Bible Timeline · 63 BC

Rome Takes Jerusalem

In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem after a three month siege and walked into the Most Holy Place of the temple. Judea became a Roman client state, setting the stage for Herod, Caesar Augustus and the world Jesus was born into.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 2:1 Genesis 49:10 John 18:31 Daniel 2:40 Mark 12:17

In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey the Great captured Jerusalem after a siege of about three months. Two brothers from the ruling Jewish family had been fighting over the throne, and both asked Rome for help. Pompey settled it by taking over. He even walked into the Most Holy Place of the temple, where only the high priest could go once a year. From then on, Judea was under Roman control. This is why the New Testament world is full of Caesars, centurions, governors and tax collectors.

Why Did Rome Take Over Judea?

After the Maccabean revolt, the Hasmonean family ruled Judea as both priests and kings. By the 60s BC, the dynasty was falling apart. When Queen Salome Alexandra died in 67 BC, her two sons, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, went to war over who would rule.

Meanwhile Rome was gobbling up the eastern Mediterranean. Pompey had just finished off the old Seleucid kingdom and made Syria a Roman province in 64 BC. He was camped in Damascus when both brothers sent messengers asking him to take their side. A third group came too, from the people, asking Rome to get rid of kings altogether and let the priests lead.

Inviting Rome to settle your family fight is a little like inviting a lion to referee a fight between two sheep. The lion wins.

What Happened When Pompey Besieged Jerusalem?

Pompey sided with Hyrcanus, the weaker brother, who was easier to control. Hyrcanus's supporters opened the city gates. But Aristobulus's followers barricaded themselves on the temple mount, which was protected by walls and deep valleys.

The Romans built ramps and brought in siege engines. The Jewish historian Josephus says the Romans noticed the defenders would not fight on the Sabbath, except to defend themselves directly, so they did their heavy building work on Sabbath days. After about three months, the Romans broke through. Josephus says around twelve thousand Jews died, and the priests kept offering the sacrifices even as soldiers poured into the courts.

Did Pompey Enter the Holy of Holies?

Yes. Pompey and some of his officers walked straight into the Most Holy Place. For Jews, this was a shocking act of disrespect.

What he found surprised him. There was no statue of a god. The Roman historian Tacitus later wrote that the Romans found the place empty. The Ark of the Covenant had been gone since the Babylonians, and the God of Israel had no image. Josephus says Pompey did not touch the golden table, the lampstand or the treasury, and the next day he ordered the temple cleansed and the sacrifices to continue.

Some Jewish poems from this time, called the Psalms of Solomon, seem to mourn Pompey's invasion and pray for a son of David to come and drive out the foreigners. That hope for a Messiah king was growing stronger.

What Changed for the Jews Under Rome?

A lot. Hyrcanus was made high priest, but not king. Judea had to pay tribute to Rome, and it lost many of the cities the Hasmoneans had conquered. Judea's independence, won by the Maccabees about eighty years earlier, was gone.

Behind Hyrcanus stood a clever adviser named Antipater, from Idumea, the old land of Edom. Antipater made friends with Rome's most powerful men, including Julius Caesar. His son was named Herod. In 40 BC, the Roman Senate named Herod king of Judea, and by 37 BC he had taken Jerusalem with Roman help.

Rome went through its own civil wars in these years. Pompey lost to Julius Caesar and was killed in Egypt in 48 BC. Caesar was murdered in 44 BC. In the end, Caesar's adopted son Octavian won and became Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, in 27 BC. That is the emperor whose decree sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire. Luke 2:1

How Does Genesis 49:10 Fit In?

Many older Christian writers pointed to a prophecy from Jacob's blessing on Judah.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. Genesis 49:10

The scepter is a symbol of rule. They read the verse to mean Judah would keep some kind of self rule until the Messiah came. By the time of Jesus, a foreign empire held real power, and the king was an Idumean appointed by Rome. In Jesus' trial, the leaders told Pilate they were not allowed to put anyone to death, John 18:31. In this view, the scepter was slipping from Judah just as Shiloh, the Messiah, arrived.

Not everyone reads the verse that way. Shiloh is a hard word, and Jewish and Christian scholars translate it in different ways. But it shows how early Christians saw the timing of Jesus' coming as no accident.

What Does Rome Taking Jerusalem Mean for You Today?

Rome's rule was often cruel. It would crucify Jesus and destroy the temple in AD 70. But God used Rome too. Roman roads, Roman peace and Roman law let the apostles travel the world with the gospel. Paul, a Roman citizen, used his rights to take the message all the way to Caesar's city.

Daniel had seen a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, in Daniel 2:40. Many Christians see it as Rome. But Daniel also saw a stone, not cut by human hands, that would break all those kingdoms and fill the earth. Jesus was born under Rome's iron rule, and His kingdom has outlasted it by two thousand years. When Jesus said give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's in Mark 12:17, He reminded everyone that even Caesar answers to God.

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Questions People Ask

When did Rome take over Jerusalem?

The Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 BC after a siege of about three months. Judea then became a client state under Roman control, paying tribute to Rome, though it kept a Jewish high priest.

Why did Pompey enter the Holy of Holies?

Pompey was curious about what was inside the most sacred room of the temple. He and his officers walked in, which shocked the Jews. Josephus says he found no image and did not take the temple treasures, and he ordered worship to continue.

Who invited the Romans into Judea?

Two Hasmonean brothers, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, were fighting over the throne, and both appealed to Pompey for support. Pompey backed Hyrcanus and used the conflict to bring Judea under Roman rule.

How did Herod become king of the Jews?

Herod's father Antipater was a powerful adviser who allied with Rome. In 40 BC the Roman Senate named Herod king of Judea, and with Roman soldiers he captured Jerusalem in 37 BC. He ruled as a Roman client king until he died in 4 BC.

Sources

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