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Show DESTRUCTION 26 DESTRUCTION continuation of his woes. scourged, but to no eflect. this cry of his was commencement the and in OF JERUSALEM. 27 JERUSALEM. the offerings of foreigners, He commanded him to be During times of festivais, peculiarly Alter the walls, OF loud of the and urgent. siege, he ascended a voice still more tremendous and to withhold publick prayers for them. The Roman government felt the insult; and a basis was soon found to be laid for a Row man war! Feuds and contentions increased in Judea, till Cestius Gallus marched an army thither from Syria tian to restore order. His march and desolation. The was marked city of Zebulon, with blood Joppa, and ever, he exclaimed, ‘‘Wo, wo to this city, this temple, and this people’? And he thea added, (for the first time for the seven years,) ‘** Wo, wo to myself! The words were no sooner uttered, than a stone from a Roman machine without the wails, struck him dead on the spot ! Such were the signs in the heavens and in the earth, which just preceded the destruction of Jerusalem. Several of them are recorded by Tacitus as weil as by Josephus. The veracity of Josephus asa historian is former place he slew. The district of Narbatene he laid waste, and slew two thousand of the Jews in Galilee; reduced the city of Lydda to ashes, and drove the Jews, (who made desperate sallies upon probably allowed by ail. his own officers, he made an unexpected flight. Scaliger affirms that he de- serves more credit as a writer than all the the Romans. impostor who seemed prepared to do 3 ; ; 7 Any this, they were > t dk, yé rallied the Jews with the idea that their paying tribute to the Romans would not fail to confirm them in the most abiect slavery; in consequence of which, their enmity often burst forth with malignant violence.— Tumults and riots increased ; and Florus, the Roman governor of Judea, by his cruel exactions, increased Eleazer, son of the high this spirit amongthe Jews. of the temple to reject oflicers priest, persuaded the me But through the treachery of The invasion, ship. fled from Some Jerusalem, as from a suppose many of the Chris- Matt. xxiv. 15—17. ee command Lo Vespasian to press the war against aie he rebellious Jews. He and his son Titus soon collected an army of sixty thousand men. Ip A...) 67, he marched from Ptolemais to Judea, marking his steps with ravages and desolation. Infancy and age ready to follow; and were ready to improve every apparent occasion to evince their decided hostility to And they hardiy needed a prophet's eye the Romans. j of the Nero being informed of the defeat of Cestius. gave : ’ [ AcTArY he wouid not to discern that this spirit and conduct (manifested on all eccasiois) would soon draw against them the Noman sword. Judas, a Gaulonite, and Saddue, a Pharisee, had inhabitants of the tians now fled to a place called Pella,in the mountains But the erect a temporal throne in opposition to Cwsar. some part of the city. ot Judea. had basely said to Vilate concerning Christ, “If thou iet fact was, they persecuted Christ because burned. Soon after, he entered Jerusalem, and burned foundering ‘The Jews this man go, thou art not airiend to Cesar.”? four hundred of the him) til he encamped within a hundred miles capital.. the Roman From the conquest of Jerusalem by Pompey, sixty years before Christ, the Jews repeatedly had exhibited spiritagamst Eight thousand and enraged Jews pursued him, and slew about sixty thousand of his men. Many of the rich Jews, alarmed at Greek and Roman historians put together. a most rebeilious other villages in his way, he plundered fell before the furious soldiery. of Galilee 1 All the strong towns and many of those of Judea fell before the victorious arms of Vespasian, who slew not less than one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. Signal vengeance was taken on Joppa, which had in part been rrebuilt, : after it had been by Cestius reduced to ashes. espasian was enraged at the frequent piracies of this peopie. The Jews of this lace fleeing before hi; betook themselves to their shippiug. See But a furits ous tempest overtook those who stood out ul to sea, and they were lost. The others were das das hed vessel against vessel, or against the rocks. ome in their distress |
