to flee away with his men. The insurgents, alarmed at this sudden defeat, flee away while the natives surrender themselves and the mountain to Placidus.