Bible Timeline · AD 70

Rome Destroys Jerusalem and the Temple

In AD 66 the Jews of Judea revolted against Rome. In AD 70 the Roman general Titus besieged Jerusalem, and in late summer his soldiers burned the temple and leveled the city, just as Jesus had warned about forty years earlier. The last rebel fortress, Masada, fell in AD 73 or 74.

Read it in the Bible: Matthew 24:1-2 Luke 19:41-44 Luke 21:20-24 Daniel 9:26 Matthew 23:37-38

In the summer of AD 70, Roman soldiers under the general Titus broke into Jerusalem, set the temple on fire, and tore the city down. It was the end of a four year Jewish revolt against Rome that began in AD 66. The temple, the center of Jewish worship for centuries, has never been rebuilt. About forty years earlier, Jesus had stood in front of those same massive buildings and said they would be thrown down.

“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Matthew 24:2

What Was the Temple Like Before AD 70?

The temple of Jesus’ day was the Second Temple, first built after the return from Babylon and finished in 515 BC. Herod the Great began a huge rebuilding and expansion about 20 to 19 BC, and work went on for decades. John 2:20 says it had already taken forty six years. It was one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman world, with white stone, gold trim and a platform the size of many football fields. Some of its stones weighed hundreds of tons.

No wonder the disciples were amazed. Imagine pointing out the greatest building you have ever seen, and your teacher saying, Enjoy it while it lasts.

Why Did the Jews Revolt Against Rome?

Tension had been building for years. Roman governors were often harsh and greedy, taxes were heavy, and many Jews longed for freedom and a Messiah who would drive Rome out. In AD 66 the governor Gessius Florus took money from the temple treasury, riots broke out, and rebels took control of Jerusalem. They even defeated a Roman army under Cestius Gallus as it pulled back from the city.

Rome answered with force. Emperor Nero sent his general Vespasian, who crushed the revolt in Galilee in AD 67. One of the Jewish commanders he captured there was a young priest named Josephus, who later became the historian who wrote down the whole war. In AD 68 Nero died, and after a year of chaos Vespasian became emperor in AD 69. He left his son Titus to finish the job.

What Happened in the Siege of Jerusalem?

Titus surrounded Jerusalem in the spring of AD 70, around Passover, when the city was crowded with pilgrims. Inside the walls, rival Jewish groups were fighting each other and had even burned food supplies. Famine set in. Josephus describes terrible starvation, people eating leather and grass, and dead bodies piling up.

The Romans broke through the walls one by one. In late summer, about the ninth or tenth of the Jewish month of Av, the temple was set on fire. Josephus says Titus wanted to spare it, but his soldiers set it ablaze. Jews still remember the day as Tisha B’Av, a fast for the destruction of both the first and second temples. By September the whole city was in Roman hands. Josephus claims more than a million people died and 97,000 were taken captive. Most historians think his numbers are too high, but the loss was staggering.

How Did Jesus Predict the Destruction of Jerusalem?

Jesus spoke about this more than once. As He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He wept over the city.

For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. Luke 19:43

That is exactly what Titus did. He built a siege wall all the way around the city. Jesus also gave His followers a warning sign and told them to run.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. Luke 21:20 to 21

The historian Eusebius, about AD 325, says the Christians of Jerusalem were warned to leave before the war and fled to the town of Pella, east of the Jordan. Many Christians also see this event in Daniel 9:26, which says the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary after the Messiah is cut off. The Prophecies Fulfilled in History page on this site covers these predictions.

Some scholars say the Gospels must have been written after AD 70 because they describe it so clearly. The Owner’s Manual gives both views: many conservative scholars date Matthew and Mark to the AD 50s or 60s and Luke about AD 60 to 62, while many others say after AD 70. Notably, no New Testament book mentions the temple’s fall as something that had already happened, which would have been a powerful point to make.

What Is the Arch of Titus?

Rome celebrated its victory loudly. Titus marched in a triumph through Rome carrying treasures from the temple. After he died in AD 81, his brother, the emperor Domitian, built the Arch of Titus near the Roman Forum. You can still see it today. One carved panel shows Roman soldiers carrying the golden lampstand, the menorah, and other temple objects. Rome also minted coins that said Judaea Capta, Judea Captured. The Archaeology page on this site has more on finds like these.

What Happened at Masada?

A few rebel strongholds held out after Jerusalem fell. The last was Masada, a fortress on a cliff top near the Dead Sea that Herod the Great had built. The Romans under Flavius Silva built a huge ramp up the side. Josephus says that when the Romans finally broke in, they found that nearly all of the 960 defenders had taken their own lives rather than be captured. Masada fell in AD 73 or 74. Historians are not sure which.

Why Does the Destruction of the Temple Matter Today?

The fall of the temple changed both Judaism and Christianity forever. With no temple and no sacrifices, Jewish life came to center on the synagogue, the rabbis and the study of the law, which later led to the Talmud. For Christians, it confirmed what the New Testament had already taught: Jesus was the final sacrifice, and the old system was passing away, Hebrews 8:13.

Jesus had told a Samaritan woman that a time was coming when people would worship God neither on her mountain nor in Jerusalem, John 4:21. Through Jesus, God now lives in His people by His Spirit, 1 Corinthians 3:16. The temple of stone is gone. The true temple is Jesus Himself and the people He is building into a home for God.

But the story should also break our hearts, as it broke His. Jesus did not predict this with a smile. He wept over Jerusalem. He longed to gather its children as a hen gathers her chicks, Matthew 23:37. The God who warns is also the God who weeps.

Get Nate's Highlighting Guide Free

Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Questions People Ask

When was the temple destroyed?

The Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman army under Titus in late summer of AD 70, around the ninth or tenth of the Jewish month of Av. Jews still remember the day with the fast of Tisha B'Av.

Did Jesus predict the destruction of the temple?

Yes. In Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2 and Luke 21:6, Jesus said not one stone would be left on another. In Luke 19:43 to 44 and 21:20 to 24 He described armies surrounding Jerusalem and the city being leveled. This happened about forty years later, in AD 70.

Who destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70?

The Roman general Titus, son of the emperor Vespasian, led the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. He later became emperor himself. The Arch of Titus in Rome celebrates the victory.

Is the Western Wall part of the temple?

Not exactly. The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall Herod built to hold up the platform the temple stood on. The temple building itself was completely destroyed, as Jesus said.

When did Masada fall?

Masada fell in AD 73 or 74, a few years after Jerusalem. Josephus says almost all of the 960 defenders took their own lives before the Romans broke in. Historians still debate the exact year.

Sources

← The Great Fire of Rome and the Deaths of Peter and Paul John on Patmos: The Book of Revelation →

See the whole Bible Timeline