Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem destroyed

Chapter Nine

Jerusalem and Area of Judea

A.D. 64-66

Florus made life hard for Jerusalem's citizens, at least the non-Greekish ones. Barely honest, he is deceitful, way too deceitful.[20]

And what's more, Florus scorned the idea of getting money out of only some people, so he plundered whole cities. His greed got to such a point that people started packing. They had enough of this Prosecutor. They would not get ruled by such a man. They would actually prefer Albinus, as bad as he was.

It is about the time of the festival of Unleavened Bread, which comes after Passover. And the governor of Syria, which is under the direct rule of Rome, whose name is Cestius Gallus, pays a visit to Jerusalem. It has been three years since the death of "James the Just".

Now the Jews ask Cestius Gallus to help them out, calling Florus the cause of their problems. Florus happens to be there, of course, and he smirks at them. Cestius Gallus quiets down the people, and promises he would speak to Florus.

When Cestius Gallus has finished his stay in Jerusalem, he returns to his capital, Antioch.

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Florus has concern for what his conduct could be presented as before Nero. The Jews will no doubt report him and his crimes. Now he knows his position is in danger.

But then Florus has an idea. If a rebellion breaks out, the focus wouldn't be on him but on them. Besides, he could obtain plunder also. So he makes plans on how to provoke them to this end.

He doesn't care about their complaints concerning how their synagogue at Caesarea is getting blocked up. Some Greeks are building a factory right near it, blocking it in the process. Then some people, among them a tax collector by the name of Johanan, tried to get him into protecting the synagogue... by offering him eight talents. That works on Florus, who is greedy for gain. So work on the factory pauses.

The next day is the Shabbat. Florus is now leaving Caesarea, on his way to Sebaste, a city about 27 miles away. Ah, what a nice Spring breeze.

It has been a year and a half since the Great Fire of Rome.

But nothing of the sort could happen there in Jerusalem, he believes.

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The Jews recite the Shema this Shabbat. They're now at the synagogue in Capernaum. Then would come the prayers and reading of the Torah and the Prophets, and a sermon. It has been around a month since the Passover.

During the synagogue service, a person from Caesarea tunes up with a clay vessel. Some wonder what he is doing here, and he has some birds with him too. But they stop wondering when he sacrifices those birds at the entrance of the synagogue. Apparently, the man is mad about them stopping work in the factory.

But this is an offense to the Jews for two reasons.

One, sacrifices could only be offered at the Temple, so this synagogue has just been disgraced.

Two, this act of sacrificing is pronouncing them unclean.[21] How dare this man call them all impure lepers, "cursed of Alaha", as the Pharisees call them!

Many of those in the synagogue disregard the service and say they're going to fight. And those Greeks of Caesarea are preparing to fight the Jews. They were the ones who sent that man over to profane their synagogue. Someone comes and takes away the vessel, calling the people to calm down. Nothing seems to work. The Jews go to their "ark" in the synagogue, remove the scrolls of the Torah, and set out for another place to have their worship.