Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem destroyed

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Jerusalem

A.D. 70

It is just about January. But even before this, Eleazar bar Simon secedes from the Zealots—actually no, he secedes from John of Gischala's Zealot faction.

At such a time also! Eleazar takes the inner Temple while John of Gischala still has the Court of the Gentiles, the Antonia Fortress, and the mid-east of the city. But this is defiling the sacred court of the Temple. The altar and the Temple building itself are tampered with by the feet of murderers.

John's Zealots and Eleazar's Zealots often fight each other. Darts are thrown one at another.

Taking advantage, Simon bar Giora attacks John's Zealots.

Now there is three-sided combat. Eleazar up the gates of the Temple Mount; John around a high height, although not higher than the Temple Mount; and Simon at a low level. So John sends darts down on Simon and uses his machines like catapults and stone firers to Eleazar.

John unintentionally slays many priests as they are doing priestly work, for the Zealots all at least admit those who wanted to offer their sacrifices, but under watch at least. Darts are still thrown at the Temple building by Simon, hoping to shoot an enemy. But it also hits people who sacrifice.

So it is that their blood is mingled with that of their sacrifices, and worse, upon the very altar. That's not all. The Temple Mount's marble floor is glowing red with blood.

Then John's group makes sallies against Simon in their stores, for they had the Upper Market Place and other places. The Zealots under John of Gischala set ablaze the houses full of grain.

Simon in revenge did the same to John's.

Soon enough, almost all the grain and food have been burnt up. But this is most unwise. This food could have been sufficient for a siege of many years, but here they are: burning it to waste.

Then the common people are getting killed who are for peace with the Romans or at least are suspected of this. Nights are mourning time. Dead bodies on the streets are starting to be a common sight, alas!

Now John is using "sacred timber" to make towers for attacking Eleazar's Zealot faction atop the Temple. What else can go wrong?

This:

Titus is getting closer and closer! Four legions are with him. Two at first—Legions 15 and 12—, but then two more come—Legions 5 and 10—to ensure the upcoming siege. He's camping only 4 miles away and north of Jerusalem.

And what else is getting closer and closer?

The Passover!

Many years ago, on a Passover, Jesus of Nazareth was executed. Soon judgment is sure to come for the killing of Alaha's Son.

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They arrive. So now Legions 5, 12, and 15 camp on the west of Jerusalem while Legion 10 camps on the Mount of Olives. It was here where Jesus of Nazareth predicted the fall of Jerusalem. It is surely happening now. Just about a year left for Jerusalem.

Titus is at Mount Scopus on the west, with Josephus, his new wife, and his counselor Tiberius Alexander. While Titus was still 4 miles away observing the city closeup, he had been ambushed by the Jews and arrows aimed at him. He had no helmet or breastplate, but amazingly, not a single arrow touched his body, "as if all of them missed him on purpose and only made noise passing by him." He got away with his soldiers, but the Jews consider this their first breakthrough.

But when the Romans arrive, the civil war inside Jerusalem is put on halt... for a while. They can see the 3 camps (for 12 and 15 are more south-west than 5, where Titus' camp is). "The Romans might gain the city without bloodshed by our sedition," they shudder.

So some Jewish soldiers take up their armor and run out, dashing to Legion 10 at the Mount of Olives. It is a surprise raid, the Romans are not prepared. They were only setting up camp. More and more Jewish soldiers sally out as it looks the Jews are prevailing.

But then Titus happens.

He sees how they are running off, so he sends more soldiers from his two camps. He also censurs them for cowardice. The camp is fortified again, and in the end, the Jews are pushed back to Jerusalem.

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Passover is advancing. Pilgrims are coming to Jerusalem, as they had always done, to the holy city—not so holy, though—and the sacred temple—not so sacred, though.

The Jewish sojourners are let in by the Roman legions. They are not sieging Jerusalem... yet. They are still settling.

It is Passover. Eleazar apparently thought it was a good idea to open the gate to let citizens inside worship for the holy day. Because he did!

But John of Gischala, ever the wily, has some of his men sneak in with weapons under their garments, which is over their armor. They are clearly not purified, and when they attack, it proves a shock. There is so much turmoil that those near the altar get pounded with wooden sticks and cut with iron swords again and again. Innocent blood spills the courts.

In the end, Eleazar loses control of the inner Temple courts.

The three factions of Jews are now two.

Belatedly they both oppose each other, and they fight again.

Simon has 15,000 on his side, with 60 commanders.

John has 8,400 on his side, with 20 commanders.

They fight to the tip that the area between them becomes no man's land—ashes.

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Passover has passed, but the one million Jews in Jerusalem are not allowed to exit the city for some reason or another.

Josephus in the Roman camp wants to negotiate with the rebel Jews, saying Titus has an invitation of peace for them.

No response. Not at all.

Around May 1st, Titus moves his camps closer to Jerusalem, about one-quarter of a mile from Herod the Great's Palace. Legion 10 is still on the Mount of Olives.

In time, Titus circles about the walls to select himself an assault point. He is with Josephus and Nicanor, that old fellow who convinced Josephus to come up from his hiding place after the Jotapata siege. Both try to contract with the rebel Jews of Jerusalem, so they close up to the walls. Josephus especially goes because the people there know him—they named him governor of Galilee some years ago!

But the Jews don't care about any of that. They aim their arrows at them. One arrow hits Nicanor on his left shoulder. The cry of pain is endurable, yet Josephus leads him out of there.

Titus finds out about this failed attempt at peace, and he is so upset about this that he resolves to start the siege already! It is May 10th.

The first wall of Jerusalem, vulnerable and weak, is easily broken into. The suburbs there are burnt up. Titus divided his army into three for this deed.

The first Roman battering-rams are thumping the walls of Jerusalem. The two Jewish factions finally decide to unite forces.

They have one common foe—the Romans.

It has been at least a month since Passover.

Jerusalem has less than a year left.