Once that first transfer had been successful, I began to collect food in earnest. Nobody could tell me exactly how many men were in the temple area and its surrounding fortifications, but reports suggested that it was more than 10,000![1]
I tried to work out just how much food would be eaten every day by 10,000 hungry men, but the numbers were too big, so I just gave up and collected whatever I could. However, I made sure that I was careful, never forgetting that my activities would be very interesting to the Romans. If they found out what I was doing, heavy punishment would be certain.
It is the only time I can ever remember being glad that God had not given us children.[2]
At least I didn’t need to worry about getting the food into the temple itself – I could leave that to others, and hope that my Samuel would get the food he needed to help protect God’s temple from the Romans.
My task would help him, and I would pursue it with faith and all the strength that Yahweh, our God, provides.
But how was I to collect such large amounts of food without the Romans noticing? I decided that the collection had to happen in the market areas of the city. Large quantities of food would already be passing through each day, so my planned activities shouldn’t draw undue attention. Obviously, I couldn’t afford to buy all of the food that would be needed, but I planned to visit people all over the city and convince them of just how important the food collection was for
God’s temple.
For me, the main problem was the factions within the city. I was supporting the defence of the temple, plain and simple, but it was hard to do that without being viewed as supporting Aristobulus, and I knew that my husband had little time for him or his ambitions. On the other hand, Hyrcanus was no better – he was even willing to let a Roman commander take over Jerusalem and the temple! Unfortunately, we can sometimes be seen by others as taking sides in political squabbles,
even though the specific goal that we are pursuing may be only incidental to the better-known cause. For Samuel, the goal was godliness and the immediate task was to protect the temple from being profaned by Romans or corrupt Jews. I agreed with him. I still do. In asking people to give food, I tried to emphasise that it was work being done for Yahweh – but most people saw me as being on Aristobulus’ side. Some of Hyrcanus’ followers were willing to be convinced and
helped me as they were able, but most treated me with suspicion or even as an enemy to be worked against.
I am told that it has always been so amongst us Jews as a people: we concentrate on human leaders instead of on the Most High God. We watch constantly for a Messiah, or the coming son of David, but keep on being let down by leaders who seek only their own fame and power. I’m sure that the baby I saw today will be better. Apart from anything else, his parents are very different from the rich, proud, self-seeking parents of most of the leaders who keep trying to take control of
God’s people. When the Roman legions under Pompey threatened us, Aristobulus and Hyrcanus spent at least as much time fighting each other as they did trying to fight the Romans. But I couldn’t let it get me down or stop me from gathering food to help the people who really were doing something to save the temple. I also did my best to encourage generosity with food donations.
All over the city I travelled during those two or three months, visiting many houses and speaking to thousands of people. Lots of other women helped me, and huge amounts of food were collected and delivered to the men in the temple. I don’t know how the delivery was achieved, but it seemed to work.
Never did the Romans seem to suspect anything. Never was I questioned about my daily work collecting food all over the city. Never did they ask why I delivered so much food to the market area near the temple, nor who the busy men were to whom I gave it. Somehow, these men managed to consistently deliver it to the brave defenders who still resisted every attempt to take the temple area.
Unfortunately, the Romans showed no signs of giving up either, nor of trying to negotiate an end to the impasse. Maybe they didn’t see it as an impasse at all, but rather as a necessary series of steps that they had to take to achieve an inevitable victory.
All that time, Pompey’s men were busy filling in the valley to the north of the temple and bringing heavy battering rams and other siege equipment from Sidon.
On several occasions, they tried to bring their rams up to attack the walls around the temple, but the defence from our soldiers was too strong. So then they did what people have been doing for hundreds of years: they used our dedication to our religion against us. The Sabbath is a wonderful observance, but it has caused many problems when the nation is under attack. Many years ago, our soldiers refused to fight on the Sabbath, and so our enemies always attacked on that day,
when they knew they would meet with no resistance. Many a brave warrior was slaughtered where he stood, defenceless.
After one particular massacre, our regulations were altered to allow individuals and armies to take defensive action even on a Sabbath – but only defensive action. That was how things stood when Pompey was trying to conquer the temple. When he could not move his battering rams into place to attack the walls because of the ferocious defence, he withdrew them, and for a couple of days nothing happened. Now it may have been just a coincidence, but I doubt it. I
think it is much more likely that some smart advisor saw an opportunity to take advantage of our religious piety. When the Sabbath came, the Romans began again to manoeuvre their battering rams into place. They made no attempt to attack the walls while doing so, nor did they have soldiers placed to defend the workers as they brought up the rams and other assault equipment. They knew they were safe.
To add insult to injury, as the morning passed with no attacks from the defenders who were quietly watching from the walls, the Romans began to smile and laugh and wave to them!
Now, how should we follow our religion when our enemies take advantage of us like that? Some say that if only we have faith, God will care for us – and I might agree with them if we as a nation were in better standing with God. If we had been righteous, maybe we really could demand God’s support, but when our nation has so consistently gone its own way over the centuries, will such a desperate faith help when judgement comes? Most of the nation only wants God’s help when they
can’t achieve what they want by themselves. Our keeping of the Sabbath feels more like following a set of rules than viewing as a delight the opportunity to contemplate God’s holiness.[3] As an old woman, I now see very clearly that much of our religion is just empty ritual, and so it was back when Pompey attacked – much the same as when Isaiah described it so long before as “empty offerings”.[4] I didn’t see it quite as clearly when I was young, but even then I had enough
questioning to doubt that God would feel bound to protect our nation in every conflict! I didn’t really want to think about it, but I couldn’t help wondering whether God might be using the Romans to punish us, as he had used the Babylonians.
On that particular Sabbath, the progress of the Roman preparations was swift but methodical, and nobody did anything to stop it. The Roman soldiers worked hard, while the Jewish defenders concentrated on their worship. Only a few defenders watched, clearly frustrated by their inability to stop the inexorable preparations for an attack. As the sun swung lower in the sky, the battering rams were ready in position, and the siege towers were there too. The Romans began to
take much more care, knowing that, for the defenders, the new day would begin at sunset, at which time their opportunity for unopposed action would be over. The soldiers hurried into position, hoping to be ready for an attack just before the defenders were freed from their self-imposed cease-fire.
In the end, the two sides were ready for action at almost exactly the same time. The sun set, and immediately the defenders tried to disable the battering rams, which were just swinging into action, by dropping heavy stones from the defensive positions onto the battering rams and the soldiers who were urging them on. But many of the stones just bounced off the shields that had been erected over the rams.
As darkness fell, the sounds of battle filled my ears. I prayed that God would help the dedicated soldiers who defended his house. I had hope, but no certainty.
Instead, I had a horrible feeling that the battle would be decided before morning.
Notes
[1] Josephus reports that at the end of the siege, 12,000 Jews were killed (Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 7, section 5).
[2] The Bible does not tell us whether or not Anna had children. None are mentioned.
[3] Isaiah 58:13
[4] Isaiah 1:11-14