ABSTRACT
When I visited Israel a number of years ago, like many tourists I took a day trip to the Masada and the Dead Sea, which is nearby. Some people actually climb up the winding path that leads to the Masada, but most tourists take the cable car. Masada is perched on top of a very steep hill and is very inaccessible. I could only marvel that any army could build attack ramps that would enable it to take Masada, but that is what happened. Supposedly two women and five children hid themselves and were not killed by Eleazar’s men. From them, thanks to the Roman Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, we have Eleazar’s speech:
Since we long ago my generous friends resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God Himself, Who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice.… We were the very first that revolted [against Rome], and we are the last that fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that God has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom. Let our wives die before they are abused, and our children before they have tasted of slavery, and after we have slain them, let us bestow that glorious benefit upon one another mutually. (https://www.israeltour.com/categories/about/masada.asp" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.israeltour.com/categories/about/masada.asp)
