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But, upon his coming and fighting, he was beaten, and a great
many of those that were with him fell. And this disgrace which
Gessius [with Cestius] received, became the calamity of our whole
nation; for those that were fond of the war were so far elevated
with this success, that they had hopes of finally conquering the
Romans. Of which war another occasion was ministered; which was
this: - Those that dwelt in the neighboring cities of Syria
seized upon such Jews as dwelt among them, with their wives and
children, and slew them, when they had not the least occasion of
complaint against them; for they did neither attempt any
innovation or revolt from the Romans, nor had they given any
marks of hatred or treacherous designs towards the Syrians. But
what was done by the inhabitants of Scythopolis was the most
impious and most highly criminal of all; for when the Jews
their enemies came upon them from without, they forced the Jews
that were among them to bear arms against their own countrymen,
which it is unlawful for us to do; and when, by their
assistance, they had joined battle with those who attacked them,
and had beaten them, after that victory they forgot the
assurances they had given these their fellow citizens and
confederates, and slew them all, being in number many ten
thousands [13,000]. The like miseries were undergone by those
Jews that were the inhabitants of Damascus. But we have given a
more accurate account of these things in the books of the Jewish
war. I only mention them now, because I would demonstrate to my
readers, that the Jews' war with the Romans was not voluntary,
but that, for the main, they were forced by necessity to enter
into it.
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