John the son of Levi

Family: Jewish · Role: builder and commander · First appears: Book II, Chapter 20

John the son of Levi was a Jewish builder and commander. In Book II, Chapter 20, he built a wall around Gischala with the consent of Josephus. In the following chapter, he gathered four hundred men, laid waste to Galilee, amassed wealth through an exclusive oil-trading privilege, and used it against the administration. At Tiberias, he corrupted officials and supporters into revolting from Josephus, sent armed men to assassinate him, and then fled to Gischala as Galileans rallied against him; three thousand of his supporters soon abandoned him and surrendered their arms.

In Book IV, Chapter 2, John drew Gischala’s seditious faction into rebellion against Roman authority. God was said to have preserved him and delayed Titus at Cydessa, allowing John to escape Gischala by night with armed men, others, and their families, and flee to Jerusalem. There, he stirred the people toward war against the Romans and joined others in murdering detained nobles, including Sophas and Raguel. He cultivated friendship with Ananus and the leading people, swore loyalty to their party, and gained access to their consultations, but secretly divulged their plans to the zealots; nevertheless, Ananus trusted him enough to send him as an ambassador to the zealots in the temple. He was also recorded in a parent relationship with Dorcas.