Daughter of My People: Jesus' Jerusalem destroyed

Chapter Thirteen

Jerusalem

A.D. 66

Unrest in the so-called City of Peace.

While Masada is being lost to the Sicarii, Eleazar[28] at Jerusalem, vice-president of the Sanhedrin, convinces the priests around him to accept no gift or sacrifice from any non-Jewish person. Some priests object, but many have too much respect for Eleazar to contradict him.

The people in Jerusalem give their shout of support. At last, freed from Roman rule—this they believe. But the main leaders disagree.

Among them are Ananias, other chief priests, and the Pharisees. They call the people to the Temple. There, they show how (and very) upset they are that the people are so soon in rebelling against Rome. They remind the people that most of the gold adorning the Temple were from foreigners, including some important leaders of Rome! "We have never rejected the sacrifice of anyone," they say. "This would be the highest impression of our lack of piety."

But no one wants to listen. Those who ministered in the Temple are not here, not off to any services. They are preparing for the war.

The high priests and rulers decide to call on their leaders nearby to fight the rebels before everything falls out of hand. Ananias, the main chief priest, sends his son Simon with some other ambassadors to see Florus at Caesarea. Three men of royal blood are sent with others to King Agrippa. The message to both of them is one and the same: "Come over with an army. Cut off this rebellion before it will be hard to subdue."

Florus would not respond, since he wanted the Jews rebelling. It took a while, but it finally happened. So nothing doing.

But Agrippa would be appalled. His speech at Jerusalem did nothing! He wants to keep the Jews for the Romans; Jerusalem and Temple for the Jews. He would send three thousand horsemen to Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, some people start joining the war, while some hope for things to come for the better. Some object to the war.

Among those is the individual Joseph bar Matthias, who is of the family of the high priests. He was born and raised in Jerusalem. When he was sixteen years old, he wanted to choose a Jewish sect to join. He had either the Pharisees or the Sadducees. He studied them. He studied the group of the Essenes[29] also. Finally, he left Jerusalem to think about this.

He lived for three years in a desert environment. When he came back to Jerusalem, Joseph decided that he would join the Pharisees.

He stayed in Jerusalem seven years, then he learned that some of his priest friends were arrested by Prosecutor Felix, and on ridiculous charges put them in chains and sailed them to Rome to plead their cause before Emperor Nero. Joseph, afraid for what the verdict might be, had gone to Rome also, and by sea. His ship got shipwrecked, but they got on another ship later and eventually made it to Rome. There he met with Nero's second wife, Poppaea. He bid her to secure the liberty of his priest friends. It was said and done. Then Joseph had to return to Jerusalem. Poppaea gave him a lot of going-away presents.

Now he is here, trying to convince the people not to rebel against Rome. They are way too inferior to battle the Romans. This could only end badly for Jerusalem. But the rage of the people win out.

Here comes the civil war in Jerusalem, in between those in favor of the rebellion and those against it. There are people fighting. People are dying. This goes on for seven days. Eleazar and his rebels take charge of the Temple and the lower city, while the Roman soldiers and loyalists stay in the upper city. Among them is Ananias, the chief priest.