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[441]
But on the next day the high priest was caught where he had concealed
himself in an aqueduct; he was slain, together with Hezekiah his brother,
by the robbers: hereupon the seditious besieged the towers, and kept them
guarded, lest any one of the soldiers should escape. Now the overthrow
of the places of strength, and the death of the high priest Ananias, so
puffed up Manahem, that he became barbarously cruel; and as he thought
he had no antagonist to dispute the management of affairs with him, he
was no better than an insupportable tyrant; but Eleazar and his party,
when words had passed between them, how it was not proper when they revolted
from the Romans, out of the desire of liberty, to betray that liberty to
any of their own people, and to bear a lord, who, though he should be guilty
of no violence, was yet meaner than themselves; as also, that in case they
were obliged to set some one over their public affairs, it was fitter they
should give that privilege to any one rather than to him; they made an
assault upon him in the temple; for he went up thither to worship in a
pompous manner, and adorned with royal garments, and had his followers
with him in their armor. But Eleazar and his party fell violently upon
him, as did also the rest of the people; and taking up stones to attack
him withal, they threw them at the sophister, and thought, that if he were
once ruined, the entire sedition would fall to the ground. Now Manahem
and his party made resistance for a while; but when they perceived that
the whole multitude were falling upon them, they fled which way every one
was able; those that were caught were slain, and those that hid themselves
were searched for. A few there were of them who privately escaped to Masada,
among whom was Eleazar, the son of Jairus, who was of kin to Manahem, and
acted the part of a tyrant at Masada afterward. As for Manahem himself,
he ran away to the place called Ophla, and there lay skulking in private;
but they took him alive, and drew him out before them all; they then tortured
him with many sorts of torments, and after all slew him, as they did by
those that were captains under him also, and particularly by the principal
instrument of his tyranny, whose name was Apsalom.
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