it lay in his power.
He has offered to spare it. It lay with you, and John of Gischala,
to save the Temple from destruction by accepting his terms. You
have not done so. If the Temple is destroyed, it is by the
obstinacy of its defenders, not by the cruelty of the Romans."

"It would be madness to accept his offer," Simon said, angrily.
"Titus knows well that, in the plains, we should be no match for
his troops. Did you ever hear, before, of a garrison giving up a
position so strong that it could not be taken from them, and going
out to fight beyond the walls? Besides, who can tell that the
Romans will keep their promises? Once we are at their mercy, they
might level the Temple."

"In that case, the sin would be upon their heads. Besides, there is
no occasion to retire beyond the walls. Why should not all the
fighting men retire into the upper city, and leave the Temple to
God? If it is his will that the Romans should destroy it, they will
do so. If it is his will that they should respect it, they will do
so. He can save, or destroy, at his will. If we retreat to the
upper town, and break down the bridge after us, they could never
take it."

"And how long could we hold out?" Simon said, with a hard laugh.
"Is there a day's food left, in the city? If there is, my men are
less sharp than I give them credit for. No, we will fight here, to
the end, for the Temple; and the sooner the Romans attack, the
better, for if they delay many days, there is not a single man will
have strength enough to lift a sword."

Chapter 17: The Capture Of The Temple.

Although abhorring the general conduct of Simon and John of
Gischala, and believing that conditions could be made with the
Romans which would save the Temple, John still retained the
hope--cherished by every Jew--that God would yet, himself, save
Jerusalem, as in the old times. He was conscious that the people
had forfeited all right to expect his aid; that, by their
wickedness and forgetfulness of him--and more especially by the
frightful scenes which had desecrated the city and Temple, during
the last four years--they must have angered God beyond all hope of
forgiveness. Still, the punishment which had been inflicted was
already so terrible that he, like others, hoped that God's anger
might yet relent, as it had done in old times, and that a remnant
might yet be spared.

But above all, their hope lay in the belief that the Temple was the
actual abode of the Lord;