You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
The Flavian Signature - Galilee - Compassion rather than sacrifice for sinners
- Thread starter gilius
- Start date
Previous Parallel: Easier to say "get up and walk" than "your sins are forgiven"
Moving onto the very next event in the gospels and a couple a events into the Jewish War… this occurs just before Vespasian gave a speech to his troops following a setback at the battle of Gamala…
Chronology
The Romans took all the fortresses and cities, except Gischala, Gamala and the group occupying Mount Itaburion. Vespasian moved from near Tiberias, where he had been camped at Ammathus (the name means a "warm bath," for it contains a healing hot-water spring) and came to Gamala, setting men to guard it and captured the mountain overlooking it. While the legions were fortifying their camp upon the heights in their usual way, he set to building earthworks at the bottom. The fifteenth legion built them the eastern side, below the highest tower of the city, and the fifth legion worked opposite the middle of the city, and the tenth legion was filling up the trenches and ravines. Agrippa attempted to negotiate surrender, but was hit by a stone. Earthworks were soon complete and siege engines brought into place. The Romans penetrated the walls and poured in through the breaches, causing the Jews to flee to the upper parts of the city where they were hampered and killed. Some Romans were involved in an accident on roof-tops after the houses collapsed and many died beneath. Vespasian was courageous alone, for Titus was not with his father because he had been sent to Mucianus, Syria. He gave a long speech to his troops about their setback. As the Romans raised their earthworks and started to invade a second time, many fled from the city through tortuous valleys, where no guards were placed, and through subterranean caves. (JW 4.1-53)
Compassion rather than sacrifice for sinners
Location: Seashore town / Gamala
Moving onto the very next event in the gospels and a couple a events into the Jewish War… this occurs just before Vespasian gave a speech to his troops following a setback at the battle of Gamala…
Chronology
The Romans took all the fortresses and cities, except Gischala, Gamala and the group occupying Mount Itaburion. Vespasian moved from near Tiberias, where he had been camped at Ammathus (the name means a "warm bath," for it contains a healing hot-water spring) and came to Gamala, setting men to guard it and captured the mountain overlooking it. While the legions were fortifying their camp upon the heights in their usual way, he set to building earthworks at the bottom. The fifteenth legion built them the eastern side, below the highest tower of the city, and the fifth legion worked opposite the middle of the city, and the tenth legion was filling up the trenches and ravines. Agrippa attempted to negotiate surrender, but was hit by a stone. Earthworks were soon complete and siege engines brought into place. The Romans penetrated the walls and poured in through the breaches, causing the Jews to flee to the upper parts of the city where they were hampered and killed. Some Romans were involved in an accident on roof-tops after the houses collapsed and many died beneath. Vespasian was courageous alone, for Titus was not with his father because he had been sent to Mucianus, Syria. He gave a long speech to his troops about their setback. As the Romans raised their earthworks and started to invade a second time, many fled from the city through tortuous valleys, where no guards were placed, and through subterranean caves. (JW 4.1-53)
Compassion rather than sacrifice for sinners
Location: Seashore town / Gamala
Code:
[table][tr][td]Those who could find the exits barely managed to retreat from the city. Vespasian always stayed among those in difficulties, for he was deeply grieved to see the ruins of the city falling upon his army and forgot to look after his own safety. He went up gradually towards the highest parts of the city before he was aware and was left in a dangerous situation, with only a very few companions. Even his son Titus was not with him at that time, having been sent into Syria to Mucianus. However, he thought it neither safe nor honourable to take flight, but calling to mind the actions he had done from his youth and collecting his courage, as if moved by a divine fury he covered himself and his men with their shields and forming a shell over their bodies and their armour he held back the enemy attacks, when they ran down from the top of the city. Showing no fear of their number or their spears, he endured all, until the enemy observed the divine courage in him and ceased their attacks. Then when they pressed less hotly upon him, he retreated, without turning his back to them until he had left behind the ramparts of the city. Many of the Romans fell in this battle, among them Ebutius, the decurion, who had done great harm to the Jews, and whose courage was seen not only in this battle where he fell, but in many earlier ones. A centurion named Gallus, when they were surrounded during this action, along with ten other [color=green][b]soldiers secretly crept into[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]somebody's house.[/b][/color] There [color=red][b]he heard[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]them[/b][/color] [color=red][b]say at[/b][/color] [color=purple][b]supper [/b][/color][color=red][b]what[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]they [/b][/color][color=red][b]meant to do against [/b][/color][color=green][b]the Romans, [/b][/color][color=blue][b]or to his own people[/b][/color], for he himself and his companions were [color=blue][b]Syrians.[/b][/color] [color=darkred][b]So he got up in the night time and cut all[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]their [/b][/color][color=darkred][b]throats and escaped, with his soldiers, to the[/b][/color] [color=green][b]Romans.[/b][/color] [b](Wars of the Jews, 4, 30-38)[/b][/td][td]As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. And it happened that He was reclining at the table in [color=orange][b]his house[/b][/color], and [color=green][b]many tax collectors and[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]sinners[/b][/color] were [color=purple][b]dining[/b][/color] with Jesus and [color=blue][b]His disciples;[/b][/color] for there were many of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the [color=orange][b]Pharisees[/b][/color] saw that He was [color=purple][b]eating[/b][/color] with the [color=blue][b]sinners[/b][/color] [color=green][b]and tax collectors[/b][/color], they said to [color=blue][b]His disciples[/b][/color], “Why is He [color=purple][b]eating and drinking[/b][/color] with [color=green][b]tax collectors [/b][/color][color=blue][b]and sinners?” [/b][/color]And hearing this, Jesus said to them, [color=red][b]“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; [/b][/color][color=darkred][b]I did not come to call the righteous,[/b][/color] [color=orange][b]but sinners.”[/b][/color] [b](Mark 2:14-17 = Luke 5:27-32)[/b]
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, [color=green][b]many tax collectors [/b][/color] [color=orange][b]and sinners[/b][/color] came and were [color=purple][b]dining[/b][/color] with Jesus and [color=blue][b]His disciples.[/b][/color] When the [color=orange][b]Pharisees[/b][/color] saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher [color=purple][b]eating[/b][/color] with the [color=green][b]tax collectors [/b][/color][color=blue][b]and sinners?”[/b][/color] But when Jesus heard this, He said, [color=red][b]“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. [/b][/color][color=darkred][b]“But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but [/b][/color][color=orange][b]sinners.”[/b][/color] [b](Matthew 9:9-13)[/b][/td][/tr][/table]
Last edited:
| Those who could find the exits barely managed to retreat from the city. Vespasian always stayed among those in difficulties, for he was deeply grieved to see the ruins of the city falling upon his army and forgot to look after his own safety. He went up gradually towards the highest parts of the city before he was aware and was left in a dangerous situation, with only a very few companions. Even his son Titus was not with him at that time, having been sent into Syria to Mucianus. However, he thought it neither safe nor honourable to take flight, but calling to mind the actions he had done from his youth and collecting his courage, as if moved by a divine fury he covered himself and his men with their shields and forming a shell over their bodies and their armour he held back the enemy attacks, when they ran down from the top of the city. Showing no fear of their number or their spears, he endured all, until the enemy observed the divine courage in him and ceased their attacks. Then when they pressed less hotly upon him, he retreated, without turning his back to them until he had left behind the ramparts of the city. Many of the Romans fell in this battle, among them Ebutius, the decurion, who had done great harm to the Jews, and whose courage was seen not only in this battle where he fell, but in many earlier ones. A centurion named Gallus, when they were surrounded during this action, along with ten other soldiers secretly crept into somebody's house. There he heard them say at supper what they meant to do against the Romans, or to his own people, for he himself and his companions were Syrians. So he got up in the night time and cut all their throats and escaped, with his soldiers, to the Romans. (Wars of the Jews, 4, 30-38) | As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:14-17 = Luke 5:27-32) As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13) |
Verbatim: House, supper/dining
Concept: Several groups of people dining from different backgrounds. Cutting throats is indicative of sacrifice.
Typology: As we progress through understanding the language of the Gospels through these parallels, we can match the Pharisees as a general identity for the Jews, the tax collectors as the Romans and the disciples as the Roman soldiers. The propaganda featured in this parallel is open to interpretation, but my understanding is that Vespasian desires compassion from the Jewish opposition instead of having to sacrifice them via his soldiers, i.e. he wants them to surrender peacefully – and the Romans respect all nationalities. An alternative interpretation is that he desires compassion from his men against the Jews as suggested by part of his speech that follows the event:
"A reckless spirit and mad zeal in war is not the Roman way, for we do all our efforts by skill and good order. Behaviour like that is the part of barbarians and is what the Jews mainly rely on." (JW 4.45)
Satire: The Jews ask a condescending question at the dinner table about what is righteous(The Jews think the Syrians are sinners), and they are told something that doesn’t make much sense without the parallel/typology: a visit from a doctor is needed that night after the meal – not for those who are healthy – but for those sinners who need their throats cut and are sick, i.e. the Jews!
Next Parallel: Broken through lack of food and other essentials