69 AD
“But because the city had to struggle with three of the greatest misfortunes, war, and tyranny, and sedition, it appeared, upon the comparison, that the war was the least troublesome to the populace of them all. Accordingly, they ran away from their own houses to foreigners, and obtained that preservation from the Romans which they despaired to obtain among their own people.”
Flavius Josephus, The Jewish Wars, Book IV, Chapter 7, Section 1
John of Gischala has become the unchallenged leader of Jerusalem. He begins persecuting his moderate rivals. Simon bar Giora, a zealot leader who is actually far more radical than John, is denied entry into Jerusalem and consequently stands outside the city gates. In response, Simon kills any supporter of John who tries to smuggle food into Jerusalem. Surprisingly enough, it is the moderates who finally carry out his bidding and allow him into the city – in the hopes that he will help them expel the zealots and their tyrannical leader. Once inside the city, Simon bar Giora begins attacking Temple Mount. Jerusalem has descended into an all-out civil war; zealots, moderates, and radicals from all factions start killing each other.
Envy and hatred have seethed past the point of no return – and violence appears to be the only available path.
“But because the city had to struggle with three of the greatest misfortunes, war, and tyranny, and sedition, it appeared, upon the comparison, that the war was the least troublesome to the populace of them all. Accordingly, they ran away from their own houses to foreigners, and obtained that preservation from the Romans which they despaired to obtain among their own people” (Josephus Flavius, The Jewish Wars, Book 4, Chapter 7, paragraph 1)
Moderation is using humility to make behavioral choices.
