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Famines
Through a study of this
historical literature one can clearly see God was the one who brought all
of the desolation and famine, upon the head of that apostate nation, who
refused to adhere to the warnings of their prophets Lamentations 2:20-21,
Ezekiel 7:15, and what was recounted by their Messiah Luke 21:20-22;
23:2-31.
Book V, Chapter III,
Section 4 (Entire)
One woman who lost
everything she had to the blood-thirsty Jews but her baby son roasted him,
for food.
4. (201) There was a
certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was Mary; her father was
Eleazar, of the village Bethezub, which signifies the House of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to
Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was with them besieged
therein at this time. (202) The other effects of this woman had been
already seized upon; such I mean as she had brought with her out of Perea,
and removed to the city. What she had treasured up besides, as also what
food she had contrived to save, had been also carried off by the rapacious
guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. (203)
This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent
reproaches and imprecations she cast at these rapacious villains, she had
provoked them to anger against her; (204) but non of them, either out of
the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of the
commiseration of her case, would take away her life; and if she found and
food, she perceived her labors were for others, and not for herself; and
it was now become impossible for her anyway to find anymore food, while
the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow, when also her
passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself; nor did she
consult with anything but with her passion and the necessity she was in.
She then attempted a most unnatural thing; (205) and snatching up her son,
who was a child sucking at her breast, she said, "O, thou miserable
infant! For whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this
sedition? (206) As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives,
we must be slaves! This famine also will destroy us, even before that
slavery comes upon us:-yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than
both the other. (207) Come no; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to
there seditious varlets and a byword to the world, which is all that is
now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews." (208) As soon as she
had said this she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate the one half
of him, and kept the other half by her concealed. (209) Upon this the
seditious came in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food,
they threatened her, that they would cut her throat immediately if she did
not show them what food she had gotten ready. She replied, that she had
saved a very fine portion of it for them; and withal uncovered what was
left of her son. (210) Hereupon they were seized with a horror and
amazement of mind, and stood astonished at the sight; when she said to
them, "This is mine own son; and what hats been done was mine own doing!
Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! (211) Do not you
pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than
a mother; but If you be so scrupulous and do abominate this my sacrifice,
as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also." (212)
After which, those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted
at anything as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the
rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was full of
this horrid action immediately; and while every body laid his miserable
case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard-of action
had been by themselves. (213) So those that were thus distressed by the
famine were very desirous to die; and those already dead were esteemed
happy, because they had not lived long enough either to hear or see such
miseries.
Book 5 Chapter 12 Section
3 (Entire)
Titus thought grip was
round the city and all hope of escaping was now cut off for the Jews
So all hope of escaping was
now cut off from the Jews, together with their liberty of going out of the
city. then did the famine widen its progress, and devoured the people by
whole houses and families; (513) the upper rooms were full of women and
children that were dying by famine; and the lanes of the city were full of
the dead bodies of the aged; the children also and the young men wandered
about the market places like shadows, all swelled with the famine, and
fell down dead where so ever their misery seized them. (514) As for
burying them, those that were sick themselves were not able to do it; and
those that were hearty and well were deterred from doing it by the great
multitude of those dead bodies, and by the uncertainty there was how soon
they should die themselves, for many died as they were burying others, and
many went to their coffins before that fatal hour was come! (515) Nor was
there any lamentation made under these calamities, nor were heard any
mournful complaints; but the famine confounded all natural passions; for
those who were just going to die, looked upon those that were gone to
their rest before them with dry eyes and open mouths. A deep silence also,
a kind of deadly night, had seized upon the city; while yet the robbers
were still more terrible than these miseries were themselves; (516) for
they brake open those houses which were no other than graves of dead
bodies, and plundered them of what they had; and carrying off the
coverings of their bodies, went to laughing, and tried the points of their
swords on their dead bodies; and, in order to prove what mettle they were
made of, they thrust some of those through that still lay alive upon the
ground; (517) but for those that entreated them to lend them, they were
too proud to grant their requests, and left them to be consumed by the
famine. Now every one of these died with their eyes fixed upon the temple,
and left the seditious alive behind them. (518) Now the seditious at first
gave orders that the dead should be buried out of the public treasury, as
not enduring the stench of their dead bodies. But afterwards, when they
could not do that, they had them cast down from the walls into the valleys
beneath. 4. (519) However, when Titus, in going his rounds along those
valleys, saw them full of dead bodies, and the thick putrefaction running
about them, he gave a groan; and spreading out his hands to heaven, called
God to witness that this was not his doing.
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