66 AD
“But now Cestius, observing that the disturbances that were begun among the Jews afforded him a proper opportunity to attack them, took his whole army along with him, and put the Jews to flight, and pursued them to Jerusalem. He then pitched his camp upon the elevation called Scopus.”
Flavius Josephus, The Jewish Wars, Book II, Chapter 19, Section 4
Gallus sets up camp atop Mount Scopus. The rebels begin taking positions across the city, preparing to face the mighty army. Soon enough, the city is attacked from the north and the royal palace captured. However, the Jews are able to withstand attempts to take Temple Mount for several days. Meanwhile, Gallus tries to dig a tunnel under the walls in order to penetrate Temple Mount. The people of Jerusalem are completely terrified, yet Gallus fails to assess the situation accurately and orders his men to retreat. The Romans are deterred, likely due to the loss of their siege engines, as well as the large number of Jews that have come into Jerusalem from all across Judea.
Despite Gallus’ clear military advantages, as well as the mounting fear taking hold of the city, the Jews make their situation seem far better than it actually is – leading their enemies to retreat. The rebels succeed in translating their tactical inferiority into tenacity.
“But now Cestius, observing that the disturbances that were begun among the Jews afforded him a proper opportunity to attack them, took his whole army along with him, and put the Jews to flight, and pursued them to Jerusalem. He then pitched his camp upon the elevation called Scopus” (Josephus Flavius, The Jewish Wars, Book 2, Chapter 19, paragraph 4)
Positivity is realizing that every single thing comes from the creator and is therefore good.
