33).  Men  were  to  say  of  them,  "The  Lord  rooted
them  out  of  their  land  in  anger,  and  in  wrath,  and  in
great  indignation,  and  cast  them  into  another  land
as  at  this  day"  (Deut.  xxix.  28).  The  dispersion  of
the  Jews  is  one  of  the  common-places  of  history.  Their
story  is  one  more  proof  how  the  words  of  Scripture
are  filled  to  the  brim,  so  to  speak,  with  meaning.  Not
only  was  the  race  cut  down  like  a  tree  and  its  branches
scattered  abroad:  it  was  literally  "rooted  out."  The
work  was  not  wholly  done  in  the  first  conquest  under
Vespasian  and  Titus,  when  Jerusalem  was  taken,  and
one  stronghold  after  another  went  down,  and  all  re-
sistance was  trampled  under  foot.  It  is  true  that  multi-
tudes perished  then,  and  that  many  more  were  carried
away  to  be  slain  in  Roman  amphitheatres  or  to  spend


Il6  JUDEA.
their  lives  in  slavery.  But  it  would  appear  that  many
of  the  dwellers  in  the  villages  and  in  the  cities  were
allowed  to  remain  in  the  land.  It  was  not  till  60
years  afterwards  (135  a.  d.)  that  the  ruin  of  the  people
was  completed.  A  false  Messiah,  named  Barcochebas
(the  son  of  a  star),  inflamed  their  desire  for  venge-
ance, and  their  hope  that  God  would  regard  them  in
their  misery.  The  remnant  left  in  the  land  was  now
strong  enough  to  garrison  50  castles  and  985  villages.
