First Jewish Revolt Against the Romans 66-70 CE
A Defining Event in the Timeline of Jewish History
Feb 1, 2009
Three years before, Rome had dispatched Vespasian, its ablest general, to put down the Jewish revolt. His arrival in Palestine meant a systematic destruction of the pockets of resistance to their rule in the region prior to a final assault on Jerusalem.
Jewish Persecution
However with his task in Palestine unfinished Vespasian was recalled to Rome to become emperor, his son Titus was left to complete his father's work.
Titus began the final bloody siege of Jerusalem in the first quarter of that year (probably February). Progress was swift, within weeks a northern wall, newly built by the Jews, was breached; a second wall surrounding the markets was then destroyed leaving the Temple as one of the last bastions of resistance.
By July the Romans had captured the fortress of Antonia, which Josephus describes as being on the highest hill overlooking the Temple platform, located between the Temple and the moat.
Greek historian Dio Cassius (date of birth unknown, date of death around 230 C.E.) describes Titus as offering the Jews immunity and the Jews refusing the offer.
When the Romans finally forced their way into the Temple at the end of August they found around six thousand Jewish zealots waiting for them, ready to fight to the death.
Jewish History
Dio Cassius says that the Jews defended themselves with extraordinary courage deeming it to be an honour to die in the defence of their temple.
His description of the final days and hours is a captivating one. With Roman siege weapons battering at the walls and soldiers coming ever closer, the Jews still tried to retain a sense of order as long as possible, observing the purity laws and each fighting in their designated place. " The ordinary people in the courtyard, the nobility in the inner courts and the priests in the Temple itself.
Finally as the Temple caught fire Josephus tells us that: "As the flames shot up, a shout as poignant as the tragedy, arose from the Jews, who flock to the rescue."
As the flames grew higher and the realisation that the Temple could not be saved swept amongst the remaining Jews, some threw themselves into the flames and some onto the Roman swords. Others, once the Temple had gone, gave up showing no interest in joining their comrades who were still holding out in other parts of the complex.
The Roman legions were thorough, ensuring the Temple Mount was reduced to a heap of rubble. Little that was recognisable remained, only one wall of the Devir, the most sacred part of the temple, perhaps even a separate building within the Temple (Kings 6:16) and the huge retaining walls of the Temple Mount platform had survived.
The destruction of Jerusalem was such that visitors who later came to the city found it hard to believe that there had ever been a city there.
Jewish Timeline
For hundreds of years the Temple had been at the centre of the Jewish world and the Jewish religion. Its destruction for the second time, while only a blink of an eye within a long Jewish timeline, was a terrible blow to the Jewish psyche. It would never again be rebuilt.
This writer is grateful for the following sources of Jewish history:
Karen Armstrong A History of Jerusalem
Elizabeth Gilbert, Brown University who was quoting from Dio Cassius Historia Romana.
Flavius Josephus, War of the Jews
Good News Bible
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