My former name was Joseph the son of Simeon, and I was born in Sepphoris, the metropolis ofGalilee, in the twentieth year of the reign of the Emperor Augustus, about four years before thedeath of King Herod. In those days Israel was grievously afflicted, and tribulation befell therighteous. Satan put it into the heart of the rulers of the land to move the people to the worship offalse gods, and the Lord God had not yet raised up a Redeemer for Israel.In my fourth year my father's brother, the Rabbi Matthias, was burned alive by Herod for causinghis scholars to cast down the golden image of an eagle which the king had set up over the gate of thetemple of the Lord. Not many months afterwards, the Romans marched through Sepphoris in orderto bring succour to Sabinus, who was hard beset by the men of Jerusalem in the fortress calledAntonia; and we fought against them, and my father was taken captive and crucified by Varus. Nowas concerning my father and my father's brother, [pg 2]how they were slain, perchance I remembertheir deaths rather from my mother's often mention of them in after times than from what I heardthen: but this thing can I never forget, for I saw it with mine own eyes: namely, how, when mymother brought me forth from the caves of Arbela whither we had been sent for refuge, behold, where Sepphoris had stood, there was not now one house standing; and I saw also the bodies ofmany of my kinsfolk, which lay unburied and crying unto the Lord for vengeance. Yet the Lord sentno avenger.After this came tidings that the Parthians, which went with Varus, had laid waste the country in thesouth far and wide, and had slain our brethren with the sword; and that Varus had taken twothousand of my countrymen in Jerusalem and had crucified them, and among them Eleazar, theyoungest and dearest of my mother's brethren. Then my mother led me to a rocky place not farfrom Sampho. There was a cave there, and only one path led to it, and that so narrow that nomultitude of men could force an entrance, if one brave man withstood them. When we were comethither, my mother lifted up her voice and wept, and pointing to the cave she said, "In former timesthis cave was held by my mother's brother, Hezekiah by name. Six children he had; and he fled fromHerod the King with them and with his wife, and here they took refuge. Now when the king couldby no means drive Hezekiah hence by force, he offered much gold unto him if he would come forthfrom the cave quietly. But when Hezekiah refused, the king began to let down armed men by ropesfrom the top of the hill, with firebrands in their hands, to kindle fires at the mouth of the cave. Thenwhen [pg 3]no hope of safety remained, behold, my mother's brother brought out his children, andslew the youngest with his sword in the sight of the king. Afterwards he laid his hands on his secondchild. But Herod, perceiving his intent, stretched out his right hand and besought Hezekiah to sparehis children and to come forth in peace. But he slew the second also, heaping reproaches on Herod 3as an usurper and a son of Edom, sitting on David's seat; and he slew the third and the rest likewise, even to the sixth, and last of all his wife; and then he cast himself down the steep place andperished." Then spake my mother unto me and said, "The Lord do so unto thee, my son, and morelikewise, if thou avenge not the blood of thy kinsfolk and of thy father." So it came to pass that, even from a child, I hated the very name of a Gentile with an exceeding hatred; insomuch that Ishould have accounted him blessed who should have taken the children of Rome (according as it iswritten) and dashed them against the ston