|
Tarichea
Whereas The Urantia Book places Tarichea at a location where the Jordan River flows out from the Sea of Galilee (p.1561), many authorities now assert that Tarichea was the Greco-Roman name for Magdala, a town that was situated about 4 miles to the north of Tiberias and, reputedly, the hometown of Mary Magdelene.
Tarichea achieved notoriety during the Jewish wars with Rome in 67 A.D., a so-called naval battle that was fought there ending in a bloody massacre of the town's defenders and the selling into slavery of more than 30,000 of its former inhabitants. Almost all of the evidence bearing on the location of Tarichea in the first century derives from the writings of the Jewish-Roman historian, Josephus. Unfortunately there are inconsistencies in his account that make it difficult to reach a definitive conclusion.
Josephus was born in Palestine in 37 A.D. While still in his early twenties he became one of five of the regional commanders in Palestine, with authority assigned to him in Galilee. However his position there as Governor was disputed by the citizens of many of its towns and it was only through considerable cunning and daring, that he finally gained acceptance. However his triumph was short-lived as he soon became engaged in the disastrous defence of Jotapata against the Roman forces under Vespasian who had been sent by Nero to quell an outbreak of rebellion in many Jewish cities.
According to Josephus, the siege at Jotopata was an heroic affair lasting about five weeks that culminated in the sacking of the town and the capture of Josephus under circumstances that brought him no credit with his own countrymen. But, above all, Josephus was a survivor, and not averse to changing sides out of perceived necessity. With typical cunning he turned Jewish prophet and managed to inveigle himself into the good graces of Vespasian, reputedly by prophesying that Vespasian would eventually become emperor of Rome--which he duly did in 69 A.D. Later, Josephus moved to Rome, became a Roman citizen and died there sometime after A.D. 100. Following the Jotopata seige, Vespasian, with his forces, retired to Caesarea-Philippi, the seat of King Agrippa. Whilst there, new outbreaks of rebellion arose in cities such as Tiberias, Tarichea, and Gamala.
Having rested his troops at Caesarea-Philippi, Vespasian decided to move against the rebels at Tiberias and nearby Tarichea. From Josephus' account in The Jewish War, we read: "So he (Vespasian) sent his son Titus to Caesarea (Maritima) to bring the forces still there to Scythopolis--the biggest city of the Decapolis, not far from Tiberias-- where he himself met him. Advancing at the head of three legions, he encamped three and a half miles from Tiberias at a station well within view of the rebels, called Sennabris."
In this instance, the rebels were the people of Tiberias who wisely decided to capitulate when confronted with three Romans legions at the gates of their city. For the record, a legion was composed of 60 'centuries' each of 100 men headed by a centurion. Thus, there were around 18,000 men in Vespasian's force. In addition his son, Titus, headed a cavalry group of 600 horsemen and there was second group, headed by Trajan, of 400 horsemen.
Vespasian's next problem was with rebels at the city of Tarichea into which "an endless stream of insurgents were pouring...from Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Hippus, and the Gadarene district....The town was, like Tiberias, at the foot of mountains, and, except where washed by the lake it had been fortified all around by Josephus." Earlier in The Jewish War, Josephus stated that completion of the fortification of Tarichea was hampered by a lack of funds. In another work, Vita, Josephus is reported to have said that Tarichea was washed on both sides by the waters of the lake. According to the weight they give to such statements, historians base their opinions about the most likely location for places such as Tarichea.
The battle for Tarichea commenced while Vespasian was still organizing the defences of his camp site. A defensive wall was being built when one of the Tarichean rebels, Jeshua by name, along with a daring band of volunteers, sallied forth from their lines to attack those building the wall. It was a gesture of defiance rather than a significant military operation and success was short-lived. Vespasian's legionaries formed ranks and counter-attacked, compelling Jeshua and his men to retreat to their own lines. When the Romans continued their pursuit, Jeshua and his followers took to their boats which they then lined up off-shore just within arrow range of the Roman forces. A ineffective dual then occurred with both sides throwing stones and arrows at one another.
While this was happening, Vespasian learned that the great bulk of the Tarichean forces had marshaled themselves on the plain before the town, whereupon he commissioned his son Titus with 600 picked cavalry to go and deal with them. Arriving there, Titus found himself grossly outnumbered and decided to ask for reinforcements. The request was granted, 2000 bowmen under Antonius Silo being sent to "seize the hill opposite the town and pin down the defenders on the wall." Trajan then appeared on the scene with his 400 cavalry. This appeared to spur Titus and his men into a hunt for glory and, without waiting for the reinforcements to achieve their goals, Titus attacked. His bold action threw the city's defenders into panic and those that could escape the fury of Titus and his cavalry beat a hasty retreat back into the city.
|
|
