Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/665

 Jerusalem took  place  thirty-seven  years  after  our  Lord  spoke  these  words (A. D.  70),  and  the  circumstances  of  it  were  exactly  those  foretold  by Him. A Jewish priest,  by  name  Josephus,  who  was  an  eye-witness  of the  sad  events,  has  in  his  seven  books  of  "The  Jewish  War"  described the siege,  conquest  and  destruction  of  the  holy  city,  as  well  as  the  signs which preceded  them;  and  all  the  world  can  know  by  his  description that our  Lord’s  prophecy  was  exactly  fulfilled.

Among the  signs  which  preceded  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  the following are  quoted. According to  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  several false prophets  appeared  in  Jerusalem;  first  Theudas,  and  after  him  an Egyptian. In the  year  64,  when  Nero  was  emperor,  a great  persecution of the  Christians  broke  out,  in  which,  among  many  others,  SS.  Peter and Paul  suffered  martyrdom. Throughout the  Roman  empire  princes were murdered;  and  there  raged  civil  wars,  plagues,  pestilences,  and earthquakes which  swallowed  up  whole  towns. For an  entire  year  a comet,  in  the  form  of  a swrord,  was  to  be  seen  over  Jerusalem. The great iron  door  of  the  Temple,  which  it  took  twenty  men  to  move  on its  hinges,  opened  one  night  of  itself. On the  Feast  of  Pentecost  the priests heard  mysterious  voices  in  the  night,  saying:  “Let  us  depart”.

In the  year  65,  the  Jews  in  Jerusalem  rose  up  in  open  rebellion against the  Roman  government,  and  put  to  the  sword  the  Roman garrison. The emperor  Nero  then  sent  his  able  general,  Vespasian,  to subdue  the  Jew's.  In  the  course  of  three  years  Vespasian  conquered all the  strong  places  of  Judaea,  and  was  on  the  point  of  marching on Jerusalem  itself,  when  he  was  chosen  emperor,  and  returned  home, resigning the  command  of  the  army  to  his  son  Titus. Meanw'hile the Christians in  Jerusalem,  mindful  betimes  of  our  Lord’s  warnings,  fled to Pella  in  Peraea  (see  Map).

In the  interval  civil  war  broke  out  in  Jerusalem,  and  three  powerful parties were  fighting  against  each  other. The principal  citizens  were executed or  assassinated. Bloodshed took  place  in  the  streets,  and  even in the  outer  courts  of  the  Temple. A part of  the  city  was  reduced  to ruins,  and  thousands  lost  their  lives. Each party  destroyed  the  supplies of the  others,  and  thus  provisions  which  might  have  sustained  the inhabitants for  several  years  were  lost. In the  spring  of  the  year 70 Titus  appeared  with  his  army,  and  pitched  his  camp  before  the  city. Earth-works were  thrown  up,  and  a breach  was  made  in  the  third  or outer  wall  by  the  battering-rams  of  the  Romans. After this  outer  wall had been  destroyed,  Titus  succeeded,  notwithstanding  the  gallant  resistance of  the  Jews,  in  overthrowing  the  second  wall,  and  then,  after a hard fight  of  four  days,  he  made  his  way  into  the  city,  and  took possession of  Fort  Antonia,  in  spite  of  the  heroic  defence  made  by  its garrison. By this  time  the  famine  in  the  city  was  very  great. The siege had  begun  at  the  time  of  the  Pasch,  when  Jerusalem  was  crowded with pilgrims,  so  that  at  the  time  that  the  enemy  surrounded  the  city, there were  more  than  a million  people  within  its  walls. Some of  them