John,  who  had  seized  upon  the  temple,  had  six
thousand  armed  men,  under  twenty  commanders ;
the  zealots  also  that  had  come  over  to  him,  and
left  off  their  opposition,  were  two  thousand  four
hundred,  and  had  the  same  commander  they
had  formerly,  Eleazar,  together  with  Simon,  the
son  of  Arinus.  Now,  while  these  factions
fought  one  against  another,  the  people  were
their  jirey  on  both  sides,  as  we  have  said  already  ;
and  that  part  of  the  people  who  would  not  join
with  tliem  in  their  wicked  practices,  were
plundered  by  both  factions.  Simon  held  the
upper  city,  and  the  great  wall  as  far  as  Cedron,
and  as  much  of  the  old  wall  as  bent  from  Siloam
to  the  ease,  and  which  went  down  to  tlie  palace
of  Monobazus,  who  was  king  of  tlie  Adiabeni,
beyond  Euphrates  ;  he  also  lield  the  fountain,
and  tlie  Acra,  whicli  was  no  other  than  the  lower
city  ;  lie  also  held  all  that  reached  to  the  palace
of  queen  Helena,  the  motlier  of  Monobazus ;
but  John  held  the  temple,  and  the  parts  thereto
adjoining,  for  a  great  way,  as  also  Ophla,  and
the  valley  called  tlie  "Valley  of  Cedron  ;  "  and
when  the  parts  that  were  interposed  between
their  possessions  were  Imrnt  by  them,  tliey  left
a  space   wherein  they  might   fight  with  each


CHAP.  VI.]


WAKS  OF  THE  JEWS.
