Simon son of Cathlas

Also known as: Simon · Family: Jewish · Role: commander · First appears: Book IV, Chapter 4

In Book IV, Chapter 4, Simon son of Cathlas was one of four commanders under whom twenty thousand Idumeans assembled and marched to Jerusalem, alongside John, Jacob, and Phineas. He was linked as a parent’s child to Cathlas. When the Idumeans were pressed to disarm, Simon rejected the demand and pledged to remain armed for the city’s liberty: “Here will we abide before the walls in our armor, until either the Romans grow weary in waiting for you, or you become friends to liberty, and repent of what you have done against it.”

Simon also quieted a tumult among his own men so that the high priests, including Jesus (son of Gamalas), could hear him. After the zealots opened the gate facing the Idumeans, Simon entered Jerusalem with Eleazar (son of Simon), Zacharias, John, Jacob, and Phineas, and the Idumeans first moved to free the imprisoned zealots. In Book VI, Chapter 2, Simon was named among the Idumeans with James son of Sosas.

Relationship record

Life events

• Twenty thousand Idumeans assembled and marched to Jerusalem under four commanders.(Book IV, Chapter 4 · 📍 Jerusalem)
  • With: John (unresolved ch069) Jacob Phineas
  • “and twenty thousand of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under four commanders, John, and Jacob the son of Sosas; and besides these were Simon, the son of Cathlas, and Phineas, the son of Clusothus.”
• Simon rejected the demand to disarm and pledged the Idumeans to fight for the city’s liberty.(Book IV, Chapter 4 · 📍 Jerusalem)
  • “Here will we abide before the walls in our armor, until either the Romans grow weary in waiting for you, or you become friends to liberty, and repent of what you have done against it.”
• The zealots opened the gate opposite the Idumeans, enabling them to enter Jerusalem.(Book IV, Chapter 4 · 📍 Jerusalem)
  • With: Eleazar (son of Simon) Zacharias John (unresolved ch069) Jacob Phineas
  • “So they secretly went out of the temple to the wall of the city, and made use of their saws, and opened that gate which was over against the Idumeans.”
• The Idumeans entered the city and moved first to release the imprisoned zealots.(Book IV, Chapter 4 · 📍 Jerusalem)
  • With: Eleazar (son of Simon) Zacharias John (unresolved ch069) Jacob Phineas
  • “but as they first of all made haste to get the zealots out of custody”

Book IV, Chapter 4

• parent: Cathlas (Parent-to-child relation.) “and besides these were Simon, the son of Cathlas”
• with John (unresolved ch069) (They were co-commanders of the Idumean army.) “twenty thousand of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under four commanders, John, and Jacob the son of Sosas; and besides these were Simon, the son of Cathlas, and Phineas, the son of Clusothus.”
• with Jacob (They were co-commanders of the Idumean army.) “twenty thousand of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under four commanders, John, and Jacob the son of Sosas; and besides these were Simon, the son of Cathlas, and Phineas, the son of Clusothus.”
• with Phineas (They were co-commanders of the Idumean army.) “twenty thousand of them were put into battle-array, and came to Jerusalem, under four commanders, John, and Jacob the son of Sosas; and besides these were Simon, the son of Cathlas, and Phineas, the son of Clusothus.”
• with Jesus (son of Gamalas) (Simon son of Cathlas addressed the high priests, including Jesus.) “But Simon, the son of Cathlas, one of their commanders, with much ado quieted the tumult of his own men, and stood so that the high priests might hear him, and said as follows:”

Book VI, Chapter 2

• with James son of Sosas (James son of Sosas and Simon son of Cathlas are identified as Idumean combatants.) “of the Idumeans, James and Simon, the latter of whom was the son of Cathlas, and James was the son of Sosas”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of The Wars of the Jews; Or, The History of the Destruction of Jerusalem. Made with Rho MD.