6960. Nero knew he was doomed when he heard that Galba and Spain had revolted from him. {Suetonius, Nero, c. 42.} Finally he killed himself on the ninth day of June after he had reigned thirteen years and eight months.

4072b AM, 4782 JP, 69 AD

6961. On the first of January in Germany, the images of Galba were thrown down and on the third day, Vitellius was greeted Emperor by the army. On the 25th day of the same month, Galba was killed, seven months after the death of Nero. {Tacitus, Histories, l. 1. c. 55,57?}

6962. After Galba was killed, Otho was created emperor by the soldiers who did not know that Vitellius had assumed the empire. He was killed the 90th day {*Dio, l. 63. 8:219} of his reign and he was buried on the 95th day. {Suetonius, ???}

6963. Tiberias Alexander, the governor of Egypt was the first that swore the legions to support Vespasian on the first of July. This day was his first day as emperor and later kept as a festival. Then the Jewish army on July 11th, (5th ides) swore to him. {Suetonius, Vespasian, c. 6.} {Tacitus, Histories, l. 2. c. 79.} There was only one year and 22 days between the death of Nero and the beginning of the reign of Vespasian. {*Dio, l. 66. 8:295}

6964. When Vespasian returned to Caesarea, he prepared to go with his whole army to besiege Jerusalem. When he received news of Nero's death, he deferred the war against the Jews and sent his son Titus to Galba who had succeeded Nero to know his pleasure concerning the Jewish war. Titus sailed to Achaia and there heard that Galba was killed. Thereupon he immediately returned to his father to Caesarea. They were both in suspense, (and the empire seemed to be tottering) and deferred the wars of Judea. They were afraid lest some harm would come to their own country and they thought it not a convenient time to invade a foreign country.

6965. In the meantime Simon, who was the son of Giora, (concerning whom we wrote earlier) and a bold and valiant young man, left Masada where he had fled. He went to the murderers into the mountain country of Judea and he promised liberty to servants and rewards to the freemen. In a short time he got a band of thieves and gradually increased his forces. He wasted not only villages but invaded cities. In a short time he conquered all Idumea and wasted Judea and finally came before Jerusalem and pitched his tents there. He was a terror to those of Jerusalem and also to the Zealots. Thus were the citizens of Jerusalem grievously oppressed on both sides, from within by the Zealots whom John commanded and from without by Simon, a most cruel man. In the meantime, the Idumeans who were of John's party and were among his forces had a falling out with him. They fought with him and killed many of the Zealots. They captured John's palace and burned it. He was forced with his followers to flee into the temple. The Idumeans also feared the citizens, lest by night John would make an excursion into the city and burn it. They took council and sent for Simon and admitted him into the city so that they might defend themselves against John. When Simon's forces came, they attacked the temple, but the Zealots fought valiantly.

6966. Vespasian left Caesarea and went to Berytus and Antioch. From there he sent Mutianus with troops into Italy but he went to Alexandria.

4073a AM, 4782 JP, 69 AD

6967. In Moesia, Antonius Primus who followed Vespasian's party, led the third legion into Italy against the side of Vitellius. He fought a battle at Cremona against Vitellius' forces and routed them. He then went to Rome and was joined with Mutianus in the middle of the city. He defeated Vitellius' army and dragged Vitellius himself through the forum and there cut his throat. Mutianus made Domitian, the son of Vespasian, prince of the empire while his father came from Syria.

4073b AM, 4783 JP, 70 AD

6968. When Vespasian heard these things at Alexandria, he sent his son Titus with forces into Judea to finish the rest of the war of Judea while he sailed to Italy.

6969. While Titus stayed at Alexandria, the city of Jerusalem was divided into three factions. Simon whom the citizens of Jerusalem had sent against John and admitted into the city, held the higher city and some part of the tower. John with his Zealots had occupied the temple and the other part of the lower city. The last faction was divided again into two. Eleazar who was the first commander and captain of the Zealots, was displeased that John by his boldness and subtilty ran things all by himself. Therefore he left him and took some followers with him and occupied the inner part of the temple. From there, he fought against John. Eleazar had fewer men than John but his position was more easily defended. John held the outer parts of the temple and the porches. There was a battle on two sides, one against Eleazar and the other against Simon and so some fought against others. They burnt many things around the temple and ruined the grain and many provisions which might have lasted them a long time. When these things were spoiled and consumed, they had a severe famine later when they were besieged by the Romans.

6970. Titus came from Alexandria to Caesarea and gathered his forces together. He marched to Jerusalem with four legions and the auxiliaries of the neighbouring kings and pitched his camp about a mile or so from the city a little before the feast of unleavened bread. By that means he shut up within the city an enormous multitude of people (about 3 million) who according to the custom, had gone up to the feast. In a short time a most cruel famine oppressed the city. All food and nourishment was quickly consumed. A most horrid and memorable example of this happened at that time. A mother had devoured her own child. On the feast day of unleavened bread, about the 14th of April, Eleazar, who had seized upon the inner temple, had opened the gate of the temple so that the people might sacrifice. John used this opportunity and sent secretly many on his side who were armed with swords hidden under their garments. When they were admitted into the temple with the rest of the multitude, they attacked Eleazar and seized the inner temple and slaughtered many Zealots. Hence the faction that was threefold, was now made twofold. John had 8400 men on his side and Simon had about 10,000 men in addition to 5000 Idumeans.

6971. Titus came near the walls and pitched his camp near the tower Psephina and immediately raised a mount. He battered the wall with a ram and beat it down by force. On May 7th, he broke into the city after the first wall was beaten down. The Jews retired to the inner city and Titus occupied the north quarter of the city up to the citadel of Antonia and the valley of Kidron. Five days later, a certain tower of the second wall was battered and broken down with the ram from the north quarter and he went into the new lower city. He was driven back again by the Jews but four days later he retook it. He prepared for the assault on the third wall. On May 12th, he ordered four mounts to be raised, two at the citadel of Antonia, by which he hoped to gain the temple, and two at John the high priest's tomb, by which he hoped to gain the upper city. John fought the Romans at Antonia and Simon at John's tomb. Those mounts were completed in 17 days on the 29th of May and the Romans began to batter the wall. John by a mine from Antonia cast down one mount and burnt it. Two days later, Simon made a sally and burned the two mounts opposite to him along with the rams and other engines. The Jews attacked the Romans in their camp. When Titus came from Antonia, they were again forced into the city.

6972. The previous mounts were destroyed and burnt and Titus thought best to raise new ones from which he might assault the city. He also surrounded the city with a wall so that none could flee from it nor anything could be brought into it. Thereupon in three days time, he built a wall aruond the city about 5 miles long. Around the wall, he built 13 citadels and each citadel controlled two and an half miles. Thereupon famine so prevailed in the city and so cruelly raged that not only the common people died of it but the seditious men were severely oppressed by it. So many perished by famine and pestilence that from the 14th of April, (on which day the siege began) to the first of July that through only one gate (as Mannaeus who had fled gave this account) there were carried out 115,800 carcases of the poor people that were buried at the common expense. This did not include those who were buried by their relatives and friends. A little later it was known from those who fled, that there were 600,000 that were carried out of the gates for burial. Later, there were not enough people to bury the poor, so they cast them in great heaps into empty houses and shut the doors on them. The manner of burial of them was none other than simply throwing them over the walls and filling up the ditches with them.

6973. In the meantime, inside the city, Simon had not refrained from murders and repines. He killed Matthias the high priest whom he accused of treachery as though he would have fled to the Romans. (It was ironic that it was Matthias who let Simon into the city.) Simon also killed three of his sons and fifteen of the noblest of the people, all of them uncondemned. Moreover he raged with such cruelty, that Judas, one of his captains, so detested his cruelty, that he planned to turn the part of the city he controlled over to the Romans. Simon prevented him and killed him along with the ten men who were in on the plot. John was compelled by necessity to use the sacred things of the temple for his own use. He used the vessels of gold and silver and the money of the temple. He was compelled to distribute to his soldiers the very oil and wine which was dedicated for divine service.

6974. Titus also fetched materials from every place and cut down woods and all trees even as far as eleven miles away. With great labour in 21 days, he raised new mounts. He made four around Antonia, one on every side of the citadel. When John had cowardly and in vain attempted to overthrow these, they were repulsed by the Romans. On July 1st, the Romans began to batter the wall of Antonia. On July 5th, they made a breach and broke into Antonia and pursued the fleeing Jews even into the temple. After a long skirmish the Romans were held off for some time. On July 17th, the daily sacrifice termed by the Greeks endelecismds, was not offered for lack of men. On that same day, Titus asked Josephus to urge the seditious men to surrender but in vain. Seven days later, Titus brought his mounts nearer. He was now bringing the materials from a distance of twelve to thirteen miles away for the mounts. He overturned the foundations of Antonia and made an easy ascent to the temple. He broke in by Antonia and seized on the north and west porches of the outer temple court. The part of the porches, especially those which joined to Antonia, were burnt and destroyed by the Jews. Two days later, on July 24th, the other part was burnt by the Romans. The Jews did not put out the fire but let it burn so that the porch might be clearly separated from Antonia.

6975. On the 27th day the Jews again burnt the western porch to the bridge that lead to the gallery and many Romans were burned to death. (The Jews fled there to draw the Romans into the trap. (??)) The next day the Romans burnt all the northern porch even to the eastern porch.

6976. By August 8th, Titus was getting nowhere by battering with the ram the wall of the inner temple nor by undermining the foundations of the gates because of their huge size and the strong cementing of the stones together. Neither could the Romans get up into the porches with ladders for the Jews drove them back from above. From the reverence of the place Titus had not burned it but was compelled by necessity to do so. He ordered the gates of the inner temple to be set on fire. The fire caught onto the adjoining porches and everything was in flames. The Jews beheld and wondered at it but did not try to stop and quench the fire for very amazement. Hence the porches burnt all that day and the following night. Titus and his captains had determined to keep the temple from burning but he was unable to do this. On August 10th, when the Romans who kept the guard in the outer range of the temple were provoked by the Jews, they made a charge on them who quenched the fire on the inner range and had driven them into the very temple. A Roman soldier took a flaming fire brand and got up on his fellow's shoulders and threw the brand through the golden window into the houses and chambers which were built on the north side of the temple. They immediately caught fire and burnt the temple also which joined to them. Titus in vain ordered his soldiers to quench the fire. This happened in the second year of Vespasian, in the same month and the very same day of the month that the first temple was burned by Nebuchadnezzar.

6977. After the temple was pillaged and burnt, the ensigns were set up on the eastern gate of the temple. After making sacrifices, Titus was proclaimed emperor by the army. Titus from the bridge by which the temple is joined to the city upon a gallery, exhorted through an interpreter, the seditious men to surrender. These had fled into the upper city. Although he offered them their lives, they refused his offer. They asked that they might have permission to leave the city with their wives and children and to go into the wilderness. Titus scorned this and threatened them with utter destruction. He ordered all the lower city to be set on fire including the Palace Acra which he had captured. He began to assault the upper city which was located on a steep rock. On August 20th, he began to raise his mounts and completed them on September 7th. He brought his engines to the walls. After he made a breach, the tyrants fled with their guards for fear and amazement. On September 8th, the Romans broke into and destroyed all with fire and the sword.

6978. Jerusalem was destroyed on a Saturday. {*Dio, l. 65. 8:271} This was the day the Jews most religiously observe and September 8th fell on a Saturday that year. The city was taken and destroyed. Titus commanded all the city and temple to be rased to the foundation and made flat and also to be ploughed according to the custom. He spared the west part of the wall only and the three towers, Hippicon, Phasaelus, and Mariamme. He left those which for their great beauty and strength, would be a monument to posterity to the magnificence of that city.

6979. When Titus had thus taken the city and had filled all the places with dead bodies, the neighbouring countries wanted to crown him. He replied that he was unworthy of that honour for it was not he that was the author of this work but that he had given his hands to God, who had showed his anger against the Jews. {Philostratus, Life of Apollonius, 1. 6. c. 14.} However, there are coins of Titus which are marked with a trophy and a triumphal chariot. There are coins of Vespasian with the image of a woman sitting sorrowful under a palm tree and with the inscription, (JUDEA CAPTA S.C.) as also money was coined about the end of the 21st year of King Agrippa with an inscription in Greek, (but translated into English) "Vespasian Emperor and Caesar, Judea was taken in the year 21 of Agrippa."

4074a AM, 4783 JP, 70 AD

6980. When Titus had finished the war, he rewarded the soldiers and committed the custody of Jerusalem to the tenth legion. He banished the twelfth legion which had fought poorly under Cestius, from Syria and sent them to Euphrates into the region of Armenia and Cappadocia. He took the fifth and fifteenth legion to Caesarea on the sea coast, where he gathered together all the prey and spoils and the captives. Since winter was coming, it was too dangerous to sail to Italy.

6981. The two tyrants, John and Simon, were captured as they hid in the vaults of Jerusalem. John was condemned to perpetual imprisonment and Simon was reserved for the triumph. In the same vaults, 2000 men were found who either perished from hunger or killed each other rather than surrender to the Romans.

6982. Titus stayed at Caesarea where he celebrated the birthday of his brother Domitian, which was on December 30th. In the celebration, more than 2500 Jews perished by fighting with wild beasts, burned with fire or were killed in fighting each other.

4074b AM, 4784 JP, 71 AD

6983. Later, Titus came to Berytus in Phoenicia, where he stayed longer and celebrated the birthday of his father with great magnificence. (This was not the birthday of his empire which was celebrated on the first of July according to Suetonius and Tacitus.) A multitude of captives also died in a similar manner as before.

6984. Titus went to see Antioch and the other cities of Syria. He then travelled through Judea and Jerusalem, with the fifth and fifteenth legion to Alexandria in Egypt. He sailed from there to Rome where he was welcomed home by all men. He and his father held a triumph for the conquest of Judea.

6985. The two captains of the sedition, John and Simon, were led in that triumph along with 700 other Jews who excelled in strength and beauty. Only Simon was killed, (also called, Barpores. {*Dio, l. 65. 8:269,271}) The book of the law of the Jews was carried in this triumph as the last of the spoils. It along with the purple vails of the sanctuary were stored in the palace.

6986. From this victory, both father and son got the name of emperor. However, neither of them was called Judaicus although many other things and especially triumphal arches were decreed for them. {*Dio, l. 65. 8:271 (Xiphiline ex Dio)} There remains still at the foot of the hill Palatine, a marble triumphal arch erected to the honour of Titus. From it there is a copy written by Villalpandus of the instruments of the temple which were carried in the triumph. {Villalpandus, Tom. 2. explanat. on Ezekiel. l. 5. c. 7. p. 587.}

4075a AM, 4784 JP, 71 AD

6987. Lucilius Bassus was sent as lieutenant into Judea who received the army from Cenalis Vitellianus. The citadel Herodian with its garrison surrendered to him. A little later, he captured the strong citadel of Machaeron beyond Jordan by assault.

4075b AM, 4785 JP, 72 AD

``It happened even in our time, that there was an eclipse of the sun and moon within 12 days of each other (others say 15 days) when the Vespasians were emperors, the father for the third time (perhaps the fourth) and the son the second time were consuls. (71 AD)'' {*Pliny, l. 2. c. 10. 1:207}

6988. Some think this was foretold by our Saviour. {Mt 24:29}

6989. Caesar wrote to Tiberius Maximus, the governor of Judea, that he should sell all the land of the Jews. He imposed a tribute on all the Jews wherever they lived and ordered them to bring in every year to the capitol two drachmas which they formerly paid to the temple of Jerusalem.

6990. In the fourth year of Vespasian, Cesennius Paetus, the governor of Syria, drove Antiochus, the king of Commagene from his kingdom. He fled into Cilicia and his son to the Parthians. Later both of them were reconciled to Vespasian and he was restored to his kingdom. {Josephus, Wars, <l. 7. c. 7. 1:761,762>}

4076b AM, 4786 JP, 73 AD

6991. The Abans invaded Media and laid it waste all over. King Pacorus fled before them. They later went into Armenia. Tiridates, the king opposed them himself and was almost captured in the very battle. {Josephus, Wars, <l. 7. c. 7. 1:761,762>}

4076c AM, 4786 JP, 73 AD

6992. Among the Jews, after Bassus had died, Publius Silva replaced him in the government of Judea. On April 15th, he captured by force that impregnable citadel of Masada that was held by Eleazar, the nephew of Judas Balitaeus, the captain of the thieves. Eleazar persuaded all the thieves who were in the castle to the number of 960 with their wives and children to kill each other. First they burnt the citadel with all the household belongings lest they should fall into Roman hands. Hence the last remains of the Jewish wars were eliminated and all Judea was quiet.

6993. Many of the thieves who escaped from Judea, fled into Egypt to Alexandria. They try to solicit the Jews to revolt. However, the common people were persuaded by their rulers and attacked those thieves. They captured 600 of them whom they turned over to the Romans to be punished. The rest who escaped into Egypt and Thebes were also captured. Concerning this matter Caesar ordered Lupus, the governor of Alexandria to pull down the temple of the Jews. (That temple was built a long while ago in Egypt, by Onias the brother of the high priest.) However, Lupus did no more than take away some furniture from the temple and so shut it up. Paulinus, his successor in the government, took away all the furniture and shut up the doors. He ordered that no one should come there so that there was not so much as any trace of religion left there.

6994. Jonathan, a certain Jewish weaver, escaped to Cyrene, where he raised a tumult and drew 2000 Jews into the wilderness. Catullus (or Catulus) the governor of Libia Pentapolis, sent his cavalry and foot soldiers and easily defeated them. When Jonathan was brought before him, he falsely accused the most wealthy of the Jews to be the main instigators of this revolt. Catullus willingly listened to these accusations and immediately executed 3000 of them. He did this without fear of retribution because he confiscated their estates to Caesar's treasury first. Jonathan was sent prisoner by him with the other captives to Rome to Vespasian so that he might accuse the most honest of those who lived at Rome and Alexandria of sedition. He affirmed among many other things that Josephus, the writer of the Jewish history, sent him both arms, and money. Vespasian knew that this accusation was not lawfully brought against these men and he, at Titus' intreaty, acquitted them but deservedly punished Jonathan. First he scourged him and then he was burnt alive. Catullus also through the mercy of the emperor was not punished. However, not long after, he was taken with a complicated and incurable disease and he was tortured and tormented in his mind. He thought that he saw the ghosts of those whom he had killed always before him. At last his guts and bowels rotted and poured out of him and he died. {Josephus, Wars, l. 7. c. ult. <c. 11. 1:771,772>} {Josephus, Life, <1:25,26>}

6995. Here Joseph ended the history of the destruction of Judea. He was captured in this war and made a freedman by Flarius Vespasian the Emperor and assumed the name of Flarius from his patron.

6996. Cornelius and Suetonius relate that there were 600,000 Jews killed in this war. Josephus a Jew, was a commander in that war and who deserved thanks and pardon from Vespasian for foretelling him that he should be emperor. He wrote that 1,000,000 perished by sword and famine, and of the rest of the Jews that were dispersed all over the world and put to death various ways to the number of 90,000. Orosius {Orosius, l. 7. c. 9.} also stated the same. I cannot find the number of 600,000 of those who were killed in Suetonius' writings. In Josephus {Josephus, Wars, l. 6. c. 17. <c. 9. 1:749>} the number of captives was 97,000 and the other number of 1,100,000 is only of those who perished in the six month siege of Jerusalem. Justius Lipsius made this catalogue from Josephus. {Lipsius, de. Constantia., l. 2. c. 21.} of those who perished outside of Jerusalem during the whole seven years.

6997.

6998. An innumerable company were omitted who perished through famine, banishment and other miseries. (At the passover feast a few years earlier Josephus estimates there were about three million people in Jerusalem. See note on 4096b AM <<6403>>. There were likely this many there for the passover when Titus started the seige. Most were unaccounted for. This would make the offical death toll low by at least two million. Editor.)

6999. Justus Tiberiensis in his chronicle of the Kings of the Jews showed that Agrippa the last king of the family of Herod, had his kingdom augmented by Vespasian, {Photius, Bibliotheca, cod. 33.} Dio related that he had praetorian honours given him. His sister Bernice who came to Rome with him lived in the palace. Titus was so in love with her that he made her believe he would marry her and she carried on all things as if she had been his wife. However, when Titus knew that the people of Rome did not take it well, he put her away. {Seutonius, Titus, c. 7} {*Dio, l. 65. 1:291 (Xiphiline ex Dio)} The observation of Josephus is very memorable {Josephus, Antiq., l. 18. c. 7. <c. 5. 1:485>} about the rest of Herod's progeny that they all failed within one hundred years although they were very numerous.

7000. This was the end of the Jewish affairs and happened as predicted by Jesus in Mt 24. (See John Bray's book, "Matthew 24 Fulfilled", for a most detailed discussion of these events. Editor.)

``And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ... Verily I say unto you, THIS GENERATION shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.'' {Mt 24:3,34}

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