Naomi

by Mrs. J. B. Webb

The Romans passed through the deserted Antonia, and made a furious attack on the temple; but here they met with a determined resistance from the followers of John, while Simon's party hastened to join them, and both factions united in their efforts to repulse the enemy and drive them back to the tower. Neither party gained any great advantage with their swords and spears, but at length the Jews came out and met their assailants sword in hand. Then the narrow passages were soon crowded with the dead and wounded, and the soldiers climbed over heaps of bodies to rush upon their antagonists. Ten hours did this deadly conflict last; when Titus finding it was impossible to force his way into the temple, withdrew his men, well satisfied with having gained possession of the fortress of Antonia. He loaded Marcellus with grateful praises for his gallant and most successful enterprise, and desired him to name his own reward, when the young Roman immediately demanded that when the city was taken, Zadok and his family should be spared; and requested Titus to give strict orders throughout the army that his house should be respected and left in undisturbed security, until the inhabitants could be removed to a place of safety.

Titus readily acceded to this request, and the situation of the priest's dwelling was carefully described to the troops, who were commanded not to enter it on pain of instant death.

It was early in the month of July when the Antonia was taken. Titus gave orders that the magnificent tower should be razed to the ground, and an easy ascent made for his whole army to march up the hill on which it was built. He then resolved to make one more attempt at persuading the obstinate insurgents to surrender or to meet him in open battle, by appealing to their religious feelings, which he believed yet to exist in undiminished force. He knew that it was a day appointed in the Jewish law for a great sacrifice; but no victims remained to be offered, and the people feared to enter the temple. He therefore sent Josephus to speak with John, and offer him a free egress from the sacred edifice, if he would come forth and fight, and thus save the temple from pollution. Josephus having placed himself in a secure situation, delivered the message to John, and further besought him to spare his country, and not to cause the most holy sanctuary to be destroyed by fire, which the Romans were ready to apply to it. Some of the Jews were moved by his address, which John perceiving, immediately replied to him with many insulting words: and told him that he never entertained the slightest fear of the temple being injured, as it was the dwelling-place of Jehovah, and He would protect it. He then cursed the renegade Jew for his cowardice and treachery, and while Josephus with tears and sobs endeavoured to make an impression on his countrymen, John sent out a party of men to seize upon him, and bring him into the temple. In this he was, however disappointed, for Josephus escaped, and rejoined the Romans in safety.

When Titus saw that he could neither persuade the Jews to take pity on themselves and their families, nor to regard the sanctity of the temple, he was compelled against his will to resume the siege. He resolved on an attack in the darkness of night; and finding the place too narrow for his whole army to act together, he selected thirty men from each century, and informed them that Cerealis should take the command, while he would overlook them from one of the towers of Antonia that yet remained uninjured. His presence always acted as a powerful stimulus to the bravery of his soldiers, and he would have led them himself to the attack had not his officers entreated him to refrain from such an exposure of his person. For their sakes he gave up the command to Cerealis; but he proclaimed that his eye would be upon the combatants, and that he should reward every act of individual courage. Led on by the hope of earning their general's approbation, the troops advanced to the temple walls at the ninth hour of the night. They did not, however, find the sentinels again sunk in sleep as they had expected, but the garrison were all on the alert, and ready to repel their attack, They rushed out in large bodies, and the Romans sustained the shock unmoved. Those who followed in the obscurity of the night mistook their own comrades for the enemy, and multitudes of the Jews fell by the swords of their own fellow-soldiers. When day dawned on the bloody scene, the fight was carried on with greater equality, and was maintained for eight hours. The Romans fought for honour and promotion, and every man strove to distinguish himself above his comrades, and merit the reward promised by the general; but not a foot of ground was gained; and at length the combatants on each side, weary of such continued and fruitless exertions, gave up the contest, and retired to their respective quarters.

A considerable part of the Antonia was levelled, and in seven days the Romans had constructed a broad road up the steep ascent, and fortified it strongly on each side. When they had thus cleared the way to the temple wall, they began to raise mounds; and notwithstanding the great difficulty of procuring timber, and the constant annoyance to which they were exposed from the attacks of the Jews, they succeeded in erecting embankments against four different parts of the outer court.

Day by day the destruction was carried on, while the horror-stricken inhabitants of Jerusalem trembled at the progress of the foe. Many still cherished a vain confidence that the holy temple would never be suffered to fall into the hands of the heathen, but that the Lord of Hosts would yet manifest His power and save the sacred edifice from ruin. Among these Zadok was the most sanguine, and he and Javan still cheered their companions with words of hope and encouragement. They both passed their time within the temple walls, giving all their aid in its defence, while the daily combats were carried on. At night Zadok always returned to his home, and saddened the sinking hearts of his wife and daughter and the terrified Deborah with the account of the operations of the enemy and the slaughter of their own defenders. They anticipated the evils which he believed would never be realized; and amid his many feelings of grief at the evidently approaching death of his wife, one of the strongest was a deep regret that she should be taken away before the glorious appearance of Messiah, and not share with him in all the triumph and prosperity of the promised kingdom. Once he expressed this regret to Salome, who regarded him with an earnest expression of sorrow, while he spoke with ardour of the blessed days that were yet reserved for Zion.

"Oh, Zadok," she replied, "talk not to me of our country's prosperity. Alas! that is yet far distant, and we can hope to see nothing but her woe, even though our days should be prolonged beyond the time allotted to man. I am about to leave you, my beloved Zadok, and all my hopes are fixed on the joys of a better world than this. I know that you will deeply grieve at my departure, and I could not think of our separation with calmness, were it not for the confiding hope I feel, that ere long you will join me where we shall never part again."

"I cannot bid you banish these sad thoughts, my Salome," replied her husband, with much emotion, "for I cannot shut my eyes to the dreadful certainty that I shall soon be left alone. May all your future hopes be realized, and may our souls dwell together in the presence of God. Yet I could have desired a longer continuance of our union on earth, that you with me might have beheld the Messiah coming in the clouds of heaven to redeem Israel, and to sit upon the throne of David in the glory of Jehovah."

"Zadok, I have learnt to know that Messiah will not appear in glory until he stands in the latter day upon the earth. This is the time of Israel's darkness and dispersion, so clearly foretold by all our holy prophets, and her restitution is yet a long way off."

"Who has taught you to adopt this belief, Salome? I fear that Naomi's wild fancies and expectations have tinged your mind also. You were wont to enter into all the views which I, in common with our most learned men, entertain of the coming of Messiah. Our sacred Scriptures plainly declare that it will be as we expect. The time is already past when our nation began to look for his appearing, and though it has been so long delayed, we have evident tokens that we shall not now look for him in vain. Our land is trodden by strangers, and our people are sunk in the lowest misery. Now—now is the time for the archangel's trump to rend the sky, and proclaim to our trembling foes that He who reigns on high is coming to protect his chosen people from their insolent oppressions! Salome, I look for him each day: and at night while I am watching your broken and uneasy slumbers, I listen for the piercing sound, and look out through the dark sky to catch the first beams of that great light that shall tell of his coming. This supports me through the scenes of horror that I daily witness, and this enables me to mark unmoved the progress of our foes. I know that their course will suddenly and swiftly be arrested when our guilty city has received its measure of chastisement."