Short note of the destruction of Bet-Tur through the
axle of the waggon. They used to plant trees on the birth
of a child and afterwards used them at its wedding. These
were once cut down by the Romans to make an axle for the
carriage of the Emperor’s daughter, and the people rose in
consequence against the Roman soldiers. This was taken
as a sign of rebellion and the town was destroyed, the
blood flowing for miles into the sea.
75 a. When Akibasaw Bar Coziba he declared him to be the
Messiah. He had a large army of 80,000 and he had 200,000
from whom one finger was cut off. He was told by the
sages not to mutilate the people any more and they advised him to recruit only such men who riding on horses
could uproot trees. And they got 200,000 in this manner.
He also said like Bar-Deroa “Do not help us O Lord and
do not subdue us” and he sinned by so speaking. Adrianus
besieged Bet-Tur for three years without being able to
conquer it and he almost gave up. Eleazar Hamudai
fasted daily, and prayed to God that the town might not
be taken. A Kuthean asked Adrianus to wait and see what
he could do, and he went up and pretended to whisper in
to the ear of Eleazar, who was the uncle of Bar Coziba.
On being asked what they had been whispering the Kuthaean
said, “Whatever I say I shall be killed so I may as well
tell the truth,” so he replied, that Eleazar had whispered
to him that he might hand the town over to the Romans.
So Bar Coziba asked Eleazar what he had said to the
Khutean and Eleazar answered “Nothing.” Bar Koziba
enraged, kicked Eleazar and killed him and a voice said
"'Oh you false shepherd who leaves the sheep! Thou hast
killed R. Eleazar the right arm and the eye of Israel and
thine arm shall be cut off and thine eye blinded." Bet-
Tur was captured and Bar Coziba was slain and a snake
was found round his body. The horses waded up to their
bellies in blood and the brains of 300 children were found
on one stone, one child only escaping, Shimeon ben Gamliel.
They made a hedge of the dead of Bet-Tur eighteen miles
square around the vineyards of Adrianus and the cause
of destruction in that place was, that men used to intercept
the pilgrims to Jerusalem and keep them there and were
accustomed to obtain possession of the people by false
pretences.
75. Short note of the destruction of Bet-Tur through the
axle of the waggon. They used to plant trees on the birth
of a child and afterwards used them at its wedding. These
were once cut down by the Romans to make an axle for the
carriage of the Emperor’s daughter, and the people rose in
consequence against the Roman soldiers. This was taken
as a sign of rebellion and the town was destroyed, the
blood flowing for miles into the sea.
75 a. When Akibasaw Bar Coziba he declared him to be the
Messiah. He had a large army of 80,000 and he had 200,000
from whom one finger was cut off. He was told by the
sages not to mutilate the people any more and they advised him to recruit only such men who riding on horses
could uproot trees. And they got 200,000 in this manner.
He also said like Bar-Deroa “Do not help us O Lord and
do not subdue us” and he sinned by so speaking. Adrianus
besieged Bet-Tur for three years without being able to
conquer it and he almost gave up. Eleazar Hamudai
fasted daily, and prayed to God that the town might not
be taken. A Kuthean asked Adrianus to wait and see what
he could do, and he went up and pretended to whisper in
to the ear of Eleazar, who was the uncle of Bar Coziba.
On being asked what they had been whispering the Kuthaean
said, “Whatever I say I shall be killed so I may as well
tell the truth,” so he replied, that Eleazar had whispered
to him that he might hand the town over to the Romans.
So Bar Coziba asked Eleazar what he had said to the
Khutean and Eleazar answered “Nothing.” Bar Koziba
enraged, kicked Eleazar and killed him and a voice said
"'Oh you false shepherd who leaves the sheep! Thou hast
killed R. Eleazar the right arm and the eye of Israel and
thine arm shall be cut off and thine eye blinded." Bet-
Tur was captured and Bar Coziba was slain and a snake
was found round his body. The horses waded up to their
bellies in blood and the brains of 300 children were found
on one stone, one child only escaping, Shimeon ben Gamliel.
They made a hedge of the dead of Bet-Tur eighteen miles
square around the vineyards of Adrianus and the cause
of destruction in that place was, that men used to intercept
the pilgrims to Jerusalem and keep them there and were
accustomed to obtain possession of the people by false
pretences.
