The atrocities of the evil Rome as the real and the real false prophet revealed to me by our Lord Jesus Christ

Acts 13:1

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

God’s judgement on the whole of Roman Empires

 By destructions from all angles by many stronger nations of the world

Wave after wave of Germanic barbarian tribes swept through the Roman Empire. Groups such as the Visigoths, Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Franks, Ostrogoths, and Lombards took turns ravaging the Empire, eventually carving out areas in which to settle down. The Angles and Saxons populated the British Isles, and the Franks ended up in France.

In 476 C.E. Romulus, the last of the Roman emperors in the west, was overthrown by the Germanic leader Odoacer, who became the first Barbarian to rule in Rome. The order that the Roman Empire had brought to western Europe for 1000 years was no more. Please read more on the internet for yourself

The Destruction of Jerusalem
Duke University, 1980
Douglas Jacoby Roman History 54
Trinity College Prof. M. T. Boatwright
2
THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
DOUGLAS JACOBY
DUKE UNIVERSITY
SPRING 1980
(Unedited)
Purpose of paper
The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to describe the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD—to bring it to life—and to
show how this fulfilled certain prophecies1 made forty years previously.
For the most part, sources date to the earliest centuries of the first millennium. This treatment of events in 70 is not
exhaustive; those events pertaining to specific prophecies in the synoptic gospels2 are highlighted. The text of Matthew
24 has been chosen for its breadth. Occasionally this text will be supplemented with other synoptic references. The
parallel passages to Matthew 24:1-42 are Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36. A cursory comparison reveals the
congruity between these accounts.
24:1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of
the temple.
2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one
stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”3
The historical events we shall later examine culminate in this point. As with other events foretold by Jesus, had they
not come to pass, by the canons of Judaic prophecy he himself would have proven to be a false prophet. The test of
prophecy found in Deuteronomy 18:22 is rigorous.4 (“…if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word
which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously…”)
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be,
and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”
The four disciples (Mk 13:4) were asking Jesus at what time the temple would be destroyed. If the temple were ever to
be destroyed, that would automatically signify the end of the Mosaic age; thus we may understand the disciples to be
asking about the termination of the current Temple system. As for Jesus’ “coming,” the Scriptures afford much needed
perspective about this term. In the Bible “coming” often refers to God’s coming in judgment on a people. Consider a
few passages from Isaiah, Micah, Malachi, and Jude:
ISA 66:15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger
with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For with fire and with his sword the LORD will
execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD.
MIC 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 2 Hear, O peoples, all
of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it, that the Sovereign LORD may witness against you, the
Lord from his holy temple. 3 Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down
and treads the high places of the earth. 4 The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. 5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the house of Israel.
1 We shall consider the New Testament prophecies of the destruction, not those found in the Old Testament (such as that found in
Daniel 9).
2 As to dates of the gospels, the author holds to pre-eighth decade dates for the composition of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Of course
the real issue is whether Jesus did or did not say these things. If they are accurately recorded, we can be fairly sure that the prophetic passages
were spoken in the early part of the fourth decade. This is the real crux of the matter.
3 Cf. Mk 13:2, Lk 21:6.
4 It even entails a death penalty for false prophecy.
3
MAL 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are
seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says
the LORD Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who
will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to
the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. 5So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be
quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their
wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,”
says the LORD Almighty.
JUDE 1:14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands
upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly
acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.”
Images of judgment typically involve a “coming.” This is true whether the subject is judgment against the nations or
judgment against Israel. When the disciples asked in 24:3, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of
your coming and of the close of the age?” it is clear they expected none other than Jesus himself to return in judgment
on the apostate nation of Israel. And while there may be certain parallels between Mt 24 and the end of the world,
Jesus intended to answer the question of verse 3. When God acts in judgment or to bring deliverance, a “coming” is
taking place. The “Second Coming” is simply the greatest, not the only, scriptural instance of God’s delivering his
people.
4 And Jesus answered them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray.
5 “For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ”, and they will lead many astray.
6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars5; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place,
but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines6 and
earthquakes in various places:
8 “all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs7
.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations
for my name’s sake.8
10 “And many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another.
11 “And many false prophets9 will arise and lead many astray.
12 “And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold.”
13 “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all
nations; and then the end will come. 10
15 “So when you see the desolating sacrilege11 spoken of by the prophet Daniel12, standing in the holy place
(let the reader understand),”13
5 From history we know that in the four years preceding the year 70 AD there were many wars and rumors of war in Judea. For a brief
though excellent treatment of this, see Vermes & Miller, art. 20, 1-3.
6 Between the uttering of this prophecy and 70 there occurred many famines—esp. in the reign of Claudius. Cf. Suetonius, Life of
Claudius, xviii, 2, Tacitus, Annals, xii, 43, Dio Cassius, History, 1x. 11, Eusebius, Chronicle, Year of Abraham 2065, and Orosius, History,
vii.6.17.
7 Mk 13:8, Lk 21:11.
8 The book of Acts, esp. chapters 3-28.
9 The epistles — e.g. Galatians 1:6, II Timothy 4:3, Jude 4, and many more.
10 From Colossians 1:23 it is evident that the gospel had been proclaimed to everyone in the known (Roman) world. “The end” referred
to is not the end of human life on earth, but that of Jerusalem and the last vestiges of the Jewish religion.
11 An obvious reference to Roman religion, whose idolatrous nature constituted an abomination to the Jews (Exodus 20:3-4). Yet one
might argue that by the time this sacrilege was in the area of the temple, destruction would be too close at hand for anyone to “flee to the
mountains.” Perhaps the parenthetical “let the reader understand” refers to the observation of the imminent location of this abomination at the
temple site. More likely, the parenthetical comment tries to connect the relevant passages in Daniel with the mini-apocalypse of Matthew—a
connection that would have been familiar to the student of scripture.
12 Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11
4
Luke adds, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is a hand.” (Lk
21:20) At this point it is appropriate to cite Lk 19:41-44:
“And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that
make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast
up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your
children with you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your
visitation.”
As we shall see later, the armies of Titus did encircle Jerusalem in this very way, thoroughly destroying the city and
most of its inhabitants.
16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains14;”
17 “let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house;
Indeed, there was a sort of “highway of the housetops” made of the roofs of many homes in the city of Jerusalem. We
find this warning stated earlier in Lk 17:31: “On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house,
not come down to take them away…” The urgency of leaving the city was to be so great that Jesus warned the faithful
not to descend to retrieve their belongings even if they happened to be walking immediately above their own homes!
See also Mk 13:15.
18 “and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle.15
19 “And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days!16
20 “Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
There would be obvious difficulties in fleeing the city in winter, because of the cold, and on the Sabbath, probably due
to travel restrictions.
21 “For then there will be great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now,
no, and never will be.”
The severity of the tribulation is most evident from the historical accounts left to us by Josephus, Tacitus, Cassius Dio,
and others.
22 “And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the
elect those days will be shortened.”
23 “Then if any one says to you, “Lo, here is the Christ!” or “There he is!” do not believe it.”
24 “For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if
possible, even the elect.”
25 “Lo, I have told you beforehand.”
26 “So, if they say to you, “Lo, he is in the wilderness,” do not go out; if they say, “Lo, he is in the inner
rooms”, do not believe it.”
27 “For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of
man.”
13 Bk. III, ch. v of Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History possibly weakens the gospel account — or vice versa.
14 We will read of the adherence to this counsel, below.
15 Mt. 24:18; see v.40.
16 On the way to Calvary, Jesus said to a crowd of women who were following him, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but
weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that
never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!” They will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” (Lk 23:28b-
30) Doubtless the mass evacuation of the Christians was to be no easy thing—and how much more difficult for the pregnant and nursing? Or for
those bound to observe the travel restrictions inherent in the Sabbath regulations?
5
Compare Lk 17:24. This may very well refer to the coming of the armies of Titus. We are to understand that the
Son of man was “coming” in or by the agency of the Roman Army. See Isaiah 10:5: “Ah, Assyria, the rod of my
anger, the staff of my fury.” God has often dealt (judgmentally) with nations by means of other nations.
28 “Wherever the body is, there the vultures17 will be gathered together.”
At this point Luke reports some interesting words: “they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among
all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles…” (Lk 21:24) We will read, below, of the
fulfillment of this prophecy.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken”18
30 “then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;”
Deuteronomy 33:26—just one of a number of passages where God is described as riding through the skies—reads
“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, and in his majesty through the
skies.” See also Daniel 7:13, Nahum 1:3, Mt 26:64 (Mk 14:62), Acts 1:9, 11, and Revelation 1:7. In short, to portray
himself as riding the skies was an implicit claim to divinity as well as a promise to protect and deliver his followers.
Continuing our study,
31 “and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of the earth to the other.”
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you
know that summer is near.”
33 “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.”19
34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place.”20
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father
only.”
37 “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man.”
38 “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day when Noah entered the ark,”
39 “and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son
of man.”
40 “Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left.”
41 “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.”
42 “Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
A parallel to these predictions is found in Lk 17:26-35:
“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating, they were drinking, they
were marrying and giving in marriage21 until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed
17 The RSV translation of “eagles” for aetoi is less sensible than the rendering “vultures.” Considering the amount of carnage, one
would expect a great number of vultures to be present.
18 This is the apocalyptic metaphor typical of prophetic literature; it is doubtful it was ever intended to be taken literally. Because Jesus
was speaking in terms with which they were familiar, the apostles probably did not experience the confusion rampant in many fundamentalist
sects today. Such language signifies an apocalyptic entrance into history by God, in order to effect his purpose. Cf. Isaiah 13:10, 34:4, Ezekiel
32:7-8, Joel 2:30-31.
19 Cf. Mk 13:29, Lk 21:31. See also Lk 23:28-31, esp. v. 31: “For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is
dry?” Jesus wanted to enable the Christians to avoid being trapped in the coming disaster. After all, this judgment was to come not on the
Christians, but on the Jews.
20 Cf. Mk 13:30, Lk 21:32. These events were all to occur in the view of the present generation (not in the 20th century; as some have
misinterpreted it). Certainly the year 70 is congruous with this verse.
21 The NAS rendering holds closer to the Greek imperfects (esthion, epion, egamoun, egamidzonto) than the RSV.
6
them all… On that day, let him who is on the housetop… and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.
Remember Lot’s wife.22 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you,
in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding
together; one will be taken and the other left.”
How are we to understand this?23 It was to be unexpected—the surrounding days would not seem any different to the
vigilant from the recent past. As ordinary events transpired, the purposes of God would suddenly erupt in decisive
action. If there were two in the field, the one, understanding and believing the Lord’s prophecy, knowing that the time
was ripe for the holy city’s destruction, would insist on leaving, regardless of what his unbelieving neighbor thought—
and regardless of the time of day or night. Thus one would be taken, the other left.
These Scriptures fit together to paint the prophetic picture of the fated fall of Jerusalem. There are other allusions to
the destruction in the New Testament—eg, Mt 21:33ff, 22:7, and Lk 20:9ff, especially v. 16—but our overview is
adequate. Having established the basis, let us now read the history—and determine how well events corroborate Jesus’
words.
The sources for the events pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem are several. While apparently there were a
number of anonymous authors24 on the war, their contribution has been negligible. Of the historians with whom we
are concerned, 25
Josephus is the most important—followed by Tacitus, Dio, Suetonius, and Eusebius26. Josephus is especially
important because he was an eyewitness. 27 Naturally, the account of events that follows owes much to Josephus’
observations.
Concerning the preconditions of the destruction of Jerusalem, we will look at a few highlights28. We will briefly focus
on Roman military presence in the area, the internal conditions in Jerusalem; and some of the “signs” that preceded the
war.
Tacitus29 tells us that in 63 BC Pompey razed the walls of Jerusalem, though the temple was left standing. He was the
first man to do this by right of conquest.30 According to Tacitus, “Later, in the time of our civil wars, when these
eastern provinces had fallen into the hands of Mark Anthony, the Parthian prince, Procorus31, seized Judea, but he was
slain by Publius Veintidus32, and the Parthians were thrown back across the Euphrates; the Jews were subdued by
Gaius Sosius…”33 As we can see, Judea was a hot spot ever since the Romans possessed it. One ought to recall that the
Hebrew people were quite rebellious under the Greeks—eg., the rebellion led by Judas Maccabaeus when Antiochus
22 Genesis 19:26.
23 Certainly not as the “rapture”—a doctrine found nowhere in the NT. That tendentious doctrine is based on a single verse in 1
Thessalonians 4. Even though it is stated that believers still living at the end of human history will be snatched (“raptured”) up to meet the Lord,
nowhere does the text indicate that the unsaved will be left on the earth to undergo the torments of a “tribulation period.” The premillennial
doctrine is a forced conflation of 1 Thess 4 and the judgment images of the Apocalypse.
24 Josephus noted that there were those writers who were not eyewitnesses of the Jewish War, and there were those eyewitnesses
burdened so by excessive flattery of the Romans or hatred towards the Jews that their stories are
slanted. Of course, as Josephus pointed out, disparaging the Jews in no way makes the Romans look great! (Ouch horo de, pos an einai megaloi
dokoien hoi mikrous nenikekotes, 200:14-15). Naturally, Josephus fell into neither of these untrustworthy categories.
25 Admittedly, there are other known writers, who could be cited, eg., Sulpicius Severus, Chron. ii, 30. Also of interest may be the list of 89
authors on Judaism in Menachem Stern’s Gk. & Lt. authors on Jews and Jud., xi-xiii.
26 It is most interesting to view the war from a Christian perspective.
27 Having been captured, he “prophesied” that Vespasian would be the next Emperor. (Suet. Hist. Of Twelve Caes., Titus Flavius
Vespasianus Augustus, 5) He was present at the siege (Jos. Vita, 25), and says, of the events he saw there, “I have accurately related them in the
books concerning the War of the Jews.” (The Complete Works of Jos., Vol. III, 73) He, having been a statesman before his capture, played an
active role in Titus’ efforts to obtain a surrender from the Jews.
28 For a fairly good, concise summary of these events, see Vermes & Miller, pp. 496-508. Also good is Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical
History, Book II, ch. xxvi.
29 Tacitus also told many lies [pyorative word; & what is the reference to comply 36?] about the Jew’s background, eg., “Profana illic
omnia quae apud nos sacra, rursum concessa apud illos quae nobis incesta.” (Hist., V, iv.)
30 Tac. Hist. V, ix.
31 40 BC.
32 A disputed figure.
33 Tac. Hist. V., ix.
7
Epiphanes IV was ruler in Syria, in the second century BC. Later, Tacitus relates, “After Herod’s death, the
kingdom was divided into three parts and given to his three sons.”34 In the procuratorship of Gessius Florus (64-66
AD) the war began. Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, was unable to quell it. After his death, Nero sent Vespasian
to Judea, who, in two summer campaigns, occupied, with his victorious army, all the fields of every city except
Jerusalem.35 Tacitus says36 that there were many rabble in the city right before the siege. They came largely from the
cities that had been taken by Vespasian and by his son Titus, in 67 and 68.37 Internal conditions were terrible. The
Zealots were now warring among themselves38, and the result was a city already full of corpses before the Romans
arrived. It was a city under a reign of terror. In their zeal, these men had even destroyed most of their own corn
supply, which would have sustained them for many years against the besieging Romans.39
There were three commanders, each with his own army, in Jerusalem. Simon commanded the outer circuit; John the
mid-city; and Eleazar the temple precincts.40 We would expect there were few, if any, Christians in the armies of
Jerusalem. According to Eusebius, “The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded
by a divine revelation, given to men of approved piety there before the war, removed from the city, and dwelt at certain
town beyond the Jordan, called Pella.41
Before we describe the Roman military units that came to Jerusalem, and what they did to the city, we should make
mention of the signs that preceded the war. In Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter VIII, we read:
Taking, then, the work of the author, read for yourself the account42 given by him in the sixth book of his history. “The
wretched people” says he, “at this time were readily persuaded to give credit to the impostors and liars against God,
but they neither believed nor paid regard to the significant and wonderful events that prognosticated the approaching
desolation. On the contrary, as if struck with stupidity, and as if they had neither eyes nor understanding, they slighted
the declarations of God. At one time, when a star very like a sword stood above the city, as also a comet that
continued to be seen a whole year, at another, when before the rebellion and the commotions that preceded the war,
whilst the people were collected at the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth of the month of April, about the ninth
hour of the night, so great a light shone around the altar and the temple, as to seem a bright day. And this continued
for half an hour. To the ignorant this appeared a good omen, but by the scribes it was immediately judged to refer to
the events that took place at the issue. At the same festival also, a cow struck by the priest for sacrifice, brought forth
a lamb in the midst of the temple. The eastern gate also, of the inner temple, which was of brass and immense weight,
and which at evening was scarcely shut by twenty men, and resting on ironbound hinges, and secured with bolts very
deeply sunk in the ground, was seen in the sixth hour of the night to open of itself.”
And also:
“For before the setting of the sun there were seen chariots and armed troops on high, wheeling through the clouds
around the whole region, and surrounding cities.”
Eusebius proceeds to tell us the tale of a rustic who prophesied the coming destruction. Whether this is true or not, it
held significance for someone. And Eusebius is not alone in recounting this (as he quotes Josephus), for Tacitus also
mentioned certain omens that failed to sober the Jews.43 Similarly, many Jews were interpreting Daniel 2:44 to give
them a basis for optimism, as they thought God would defeat the Romans before the establishment of the kingdom.44
34 Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip.
35 “Cuncta camporum omnisque praeter Hierosolyma urbis”—Tac. Hist. V, x.
36 Ibid., V, xii.
37 “Nam pervicacissimus quisque illic perfugerat eo…”
38 Josephus, The Jewish War, V, I, 5.
39 Ibid., V, I, 5, and Tac. Hist., V, xii.
40 John later killed Eleazar, leaving only himself and Simon to fight the Romans. Driven out of necessity, they joined forces to fight
the armies of Titus.
41 H.E., III, V, 2-3. See also Epiphanius, Haer, 29, 7; De Mensuris, 15. Whatever the “divine revelation” was that was given to the
Christian leaders, it does not seem Eusebius had in mind any of the synopitc admonitions, but a separate message. However, it does seem
probable that a number of Chrisitans failed to heed the warning — we would infer this from the tone of Mt. 24:24-25.
42 Eusebius is quoting Josephus.
43 Tac. Hist. V, xiii.
44 The kingdom is a concept that the Jews never understood (they expected something physical, not spiritual), but which clearly is seen
from the Scriptures to be present on earth at the coming of the church on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
8
But the Romans thought that this prophetic passage from Daniel chapter two45 applied to themselves.46 It is not
difficult to imagine the tension in the air even before Titus drew near.
As for Titus’ armies47 themselves, he took command of three legions already in Judea, which had belonged to his
father (the 5th, 10th, and 15th), the 12th, from Syria, 2000 men from the 22nd and the 3rd, from Alexandria, plus 20
cohorts of allied infantry, 8 squadrons of cavalry, auxiliaries from King Antiochus, and many Arabians.48 This could
easily have been a force of 30,000 men! Yet, according to Tacitus, the Jews were more internally cohesive than the
Roman forces.49 Josephus also notes that the Jews seemed more organized the Romans.50 At any rate, Titus displayed
the legions in formation, now arrayed impressively before the walls of Jerusalem.51 The Romans soon were erecting
embankments52 against Jerusalem, which was extremely well fortified. But the Jews assiduously repulsed the Romans
night and day53, as the forces of John and Simon were united. In order to frighten the Jews, Titus crucified alive a Jew
in front on the walls.54 The Romans kept pushing; despite the difficult nature of the ground, they were able to break
through the first wall.55 As a result, many Romans and Jews forfeited their lives. The Romans had effected a great
slaughter56, but they were suffering severely from a lack of water; what they had was of poor quality, and what they
could obtain was available a great distance away.57 The second wall was easier to defend than the first wall58, and it
took a long time before the Romans had broken through it.59 The Jews continued to fight bravely. Titus had been
offering immunity to the Jews, if only they would surrender. When Jewish deserters (and the captives) starting killing
the Roman soldiers and fouling their water, Titus stopped receiving them.60 Yet even a number of the Roman soldiers
deserted to the other side — there was a rumor that the city was impregnable.61 Having broken through the second
wall, the Romans neared the temple; as they approached, the Jews fought harder and harder. They met death
willingly62. Josephus comments, “For God had blinded their minds for the transgressions they had been guilty of, nor
could they see how much greater forces the Roman had than those that were now expelled, no more than they could
discern how a famine was coming upon them.” 63 This even more surprising in light of the fact that Titus repeatedly
made the offer of sparing their lives if only they would stop fighting and surrender. One cannot but be struck by
Titus’s sense of justice.
Now the Romans relaxed the siege, in hopes that the Jews would reconsider, but they were not to mollified. Therefore
the Romans increased the intensity of the siege even more. Josephus was sent to discuss terms of peace with the Jews.
(Let us not forget that he had been a governor of these people’s kinsmen; he was doubtless known to many of the Jews
personally, and he would be able to empathize with their problems.) He said among other things: “God, when he had
gone round the nations with this dominion, was now settled in Italy.”64 Josephus failed, however, to persuade the
Jews, who held onto their concept that God was with them. He then said to them that in their own history God had
45 .”…And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be
left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever…” (Daniel 2:44)
46 Hence Tacitus: “quae ambages Vespasianum ac Titum praedixerat, sed vulgus more humanae cupidinis sibi tantam Fatorum
magnitudinem interpretatione adversis quidem ad vera mutabantur. See Skerrett’s Doctoral thesis, IV, 5; Also, Tac. Hist. 5.13, Jos. B.I. 6.5.4,
and Hegesip. 5.44, art. 2. Also, Suetonius HTC, Flav. Vesp. Aug., 4.
47 Cf. B.I. 3.7.22, Tac. Hist. 4.51; Titus was chosen sole commander of the prosecution of this war in the end of 69. Tac. Hist. V.1:
“perdomandae Iudaeae.” Jos. B.I. V, I, 5 and Tac. Hist. V, I.
48 Tac. Hist. V, I.
49 “… et quia apud ipsos fides obstinata, misericordia in promptu, sed adversus omnis alios hostile odium (V, v).
50 B.I. V, III, 4.
51 “Castris…ante moenia Hierosalymorum positis instructas legiones ostentavit”—Tac. Hist. V, ix. Tacitus notes that it was beneath the
Romans’ dignitas to wait for Jerusalem to starve; they were ready to fight.
52 Jos. B.I., V, vi. Dio (Lxvi 4,1) notes that the first battles were indecisive — therefore, the Romans began heaping up mounds. See
Tac. V, xiii.
53 B.I., V, vi; Dio, Lxvi 4, 4—the Jews, in their sallies, set fire to the siege engines, hurled missiles (4,3) tunneled under and ruined the
battering rams.
54 B.I., V. vi.
55 Ibid, V. vii. Dio Lxvi, 5, 1.
56 B.I., V. vii.
57 Dio, lxvi 4, 5 .
58 Ibid, lxvi, 5, 2.
59 B.I.. V, viii; Dio lxvi, 6, 1.
60 Dio, lxvi, 5, 3.
61 Ibid., lxvi, 5, 4.
62 Kai edokei pāsi ouch hoti olethros alla kai nikē kai sōtēria eudaimonia te einai, hoti tō naō sunapōllunto (lxvi, 6, 3).
63 B.I. V, viii, 2.
64 B.I. V, ix, 3.
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brought retribution only to the evil oppressors of the Jewish nation—but the Romans, by comparison with other past
oppressors were very mild.65 Still, there were no terms of peace, for the seditious, the Zealots, were still in power.
Many, however, did want to desert — and many did. They were allowed to exit into the country, provided they didn’t
look suspicious, in which case their throats were slashed66. The main reason so many Jews were now wanting to desert
was that the famine was reaching terrible proportions. At this point it is appropriate to quote Eusebius. He has just
been telling us how gangs of robbers invaded private residences in search of food, scourging the inhabitants whether
they had food or not, for they were very hungry. People were still willing to sell food—especially some of the rich,
and money still had its value. This was soon to change. Then Eusebius tells us of how psychological behavior was
grossly perverted:
“Wretched indeed was the fare, and a lamentable sight it was, where the most powerful grasped after all, and the
weaker were constrained to mourn. For famine surpasses all other evils, but it destroys nothing so effectually as
shame; for that which otherwise would demand some regard, is contemned in this. Thus wives tore away the food from
the very mouths of their husbands, children from their parents, and what was most wretched of all, mothers from their
infants; so that whilst their dearest children lay wasting in their arms, there was not shame enough to prevent them
taking away the very drops that supported life. And even in doing this, they did not remain undiscovered; for
whenever they saw a door locked, this was a sign that those within were taking food, and then immediately bursting
open the doors they rushed in, and choked them, almost forcing the morsels out of their very throats. Old men were
beaten that held back their food, and women were torn by the hair, if they concealed what they had in their hands. Nor
was there any pity for gray hairs or for infants; but taking up the infants clinging to the morsels, they dashed them to
the ground. But they were much more cruel to those who anticipated their entrance, and were devouring what they
wished to seize, just as if they had been wronged by them. They also devised terrible modes of torture, to discover
where there was any food…”67
Josephus is more explicit: “…to stop up the passages of the privy parts of the miserable wretches, and to drive sharp
stakes up their fundaments; and a man was forced to bear what it is terrible even to hear…” (We will read more about
the famine, below.) Meanwhile, it seems John and Simon were eating well enough. They “…drank the blood of the
populace to one another, and divided the dead bodies of the poor creatures between them.”68
Meanwhile Titus decided to crucify a multitude of Jews before their wall.69 One detects gradual progression of cruelty
in this war. We read that, for a time, five hundred Jews were whipped, tortured, and crucified every day — to instill
fear in the Jews.70 Equally disgusting, Titus started lopping off the hands of men who had gone out from the Jews, and
sending them back to John and Simon to entreat them to surrender.71 But the Jews remained fearless!72 There is a
description of one scene where the two armies are so intermixed that, because of the dust in the air and all the noise,
one man was unidentifiable from another, and the result was a mass mutual slaughter. However, the Jews did not
flinch, though not so much their real strength, as for their despair of deliverance. The Romans also would not yield, by
reason of the regard they had to glory, and to their reputation in war, and because Caesar himself went into the danger
before them…”73
Finally Titus decided to build a wall about the city—and let the famine consume it. In its construction, we see the
tremendous desire of each man to please his decurion, of each decurion to please his centurion, each centurion his
tribune, each tribune his superior commanders, and the superior commanders Caesar.74 The famine that was
accelerated within the wall as a result of the Romans’ brilliant teamwork was gruesome.75 The deserters who exited
65 Ibid, V, ix, 4. Interesting verse, like a passage in Tac. Hist. about Civilis’ rebellion—Pettillius Cerealis (Roman governor) says that
the Romans are to be commended for their mildness. But of course it all goes back to Thuc. I. 125 or so.
66 Ibid, V, x, 1.
67 Eusebius H.E., III, vi.
68 B.I. V, x, 4.
69 Ibid., V, xi.
70 Ibid., V, xi.
71 B.I. V, xi, 2.
72 B.I. V, xi, 3.
73 B.I. V, xi, 6. See Tac. Hist. V, xi, where he describes the Romans’ motives: a mixture of bravery, a savage nature, and a desire for
booty.
74 B.I. V, xii
75 B.I. V, xii, 3.
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from Jerusalem often were immoderate in their taking solid food again, and as a result their bodies literally
exploded. When rumor had it that somebody had swallowed gold before leaving the city for the Romans, two thousand
live bodies were dissected in one night in a mad search for gold.76 Josephus then tells us that 600,000 corpses were
removed from the city; he then describes the dung-eating that occurred.77 The words of Jesus in Mt. 24:21 come alive
with meaning. It was every bit as bad as he said it would be. But there’s more!
I pass over additional Roman military maneuvers. Eventually there was a need for someone of the Roman soldiers to
scale the wall the Jews were now defending. Titus began to speak78: “Why is it not then a very mean thing for us not
to yield up that to the public benefit, which we must yield up to fate?” One man out of thousands volunteered.
Eventually eleven others joined him in the spirit of sacrifice. One cannot help being impressed by the bravery on both
sides—especially the Romans’, as this example illustrates so well.79 At last the Romans overcame this barrier, and had
a great slaughter.80 Again Josephus emphasizes the zeal of the Jews, and the bravery of the Romans.81
We read of more destruction (the siege has by now been going on for several months), more attempted diplomacy
(Josephus, of course), and a stratagem whereby the Jewish soldiers fry a large band of Roman soldiers. Then Josephus
returns to the famine conditions. 82 Attend closely:
The houses were filled with women and children that had thus perished; the byways with the dead bodies of old men.
But the boys and the young men, swelling up, tottered and reeled like shadows through the markets, and then falling
down, lay wheresoever the malady had overtaken them. The sick were not even able to bury their dead, and those yet
in health and strength were loath to do it, both on account of the number of the dead, and the uncertainty of their own
fates. Many, indeed, fell down and died upon those they were burying.83
Josephus then tells how some of the Jews went about thrusting their swords through the corpses and near-corpses that
were lying about. Sport. At any rate, the corpse-disposal problem became more and more severe:
… at first, not bearing the effluvia from the dead bodies, ordered them to be buried out of the public treasury;
afterwards, when they were not able to do this, they threw the bodies from the walls into the ditches below. As Titus
went around these, and saw them filled with the dead, and the deep gore flowing around the putrid bodies, he groaned
heavily…84
Returning to his discussion of the robbers’ actions, Eusebius quotes:
But the robbers themselves, with their mouths wide open for want of food, roved and straggled hither and thither, like
mad dogs, beating the doors as if they were drunk; and for want of counsel, rushing twice or thrice an hour into the
same houses. Indeed, necessity forced them to apply their teeth to every thing, and gathering what was no food, even
for the filthiest of irrational animals, they devoured it, and did not abstain at last even from belts and shoes. They took
off the hides from their shields and devoured them…85
Then there is the story of Maria:
A woman that dwelt beyond the Jordan, named Maria…distinguished for her family and wealth, having taken refuge at
Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, was shut up in the city with them. The tyrants had already robbed her of all
her other possessions, as much as she had collected…But as to the relics of her property, and whatever food she
provided, the ruffians daily rushing in, seized and bore it away. A dreadful indignation overpowered the woman, and
76 B.I. V, xiii.
77 B.I. V, xiii, 7
78 B.I.. VI, i, 5.
79 B.I., VI, i, 6..
80 B.I., VI, i, 7.
81 B.I., VI, i, 8
82 B.I., VI, iii., 3. (Euseb. quoting Jos.)
83 Euseb. H.E., III, vi.
84 Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Bk. III, ch. vi.
85 Ibid, Bk. III, ch. vi.
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frequently reviling and cursing the robbers, she endeavored by these means to irritate them against herself. But as
no one either through resentment or pity would slay her, and she was wary of providing food for others, and there was
now no probability of finding it anywhere; the famine now penetrated the very bowels and marrow, and resentment
raged more violently than the famine. Urged by frenzy and necessity as her counselors, she proceeded against nature
herself. Seizing her little son, who was yet at her breast, she said, “wretched child! in the midst of war, famine, and
faction, for what do I preserve thee? Our condition among the Romans, though we might live, is slavery. But even
slavery is anticipated by famine, and the assassins are more cruel than either — come, be thou food to me, fury to the
assassins, and a tale for men, the only one yet wanting to complete the miseries of the Jews.” As she said this, she
slew her son; then roasting him, she eat one half herself, and covering the rest, she kept it. It was not long before the
murderers came in, and perceiving the fumes of the execrable food, they immediately threatened to slay her if she did
not produce what she had prepared. She answered she had reserved a fine portion of it for them, and then uncovered
the relics of her son. Horror and amazement immediately seized them.. “This is my own son, “ said she, “and the deed
is mine. Eat, for I too have eaten, be not more delicate than a woman, nor more tender than a mother; but if you are
so pious, and reject my offering, I have already eaten half, and let the rest remain for me.” After this, they indeed,
went trembling away, cowardly at least in this one instance, and yet scarcely yielding to the mother even this kind of
food. Forthwith the whole city was filled with dreadful crime, and every one placing the wickedness before his eyes,
was struck with horror as if it had been perpetrated by himself…86
Soon the temple, against Titus’ desires, was afire, and it burned completely.87 Several days later, the entire city was
burned88, “nor was there any part of the city that had no dead bodies in it.”89 The destruction was nearly complete.
But what was done with the survivors?
The aged, the sick, the seditious, the robbers, and those impeached by their fellow Jews were all slain. Those men
older than seventeen years of age were sent to the provinces90, while those younger than seventeen were enslaved—a
total of 97,000. Josephus reports that even after the war had ended, 11,000 more Jews died of famine—through either
refusal to eat or being refused feeding.91 Because so many Jews who were in the city for the Passover were trapped
there, a total of 1.1 million were slaughtered or starved on the Jewish side during the course of the war. Tacitus says
there were 600,000 in the city, all of whom were armed. (Yet this figure seems unlikely, for the proportion of those
young men sold into slavery, after accounting for those perishing, seems unnaturally high.) All of Jerusalem was
destroyed except for three towers 92 of Herod’s palace, and part of a wall, “the first as memorials to the city’s former
strength, the other as protection for the garrison remaining behind.”93 One may read of the triumph that followed in
Book VII of Josephus’ Jewish War.94
Now that the temple had been destroyed, there remained no basis for the Jewish religion. Whereas previously the
people were in relationship to God by means of the priests’ offerings at the temple (see Leviticus 1:1-7:21), now there
was no means of atonement. How can Jews today, apart from a continual observance of all the law, claim to be God’s
people? Without atonement, an imperfect human being is cut off from his God. How can this be rationalized? The
standard response is that, after 70 AD, devotion to Torah replaced the Temple sacrifices.
According to a recent writer95, there remained four main problems: how to make atonement without the temple cult;
how to explain the disaster of the destruction, how to live in the new age; and what new social forms were consequent
upon the collapse of the old social structure. Obviously, in the light of the Old Testament, the major problem is the
first one. The proposed solution: “the life of the community in perfect obedience to the law is represented as the true
sacrifice offered in the new temple.” One reason that this argument is flawed is that under Mosaic law the community
was already supposed to be living in obedience to the law—in other words, the Jews were substituting one part of the
86 H.E., III. vi.
87 B.I., VI, iv, esp. 6-7.
88 B.I., VI vii-viii.
89Ibid., VI, vii, 2.
90 B.I. VI. ix, 2; Euseb. says (HE III, vii) many were sent to labor mines in Egypt. Also Dio, 7.
91 B.I., VI, ix, 2.
92 B.I., VII.
93 Vermes & Miller, p. 508.
94 See Lewis & Reinhold, Rom. Civ., pp. 91-92, i.e., B.I. VII, 122-156.
95 J. Neusner, Judaism 21, pp. 313-27. Helpful apocryphal literature may be found in The Apocalypse of Ezra, and The Vision of
Baruch.
12
law for another. This is like saying that you may murder if you do not commit adultery. (See James 2:11.) The
second reason for the invalidity of this line of thought is that it is plainly unscriptural—the sacrifice commanded by the
Lord was actual animal sacrifice. A third reason we must reject this argument is that “perfect obedience to the law”
would include obedience to the commands of Leviticus 1:1-7:21, etc. Thus there is disobedience, hence not “perfect
obedience.” The conclusion is that Judaism no longer has a solid theological basis. We may be forced to agree with
Paul in Galatians 3:7! Hence the destruction of Jerusalem was more than just a physical destruction and loss of life; it
was the final destruction of biblical Judaism.96
Let us now compare the first half of this paper, an examination of the prophecies, with the second half, the record of
history. What do we find? Moreover, how many of the prophecies are fulfilled? Indeed, are any unfulfilled, or
contradicted, or was Jesus perfectly correct as he forewarned the apostles?
Prophecy Verse