Section 119
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 87 It may, however, be necessary to state, in the very words of this writer, how about three hundred thousand that flocked from all parts of Judea at the time of the passover, were shut up in Jeru salem as in a prison. For it was indeed just, that in those very days in which they had inflicted sufferings upon the Saviour and benefactor of all men, the Christ of God, destruction should over take them, thus shut up as in a prison, as an exhibition of the di vine justice. Passing by, then, the particular calamities which befel them, such as they suffered from the sword, and other means employed against them,C may deem it sufficient only to subjoin the calamities they endured from the famine. So that they who peruse the present history, may know in some measure, that the divine vengeance did not long delay to visit them for their iniquity against the Christ of God.) CHAPTER VI. The famine which oppressed the Jews. LET us, then, with the fifth book of Josephus's history again in our hands, go through the tragedy of events which then occurred. " It was equally dangerous," says he, " for the more wealthy to remain. For under the pretext of desertion, a man was klain for his wealth. But the madness of the rioters increased with the famine, and both kinds of misery were inflamed from day to day. Provisions were plainly nowhere to be had. Hence they burst into houses to search for food, and if they found any, they would scourge tiie owners as if they intended to deny they had it ; but if they found none, they tortured them as if they had carefully concealed it. The bodies of the poor wretches, however, were evidence enough whether they had or had not. Some of them, therefore, that were yet sound in health, they supposed to have an abundance of food, but those that were wan and pallid they passed by ; for it seemed ab surd to kill men that were soon likely to die for want. Many se cretly exchanged their property for a single measure of wheat, if they happened to be the more wealthy ; of barley, if they were 10*