7. The destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

The destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

Model of the Temple of Jerusalem built by Herod the Great

While Paul founded Christian churches throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, the Christian Church in Jerusalem led by James, brother of Jesus, was closer to Judaism, and actively competed with Paul and the Hellenistic disciples by sending evangelists to the cities of the diaspora. The center of cult remained in the Temple of Jerusalem, meaning that Jewish Christianity had its destiny tied to this city and to Judea.

Judea was still a turbulent province, but from the year 41 Emperor Claudius appointed his friend Herod Agrippa (nephew of Herod Antipas) as king of Judea, granting him a certain degree of autonomy. Herod was a good ruler, he became popular among Jews and Judea was prosperous as in Solomon's time, but not for long because his reign ended with his death three years later, in 44. Herod left behind an adolescent son (Herod Agrippa II) to whom Claudius did not want to entrust the difficult throne of Judea, and only allowed Hero Agrippa II to rule over some regions of the country. Most of the land was again converted into a province and governed by Roman procurators.

In the middle of the year 50, agitation grew in Palestine. The anti-Roman extremists among the Jews, called the "Zealots", fanatics of the Jewish faith, imposed a climate of terror that affected and put pressure on the Jewish leaders accusing them of being soft. The messianic hopes of the Jews were increased and they were no longer willing to compromise on religious issues; they opposed any form of homage that could be conceived as a cult to the Emperor or any of the symbols of the Empire, and glorified the Maccabees and their triumphant rebellion against Antiochus IV in defense of their religion. This intolerance and Zealot terror frightened the Christians of the city by pushing them towards Judaism. Paul was a victim of this intolerance when he returned to Jerusalem. He was arrested and he remained imprisoned for several years.

In the year 62, the Church of Jerusalem suffered a severe blow, when James, brother of Jesus and head of the Church, was accused of "transgressing the law", condemned and executed, at the request of the Zealots and the high priest Ananus. He was replaced by Simeon, cousin of Jesus; but although he belonged to the Messianic dynasty, Simeon did not have the charisma and personal authority of James to lead his community through the difficult times that followed.

The turmoil in Judea continued to increase, and a just a spark was needed to start the fire of a rebellion. In the year 66 riots and revolts broke out in Caesarea and Jerusalem, due to rumors that the Roman procurator was going to appropriate the treasure of the Temple. The Zealots led the revolts and seized the Temple and then Jerusalem, expelling the Roman garrison.

All of Judea joined the revolt, with an intensity that took the Romans by surprise, and local troops could not control it. The Emperor Nero realized that he had to face an important rebellion and in the year 67 he sent three legions to Antioch under the command of Vespasian, the best Roman general of the time.

Vespasian took his army to the south, occupying Galilee. In 68 he went to Judea occupying the region slowly but methodically, as the Jews fought to the death, and halfway through the year it seemed that they had some opportunity of winning the war, because in Rome Emperor Nero was overthrown. Nero then committed suicide before waiting for his execution. A period of anarchy followed, during which three Roman generals seized the  Roman throne, one after the other. Vespasian marched towards Rome after being proclaimed emperor by the armies of Judea and Egypt and in the year 70 he defeated his rivals and effectively became emperor.

Fire and destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

His son Titus continued the task of recovering Judea for the Empire. In the year 70 Jerusalem was besieged, taken, and the Temple was destroyed, after six centuries of existence and a thousand years after Solomon built the first Temple. According to chronicles of the time, one and a half million Jews died and there was a new and desperate diaspora. Judea was devastated, Jerusalem in ruins, the priesthood was abolished and a Roman legion was permanently established in the country. Only the ruins of a wall, which today is known as the Wailing Wall, remained from the temple.

In the Jewish rebellion against Rome, the Christians did not take part; they already had their Messiah, they preached nonviolence, they had to offer the other cheek, they had to love their enemies and give to Caesar what was Caesar's. Christian Jews believed that rebellion signaled the beginning of the end and that rebellious times announced the return of Jesus. They followed the words of Jesus, who when speaking of the final days had said: "those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

Thus, most of the Jude-Christians fled to Transjordan to escape the Zealots and the Romans, and they did not participate in the defense of Jerusalem. The Jews who survived  never forgave the Christians, they rejected Christianity and there were no more converts among them. Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and Jewish Christianity became extinct. Christianity became totally gentile and the new religion moved further and further away from its Jewish origins.

NEXT CHAPTER: The Gospels

The chapters published so far can be consulted in the Index of published chapters.