Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed by the Romans under the command of Titus in 70 AD. The Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke cite the prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, the desolation of Judea, and the evils that would befall the Jewish nation. The Jewish historian Josephus writes: “Caesar ordered that they should now demolish the entire city and temple…but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly razed to the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was nothing left to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited.” Thus the prophecy Christ uttered in Matthew 24:22 that, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” was fulfilled.
Many are of the school that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD was the recompense of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (some 40 years earlier) by the Romans, via the Jewish leaders who conspired against Christ and had him arrested and tried. Others hold to the element of the zealots, who were a relatively small group of Jewish guerrilla fighters who rebelled against the Roman occupation of Judea. The constant menacing of the zealots led to the First Jewish – Roman War, also called the Great Revolt which began in 66 AD, just a few years before the end of the Temple.
A short time prior to the siege of Jerusalem, Josephus describes certain terrifying prodigies that occurred in the Temple. Some of these signs and prodigies Josephus wrote of were the following: “There was a strange sword-shaped star which appeared over the city and a comet which lasted for a year; a bright light appeared around the altar and the sanctuary late one night in the month of Nisan, so bright that it appeared to be day time; a heifer about to be sacrificed gave birth to a lamb in the temple court itself; the great eastern gate of the inner court opened by itself at midnight and the temple guard had great difficulty closing it again. Then in the month of Jyar an incredible phenomenon appeared. Before sunset chariots were seen in the air and armed soldiers were seen hurtling through the clouds encompassing the cities.”
After a siege which reduced the people to starvation, both Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. Josephus writes: “The troops were now setting fire to the gates, and the silver melting all around quickly admitted the flames to the woodwork…The Jews, seeing the fire encircling them, were deprived of all energy of body and mind…[in shock] none attempted to ward off or extinguish the flames. At this moment, one of the soldiers…snatched a brand from the burning timber and…flung the fiery missile through a low golden door, which gave access…to the chambers surrounding the sanctuary. As the flames shot up, a cry as poignant as the tragedy arose from the Jews who flocked to the rescue…now that the object of all their past vigilance was vanishing. On all sides was carnage and flight. Most of the slain were civilians…each butchered where he was caught. Around the altar a pile of corpses was accumulating, and down the steps of the sanctuary flowed a steam of blood…”
According to Josephus the number of Jews killed during the siege of Jerusalem (in 70 AD) surpassed 1.1 million (approximately); and in the surrounding areas over 250,000 (roughly). In all, over 1.3 million. The treasures of the temple were taken as spoils to Rome where they were carried in a triumphal procession. In addition to the vessels of gold that were plundered, a copy of the Jewish Law was taken along with the purple hangings from the temple. Many of the Jews that survived the destruction fled to areas around the Mediterranean and elsewhere. This would echo the exile of the Jews after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians, over 600 years previously. To this day the destruction of both the 1st and 2nd Temples are mourned by Jews annually on the ninth of Av, also know as Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. The Book of Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem is read in the synagogue, followed by the recitation of liturgical dirges that lament the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem.
References:
Barker, M. The Gate of Heaven. (Sheffield, United Kingdom: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2008).
Whiston, W. Josephus, The Complete Works. (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1998).
Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).