Josephus
ἔπειθεν αὐτοὺς ἀφίστασθαι τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἀναλαβεῖν τὰ ὅπλα, ὡς διὰ τούτων τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀποληψομένους. καὶ τινὰς μὲν ἐβιάσαντο, τοὺς δὲ μὴ συναρεσκομένους αὐτῶν ταῖς γνώμαις 186ἀνῄρουν. κτείνουσι δὲ καὶ Χάρητα, καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ τινα τῶν συγγενῶν Ἰησοῦν καὶ Ἰούστου δὲ τοῦ Τιβεριέως ἀδελφὸν1 ἀνεῖλον, καθὼς ἤδη προείπομεν. γράφουσι δὲ καὶ πρός με παρακαλοῦντες πέμψαι καὶ δύναμιν αὐτοῖς ὁπλιτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἀναστήσοντας αὐτῶν τῇ πόλει τείχη. κἀγὼ πρὸς 187οὐδέτερον ἀντεῖπον ὧν ἠξίωσαν. ἀφίσταται δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἡ Γαυλανῖτις χώρα μέχρι κώμης Σολύμης. Σελευκείᾳ δὲ καὶ Σωγάνῃ φύσει κώμαις ὀχυρωτάταις ᾠκοδόμησα τείχη, τάς τε κατὰ τὴν ἄνω Γαλιλαίαν κώμας, καὶ πάνυ πετρώδεις οὔσας, 188ἐτείχισα παραπλησίως· ὀνόματα δ᾿ αὐταῖς Ἰάμνια Ἀμηρὼθ Ἀχαράβη. ὠχύρωσα δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ κάτω Γαλιλαίᾳ, πόλεις μὲν Ταριχέας Τιβεριάδα Σέπφωριν, κώμας δὲ Ἀρβήλων σπήλαιον, Βηρσουβαὶ Σελαμὴν Ἰωτάπατα Καφαρὰθ †Κωμὸς Σωγαναὶ Παφὰ† καὶ τὸ Ἰταβύριον ὄρος. εἰς ταύτας καὶ σῖτον ἀπεθέμην πολὺν καὶ ὅπλα πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα.
189(38) Ἰωάννῃ δὲ τῷ τοῦ Ληουεὶ τὸ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ μῖσος προσηύξετο βαρέως φέροντι τὴν ἐμὴν εὐπραγίαν. προθέμενος οὖν πάντως ἐκποδών με ποιήσασθαι τῇ μὲν αὐτοῦ πατρίδι τοῖς Γισχάλοις κατασκευάζει 190τείχη, τὸν ἀδελφὸν δὲ Σίμωνα καὶ τὸν τοῦ Σισέννα Ἰωνάθην <μεθ᾿>2 ὁπλιτῶν περὶ ἑκατὸν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα πέμπει πρὸς τὸν τοῦ
The Life
brought pressure to bear on them to revolt from the king and take up arms, with the prospect of thereby regaining their independence. Some they forced into compliance; those who declined to acquiesce in their views they put to death. Among others, as already mentioned, they slew Chares and one of his kinsmen, Jesus, and the brother of Justus of Tiberias,a To me they wrote, asking me to send them troops and workmen to repair the town walls; neither of these requests did I refuse. The region of Gaulanitis, as far as the village of Solyma, likewise revolted from the king. I erected walls atJosephus fortifies Galilee. Seleucia and Sogane, villages with very strong natural defences, and provided similar protection for certain villages in Upper Galilee, also in very rugged surroundings, named Jamnia, Ameroth,b and Acharabe. In Lower Galilee I fortified the cities of Tarichaeae, Tiberias, and Sepphoris, and the villages of the Cave of Arbela, Beersubae, Selame, Jotapata, Kapharath, †Kōmus, Soganae, Papha c† and Mount Tabor. These places I stocked with ample supplies of corn and arms for their future security.
(38) Meanwhile, the hatred borne me by John,Attempt of John of Gischala to have Josephus superseded. son of Levi, who was aggrieved at my success, was growing more intense, and he determined at all costs to have me removed. Accordingly, after fortifying his native town of Gischala, he dispatched his brother Simon and Jonathan, son of Sisenna, with about a hundred armed men, to Jerusalem, to Simon, son of